Village of Roslyn eateries now need special-use permits

Ryan Brady

The Village of Roslyn Board of Trustees unanimously approved a law Tuesday to require restaurants and other establishments that sell food in Roslyn to obtain special-use permits.  

“The Nassau County Planning Commission has noted on a couple of occasions the proliferation of restaurants in Roslyn to the detriment of some retail uses,” Village Attorney John P. Gibbons said at the village  board’s regularly schedule meeting. “I think this would be a good measure where we can keep an eye on the number of restaurants and I would recommend its approval.”

 The law requires establishments that sell food to obtain a permit  with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

“It would give the village an opportunity to hear the applicant, to understand the nature of the applicant’s business and to offer any conditions that would mitigate against any adverse impacts that the board identified,” Gibbons said.

Village trustees also approved an amendment to the Roslyn’s municipal code, reaffirming the board’s discretionary authority to hold or not hold public hearings for developers applying for incentive bonuses.

Gibbons said the previous language in the village code was unclear.

A third bill passed by the board at the meeting inserts the Long Island Workforce Housing Act — which requires that 10 percent of units constructed by developers be affordable housing if their new building’s population density surpasses the level permitted zoning schemes — into the section of the village code that governs development incentive bonuses.

Officials said the measure is a response to a recent audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who found that the Workforce Housing Act was not being correctly enforced by six Long Island municipalities.

“It doesn’t represent a change in the law,” Gibbons said. “It just represents a note, if you will, to the developer that he has to comply with state law.”

The board will next meet on Feb. 16.

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