By ADAM ATKINSON

North Country This Week

CANTON — The village here has authorized Mayor Mike Dalton to sign a contract with River Street Planning and Development LLC to conduct an update of the village zoning code.

The firm, which was contracted by both village and town and the village of Rensselaer Falls to assemble the Canton Comprehensive Plan, recently presented a draft of an audit of the town zoning code to the Canton town council at their meeting Feb. 13. That audit contained recommendations for updates to the town’s zoning guidelines and mandates.

While representatives of the firm have been meeting with village officials, a draft of the audit for the village zoning is not ready for review said Village Trustee Carol Pynchon at the village board meeting Feb. 18.

Pynchon said now would be the time for input from the public and village officials on the update, which will concern only the zoning portion of the village code.

“If people have . . . either public people here, but also staff, if you think of things that have effected you in your professional life or in your residential life, things that you want them to pay attention to, now is the time to share ideas, ask questions, all of that.”

Some portions of the village code not in the zoning section may be relocated there to bring the village more in line with state recommendations. Village attorney Gerald Ducharme said the way subdivisions are handled in the village, with the village board handling approvals, is an example of one change that might be implemented following the audit, with responsibility for approval going to the planning board as the state recommends.

“New York State Village Law recommends, or presumes that subdivision review will be done by the planning board,” Ducharme said. “We are one of few villages that steadfastly refuse to give that up.”

The audit of the town code conducted by River Street made suggestions to include a set of definitions for zoning terms, and emphasized ways to streamline the code to cut red tape town residents and developers may currently encounter when seeking various types of land use.

Notably, the firm suggested doing away with the apparently regular town practice of issuing special use permits, which require a public hearing and an extra layer of oversight that modern zoning avoids.

Other areas emphasized include allowing more leeway for certain types of small homestead businesses in certain zones, and accessory dwellings, known as “granny pods,” on residential lots.

An update of the village’s zoning code, along with the town’s, will specifically bring those guidelines into alignment with the strategies and goals of the Canton Comprehensive Plan. The plan, the first of its kind since the 1990s, will provide a structure for development in the communities for the next several years.