Town Softens Language on Subdivision Acreage, Short-term Rentals

By DEBRA MOFFITT
FLY CREEK

The Town of Otsego has responded to criticism about its proposed comprehensive land-use plan by removing language about how parcels of 40 acres or more could be subdivided—a matter of interest to a Manhattan developer who wants to build 126 homes on the west side of Otsego Lake, 50 of which are proposed within the Town of Otsego.

The revised comprehensive plan will not include specific acreage limits, Town of Otsego Councilmember Deb Dalton said last week.

Instead, the plan is expected to include this statement: “While recognizing the rights of property owners, the Town encourages subdivision patterns that preserve the rural landscape, protect agricultural lands and natural resources, open space and minimizes the need for additional infrastructure and long-term maintenance.”

The original wording said parcels of 40+ acres could be subdivided into no more than three lots (about 13 acres) while existing rules permitted lots as small as three acres. Developer Manocherian Brothers, through its attorney, accused the town of not following the rules for public notice and open meetings and said the acreage change would have affected 259 parcels across the town, beyond those owned only by Manocherian.

Town officials have repeatedly called the comprehensive plan “a framework,” and it’s unclear if or how the new wording will impact the proposed Manocherian project. Area residents have questioned the development plan, fearing it could affect the local environment, roadways and region’s character.

Otsego Town officials are finalizing edits to the revised comprehensive plan and expect to schedule a public hearing early in the fall, Dalton said.

It should please the owners of short-term rental units that the town has also changed the plan’s wording on that controversial subject. The original proposal to require owner-occupancy, similar to a rule in the Village of Cooperstown, will be dropped in favor of: “Explore new short-term (a period of less than 30 days) rental ordinances that reinforce and strengthen the residential quality of the Town of Otsego,” Dalton said.

Those ordinances may include grandfathering of existing businesses (until grandfathered properties are sold) and may be based on density of certain areas of the town, she said.

“We’re definitely not going to require owner-occupancy,” Dalton said.

At a public hearing over the summer, a few people argued in favor of owner-occupied rentals because this shift could encourage more full-time residents. But most property owners who spoke said they depend on rental income and that their properties didn’t lend themselves to being owner-occupied. The loss of rental income could force them to sell homes that have been in their families for decades, they said.