Riverhead Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith will host a special meeting of the Riverhead Town Board, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Riverhead Town Hall.
The tri-board meeting will allow members of the three boards to meet and discuss topics of common interest, the supervisor said.
“This meeting will allow us to improve intergovernmental communication and collaboration among our boards,” Jens-Smith said.
“After all, land use has important economic, social and environmental consequences to the residents of our town,” she said. “Publicly discussing how we want our town to grow is important to our future.”
The three boards have distinct, though related, areas of authority when it comes to land use issues.
The town board is the legislative body that adopts the town’s land use regulations, which are embodied in the town code. Pursuant to the town code, the town board is also responsible for issuing special permits and has authority over commercial site plans in the town’s designated urban renewal zone areas.
Every municipality that adopts a zoning ordinance — Riverhead Town first adopted a zoning ordinance in May 1959 — is required by state law to have a Zoning Board of Appeals. ZBAs serve as “safety valves” to provide relief, in appropriate circumstances, from overly restrictive zoning provisions.
In contrast, under state law, a planning board is not mandatory, but the town board is authorized to establish one. Riverhead created a planning board in January 1948 — before it had a zoning code and before the ZBA was established. The town board can grant to the planning board various powers, including authority over land subdivision and site plan review — as has been done in Riverhead. The planning board can also have an advisory role in preparing and amending comprehensive plans, zoning regulations, official maps and long-range capital programs.
The Riverhead ZBA’s current chairman, Fred McLaughlin, has served in that post nearly 23 years. He is only the third person in that position.
The last time there was a tri-board meeting was “many, many years ago.”
It’s a good thing to do, he said. “I have an open mind.” But he noted that by law, the ZBA is an independent board, which serves as a quasi-judicial panel.
The tri-board meeting will take place in the town hall meeting room. Riverhead Town Hall is located at 200 Howell Avenue, Riverhead. Directions.
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