Zoning Laws Take Major Step Forward

On April 5, the Caroline Town Board voted unanimously to approve the Caroline Zoning Commission’s draft zoning law.

The town board will now consider the 143-page drafted law and vote on if it should become official law in Caroline.

A date on the vote has not been set.

Zoning has been a hotly contested issue in Caroline for the last two years. Signs line the roads with messages that range from ‘No Zoning in Caroline’ to ‘There is a war in the Valley, time to pick a side.’

Other pro-zoning signs in yards around town state a simple message: ‘Support Responsible Zoning.’

On Wednesday, nearly 50 people filled town hall showing their opposition to zoning laws coming to Caroline. During the March 15 town board meeting, Caroline resident and owner of Celebrations Banquet Facility John Morse presented the town board with a petition that 1,228 residents had signed voicing their opposition to zoning in Caroline.

The petition called for a town board vote on the draft zoning law to be postponed until January 2024, after an election where three of the five town board members will be up for re-election.

Morse spoke during the privilege of the floor portion of the meeting, and said he didn’t think the town board had seriously considered the petition, as the petition had not been added to the March 15 meeting minutes. Discussion of the petition was also not on the agenda for last Wednesday’s meeting.

“You have (1,228 signatures) in this town and you couldn’t give them some time in the agenda to talk about what you’ve got, even if you’re not ready to make your decision? That’s disgusting,” he said to the town board during the meeting. “The zoning commission has voted to give you their proposal, they were tasked with coming up with a proposal that fits the town of Caroline, I believe they’ve failed in their task. This is a small town, and they gave you a document with massive regulation, not representative of a town like this.”

Caroline town supervisor Mark Witmer addressed the petition after the vote to accept the zoning commission’s draft zoning law.

He said that the board considered the petition very seriously, and said a petition with 1,228 signatures in a town of just over 3,000 residents opposed to a law is ‘concerning.’

“It is important to understand that the merits of a petition ultimately lie in its substance,” he said during the meeting. “The premise of this petition is that additional time is needed for adequate community discussion of the proposed zoning regulations … The zoning commission has provided a number of avenues for public engagement during the course of their two years of work, including privilege of the floor at 51 zoning commission meetings, email or mail correspondence, eight comment boxes placed around the town, six public informational meetings and two public hearings. The zoning commission has answered questions, including 215 posted on the town’s website, they did that very thoughtfully, doing the research to address those questions and getting advice from experts.”

Witmer said that the zoning commission modified the draft zoning law after hearing from residents through privilege of the floor sessions of zoning commission meetings and public hearings..

“The final report from the zoning commission provides a detailed summary of their process,” he said during the meeting. “This zoning process was not initiated suddenly on a whim, by the town board, but through a well considered public process including the methodical work of the town’s public planning board to update the comprehensive plan which called attention to the vulnerability of Caroline to development interests without stronger land use rules in place.”

All five members of the board addressed the petition after the draft zoning law was approved. Town Board member Cal Snow voted to accept and review the draft zoning law, but in his statement he spoke highly of the importance of local governments deeply considering petitions from their constituents. 

Snow cited the first amendment, and the right for the governed to address grievences with politicians.

His statement was met with applause from the no-zoning crowd in town hall.

“We’re all proud to be Americans, we’re proud of our constitution that guarantees some basic rights,” he said during the statement. “I’m not suggesting that is going against the proper government power and rights but I’m saying we need to take our time and we respect your petitions to us and give weight to your incentive. If we do this, it is by your consent, not what we feel is appropriate. It’s about you.”

During the privilege of the floor session, Morse and other Caroline residents stated that if a draft zoning law would have been right for Caroline, it would have more support from the public.

He said the petition that was presented to the town board shows that there is a large portion of Caroline that is against zoning.

“The zoning commission failed,” Morse said. “A good zoning proposal would have had overwhelming support from the community, this proposal has exactly the opposite. This is a community that is overwhelmingly opposed to zoning.”

During his statement about the petition and the draft zoning law, Witmer said he understands concerns from Caroline residents, but he believes zoning laws will preserve the town’s way of life.

“The zoning recommendations from the zoning commission are now in the hands of the town board,” He said during the meeting. “I recognize that there are concerns and fears of people who signed this petition. Our job is to review what the zoning commission has presented to us, to ensure that it appropriately supports the community’s vision in protecting and promoting the Caroline that we all love.”

 The Small Towns Column appears once a month in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or geoffpreston8@gmail.com

In Brief

Rehoming Caroline draws big crowd

On March 25, the Caroline History Association (CHA) celebrated the 200th anniversary of Caroline leaving Tioga County and joining Tompkins County at the Brooktondale Fire Hall with a pop-up museum and a dish-to-pass lunch.

The pop-up museum featured artifacts from residents detailing their family history in the town and surrounding area. There were also historical books that were available for sale.

CHA member Sarah Michelle said the organization estimates that 150 people walked through the doors of the Brooktondale Fire Hall to share their own family history and learn about the history of the town.