Source: http://ecode360.com/10994629
Timestamp: 2017-03-28 08:03:35
Document Index: 741502294

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7', '§ 239', '§ 172', '§ 245', '§ 245', '§ 172', '§ 172']

Village of Haverstraw, NY Residential Inclusionary Zone
RIZ application process.
Site development concept plan.
Continued affordability requirements.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Haverstraw 3-3-2008
by L.L. No. 3-2008. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Chapter 172: Residential Inclusionary Zone
The Residential Inclusionary Zone (RIZ) is hereby established to foster
the development of affordable housing in the Village of Haverstraw. This chapter
will provide the Village of Haverstraw with additional zoning tools to achieve
these goals. The RIZ enables the Village to evaluate the need and demand for
such housing, delineate key aspects of the RIZ (including the type, design,
and layout of a RIZ regarding a particular site), and control the impacts
that such a development may have on the surrounding community. Furthermore,
the RIZ is intended to discourage urban sprawl while encouraging innovative,
traditional neighborhood developments which will promote the public health,
safety, and welfare of the community while preserving and/or enhancing property
values within existing residential areas and preserving the unique character
of the Village. The RIZ applies to projects that enable the creation of five
or more RIZ dwelling units through either new construction and/or rehabilitation
of existing structures that increase the number of affordable units in addition
to the existing units. Calculation of the number of units being applied for
shall exclude existing residential units that are being demolished and replaced
on the applicant's property. To qualify, an applicant with existing units
must have a net gain of five units or more over and above the projects' existing
A. The RIZ shall represent a new zone applied to the existing
Zoning Map according to the amendment procedures set forth herein. The RIZ
may be applied to all residential zoning districts in the Village of Haverstraw,
provided that all other criteria are satisfied. The RIZ may be considered
in the other Village zoning districts, but only after a special public hearing
before the Village Board to consider if application of the RIZ is appropriate
and under what circumstances and conditions as applied to the underlying district
being considered. Unless expressly stated otherwise in this section, all lands
affected by a RIZ shall conform to all other applicable provisions of this
chapter that are not inconsistent with the RIZ or are not modified by the
Village Board during the site plan process. Once applied to a site, the underlying
use provisions shall no longer apply during the affordability period but shall
be governed by the Village Board's RIZ determination. Bulk requirements of
the underlying zone will apply unless varied by the Board.
B. The Village Board of Trustees may attach such conditions
upon the designation of a RIZ as it may deem appropriate or as may be required
as a result of environmental review. Conditions will include a requirement
that Village residents receive first preference for units as they become available.
C. Developments under this zone must substantially conform
to Rockland County's Comprehensive Plan, § 7-703 of the Village
Law of the State of New York and §§ 239-m and 239-1 of the
D. Any individual or developer applying for a RIZ designation
must do so at the inception of the proposed project. If an applicant commences
a project without a RIZ designation, and later seeks a RIZ designation, the
project must be halted and a RIZ application must be processed from the beginning.
Such an applicant or developer will require a super majority vote of the Board
of Trustees in order to secure a RIZ designation not originally requested
before the start of a project.
A. Parcel characteristics. This zone may only be applied
to parcels with the following characteristics:
(1) Minimum of 0.5 acre.
(2) Direct access to a state, county, town or Village road
(frontage or driveway).
(3) Central water and sewer must serve the development.
B. Principal use. The following uses are permitted upon
site plan approval of the Village Board of Trustees:
(1) Single-, two- and three-family dwellings; and
(2) Multifamily dwelling units of four or more units, provided
that such dwelling units are arranged as individual dwelling units for the
occupancy of individual households.
(1) Within the RIZ development, certain related accessory
facilities may be permitted, either in a separate building or in combination
with a building containing dwelling units, such as meeting rooms, self-service
laundries, multipurpose rooms, outdoor sitting areas, walking trails, and
other similar outdoor recreation or leisure facilities. Such facilities shall
be subordinate to the residential character of the development. Outside advertising
is not permitted. Any such accessory facilities shall require specific approval
(2) In addition, permitted accessory uses include administrative,
social and recreational buildings, structures, and areas.
(a) Facilities may include, but are not limited to:
[1] Swimming pools, tennis courts, open field areas, passive
sitting areas, picnic facilities, walking trails, shuffleboard, and bocce
[2] Off-street parking and private garage facilities.
[3] Fences and walls, utility, and maintenance structures.
(b) The present zoning regulations applying to the above
shall apply unless modified by the Village Board.
(3) Individual home occupations may be permitted upon approval
of the Village Board of Trustees by special permit as presently set forth
in the Zoning Code or as modified by the Village Board.
D. Site density. The site density may be up to 25 dwelling
units per acre for multifamily units. For purposes of this chapter, "multifamily"
shall mean to include four or more family units. In arriving at the specific
density, including one-, two- and three-family homes, the Village Board shall
consider the requirements of the underlying zoning district, the existing
neighborhood character, traffic issues and environmental factors.
E. Development coverage.
(1) Development coverage may be up to 85%, including building, walks, parking areas, driveways, swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts and patios and all impermeable surfaces. Building coverage may be up to 65%. The final percentage of coverage shall be determined after application of the criteria set forth in paragraph § 172-5B(4)(a) through (d) below.
(2) A minimum of 15% of the total lot area shall be devoted
to sitting areas, gardens, and adjacent usable open space.
F. Parking. At least two off-street parking spaces must
be provided for each dwelling unit. Each parking space shall be within 200
feet of the unit it is intended to serve. Each parking space shall be a minimum
of 8.5 feet by 18 feet. The number and location of handicap parking spaces
shall be determined during site plan review.
G. Bulk specifications.
(1) Height. The maximum building height may be up to 45 feet,
with a maximum 3 1/2 stories. Where a structure is on a sloping site,
the maximum height may be increased up to 48 feet at the discretion of the
Planning Board. Building height shall be defined as the vertical distance
measured from the average finished grade at all foundation corners of the
building or structure to the highest point of the roof for flat roofs or to
the mean height between eave and the ridge for other types of roofs; chimneys,
elevator penthouses, tanks and similar projections shall not be included in
such measurements, provided that such projection does not occupy more than
10% of the roof area.
(2) Building division. Buildings of 60 feet or more in length
shall be visually divided into smaller increments to reduce the building's
apparent size and contribute to human-scale development.
(3) Setback. The minimum distance between detached buildings
shall be 25 feet. No principal building may be closer than 15 feet to a property
line of the overall development, with actual setback determined by the impact
of the size, height and location of the building with reference to the surrounding
(4) Appurtenances. Central refuse collection areas shall
be located for the convenience of all units. They shall be supplied with an
adequate number of covered receptacles and shall be provided with proper screening
and maintenance. All parking areas, driveways, recreation areas and refuse
collection areas shall be no closer than 10 feet to any building.
(5) Parking. Parking, other than in driveways leading to
a garage or carport, may not occur in a front yard, whether measured from
a public or private street. Driveway parking prohibition shall not apply to
private internal access driveways within a residential development comprised
of multiple dwellings or townhouses if such private driveways are properly
H. Unit specifications.
(1) The gross floor area of all dwelling units in the RIZ
shall not be less than the following minimum requirements and shall conform
to the requirements of the New York State Division of Housing and Community
Renewal Design Guidelines:
(a) Studio: 500 square feet; one bath; maximum one person.
(b) One bedroom: 650 square feet; one bath; one to two persons.
(c) Two bedrooms: 800 square feet; 1.5 baths; two to four
(d) Three bedrooms: 1,000 square feet; 1.5 baths; four to
(e) Four bedrooms: 1,100 square feet; two baths; six to eight
(2) The minimum bedroom size under this section shall be
90 square feet. No dwelling units shall contain more than four bedrooms.
A. Occupancy of RIZ dwelling units shall be limited to households
earning as follows:
(1) Rental units: from 30% to 60% of the current HUD Rockland
County area median income (adjusted for family size).
(2) Owner-occupied units: from 50% to 75% of the current
HUD Rockland County area median income (adjusted for family size).
B. Eligibility and affordability in each RIZ project shall
be calculated and certified by a New York State approved Community Housing
Development Organization/Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (CHDO/NPC)
selected by the project developer. The project CHDO/NPC shall report its affordability
findings to the Village Board and the designated local CHDO/NPC for the Village
of Haverstraw as part of each RIZ application. Affordability shall be measured
by New York State affordability guidelines. The local CHDO/NPC shall review
the affordability calculations and certification made by the project CHDO/NPC
and report its findings to the Village Board. The Village Board will take
into account both the project CHDO/NPC's affordability certification and the
findings of the local CHDO/NPC's affordability review before rendering a determination
concerning RIZ development.
C. Owner-occupied units must be only for qualified participants
of the New York State First Time Home Buyer Program.
D. Senior citizens' units: same income requirements as above
in which at least one person is 55 years of age or older, except senior citizens
are exempt from the first time Home Buyer criteria that they must be first-time
homebuyers. In all other respects, senior citizens must meet First Time Home
Buyer Program criteria, including household size, asset limitations, and income
E. Twenty percent of the units developed in a RIZ may be
designated for sale or rent at prevailing market rates.
F. For-sale and/or rental calculations. Sales prices shall
be calculated on the basis of the median incomes of the target population,
a down payment of at least 3%, and the calculation of applicable homeowners'
insurance, taxes, utilities and any homeowner's association (HOA) or condominium
maintenance fees. HOA and condominium maintenance fees shall be calculated
at the same rates as market rate residents in the same development.
G. With respect to affordable rental units, it shall be
the duty of the project owner or his agent to file a certification with the
project CHDO/NPC, which shall include evidence of each renter's household
size and income. Such documentation shall be considered compliance with the
requirements of the RIZ. Such certification shall be filed no later than April
H. In the case of for-sale units (including cooperative
and condominium units), the contract of sale shall include a covenant restricting
occupancy of said units only to those persons and/or households permitted
by the RIZ. Standard covenants and restrictions concerning occupancy and affordability
approved by the project CHDO/NPC and the Village Board shall be set forth
in the award letter, the contract of sale and the deed filed in the Rockland
I. To the extent permissible under applicable state and
federal fair housing funding requirements, the initial sale or rental of a
RIZ dwelling unit shall first be made available to the following households:
(1) Persons residing in the Village of Haverstraw and serving
as volunteers in good standing in the fire department or ambulance corps;
(2) Persons currently residing in the Village of Haverstraw;
(3) Persons employed at the time of initial tenancy or occupancy
by the Village and/or Town of Haverstraw, including the North Rockland School
(4) Persons currently residing in the Town of Haverstraw;
(5) Persons employed by the New York State Police; and
(6) Persons currently living in Rockland County for at least
J. Except for household size and income limitations as set
forth herein, occupancy of any inclusionary housing unit shall not be limited
by any conditions that are not otherwise applicable to all units within the
redevelopment project. Final calculations for the sales price and rental price
of these units shall be made prior to the issuance of building permits.
K. In the event any RIZ units cannot be marketed in compliance
with the above criteria, the Village Board may consider reasonable and appropriate
modification of those criteria in order to accomplish the goals of the RIZ.
A. Acceptance of an application for RIZ shall be at the
sole discretion of the Village Board of Trustees.
B. Approval of a RIZ shall also be at the sole discretion
of the Village Board and shall require a determination by the Village Board
that the application meets the following criteria:
(1) Demonstrated local need. The local need for such a development
within the community shall be demonstrated by the applicant to the satisfaction
of the Village Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the project CHDO/NPC.
(2) Financial viability. The applicant shall document the
ability to financially complete an affordable RIZ project by supplying the
following as a part of the RIZ application process:
(a) An outline of all public and private financing for the
(b) Evidence of public funding acquired for the project.
(c) A proposed affordability plan outlining the targeted
(d) A timeline of the proposed project showing predevelopment,
development, closeout and application of public funds, if applicable.
(3) Evaluation and mitigation of significant impacts. In
the event the development shall significantly impact the adjacent area, public
circulation, historic structures, density, the tax rate base, and any other
relevant issues as may be identified by the Village Board of Trustees, the
Village Board shall use all practicable means to minimize those environmental
effects while still achieving the social, economic, and other goals of this
(4) In order to accomplish the goals set forth in this chapter,
the Village Board may vary the bulk requirements set forth in this RIZ and
those requirements that apply from the Village Zoning Law. In order to achieve
a project that accomplishes the goals of this district, balanced by acceptable
impact on the surrounding neighborhood and community, the following shall
be considered by the Village Board:
(a) The benefit the proposed inclusionary housing will bring
to the Village and whether there is a need for additional inclusionary housing.
(b) The extent of impact and change to the character of the
(c) Whether there are available other, more viable locations
or methods to achieve inclusionary housing.
(d) The extent any adverse physical or environmental impact
on the surrounding neighborhood and community can be mitigated.
A. The development concept of all areas encompassed by a
RIZ shall be adequately described by a site development concept plan comprised
of scaled drawings and associated reports. At a minimum, the site development
concept plan shall adequately describe:
(1) The boundary and area of the RIZ district, including
underlying zoning districts.
(2) The general location, orientation, and size of proposed
principal and ancillary structures and the individual lots upon which they
are situated; associated parking, density, open space, landscape, and recreation
areas, refuse areas and stormwater management areas; the location, size and
general treatment of environmentally sensitive areas; and the general pedestrian
and vehicular traffic routes (external and internal) to and from the development.
(3) Tabular data, written statements, graphic materials and
illustrations sufficient to demonstrate compliance with all applicable provisions
(4) Any additional data that the Village Board deems necessary
to evaluate the development proposal.
B. Prior to making its determination regarding the approval
of any final RIZ submission, the Village Board shall seek the opinion of the
Planning Board. The Planning Board shall have 62 days to report to the Village
Board after the closing of the Planning Board hearing, upon notice to all
landowners within 300 feet, by certified mail, return receipt requested. If
no report is forthcoming in this time, the Village Board may proceed to act.
The preliminary and final RIZ application shall be reviewed by the Village
Technical Advisory Committee and their recommendations sent to both the Planning
Board and the Village Board.
C. After receipt of the Planning Board and the Technical Advisory Committee recommendations, the Village Board shall meet initially with the applicant in open workshop session, and when the application and all details have been discussed with the Board, a public hearing shall be noticed in the same manner required by § 245-33 of the Village Ordinance[1] for variance applications heard by the Village Zoning Board of
Appeals, with the exception that notices shall be sent to all property owners
within 300 feet of the site seeking RIZ designation.
D. If the Village Board adopts the RIZ district designation, the applicant shall proceed to site plan review by the Planning Board in accordance with the site plan review provisions of § 245-16 of the Zoning Ordinance. The site plan must be generally consistent with the concept approved as a basis for the RIZ district designation. If the Planning Board approves a site plan that varies from the concept approved by the Village Board in a significant dimension or density (10% or greater), the plan shall be referred back to the Village Board for review and approval.
All projects shall comply with the following provisions to ensure affordability
of units in the RIZ:
A. Ninety-nine-year affordability. All affordable units
in the RIZ shall remain affordable for a period of no less than 99 years,
commencing from the date of initial occupancy of the unit.
B. Compliance. Affordability shall be monitored by the project
and local CHDO/NPC. Monitoring criteria shall be governed by the requirements
of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Renewal and the New York State
Department of Housing and Community Renewal. Affordability monitoring reports
shall be supplied by the project CHDO/NPC to the local CHDO/NPC by July 1
of each year. The review of the project CHDO/NPC's affordability report shall
be supplied to the Village Board by the local CHDO/NPC by August 1 of each
C. Deed restrictions. Provisions to ensure continued affordability of all affordable units in the RIZ project shall be embodied in legally binding agreements and/or deed restrictions, which shall be prepared in a manner that conforms with the affordable regulatory restrictions set forth in Subsection D, Resale provisions.
D. Resale provisions.
(1) Owners benefitting from the purchase of an affordable
unit shall be required to maintain the unit as their primary residence for
a minimum of 10 years in order to retrieve any equity. Prior to 10 years,
the owner shall be entitled to cash outlay at time of closing for down payment
and closing costs, mortgage loan principal pay-down, and any improvements
made to the unit, provided that there is documentation for improvement costs.
(2) Resale prices for units sold after 10 years shall be
determined by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Income Guidelines for the
current year at time of sale.
(3) Those units designated at specific income tiers must
be resold to households at the same income tier (e.g., units sold to families
at 65% of median income shall be sold to a household earning up to 65% of
the median income at the time of sale, as determined by HUD Income Guidelines).
(4) In no event shall an owner be compelled to sell at a
price below his cost. "Cost" is defined as any cash outlay for closing costs
and down payment, and any improvements made.
E. Sale procedure.
(1) RIZ owners wishing to sell their home shall notify, by certified mail, return receipt requested, both the project CHDO/NPC and the local CHDO/NPC for the purpose of locating a qualified RIZ purchaser in the same specific income tier as the seller at the time of the seller's purchase. Purchaser priority shall be as set forth in § 172-4 above. The project and local CHDO/NPCs shall have 30 days to locate a qualified RIZ purchaser. If 30 days after notification the project and local CHDO/NPCs cannot locate a qualified buyer, the owner may list his or her home for sale on the open market subject to the resale provisions set forth in § 172-7D above.
(2) In the event a RIZ unit has been listed on the market
for sale for more than six months without receiving a qualified RIZ purchase
offer, the owner shall notify both the project and local CHDO/NPC by certified
mail that a qualified purchaser for the unit has not been obtained. Thereafter,
the project and local CHDO/NPC shall have 30 days to exercise a right of first
refusal to purchase the unit at the price mandated by this chapter. The priority
of the exercise of the right of first refusal shall be, first, the project
CHDO/NPC and, second, the local CHOD/NPC. In the event the project CHDO/NPC
declines to exercise its option, the local CHDO/NPC shall purchase the property.
The contract of sale between the unit owner and the purchasing CHDO/NPC shall
provide for a closing date of 90 days from the date of the contract.
F. Rent increases. Annual rent increases shall be limited
to the percentage increase in the median household income within the Standard
Metropolitan Statistical Area for Rockland County.