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ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) Legislation in NYS

From the Supervisors email of 2/18/22:

Governor Kathy Hochul removed the ADU / TOD legislative proposals from her budget!! If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, see my last email below about this topic and also see comments that follow.

For those who have been following this issue and share the same concerns as your Town Board, this is very good news, but still continue to read below as there is more work to do. And for those who feel differently, every Town Board member is happy to discuss this issue with you so please reach out.  

ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) / TOD  (Transit Oriented Development)

Although it’s very positive news that the Governor submitted a 30-day amendment to the budget legislation that temporarily removed these proposals in order to facilitate a discussion and build consensus in the Legislature, the State Senate and House bills still exist, and the goal is for them to be voted down. However, action by local town and village boards across the state is not enough; the most effective element is YOU! 

Here is the “ask” that the Town Board will continue to communicate to you; you need to email our state representatives with a personal message asking for them to NOT support the bills – more detail below to help you. By the way, our State Senator Shelley Mayer and our State Assemblyman Chris Burdick have asked to hear from you, so please email them.

Candidly, this is not an issue that residents should take lightly – see below to read my last email on this for those details. We don’t need hundreds of emails to them, the goal is 6000!. Yes, 6000!! If they get a clear message from their constituents on these bills, and their colleagues get the same message from their constituents across NYS, then it’s very possible that the bills will not pass. But without residents voicing their objection in a “tsunami-like” way, the message will not be loud and clear.

Your Town Board is working outside of North Castle to help other communities mobilize their residents. And what is quite honestly refreshing, is that it’s a complete bipartisan effort amongst the towns and villages, especially in Westchester.  

The “ASK”:

Email both Senator Shelley Mayer and Assemblyman Chris Burdick with the following message - in your words.

  • Shelley Mayer email: smayer@nysenate.gov  •  website
  • Chris Burdick email:  burdickc@nyassembly.gov  •  website  
     
    • To NOT support the Senate and Assembly bills for ADU’s (Accessory Dwelling Units) and TOD’s (Transit Oriented Development)
    • That one size does NOT fit all when it comes to zoning in NYS.  
    • That North Castle has a 30-40 year history of supporting ADU’s and Affordable Housing. 

Thanks for reading and listening. Please take action on this critical issue. 

From the Supervisors email of 1/28/22:

This is most likely foreign to you, but you need to make yourself aware of it quickly. Click here for the resolution that the Town passed unanimously on Wednesday 1/26/22. Let me boil this down quickly for you: NYS Legislation S4547A, if passed, would allow a breakdown of local zoning throughout NYS. It would allow single family homes to potentially become 2-family homes, and 2-family homes to become 4-family homes, without regard for parking, water, sewer, setbacks, absentee ownership, etc. This is not an exaggeration or embellishment. In NYS there is something called Home Rule, and every municipality in NYS utilizes it to create local zoning laws, but this proposed legislation tramples all over Home Rule. In Governor Hochul's state of the state speech last month (see pages 130-132), the Governor specifically supports this legislation and has budgeted for it. In short, it's one of the poorest pieces of legislation crafted in NYS. If you feel strongly about opposing it, you're encouraged to contact our local state representatives and let them know, and don't hesitate to contact other state representatives from around the state. My office has sent a copy of our approved resolution to every NYS Assemblyman and Senator. This is not about the Town opposing ADU's nor Affordable Housing, as we already have both included in our code, but we manage it through Home Rule to prevent the issues that would occur with the passage of S4547A. Please pay close attention to this issue and spread the word among your friends and neighbors in Town and around NYS. We will continue to fight to prevent this legislation from passing.

At the 2/16/22 Town Board Meeting this was addressed by the Board.

See the video here, in it the Supervisor urges the public to contact our local state representatives.