Moreau officials held a public workshop Thursday to discuss the scope of a zoning advisory task force.
The Moreau town board and zoning administrator held a public workshop Thursday to discuss what a resident-run task force would look like and how it would help rewrite zoning codes after more than three decades.
Zoning Administrator Jim Martin said the task force would work off of his current draft of updated codes and allow local stakeholders to be involved in the town’s future.
“Option one would be to simply go in, look at the industrial districts and correct for them the deficiencies as identified in the moratorium and that’s been heard by the public. And correct the industrial zoning and be done with it in terms of its textual verbiage in the chapter and how it exists on the map,” said Martin.
Nine months remain in a construction moratorium in the town’s industrial park that was enacted after an outpouring of public criticism over a proposed fertilizer plant.
Martin added that, for example, codes regarding fences, signs, and keeping of chickens are all separate chapters regarding land-use. Martin would like to see the task force eliminate these inefficiencies.
“The second thing is to take advantage of this opportunity, which I think it is an opportunity, and look at the entire chapter and do the hard work, stop kicking the can down the road, and get a new zoning ordinance here, established to serve residents in this community. Because it’s old, it’s dated back to 1989, there’s a lot of inadequacies in it,” explained Martin.
Saratoga Biochar Solutions’ leaders have criticized the moratorium as illegally targeting a private business. Republican board member Kyle Noonan raised concerns over the task force’s potential members being biased against Saratoga Biochar. Noonan did not attend Thursday’s workshop.
Martin said the moratorium and task force are long overdue efforts toward modernization.
“Communities need to grow. If they don’t grow, they die. So never apologize or be sad over growth. It should be managed; it should be regulated and it should be done in a spirit that is in lock-step with the needs of the community and the express desires of the residents. But growth is fundamental,” said Martin.
After the workshop, independent Moreau Supervisor Jesse Fish emphasized that the task force and moratorium are not about halting Saratoga Biochar’s plant.
“The way it was set up is perfect. You know, we can start with the industrial manufacturing area and we can do what we have to do. And then when it comes down to it, when it’s all said and done, if we need more time, that area can be done and we can complete that comprehensive plan it’s really important,” said Fish.
Fish ran as a vocal opponent of the proposed plant last fall, unseating Republican Todd Kusnierz by a nearly three-to-one margin.
Gina LeClair has been helping to organize opposition efforts and founded the Not Moreau Facebook page. Present for the workshop, LeCair said she has an idea of who she’d like to serve on the task force but has not spoken directly with Fish about it.
“I’m encouraged about all of this. And when you listen to the reasons that they’re doing it, it’s very obvious how badly it needed to be done. I don’t see this as all about Saratoga Biochar. Will it affect them? I don’t know,” said LeClair. “But I’m sure they may say, ‘yes, it’s going to affect us.’ But when you hear—how could you sit here tonight and listen and not say, ‘wow, this should have all been taken care of?’”
Fish has said the task force roster has not been completed, but once members are chosen another public meeting will be held to hear more resident input.
Saratoga Biochar officials have said they plan to seek an exemption from the moratorium, given previous site plan approval.
