July 8,  town board to hold public hearings on dogs, RD parking, real estate in first floor space

July 4, 2008
by Christine Yeres

The New Castle town board will hold several public hearings at its July 8 regular meeting in the assembly room of town hall.  The 7:45 meeting begins with the supervisor’s and administrator’s reports, followed by a presentation by the Zoning Board of Appeals, then four public hearings. 

The town board will hear citizens on whether to extend the hours, and months, during which dogs are permitted off leash in public parks; whether to shift special permit jurisdiction from the zoning board to the planning board; whether to allow Northern Westchester Hospital to use 140 parking spaces at the Reader’s Digest property for the three years it takes them to expand their emergency department; and whether the town board meant to exclude real estate from the “offices” designation of a recent law that prohibits “offices” on the first floor of downtown buildings. The board encourages community members to come and participate in the discussions.

Later this summer the board will set a date for yet another public hearing, this one to decide whether to declare a six-month moratorium begining in autumn that would freeze first-floor uses.