STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Mayor Eric Adams touted the City Council’s passage of a zoning change Thursday that will make it easier for South Shore homeowners to obtain NYC approvals to make improvements to their property.
The South Richmond Zoning Relief plan, pushed by local elected officials and residents, will make it easier for homeowners and owners of property under one acre to do work on their property through a simplified approval process.
In neighborhoods like Tottenville and Richmond Valley, for example, homeowners could previously have up to 15-month wait periods to get things like tree removal or pool installation approved by the city.
Under the new system, property owners will be able to complete that type of work as-of-right — eliminating the need for city approval and subsequently enabling city agencies to focus on larger development sites.
Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), one of the new system’s most vocal proponents who criticized the prior rules as “convoluted and onerous,” applauded the zoning adjustments.
“These are welcome changes that will help to remove bureaucratic hurdles for homeowners to make improvements to their properties and improve upon them as they wish in a more timely manner, all while maintaining our area’s character,” he said.
The changes come through a zoning text amendment for the “Special South Richmond Development District,” which was established in 1975 as a way to guide development while limiting the impact on the area’s natural resources. But in recent years, officials and residents complained the rules put unnecessary burdens on the owners of small properties.
Adams thanked local partners, including Borelli and Borough President Vito Fossella, for the advocacy in moving the changes forward.
The mayor tied the rules change to his “City of Yes” initiatives that seek to remove construction red tape on a variety of issues.
“South Richmond homeowners have been living with a ‘City of No,’…
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