Harris seeks Woodstock council seat

Zoning and the economy

If elected, Harris would pursue local job creation by expanding the provisions of the zoning law covering the Hamlet Commercial and Neighborhood Commercial districts and home occupations. “My thought is to increase the allowed uses — a Special Use Permit would be required — in (those) districts and (for) home occupations, all of which would provide additional employment opportunities,” he said, noting that a Special Use Permit (SUP) “allows for community input and specifically relates to issues such as lighting, parking, and traffic” and adding that one purpose of an SUP is to protect neighboring properties.

The Town Board recently amended the zoning law’s provision for home occupations. Nevertheless, Harris believes that the revised provision, which limits any home occupation — whether located in a dwelling or an accessory structure — to a total area of 800 square feet, may be too confining. He cited the case of a pediatrician in Willow who wished to convert his garage for use as an office. The ZBA was unable to approve that use because the town had mistakenly allowed the property’s previous owner to build the garage too close to the property line, rendering the structure retroactively illegal.

If his proposals to liberalize parts of the zoning law were firmly tied to SUP requirements, said Harris, they could create new jobs, thereby expanding the local tax base and relieving financial pressure on residents with fixed incomes.

Meanwhile, the ex-ZBA chair warned that Woodstock may one day face the consequences of neglecting to enforce — or to change, if necessary — its zoning laws. “Uphold them, fairly and equally, or change them, but do not violate them,” he said. Harris added: “Look around the town. The way things are going, one day you may look out your window and see a factory, an apartment building, a funeral home, or a hotel staring back at you.”

Harris maintained that the zoning law is not being followed. As one example he cited the case of Cucina restaurant’s controversial expansion, which resulted in a resident’s Article 78 lawsuit following what Harris deemed the improper reversal of a ZBA determination. Another example, said the candidate, involves a proposed zoning amendment that would create an Aquifer Protection Overlay District. Two local businesses with plans to expand at sites in Bearsville have expressed concern that new regulations under the amendment could thwart their planned activities.

“Why can’t someone (in town government) explain zoning procedures to them?” said Harris. “Is it a lack of knowledge? It is the obligation of whoever is in charge to make sure that the zoning law and its processes are followed.”

Cell service and the environment

Elsewhere, the candidate proposed an expansion of cellular service to the western part of Woodstock, which remains without it. Efforts by the Town Board in recent years to accomplish that goal have faltered in the face of factors such as topographical hurdles (mountains blocking transmission signals from cell towers), commercial considerations (the unwillingness of providers to invest resources in a low-population-density area), or a combination of the two.

Harris recommended that the town explore the feasibility of installing point-to-point wireless links, or “repeaters,” as offered by the Tivoli-based company Webjogger. Another possibility, he said, would be for the town to create a cell service district, like the municipal water and sewer districts, in which district residents paid taxes to fund the service in question.

The candidate proposed that the town take various environmental steps toward its stated goal of achieving “carbon neutrality” by 2017. He endorsed the installation of reed beds for sludge filtration at the wastewater plant — a plan that the Town Board, led by McKenna, has been actively pursuing for more than a year. Harris also supported the elimination of certain zoning provisions, such as a height restriction that discourages the use of wind turbines, and the adoption of others, like density bonuses for “green” development projects.

Other recommendations by the candidate include the town’s embrace of incentives, such as a waiver of all building and review fees for new construction that is carbon neutral, and of mandates, such as a “green” building code that would require certain construction projects to use sustainable materials and meet specified energy standards.

Who would determine whether a proposed construction project was carbon neutral? According to Harris, the job would fall to the building inspector, who would seek guidance from print and digital sources of information while referring specific questions to the Planning Board.

Meanwhile, with the campaign season now under way in earnest, the Brooklyn-born candidate reflected on his status as a Republican seeking election in a heavily Democratic town.

“Working as policemen in New York City, we were basically conservative,” he said. “The Democratic liberals would second-guess us, criticizing legitimate arrest procedures, but the Conservative Party defended us against unfounded criticism. When I moved to Woodstock I found that there were only twelve members of the local Conservative Party, so I registered as a Republican.”

Harris concluded: “I think I’m the first one who’s enough of a screwball to run for the Republican nomination. I’ve been shot at at least a half a dozen times, run at by cars, and served on the ZBA for all those years, so do you think that words are going to bother me? No. Vote for the person, not the party.”

Editor’s note:

Howard Harris says, “if you have any questions or need additional information, I will be at Catskill Mountain Pizza every Tuesday at about 5:30 or you can go to getitdonewdstk.blogspot.com or [email protected].