Nyack, Oct 22 — The Village Board will discuss a text amendment to Nyack’s zoning code proposed by Helmer Cronin Construction for the TZ Vista development on Gedney Street tonight at 7:30p. 
The controversial proposal — which has garnered almost 700 signatures on a “Leave Nyack’s Waterfront Zoning Alone” online petition — would allow the builder to construct six stories in exchange for amenities like underground parking, a larger public park and a wider path by the river.
TZ Vista is a proposed condominium development on a former Superfund property located between Gedney Street and the Hudson River near Main Street. Helmer Cronin, who holds an option for the property, says they can still build a four story complex with the same number of units if the Village Board rejects the text amendment. The zoning code modifications requested by Helmer Cronin include building height, view corridors, underground parking, and required Hudson River access in the water front district.
See It Live!
If you can’t make the meeting but want to see the action as it unfolds, Nyack News And Views will stream the meeting live on Twitter. Point your browser to https://twitter.com/NyackNewsNViews during the meeting and you will find a link to the live video stream of this important meeting about the future of Nyack’s water front.
At 6:30p, prior to the regular VB meeting, there’s a workshop session in Village Hall to discuss plans to reopen the Nyack Marina next Spring.
What Is A “Text Amendment?”
The Nyack Zoning Code (§360-5.6) permits by right any property owner to petition the Village Board for an amendment to the text of the Zoning Code that applies to an entire zoning district.
Petitions for text amendments are not uncommon in Nyack or in any other community, and provide a municipality with an opportunity to examine the appropriateness of the request in the context of imposing conditions and/or seeking benefits for the entire affected zoning district, as well as for the municipality as a whole. A municipality may not be compelled to amend its code, and conversely; a municipality simply cannot label a petition for a text amendment as improper and deny the request simply because the process itself may be objectionable to neighboring residents.
The text amendment provisions in Nyack Zoning Code §360-5.6 lays out a clearly delineated and specific step-by-step procedure to be followed in the case of a petition for a text amendment. Any applicant is entitled by law to have the legal process respected and followed, regardless of the degree of public outcry generated by a request. — Walter Sevastian, Nyack Village Attorney
See also:
- TZ Vista’s Underground Parking Plan, 10/10/2015
- Is There A TZ Vista Compromise?, 10/5/2015
- An Immodest Proposal: Waterfront Development in Nyack, 10/3/2015
- An Explainer for the Waterfront TZ Vista project, 9/30/2015
- Village of Nyack Responds To TZ Vista Criticism, 9/6/2015
- Nyack split over fate of new waterfront development, Journal News 10/2/2015
- TZ Vista: 4, 6 Or No Stories On The Hudson, 8/30/2015
- Nyack Waterfront Watch Facebook page
- TZVista.com — Helmer Cronin Construction / Architecture & Engineering firm DCAK-MSA website
- Leave Nyack’s Waterfront Zoning Alone, Petitions.MoveOn.org
