MONTICELLO – The towns of Bethel and Highland and Village of Monticello have been granted funding through Sullivan County’s new Business-Friendly Zoning and Permitting Program. They will join the towns of Liberty and Thompson to improve their zoning and permitting processes.
The county Division of Planning and Community Development has additional funds available for municipalities wishing to do the same thing.
The Town of Bethel is awarded $5,625 to amend its code to allow the planning board the authority to waive specific requirements relating to accessory structures. As a result, the town will streamline its development review practices to make them more efficient, less costly and faster.
The Town of Highland is awarded $7,500 to complete updates to its zoning law to attract quality commercial development to the town.
The Village of Monticello is awarded $9,000 to address inconsistencies in its zoning code and to explore different approaches to zoning to make the village’s commercial core more conducive to business development.
“I encourage municipalities to think outside the box and about simple changes that they can make to reduce the burden for businesses,” said County Legislator Alan Sorensen, chairman of the Planning committee. “Actions such as simplifying permitting processes to reduce fees, time, and variances, as well as reducing or waiving fees for small-scale projects with generally low impacts, are a good place to start.”
