Windsor advances permit path for temporary modular buildings
The code change would let applicants seek conditional-use permits across several zoning districts, but approval is not guaranteed; a second reading is scheduled for Oct. 12, with the ordinance set to take effect Nov. 11.
The Windsor Town Board approved on first reading a code change that would let applicants seek conditional-use permits for temporary modular buildings in residential and other zoning districts.
The ordinance would allow applications in estate, single-family, multifamily and mixed-use residential districts, as well as mobile-home, commercial, industrial and agriculture-holding districts. In single-family attached residential districts, eligibility would apply only in the Trevenna Annexation and a portion of the Tacincala Annexation. Listing modular buildings in the SF-1 single-family district would allow applications, not guarantee approval, staff said. The staff presentation schedules a second reading for Oct. 12 and lists Nov. 11 as the ordinance’s effective date.
Staff said it was taking up the proposal ahead of other code amendments to address two pending conditional-use applications. One involves temporary modular buildings at Ascent Charter School; the other seeks an extension of an outdoor-storage time limit, staff said. The ordinance would allow temporary accessory outdoor storage under a conditional-use permit in the limited industrial district when used with phased development of an indoor enclosed storage facility.
Board members questioned whether conditional-use permits should have a set time limit. Portable school buildings “don’t feel very temporary,” a board member said, asking whether the code should set the same limit for everyone. Another board member said a set limit would tell applicants how much time to request. Staff said applicants usually request two to three years, but construction schedules and financial circumstances vary, so applications are considered individually.