WINDHAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE
HITS THE GROUND RUNNING

[Windham, NY] – Windham Town Supervisor Thomas Hoyt announced today that the Town Board has
recently taken steps to implement several recommendations contained in the new Comprehensive Plan,
which was formally adopted in February. The plan recommends, among other things, strengthening
Windham’s existing land use regulations, and exploring the possibility of adopting new laws to guide
future development, including zoning. In May, the town formed a “Land Use and Zoning Advisory
Committee” to work with planning consultant Delaware Engineering to review existing regulations and
apply for a zoning grant from the NYS Department of State.

“Drafting a Zoning Law from scratch is labor-intensive, and is a task that should not be taken lightly or
rushed into,” explained Senior Planner Helen Budrock, who added “It will be a few months before we
know if the zoning grant is awarded.” In the meantime, the committee has been researching different
zoning approaches, collecting examples of zoning laws from similar communities, and discussing
possible revisions to the Subdivision Law and Site Plan Law.

In addition, the Town Board asked the committee to draft a law that would regulate “unreasonable
noise” in response to several comments and complaints made by Town residents at recent meetings.
“There is a draft noise law ready for the Town Board’s review that I think is very reasonable,”
commented Supervisor Hoyt. An initial draft of the Noise Law will be discussed at an upcoming Town
Board meeting, and would require a public hearing prior to being adopted.

The committee will report its findings and recommendations to the Town Board in writing before the
end of the year. Based on those recommendations, if the Town Board decides to proceed with zoning,
a separate “Zoning Commission” would need to be appointed to comply with State law. Periodic
updates on the Land use and Zoning Advisory Committee’s work will be posted on the comprehensive
plan web site (www.wearewindham2040.com) as well as the Town’s web site
(www.townofwindhamny.com).