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RFH 2010, Cover Stories, Village Board News

Trustees to Consider Zoning Change for 'Functional Family Units''

Mon, Dec 19, 2011

The village board of trustees will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. to consider changes to the zoning laws to -- in part --  address issues raised by efforts to locate a home affiliated with the A Better Chance (ABC) organization. This mission of this group, according to its website, "... is to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. ".

The hearing will be held at the courthouse on Montgomery Street.

The ABC house would become home to between four and six students from outside the area so they could attend HCS. They would be supervised by a live-in staff and not their parents. It has been discussed at several previous board of trustees meetings.

Similar ABC houses are located in the Clinton and the Fayetteville-Manlius school districts.

In a letter in early November, organizers and supporters of the Hamilton ABC house said they  "... continue to work on several areas of the Hamilton ABC action plan including budget planning, fundraising, non-profit status, staff, HCS and Colgate support, ABC student recruitment and establishment of a local advisory board. The current target for opening the doors to Hamilton ABC scholars is Fall 2013." 

Signing that letter were John Cochran, Eric Cochran, Jill & Joe Baker, Merrill Miller, Ingrid Hale and Rachel Amann-Burns.

According to the village's legal notice about the meeting, the changes to the zoning law includes:

  1. The definition of “FAMILY” would change to include a “FUNCTIONAL FAMILY UNIT.”
  2. The following definition of “FUNCTIONAL FAMILY UNIT” would be added, which states in part: “A group of persons, not necessarily related by blood, marriage, or adoption, living, cooking and eating in and otherwise occupying one dwelling as a single housekeeping unit and who function as a family with respect to those characteristics that are consistent with the purposes of zoning and use restrictions in residential neighborhoods, as distinguished from persons occupying a boardinghouse, rooming house, or a dormitory.” Criteria have been established and would have to be met in order to show that the functional family household has stability in respect to the purposes set forth in the zoning code. A functional family unit would be allowed by right in all residential districts.
  3. The definition “rooming house" or "boardinghouse” has been added and is defined as follows: “A building used for temporary or transient occupancy purposes by individuals not constituting a family or functional family unit who pay expenses by the room, or based on a share of total expenses of the dwelling. The term does not include a motel, hotel or group residence.” All dwelling units allowed as “group residences” in the current zoning code would now be classified as a “rooming house" or "boardinghouse".
  4. The definition of “group residence” would be amended as follows: “A group of individuals occupying a single dwelling or dwelling unit as an integral component of a recognized program of physical or mental health rehabilitation, or other custodial care supervision and care living arrangement operated by a non-profit entity, with or without resident supervisory personnel. This term shall not include rooming houses, boarding houses, nursing homes, dormitories, sorority houses, fraternity houses, or similar facilities.”Group residences" as newly defined would be allowed by special permit and site plan review in all residential districts.
  5. A number of other definitions and have been added or amended to accomplish the major proposed changes.
  6. Fraternities and sororities located in an R1 district would be required to be licensed as part of the special permit process.

There will be an opportunity for residents to make comments at the public hearing. The3y can also file written statements by mailing them to:  Village of Hamilton, P.O. Box 119, Hamilton New York 13346-0119 or hand deliver to the Village Office at 3 East Broad Street Hamilton, New York. Written comments will  be accepted until the close of business on Tuesday, Jan. 17th,.

For residents wishing to view the detailed proposed Zoning Law Amendments, they may do so by contacting the village's codes enforcement officer, Paul McGinnis, during regular office hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m..

If a person is disabled and requires special services at the public hearing, the need to notify McGinnis by Jan. 2  at 824-1111 so that arrangements can be made.

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