Focus on oil storage, conservation subdivisions
The Philipstown Town Board agreed on Sept. 5 to create an ad hoc committee to study revisions to zoning regulations for oil storage facilities and conservation subdivisions.
A six-month moratorium on projects storing more than 10,000 gallons of oil was approved by the board in December after a heating oil business sought Planning Board approval for a project that included three 29,000-gallon tanks. Philipstown extended the moratorium for another six months.
Town zoning allows properties to store up to 400,000 gallons of oil products in environmentally sensitive areas, posing a significant threat from leaks, spills and tank damage from natural disasters or extreme weather.
Conservation subdivisions allow developers to build more housing units in exchange for preserving parts of their properties as open space. But the zoning allows the space to consist of “unbuildable” areas such as steep slopes and allows the housing units to be spread out, according to Stephen Gaba, town attorney.
