Why doesnt Zoning protect us?
Our current zoning only determines the minimum size of a new building lot, it requires review of the size of the foot print of the house and the total lot coverage (driveway, tennis courts, swimming pool), and provides a small “buffer” along the property line. The Planning Board has the right to waive all standards. More importantly, if a septic permit is obtained from the County, Pound Ridge is required to allow the development of the lot regardless of how steep the land is or if it has wetlands, etc. Under current zoning, 10,000 residents could live in 4,000 homes (see 1981 Master Plan). This is DOUBLE the current population of Pound Ridge. Zoning regulates only the number and kind of structures that may be built. It does not differentiate between the tracts of land where development should be encouraged and those that should perhaps be preserved as rural open space. When an owner or developer of buildable land comes before the Planning Board the board cannot legally stop the develop
