Warwick seeks state funding to revamp land use rules

The village of Warwick is seeking state funding to support its efforts to rewrite local zoning code. During the July 1 Warwick Village Board meeting, Mayor Michael Newhard shared that the village applied for the grant last year and was very close to receiving funding. He explained that the application is being resubmitted with more information, and he is hoping the village will be successful.

In a related matter, a resident of Colonial Avenue in the village of Warwick addressed the board about his grievance with a structure built on neighboring property. According to the resident, he and his wife were aware that a permit was granted for an accessory structure on the property, but they did not realize it would become a 35-foot tall, over 3,000-square-foot garage located 12 feet off of their property.

The resident explained that his home was 33 feet tall and 3,600 square feet and found it concerning that such a similarly sized structure was permitted under village code. He reported that his wife was informed by the building inspector that the structure did satisfy the height and setback codes.

“We found this very disturbing, especially when section of the code of the village clearly state no building or structure or land development shall be so detrimental to the desirability property values or development of the surrounding area as to provoke one or more harmful effects, one of them being excessive dissimilarity in relation to any other structures existing,” said the resident.

Newhard thanked the resident for speaking and shared that he was surprised the structure did not go before any review board. He also referenced the village’s aforementioned efforts to seek funding to review its zoning code and encouraged the resident to attend the Architectural Review Board meeting, which the resident said he was already planning to do.

Other business

During the meeting, the village was also authorized to pursue funding for Veteran’s Memorial Park Master Plan Implementation Project. Trustee Carly Foster explained that the funding would be put toward pedestrian improvements of some kind.

In addition, the village is seeking funding as part of the Climate Smart Communities initiatives projects. Trustee Thomas McKnight reported that the village received a $10,000 Climate Smart Grant, which will go toward funding the heat pump at the new DPW office facility.

The village is proposing a new local law to amend its water code. The proposed law would change the requirements around cross-connection controls, billing, and other water-related issues. A public hearing on the proposed local law is set for August 5.

Chemicals in water

In other water-related news, the village of Warwick is joining a claims program related to a settlement reached with the developers of PFOA and PFOS chemicals and manufacturers over the presence of aqueous film forming foam in public water supply systems. Trustee Barry Cheney explained that while the village did not find an alarming amount of these chemicals present in their water sampling, they did exceed acceptable limits. He explained that the total settlement award for all recipients will be between $10.5 billion and $12.5 billion.

The settlement will be paid out to involved municipalities across the country by the chemical company 3M through 2036; the settlement was approved in April 2024 by the U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina.

The chemicals have been detected at varying levels in drinking water nationwide. PFOA and PFOS chemicals (also known as PFAS) are considered “forever chemicals” because they don’t easily break down in the environment. They are found in a variety of products, such as non-stick cookware, paints, certain cosmetics, fire extinguishing foam, and even certain fabrics. According to the EPA, exposure to certain levels of these chemicals may cause adverse health effects, including low birth weights and certain cancers. However, research is still ongoing to determine the degreee of exposure needed to impact one’s health.

After the settlement was announced, 3M’s chairman and CEO, Mike Roman, issued the following statement: “This is yet another important step forward for 3M as we continue to deliver on our priorities. The final approval of this settlement and continued progress toward exiting all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025 will further our efforts to reduce risk and uncertainty as we move forward.”