Local Resident Helps Out Orangetown Town Hall

This past Tuesday, the Orangetown Town Board discussed several town improvements, upcoming events, and efforts to update both Orangetownโ€™s Flood Zone Maps and Landlord Registry.  

The Pearl River Farmers Market will begin again on Saturdays, beginning May 3rd. The Farmers Market will take place from 10:00 a.m. โ€“ 2:00 p.m. at the Central Avenue Field in Pearl River. Orangetown has entered into an agreement with the Piermont Farmers Market to help set up and manage the resurgence of the Pearl River Farmers Market. 

On May 17th, the showmobile will be used by the Pearl River School District for Arts in the Park at no cost to the school district as a thank you for the district allowing the town to use the field for the Farmers Market

Due to unfortunate weather, the Orangetown shredding event has been rescheduled to May 10th from 8:00 a.m. โ€“ 11:30 a.m. As a reminder, residents are asked to bring non-perishable food items for a donation for People to People. 

The Franklin Street Park in South Nyack has been approved to receive Exercise Equipment. The installation and equipment will cost $34,725. $31,500 of the bill will come from ARPA County grant funds. The rest of the balance will be taken from Park bond proceeds. 

The board discussed briefly the 303 Overlay Zone, and how (and if) the county should utilize the overlay zone in Rockland for warehouses and semi-trucks that would attend the warehouses.  

An Overlay Zone, a bureaucratic tool that allows municipalities to introduce new regulations on top of a pre-existing zoning district, could in this instance allow Orangetown to develop new business infrastructure near route 303.

Supervisor Kenny stated that the board is open to hiring a planner who would provide recommendations on the Overlay Zone.

 Liz Dudley, an Orangeburg resident shared her concerns regarding the 303 Overlay Zone, stating that she was worried about warehouses taking up space currently utilized by children and local  track and field teams. Dudley, alongside Larry Vale of Tappan, also shared concern regarding the increased truck traffic that would butt up against the regular residential traffic.

New York City has updated their flood zone maps, and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, has strongly suggested that Orangetown move forward with updating their flood zone. An updated flood zone would help residents with identifying if they need flood insurance for their properties. 

The Landlord Registry continues to be discussed by the board and by constituents. Currently, such a registry exists but has been seemingly poorly advertised and enforced. Kenny stated that the registry will be moved from the Town Clerkโ€™s office to the Building Department, as she believes the Building Department will be better able to handle the demands of enforcement and applications. 

The Town Board plans to remove the current fee schedule being used for the Landlord Registry, and will be implementing a fee set by the town. Apartment complexes will be exempt from the landlord registry. Kenny stated that they hope to clean up the requirements for the registry, get fliers out, and plan for better compliance. A public hearing regarding the Landlord Registry will be held June 10th at 7:05 p.m.

Sue Loughran, resident of Orangetown, brought a few ideas for how to improve the current Landlord Registry. Loughran presented the board with Clarkstownโ€™s ten page Landlord Application, suggesting that it may be beneficial to increase the thoroughness of Orangetownโ€™s current one page application. In an act of good will, Louhgran has gone through the outdated landlord registry to try and determine who owns the properties and if they are still landlords. She presented the board with her findings. โ€œYou looking for a job?โ€ joked Kenny as applause bounced throughout the town hall. Loughran stated that she simply hopes to โ€œhelp make things a little faster when they transition to the Building Department.โ€

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