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Village of Nyack Considers Local Proximity Restrictions On Adult-Use Cannabis Retail
The Nyack Village Board will be holding a public hearing on Thursday on modifications to the Village code to set local proximity restrictions on adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the Village limits.
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) regulations prevent dispensaries from opening within 2,000 feet of another dispensary in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 residents.
Proposals at the state level may reduce that proximity limitation to 1,000 feet. Also, OCM has the ability and a track record of issuing waivers for adult-use dispensaries, allowing a new dispensary to open within another dispensary’s proximity protected area.
The proposal being considered by the Village trustees would establish a rule similar to the state rule as – 2,000 foot dispensary-to-dispensary proximity restrictions, so that if OCM’s rulemaking changed or narrowed the restriction, the Village code would still enforce a 2,000 foot limitation.
Cannabis dispensaries are permitted uses in the DMU zones and the CC zone.
Any relief from the OCM regulation would be by waiver; relief from a local zoning code limitation would be by a request for a variance.
The Village Board meeting is broadcast live at: www.nyack.link/youtube.
Proposed 454,000 Square Foot Wholesale Storage & Warehousing Facility In West Haverstraw Advances To Environmental Review
The Village of West Haverstraw Planning Board unanimously voted on April 9th to accept a Final Draft Scoping Document for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement from the developers of 34.1 acres of vacant land bordered by East Railroad Avenue, Beach Road, and Ecology Road.
Owner Grassy Point Bend LLC and developer Industrial 2020 LLC are planning to construct a 454,000 square foot wholesale storage and warehousing facility on the former Construction and Demolition Debris landfill.
After the Planning Board determined that the Project could give rise to at least one significant adverse environmental impact, a positive SEQRA declaration was issued on January 8, 2025.
The positive declaration triggered the requirement for the developers to prepare a Draft Scoping Document outlining the issues an Environmental Impact Statement would consider, address for significance, and proposed mitigating steps, as needed.
A public hearing was held in March, wherein public comments were considered and environmental concerns raised by the public were incorporated into the drafting process.
The project site is in the Village’s Planned Light Industrial (PLI) zoning district where warehousing is permitted as a matter of right.
Written public comments and comments from other stakeholders were incorporated into the Final Draft Scoping Document. The next step is the preparation and submission of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The Final Draft Scoping Document is available on the Village of West Haverstraw website.
Floating Zone PUDs (Planned Unit Developments) Back On Town Of Ramapo Agenda
The Town of Ramapo will consider and likely vote on Wednesday on two resolutions establishing floating PUD (Planned Unit Developments) zoning affecting all areas of the town except the town’s Northeast Corridor, where PUD legislation is already in place.
The first resolution would be the adoption of a negative SEQRA declaration, essentially a determination that the new PUD provisions would not have an adverse negative impact on any particular property in the town.
The second resolution would establish a local law titled “Planned Unit Development District Regulations Outside Of The Northeast Area Of The Town,” which would authorize the Town Board to designate eligible properties as Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) provided the tracts contained ten (10) contiguous acres under common ownership or control, on and after May 31, 2025.
The local law would vest the Town Board with complete discretion whether or not to designate a particular tract as a PUD District, and to impose requirements and conditions specific to the development of the PUD, including permitted uses, area and bulk requirements, and other requirements and conditions to mitigate potential community and environmental impacts.
A designated PUD would still be subject to a new SEQRA determination based on its own merits.
PUDs are “floating zones” created to encourage creative residential, commercial or mixed use development, including the construction of smaller and more affordable apartments and single-family detached residences. Ramapo, like the rest of Rockland County, is facing a crisis in both affordable and available housing units.
The PUD is akin to a type of “form-based zoning,” where what is designed and built is more important than where it gets built. In traditional zoning codes, each zone determines what type of use and structure can be built within the confines of the zone – e.g. single-family zones, multi-family zones, retail zones, etc. The PUD allows any type of mixed-use development and is designed to minimize the negative impacts associated with suburban sprawl.
