Board Weighs Grant Avenue Re-Zoning

Small machinery running on Grant Avenue has become the norm over the years. From a small yard used to store equipment to a two-story building nearby, the small area has slowly become a space used for commercial purposes over the last few decades.

Neighbors haven't seemed to mind. There are homes nearby, but mostly across Oakland Avenue on Haviland and Parsons Streets, where the businesses have been accepted over the years as part of the neighborhood.

The problem? According to town zoning laws, the businesses shouldn't be there at all.

That's why last spring several businesses in the area received citations for operating in a residential (B) zone. Although most of the landlords at the site had received approval for a legal non-conforming use, it became apparent that the town zoning laws hadn't kept up with the changes previous town boards had approved in the neighborhood.

And so began the Grant Avenue zoning debate.

For the last few months the Harrison Town Board has been working to find a solution for the zoning issue. The Harrison Building Department recommended last year that the entire area be re-zoned to fit its current use. But that idea has concerned nearby homeowners who say changing the zoning opens the door for more drastic development in the area over time.

More development could create a flurry of problems, including increased traffic through nearby neighborhoods and additional parking headaches. Grant Avenue is small, and although there isn't much space for additional buildings the possibility of any further expansion is a big concern for people nearby.

"There's enough parking for what's there, but if you start putting significant retail use in there, with cars coming in, there's no parking for it," said Councilman Joseph Cannella. "They are going to splinter into the streets where we are already overburdened and have no parking already."

But unless something is done about the current zoning law, landlords on Grant Avenue will be left in a quandary. The town doesn't want to force the current businesses out, but it has become clear that changes need to be made to keep them there.

One possible solution is to change the area to a G-C Zone, which isn't used in the town at this point. This would give the town some flexibility as to how it would define the zone and changes could be made to fit the area.

"It's an opportunity for the town to re-define the G-C zone," Harrison Building Inspector Bob FitzSimmons said at a public hearing last week. "You could set that zone as you see fit, to grow and move forward."

But there are also concerns about that. Homeowners in the area fear that unless the regulations are specific, the limits placed now will be slowly chipped away during the years to come, allowing for the feared expansion.

"If the changes are made, the potential changes down the road—10, 20, years—let's face it, could mean expansion," Roy Aletti, who lives on Parsons Street, said last week. "Restrictions down the road get forgotten."

Making matters more difficult, Grant Avenue is located in a flood-prone area, and residents say disturbing the land even slightly could cause flooding in nearby neighborhoods.

"Why the town would even give anyone the opportunity to expand in a flood zone area is a little bit baffling to me," said Aletti.

The board took no official action on the issue last week, tabling the discussion until at least the end of February. This gives the board a chance to try to define exactly what the area is now and what it should be in the future.