City Approves New Zoning Code and Map

Culminating several years of work steeped in public outreach, the Common Council approved a new zoning code and map for the city Monday night - something that had not been done on a citywide scale in 40 years.

The changes streamline the number of districts, place a higher emphasis on design standards, and modernize the regulations to address development trends and encourage affordable housing. The council's approval comes after a series of public meetings that first led to the approval of the city's new comprehensive plan and now the corresponding zoning code.

"The Common Council worked in an excellent spirit of cooperation with the administration to deliver on the promise to update our comprehensive plan and zoning code," said Mayor Yvonne Flowers. "This work lays the foundation for growth in the city and provides a much-needed blueprint for development. Our efforts will lead to additional housing opportunities in the city and also are aimed at growing our business and tax bases."

Common Council Member At Large Da'Ron Wilson said, "The administration and Common Council took the necessary time to get this right. Our zoning code had been out of date for far too long and had become a hodgepodge of regulations that was difficult to navigate and lacked cohesion. I appreciate all the hard work that went into helping us achieve this milestone for the city."

Wilson also said the zoning code could be amended over time as the city studies the impacts of implementation, recognizing the importance of keeping the code up to date and responsive to development trends.

After extensive public outreach by the city, the Common Council approved a new comprehensive plan late in 2022. The city held a series of open houses and public meetings while crafting the comprehensive plan, working with a Steering Committee to reach out to the community through four rounds of "kitchen table conversations" to ensure that the resulting vision reflected the community's values and desired direction. Nearly 500 completed responses were provided by community stakeholders through surveys, providing direction on Poughkeepsie's priority issues.

The city then held five community meetings and two public hearings on the zoning code revisions, making map and density changes and allowing a wider variety of housing based on the public input it has received.

The new zoning addresses the proper usages of drive-thru facilities, sidewalk cafes, convenience stores, food trucks, community gardens among other topics and provides new incentives for affordable housing, including raising the maximum height from six to nine stories for developments in certain locations.

Residents can learn more on the PK4Keeps website.