RVC Village Board News: Planning Code Modifications Presented

After meeting with contractors, lawyers and engineers to discuss the recently passed that affected height, lot coverage and setbacks for residential homes, the Rockville Centre Planning and Village Boards chose to ease some of the restrictions established in the new laws, and have proposed a few changes that they hope will do that.

Planning Board member David Resnick outlined the modifications at Tuesday's public hearing at Village Hall, where he detailed the changes on how floor area ratio will be determined, revised restrictions on how tall a home can be and simplified the side yard setback regulations.

Before the original set of modifications were passed,  there were no floor area ratio code restrictions in the village. Floor area ratio is the ratio of the total floor, including unfinished attics and cellars, to the total area of the lot it is situated on. The change stated that the floor area ratio could not exceed 40 percent.

The updated law would only include the two main living areas of the home when calculating floor area ratio, and would not include garages and attics. 

In terms of building height, it is now measured from the roof's high point, not from the midway as it was previously. This way, there is no leeway for a home to be higher than 32 feet, which is the current limit. The proposed modifications to this law clarifies slope regulations, stating that the "slope shall be not less than six vertical over twelve horizontal. The slope ratio requirement shall not be applicable to dormers, one story wings on multi-story buildings, or secondary roof area.”

The board also proposed to simplify the side yard set back regulations. For a home with an average lot width of 80 feet and greater, the minimum width of the side yard would be ten feet. For homes with an average lot width of less than 80 feet, the minimum would be eight feet.

The Nassau County Planning Commission will need to review these modifications before the board can act. Trustee said they hope to vote on the changes at the June 7 meeting.