Ghent adds build freeze

By: ROBERT MITCHELL IndeNews March 25, 2005

Ghent is putting the brakes on.

       On March 17, the Town Board approved adding a six-month moratorium on major residential subdivisions to its existing mining moratorium.
       "We feel the pressure and see what other towns are doing," Town Supervisor Larry Andrews said this week.
       About 15 people turned out for last week's public hearing on the newest moratorium, said Mr. Andrews. The board vote was unanimous, with all members present. Audience comments were positive, he said.
       Mr. Andrews said he had for some time been receiving mail and telephone calls from town residents urging a moratorium on major subdivisions. A major subdivision is five lots or more, he said.
       The moratorium affects housing development only, not commercial development.
       Why does the town feel a need for a moratorium on subdivisions?
       If one pays "attention to what is going on around Columbia County, there is a big push for many developments of this nature," Mr. Andrews said. "Other towns have gone to a moratorium.
       "Our concern is density," he said.
       Mr. Andrews said the west side of town is zoned RA 1-residential agricultural, one acre; while the east side of town is zoned RA 2, or two acres.
       One possibility, he said, is to make the whole town two-acre zoning.
       But Mr. Andrews said that change would not necessarily curb the pace of development. Within the last year the town has seen a 35-acre development on Soller Heights Road for just seven homes, he said.
       "One of the concerns is the preservation of open space, but at the same time you have to respect the rights of the property owners," Mr. Andrews said.
       Mr. Andrews said he did not know of any pending major subdivision applications. Any application made prior to the March 17 meeting would not be affected, he said.
       The Town Board has formed a land use advisory committee to look at zoning as it applies to major subdivisions.
       Some members of the new committee are also on the mining overlay zone committee. The land use committee consists of two councilmen, three Planning Board members, three from the Zoning Board of Appeals, Town Attorney Ted Guterman, Zoning Enforcement Officer Gil Rabb and three town residents.
       The new committee will meet for the first time Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m. at town hall.
       On April 7 at 7 p.m. there will be a public hearing on the mining overzone.
       By May at the latest, officials have said they hope to have in place updated gravel-mining regulations that will confine mining to certain parts of town.©The Independent 2005

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