YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—It was another marathon night for the Yorktown Town Board on Tuesday, as board members and the public spent more than four hours discussing long-standing issues, including accessory dwelling units, battery energy storage systems, solar power generation systems and facilities, and more.
Residents can visit yorktownny.granicus.com to watch the May 20 meeting, as well as all other meetings.
In a 4-1 vote, with Councilwoman Susan Siegel voting no, the Town Board adopted an amended law banning Tier 2 Battery Energy Storage Systems. Siegel said, “It hasn’t been an easy decision for me,” but added she believes safety concerns can be addressed without a ban. She supports requiring independent experts to thoroughly review safety plans and monitoring systems.
The board unanimously voted to adopt the amended law, permitting ADUs in single-family zones. In early March, the Community Housing Board presented its suggested changes to the existing code. A public hearing was held on May 6.
For detached accessory dwelling units, the new law reduces the minimum lot size from two acres to 40,000 square feet, allowing more homeowners to add ADUs if all zoning setbacks and yard requirements are met, eliminating the requirement that an ADU must be on the second story. It also extends the waiting period to convert an existing or newly constructed accessory building into an ADU from two years to five.
In single-family homes, the law increases the maximum ADU size from 800 to 1,000 square feet and raises the allowed percentage of the main home from 33 to 40 percent, removing the requirement that the property owner must live in the larger unit, giving more flexibility to owners who may not need the larger space.
For all homeowners with an attached or detached ADU, the law extends penalties to those with expired ADU permits, creating a one-year amnesty period to allow owners of unpermitted ADUs to apply for legalization in accordance with zoning, health and building standards.
Sarah Wilson, the chair of the Community Housing Board, called the adoption “common-sense revisions” to the town code.
She added that it will "provide some flexibility to our homeowners while maintaining the safeguards which preserve the character of our single-family residential neighborhoods."
A more than two-hour public hearing on banning large-scale, ground-mounted solar farms in residential zones—a heavily contested issue in Yorktown—ended with leaving open a10-day period for written comments. Town residents, members of county organizations, and others spoke before the board both for and against the ban. Supporters cited the need to protect the town’s character, while opponents emphasized the importance of renewable energy and urged the town to review applications on a case-by-case basis.
Yorktown designated Armed Forces Day, which was recognized across the country last week. The proclamation, encourages “all Americans to display the flag of the United States at their homes and businesses on Armed Forces Day,” was presented to resident Dan Strauss, who served the country, recognizing “skill, gallantry, and uncompromising devotion to duty characteristic of the Armed Forces in the carrying out of their missions.”
The board also acknowledged Memorial Day, which will be observed with a number of ceremonies across town on Monday, May 26.
The resignation of Michael Stigell from his position as a Heavy Motor Equipment Operator in the Highway Department was accepted, effective May 30. Justin Flores was appointed to the position of Motor Equipment Operator, effective June 2. The role has an annual salary of $60,495.
Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman was authorized to enter into an agreement with US Bencor MidAmerica to direct payments into a 401a Special Pay Plan.
Other personnel matters, as well as the resolutions before the board, can be found on the May 20 agenda.
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