Public hearing for proposed zoning update scheduled

The Village of Trumansburg Board of Trustees has scheduled a public hearing for the proposed zoning update and its associated environmental review on April 24.

The hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Village Meeting Hall. The draft proposal focuses primarily on the residential sections of the village’s zoning law.

One proposal relates to dimensional requirements, in which lot size requirements for lots with 1-4 dwelling units would be reduced. 

Another proposal considers affordable housing requirements. The draft proposes expanding eligibility to lower income brackets and adjusting regulations to align with current affordable housing development practices while not impeding market-rate housing development. 

Ben Darfler, a board trustee since 2018, believes that the most pressing issue on residents’ minds is the village’s affordability. Darfler oversees the Village DPW and is the chair of the Comprehensive Plan & Zoning Revision Committee.

“Just this week I learned that someone earning the county’s area median income can no longer afford the median-priced home in the county,” he said. “We are at a tipping point, and if we want to remain a village for everyone and not just the well-off, we need to allow for more and more affordable housing.”

Finding a balance between retaining small-town charm and attracting young families can be tricky – an issue faced by many villages and small towns nationwide. This is at the core of what the proposal “wrestles with,” said Darfler.

“Part of what attracts young families today is the small-town charm, and we wouldn’t want to jeopardize that,” he said. “The balance I see the proposal striking is in allowing and encouraging additional housing in the village while constraining it to the type of housing we already have in the village. The new proposed lot size requirements are based on the size of lots we already have in the village. The newly proposed limit on the number of units on a lot constrains development to a scale that is in keeping with what we already have in the village.”

The third proposal refers to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which would permit one ADU on any residential lot, which could be attached, as an attic apartment, or detached, as an in-law cottage. 

Darfler said it’s understandable that some residents are cautious about ADUs, but he emphasized two points that he believes are important to the discussion.

“The proposal limits ADUs to one per lot. This is not a free pass to add as many ADUs on a lot as you can fit,” he said. “Second is ADUs are a critical tool in addressing the very real housing affordability issues in the village. Through ADUs, we are encouraging small and more affordable housing in the village without dramatically changing the visual character of the village. We are also providing property owners an opportunity to bring in a little extra income to help them with the affordability issues they might be facing as well.”

While some residents are concerned that ADUs can be used for short-term rentals, Darfler said the board is currently drafting short-term rental regulations, so nothing is set in stone yet.

“However, based on how that conversation is going, I would anticipate a draft regulation for community feedback will treat ADUs like any other small apartment,” he said. “If we wanted to treat them differently, we would need a clear justification that could hold up to a legal challenge. Since an ADU is nearly indistinguishable from a small apartment, I think that would be challenging to find.”

The last item relating to residential zoning concerns manufactured home parks. Because New York state law now prohibits regulating manufactured homes differently than single-family dwellings, the draft proposal outlines eliminating manufactured home regulation.

While discussing proposed zoning matters can be challenging at times for a community, Darfler said that the process is built on feedback and input from residents.

“Many of the proposed changes come from the comprehensive plan, which was adopted at the end of 2021 after significant community input,” he said. “There have also been significant changes already made to this proposal as a result of community input along the way.”

Darfler believes that the proposal will solidify Trumansburg’s path forward.

“There are going to be different and conflicting opinions in the community, and not everyone is going to be 100% satisfied with the proposal. But the proposal we have is balanced and well reasoned and, I believe, will put Trumansburg on a good path for the future,” he said.

The draft proposal and a frequently asked questions document can be viewed online at https://tinyurl.com/TburgZoning. Paper copies are available at the Village Office at 56 E. Main St.

Residents who are unable to attend the April 24 meeting can comment via email atPublicComment@trumansburg-ny.gov.

Trumansburg Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com or courtney.rehfeldt@gmail.com.

In brief:

Arbor Day event 

Ulysses and Trumansburg will celebrate Arbor Day collaboratively. The village and town are coordinating a tree planting event April 29 at 10 a.m. at the West Main Street pull-off across from the farmers market, near the Taughannock Giant statue.

The Ulysses Tree Advisory Council and the Trumansburg Street Tree Advisory Committee will plant three trees with the help of volunteers. 

They will plant Amelanchier laevis, a tree with many common names such as shadblow, shadbush, juneberry, serviceberry, sarvis and others.

All are welcome. Arbor Day posters will be distributed free while supplies last.

Trumansburg Community Chorus spring concerts

The Trumansburg Community Chorus will perform a spring concert May 13 at 7 p.m. and May 14 at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Ulysses.

Admission is free, with donations gratefully accepted. There will be a reception following the Saturday evening performance.