“Mayor Philip Gigante has raised the possibility of lifting a restriction on minor home improvements, even as the Board of Trustees considers extending the community’s building moratorium.
The mayor floated the idea of removing the requirement that home-improvement projects greater than 500-square feet obtain a permit. He made the suggestion during a public hearing Tuesday on the moratorium, which drew dozens of residents to Village Hall on Cherry Lane.
More complex projects would continue to require review and permitting by the planning and zoning boards.
The public hearing was held to consider extending the moratorium — due to expire March 8 — for another three months, with an option to extend to six months, if needed. The board could lift the 500-square-feet restriction and keep the moratorium, as they are not mutually exclusive.
The moratorium was put in place a year ago to allow officials time to update the village’s comprehensive plan and make revisions to its planning and zoning regulations. Its aim is to preserve the suburban and semi-rural character of the village, safeguard neighborhoods from over-development, promote controlled growth, and develop regulations to reduce environmental impacts, according to the law.
Airmont followed other Rockland municipalities, including Montebello, which have called for temporary development halts to update zoning and building codes.
Members of the village’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community have criticized the restriction as preventing them from making kitchen, living and other improvements to their homes, which are needed to accommodate their larger families and religious practices.”
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