Petition to Mayor and Trustees of the Village of Pomona, New York

We, the undersigned, do NOT want the proposed local law to be enacted!

PROPOSED: A LOCAL LAW AMENDING CHAPTER 130, ZONING, TO NEWLY DEFINE AND CREATE NEW STANDARDS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSES OF WORSHIP, TO CLARIFY STANDARDS FOR RESIDENTIAL GATHERINGS AND COMMUNITY HOUSES OF WORSHIP, AND TO CLARIFY RELATED DEFINITIONS. Be it enacted by the Village Board of Trustees of the Village of Pomona by authority of Article 7 of the Village Law and Article 2,
Section 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law.

The trustees have not explained to the residents the purpose or necessity of modifying the existing laws regarding houses of worship, as the current availability of worship gatherings are plentiful and in character with the neighborhood environment.

The proposed amendment will create a major change to the character of the neighborhood.

The 10,000 sq ft structures will be too large to blend into the community, affecting traffic, flooding, soil erosion, fire and safety issues. 10,000 sq ft is overpowering compared to the average house of 2800 sq ft which is often on 2 levels whereas houses of worship are usually a single story.

Reducing the required lot size to ¾ acre and decreasing yard setbacks is not necessary. The 25 foot set-back for all property lines comes too close to neighboring properties. Driveways and parking are proposed to be as close as 10 feet from the next neighbor.

Tree removal and increased lot coverage will increase impervious surfaces and adversely affect flooding and soil erosion for homes in an area which already has many wetlands and steep slopes.

The rural look and feel is what brought people to Pomona and this law has the potential to adversely affect both their home values and lifestyle.

This is not a “use” issue, but a concern of the size and scope of the House of Worship structures.

The Gross Floor Area is proposed to include many areas that are not normally calculated into square footage for appraisal and assessment values. No appraiser uses attics, basements, garages & covered porches or patios in their calculations. The existing use of variances to address these issues would be a more appropriate manner of resolution on an individual basis if needed.

Residents, who have lived here for many years, feel that they are not represented by the trustees who have presented these changes. This is not for the betterment of the greater community. The trustees of our small village (2.4 square miles) are representing their personal preferences and not the will of the people.

We want a review by fire department, Department of Environmental Conservation and Rockland County agencies as to the safety to the community of these changes.

We want the village trustees to approve an attorney who represents our mayor and the residents instead of just the four Trustees, especially since the current lawyer is paid with our village taxes. We want an attorney who will act in the interest of the entire village. We want the Mayor to approve the attorney who is selected.

We want all public hearings, if not all board meetings, to be held on Zoom so the bulk of residents can stay informed and speak out to the issues. We would like the links included in notices and have notifications sent to all the residents, well in advance of any public meeting. We would like to see all meeting notes and recordings posted on the Village of Pomona “official” web site.

We request that the text of this petition and the number of signatories be read into the public record at the Village meeting scheduled for August 16, 2021 or at the next earliest public meeting and that the petition be published on the Village website.

We, the undersigned, agree with the above petition.

Signatures: Petition may be signed by scan, email, fax online or personally and they will be valid. Multiple signing sheets will be attached as needed.