Mayor French on Over-building and Its Impact on Rye

Mayor Douglas French

An update from Rye Mayor Douglas French: For a number of years residents have stated their concerns that some new residential construction is considered potentially out of scale in size, height, and or bulk. 

It’s been 10 years since the City looked at this issue and we wanted to ensure we reviewed it before too much more time elapsed. Building activity in Rye is high again. Many residential applications involve substantial renovations or demolition of existing residences and construction of new homes that are significantly larger than the homes they replaced. In many cases the proposed gross floor area of the residences are only a few square feet shy of the maximum permitted floor area. 

The City Planner drafted changes to the Local Law that addressed bulk and height concerns associated with residential attics and provided greater consistency between the requirements of the City Zoning Code and the New York State Building Code. The law was reviewed by the Planning Commission at their August meeting and was unanimously supported.

The local law changes the ceiling height provision in attics to seven feet. Floor area under roof rafters (not collar ties) having a ceiling height of seven feet or greater would be required to be included in the maximum permitted floor area for a residence.

Unlike the current law this floor area would be counted at 100%, not at 50% and there would be no seven-foot minimum width requirement for such floor area to be counted. In addition, the floor area under dormers within attics having a ceiling height of five feet or greater would also be required to be included in the maximum permitted floor area. The local law is consistent with existing laws in Greenwich, CT. 

The Council had one public hearing and will continue to hear public input at its next regular Council meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 8:00 p.m.