Due to extensive public interest, the Village of East Hills extended the comment deadline for proposed building, lighting and zoning codes.
After a public hearing July 20 about the village’s proposed changes to the codes, Mayor Michael Koblenz on Tuesday extended the deadline from Aug. 4 to Aug. 18.
Koblenz has emphatically stated that any proposed zoning change will only affect new construction and “substantial renovations” to an existing home. No resident will be forced to implement changes.
“I want to stress that no change that we propose this evening will require any resident to make any change or correction to their existing home,” Koblenz said. “All changes apply to new construction or substantial construction on the entire home.”
Substantial construction, Koblenz said, is a renovation where square footage is increased by 50 percent or more or the cost of improvement equals 50 percent or more of the home’s market value.
Koblenz said some of the potential changes include mandatory landscaping between a driveway and the neighboring property, calculating any floor above ground into the floor area ratio and more distinct regulations on driveway size and placement.
Circular driveways, for example, will require a 40-foot front yard setback under the proposed regulations as well as a 12.5-foot maximum lane width.
The proposal also includes new regulations for impervious yard elements, meaning anything that is not vegetation and does not grow, to reduce run-off and help with drainage.
Koblenz said a second hearing will be held in mid-September before trustees vote on the proposed changes. A complete list of the potential amendments is on the East Hills website.
