►
Description
Unified Sustainable Development Ordinance (USDO) Amendments
B
Okay,
thank
you
good
evening.
Everyone.
This
is
the
april
6th
meeting
of
the
coming
albany
common
council's
planning,
land
use
and
economic
development
committee
meeting
committee
members,
president
tom
holly
council,
member
judy,
daucher
councilmember,
alfredo
ballerin
other
other
council
members
councilmember
richard
conte.
B
C
C
I
guess
I
would
ask:
does
anyone
need
just
a
general
overview
of
the
section
of
the
code
that
we're
reviewing
before
we
jump
to
the
powerpoint?
Powerpoint
really
speaks
to
the
changes
that
we're
proposing.
I
don't
know
if
everyone's
familiar
with
375,
301
and
2
or
if
you
need
a
refresher
on
that,
I'm
happy
to
go
either
way.
B
Well,
I
I
think
it's
always
helpful
to
do
a
brief
refresher,
because
you
know
folks
may
not
be
here
tonight,
but
they
might
tune
in.
You
know
the
advantage
of
us
as
much
as
you
know.
Zoom
can
be
so
tiring,
but
one
of
the
greatest
advantages
is
people
have
been
able
to
go
back
in
and
listen
in
on
committee
meetings.
So
I
think
it
would
be
helpful.
D
C
So
sec
article
three
of
the
code
and
we're
mainly
looking
at
this
evening,
sections
301
and
302
there's
also
section
303,
which
gets
into
the
you
specific
standards,
but
article
3
generally
speaks
to
the
use
regulations
within
the
code.
So
what
different
use
types
do
we
regulate
within
the
city,
whether
they're
permitted
conditional
permitted
accessory
to
a
permitted
or
conditional
use,
or
one
of
the
various
other
denominations
that
relate
to
the
permitted
use
table
the
permitted
use
table?
C
As
you
see
it
here,
it's
divided
over
several
pages
and
divided
into
different
use
types.
Residential
uses,
commercial
uses,
industrial,
and
this
is
probably
the
the
most
common
thing.
Your
everyday
citizen
would
reference
when
they're
looking
at
a
piece
of
property
to
see
what
they
could
do
with
respect
to
what
uses
are
allowed.
C
So
it's
important
that
it's
intuitive
and
user
friendly
and
we
think
it
is
to
a
large
degree,
although
we
are
going
to
propose
some
changes
that
we
think
make
it
a
little
bit
more.
You
know
intuitive
and
and
less
of
a
need
to
cross-reference
into
other
sections
of
the
code,
and
then
article
375-303,
each
use
or
most
of
the
uses.
In
some
cases
there
are
none,
but
where
there
are
none,
we
should
consider
them.
C
These
are
use
specific
standards
that
would
apply
to
a
particular
use
type
and
that
helps
us
beyond
the
typical
issues
is
permitted.
It
may
say
in
a
certain
district,
this
is
only
permitted
under
certain
circumstances.
It
may
say
this
use
is
only
permitted
in
a
certain
proximity
of
similar
uses
or
other
types
of
uses
and
various
other
mechanisms
relating
to
the
the
control
or
operations
of
that
particular
use.
C
That
said,
I
will
go
on
to
our
changes
which,
like
I
said
today,
are
going
to
encompass
375,
301
302
and
we're
certainly
open
to
other
considerations
of
council
members.
This
was
just
our
sort
of
first
crack
at
some
of
the
things
that
have
been
evident
to
us,
as
we've
sought
to
implement
the
code
over
the
last
three
and
a
half
years.
C
B
C
B
C
D
E
C
E
E
C
C
Okay,
so
getting
into
the
first
section
here,
this
is
the
very
basic
regulatory
framework
of
the
permitted
use
table.
One
of
the
things
that
jumps
out
to
us
you
know,
obviously
a
permitted
use
is
a
permitted
use.
When
you
see
the
p
in
the
table,
that's
what
signifies
that
a
use
is
permitted
in
a
district.
C
If
the
table
is
blank,
that
means
the
use
is
not
permitted
and
there's
a
various
other
denominations,
including
the
c
use
for
a
conditional
use.
That's
something
that
requires
use
that
requires
a
conditional
use
permit
of
the
planning
board.
Those
are
reviewed
on
a
case-by-case
basis
in
the
reference
to
the
conditional
use
in
this
section.
C
This
is
pre-existing
development
and
not
something
that
needs
to
be
referenced
in
the
use
table
more
appropriate
in
that
section
as
we
get
to
accessory
uses,
we
did
I'm
sorry.
This
is
listed
twice,
but
we
did
make
a
point
of
trying
to
break
out
the
language
a
little
bit
here
to
make
clear
exactly
under
what
circumstances
and
accessory
use
is
permitted.
C
It's
only
accessory
to
something
that's
a
principle
used
for
conditional
use.
That's
located
on
the
same
lot
cannot
exist
before
that.
Use
exists
on
that
lot,
and
it
cannot
continue
to
exist
after
that
principle
or
conditionally
terminated,
and
a
common
example
of
an
accessory
use
is,
is
a
parking
lot
or
a
driveway
typically
allowed
as
accessory
to
a
residential
dwelling
or
a
commercial
business.
C
F
B
F
Want
to
note
that
for
the
accessory
use,
the
colon
should
be
underlined,
the
and
the
and
the
the
one
two
and
three
should
be
underlined
in
those
brackets
and
the,
and
I
think
the
first
and
is
also
no,
maybe
that's
not
new,
but
but
we
need
to
be
diligent.
I
guess
you
know
when
we're
when
we're
making
those
changes,
that
those
changes
really
need
to
be
underlined.
That
will
also
help
gen
code
pick
up
the
changes
in
a
document
yeah.
C
A
C
This
is
not
something
that
I
believe
was
was
explicitly
intended
or
discussed.
When
we
had
adopted
the
code,
I
can
see
the
need
in
muci
originally,
as
that
district
was
constructed,
it
was
tailored
towards
institutional
uses
and
often
times
initially
used,
such
as
a
hot
will
have
a
parking
lot
or
some
other
ancillary
use
on
an
adjacent
or
a
lot.
That's
not
directly
adjacent
or
the
same
lot.
C
C
Okay,
another
proposed
section
that
we
would
like
to
remove
is
the
v
categorization.
This
is
for
a
vacant
use,
and
essentially
this
was
a
concept
where,
if
a
use
was
vacant
or
excuse
me,
a
building
was
vacant
within
certain
districts.
Additional
use
types
would
become
available
to
it
if
it
were
vacant
for
five
five
years
or
more.
C
There
is
another
passage
in
the
code
that
applies
in
some
of
the
residential
districts,
where
we
find
sort
of
unusual
building
types
that
predate
the
action
of
any
sort
of
zoning,
so
churches
schools,
things
that
may
be
located
in
the
middle
of
a
residential
neighborhood.
That
does
provide
some
use
allowances
to
those
types
of
buildings,
usually
through
conditional
use.
Approval
of
the
planning
board.
C
We
think
that
covers
this
better
than
the
v
use.
Does
we
don't
believe
that
someone
should
initially
have
to
wait
five
years
to
be
able
to
exercise
that
vacant
use
if
it's
an
appropriate
e-reuse
for
the
building,
and
we
also
don't
want
to
encourage
anyone
to
leave
a
building
vacant
to
open
up
additional
use
potential
for
that
property?
C
C
You
see
your
different
districts
at
the
very
top
of
the
table
and
the
uses
to
the
left
again,
they're
not
attributed
in
the
case
of
every
use,
so
the
only
the
uses
that
have
the
v
application
are
listed
here
as
removed
and
we're
also
proposing
a
removing
the
reference
to
the
district
standards.
In
section
or
I
should
say,
article
two
and
it's
a
little
bit
difficult
to
explain,
jumping
to
article
three.
C
That
would
put
a
footnote
in
the
chart
that
spoke
to
a
special
allowance
that
related
to
that
use
in
that
zone
district
or
in
some
cases
where,
in
the
use
specific
standards,
there
is
a
proximity
buffer
required,
as
example,
would
be
the
blood
plasma
center
regulation
or
something
else
that
restricts
that
use
within
that
zone
district.
We
want
to
try
and
make
that
as
clear
as
possible
in
the
table.
C
It
can
accommodate
anywhere
from
one
to
three
units
and
beyond
three
units.
It's
a
multi-family
dwelling,
but
for
detached
housing.
Currently,
a
three
unit
detached
dwelling
is
considered
a
multi-family
dwelling.
So
there's
a
little
bit
of
a
confusion
with
respect
to
the
multi-family
designation,
whether
it's
three
or
four
units.
This
would
resolve
that
confusion.
To
say
that
multi-family
is
explicitly
four
units
or
more.
G
G
C
It's
difficult
to
enforce,
there's
no
doubt
I
mean
it's
usually
a
complaint
driven
sort
of
process
and
someone
would
go
investigate
and
you
know
if
they
were
able
to
access
the
unit
or
speak
with
the
individuals
and
prove
that
there
are
more
than
three
unrelated
people
living
there.
And
you
know
that
has
become
a
question
two
of
some
cases.
The
bedrooms
are
being
leased
out
individually
to
the
individual
parties,
which
creates
some
complications.
C
Yeah,
I
mean
I
think
we
do
need
to
take
a
pretty
good
look
at
the
definitions
for
the
different
dwelling
types
and
make
sure
that
we're
all
same
page
and
understanding
of
what's
what,
because,
as
we
get
into
community
residences
and
some
of
these
other
types
of
uses
too,
I
think
there
could
be
a
fine
line
between
the
typologies.
So.
G
C
Yeah,
I
think
it's
just
you
know
your
family
really
speaks
to
a
blood
relation
of
some
sort.
You
know
in
in
the
modern
era,
there's
certainly
a
variety
of
of
different
housing
types
or
or
individual
households
that
don't
necessarily
fit
that
bill,
so
just
being
more
broad
or
inclusive
is
the
intent
of
that.
C
Just
this
is
a
very
simple
one
and
we
didn't
really,
although
we
could
have,
we
didn't
really
add
or
remove
too
many
different
use
allowances.
We
tried
to
focus
on
ones
that
were
that
that
had
been
problematic
or
were
notably
missed,
and
I
think
in
this
case
we
did
not
allow
urban
agriculture
in
the
land
conservation
district,
which
seems
that
that's
something
that
should
be
an
allowance
now,
whether
that
should
be
permitted,
a
dish
accessory
or
conditional
could
certainly
be
debated.
C
You
know
I
happen
to
think
that
the
office
of
service
section
is
the
appropriate
classification.
I
don't
really
think
there's
any
retail
product
being
sold,
so
we're
proposing
simply
moving
that
to
not
to
align
with
the
where
it's
located
in
the
use,
specific
standards
and
where
I
think
it's
more
per
place.
There's
no
changes
to
the
allowances
associated
with
that,
and
we're
also
proposing
to
create
a
couple
new
use
classifications
that
would
currently
be
under
the
office
classification.
It
was
our
medical
clinic
and
a
laboratory
or
research
facility.
C
When
we
did
our
code,
we
made
a
point
to
try
and
consolidate
use
categories
as
much
as
possible
just
for
the
ease
of
reference
and
use
as
we've
employed
it.
We
have
found
that
some
of
the
uses
within
these
categorizations
have
distinctive
impacts.
I
think,
in
the
case
of
a
a
small
tax
office-
or
you
know,
a
neighborhood
community
office
is
a
lot
different
than
a
medical
office
or
a
medical
clinic.
C
So
there
may
be
cases
where
we
want
to
allow
an
office
in
a
neighborhood,
but
not
a
medical
clinic,
so
this
kind
of
creates
the
ability
to
make
that
distinction
and
does
provide
some
suggested
allowances.
Obviously
we're
open
to
discussion
on
those
being
that
those
are
our
new
use,
types
that
we're
adding.
C
A
C
C
In
the
vehicles
and
equipment
category,
another
two
uses
that
we
felt
were
should
be
broken
up.
Dispatch
service,
for
instance,
could
be
a
variety
of
things
relating
to
a
taxi
dispatch
or
a
caterer
sort
of
pitch
patch
facility,
quite
different
than
a
freight
truck
terminal.
So
we
didn't
believe
those
should
be
grouped
together
as
well
as
light
vehicle
servicing
sales
and
rental.
C
We
think
that
the
characteristics
of
a
vehicle
service
station
are
quite
a
bit
different
than
sales
or
rental,
the
way
that
they
use
the
land
and
a
lot
may
need
to
be
screened
or
things
like
that.
We
think
we
could
better
tailor
the
standard.
Those
use
categories
were
separate
and
there
are
a
number
of
other
uses
in
the
code
in
the
use
table
that
I
think,
could
have
a
similar
sort
of
subdivision.
C
So,
if
I'd
encourage
everyone
to
take
a
look
at
those
point
out,
any
others
veterinarian
or
kennel
was
another
one
that
I
think
we
were.
We
were
considering
as
as
something
that
may
be
a
little
bit
different
and
then
also
I
know
there
are
like
pet
daycare
types
of
facilities,
maybe
distinct
from
something
that's
boarding
overnight.
So
we
may
want
to
look
at
calling
that
a
separate
use,
but
we
have
not
included
that
thus
far.
F
C
The
one
that
confounded
us
a
bit
was,
I
think
it
was
formerly
hounds
on
the
hudson.
I
think
it's
harry
love
betty.
Now
it's
in
a
storefront
on
madison
avenue
and
they
kind
of
do.
I
think
dog
dog
walking
they
do
a
little
bit
of
retail
and
they
may
temporarily
board
the
animals,
but
they
don't
pass
them
overnight
for
long
periods
of
time.
F
Yeah,
I
think
I
think
that
there
may
be
two
locations,
not
necessarily
in
my
ward
but
in
the
vicinity,
one
in
my
ward
and
one
in
the
vicinity
of
my
ward,
where
people
are
actually
operating
like
a
daycare
business
and
for
dogs,
and
there
have
been
complaints.
It
might
be,
might
be
worthwhile
to
ask
the
police
department
regarding
the
number
of
complaints
that
they're
getting
and
what
they
have
found.
C
I
understood
well,
I
mean
you
know
we.
We
will
look
at
crafting
a
use
type
and
definition
for
that.
We'll
sort
of
leave
it
to
you
all
to
determine
what
the
appropriate
application
for
allowances
all
right.
I
know
when
the
the
madison
one
opened.
I
mean
that's
a
good
case
of
maybe
an
interpretation
that
we
should
have
a
broader
discussion
on.
I
do
know
that
we
had
sent
someone
to
another
municipality
to
take
a
look
at
a
similar
facility
operated
by
the
owner
to
get
a
sense
of
what
that
would
be
like.
C
F
Yeah
I
want
I
want
to
be
clear.
I
think
you
know
this
is
a
very
much
needed.
Kind
of
business
provides
very
worthwhile
service
for
residents
in
the
city,
and
so
it
you
know
it's
just
a
matter
of
like
a
lot
of
businesses,
find
a
very
balanced
between
residents
in
the
area
and
their
peaceful
enjoyment
of
their
property
and
providing
immediate
service.
C
C
C
We
have
had
inquiries,
there
aren't
a
whole
lot
of
sites
in
the
city,
absent
rooftop
applications
that
would
accommodate
solar
installations,
but
there
are
a
few
we
recently
had
one
proposed
in
the
port
of
albany.
In
that
case
it
is
accessory
to
a
user
there,
in
which
case
it
would
currently
be
accommodated
under
an
accessory
use.
We
have
in
our
code
for
alternative
power
utility
generation.
C
C
And
then,
with
respect
to
accessory
uses,
there
were
several
uses
that
we
think
were
or
several
allowances
that
we
feel
were
not
properly
dealt
with
or
left
out
of
the
original
adoption
of
the
code.
This
mainly
relates
to
cabarets
and
sidewalk
or
outdoor
cafes,
which
we
have
separate
permitting
processes,
for
we
do
have
users,
businesses,
but
also
churches
and
other
types
of
use,
establishments
that
are
subject
to
having
a
cabaret
license
and
some
of
those
are
located
in
residential
zone
districts.
C
So
while
we
don't
necessarily
expect
or
want
to
encourage
everyone
having
a
cabaret,
you
know
or
every
use
in
a
residential
district
having
a
cabaret
or
a
sidewalker
outdoor
cafe,
we
do
believe
there
are
some
applications
where
that's
appropriate
and
currently
in
existence.
So
this
sort
of
acknowledges
that
additionally,
electrical
vehicle
charging
station
certainly
wouldn't
want
to
preclude
anyone
from
having
that
associated
with
their
household,
certainly
as
we
get
into
these
specific
standards.
C
D
D
C
I
anticipated
that
would
be
a
a
separate
ordinance
or
conversation
as
it
may
involve
zoning,
but
also
other
considerations
and
I'm
not
sure
if
it's
in
well.
It
should
be
clear
now
what
the
zoning
regulations
are
or
limitations
are.
We
could
look
at
incorporating
that
if
there's
a
desire
to
do
so,
but
my
expectation
that
would
be
a
separate
importance.
G
B
E
A
F
F
Just
to
begin
establishing
something
to
say
that
there
are
parameters
here
and
then
we
can
visit
the
issue
as
we
understand
what
the
regulations
are
and
what
our
authority
is.
But
you
know
do
something
I
want
to
say
on
the
more
conservative
side
of
things
have
a
conditional
use
permit
associated
with
it,
and
just
just
as
some
protection
against
people
suddenly
saying.
Oh
well,
I
operate
a
smoke
shop
so
now
I
can
start
selling
marijuana
as
soon
as
you
know
that
comes
out.
C
Yeah,
I
think
it's
worthy
of
conversation.
Currently
we
have
it
under
controlled
substance,
dispensary
and
obviously
that
may
change,
and
you
know
we
may
want
to
distinguish
that
in
any
case,
and
also,
I
believe
there
is
provision
in
the
new
law
for
smoking,
lounges
of
a
sort.
We
have
had
instances
come
up
like
hookah
lounges
or
things
of
a
maybe
a
similar
nature
that
currently
aren't
a
use
type
as
well.
So
we
may
want
to
have
a
conversation
about
what
the
appropriate
standards
would
be
for
for
a
lounge
smoking.
F
Sort
kathy,
I
had
my
hand
up
sure:
oh,
go
ahead.
Judy
no
go
judy,
all
right,
so
brad.
Your
memo
that
we
got
this
afternoon
did
continue
to
cover
a
couple
other
areas
that
were
not
in
your
powerpoint
presentation.
I
think
it's
good
to
be
talking
about
those
with
regard
to
multiple
uses,
unlisted
uses
and
and
the
need
for
permits
and
licenses.
C
So
I
I
do
know
we
need
to
talk
more
about
the
interpretation
process
and
I
think
the
unlisted
use
language
is
heavily
tied
to
that.
So
we
are
prepared
to
draft
something
for
the
next
meeting,
where
we
can
actually
put
something
on
the
table
and
talk
about
that.
It
does
affect
a
few
different
sections
of
code,
but
we
want
to
make
sure
we
get
that
right,
but
certainly
moving
forward.
C
Another
thing
that
I
think
that
had
a
memo,
although
we're
we're
a
little
unclear
of
our
you
know,
capacity
to
tackle
it
at
this
point
is
the
short-term
rentals.
Otherwise
you
know
airbnb
vrbo
those
types
of
uses,
typically,
that's
included
in
code
as
a
short-term
rental
as
an
accessory
use
in
certain
districts.
B
C
C
That's
that's
my
yeah.
I
believe
there's
there's
quite
a
few.
So
typically,
when
we're
approaching
a
new
use,
you
know
there's
like
one
or
two
of
them,
or
maybe
the
first
example
here
we're
dealing
with
a
situation,
that's
already
largely
in
operation.
So
you
know
we
do
need
to
be
conscious
of
the
impacts
that
it
would
have
to
impose
a
regulation.
On
top
of
that.
C
F
That's
an
important,
you
know
conversation
that
we
we
do
need
to
have.
I
want
to
note
that
I
pointed
out
that
under
multiple
uses,
it
previously
said
a
development
in
a
mixed
use.
District
or
a
special
purpose.
District
may
include
multiple
purpose
uses,
including
combination,
provided
that
each
use
is
either
a
permitted
or
conditional
use
in
that
zoning
district.
F
F
Having
multiple
uses
every
use,
it
should
be
clear
in
one
way
or
another
that
every
use
needs
to
be
a
permitted
or
an
approved
conditional
use,
and
you
have
partially
addressed
that
in
your
changes
by
simply
deleting
the
the
references
to
the
specific
districts.
So
it
is,
all
developments
essentially
may
include
multiple
principal
uses.
F
F
Are
allowed
without
providing
some
clarification
there
I
think,
is
potentially
fraught
with
different,
differing
interpretations.
I
think
of
that.
So
I
had
suggested
some
language
to
you
on
that.
I
I
think
that
that
is
something
that
we
need
to
continue
to
take
a
look
at,
and
I
note
that
there
I
did
take
a
look
at
the
varying
uses
allowed
in
a
residential
area,
and
I
don't
think
that
there
would
be
many.
You
know
where
there
are
multiple
principal
uses
that
are
a
problem.
F
C
Yeah
and
we're
open
to
work
with
you
on
language.
I
do
think
we
need
to
acknowledge
that
there
are
properties
in
our
residential
zone
districts
that
may
have
you
know.
The
most
specific
example
is
a
storefront
on
the
ground
level
and
residential
units
above
and
when
we
did
draw
the
lines
for
some
of
the
r2
and
rt
districts
in
particular.
C
You
know
we
drew
the
lines
broadly,
we
didn't
call
out
every
particular
building
type
and
have
sort
of
a
checkerboard.
I've
been
mixed,
used
zoned
here
in
a
residential
zone
district.
Here
we
sort
of
created,
carve
out
exemptions
for
those
particular
building
types.
So
as
long
as
we're
acknowledging
that
you
know
those
sorts
of
situations
that
that's
really
the
intent.
B
F
G
G
C
Under
the
current
classifications,
it
probably
be
indoor
recreation
or
entertainment,
you
know-
and
certainly
you
know
if
there
needed
to
be
a
new
definition
or
use
created
a
lot
of
times.
You
know
these
things
where
we're
going
to
be
superseded
to
some
extent
by
the
state
level.
We
typically
wait
for
the
application,
the
regulatory
framework
from
them
and
that
sort
of
ties
our
hands
to
some
degree.
So
we
tend
to
incorporate
you
know
what
they
allow
us
to
do.