Did the members of the Town’s “Downtown Working Group” write the Form Based Code?

No.  The Form Based Code was drafted by an independent consulting firm, Kimley Horn of New York, P.C. (“KH”), with support from a team of planning professionals.   An organizational chart showing the team that KH assembled for this project is shown below: 

Form Based Code Kimley Horn Organizational Chart

The Town Board engaged KH through its standard public procurement process, which involved circulating a Request for Proposals and conducting a series of interviews before awarding a contract to KH. To learn more about KH, visit their website.

The Downtown Working Group was established to provide strategic guidance and input to KH so it could draft zoning legislation tailored to the needs of our downtown business hamlet. KH’s team met with the Downtown Working Group several times in 2019 and once in early 2020. 

  • Each member of the Town Board
  • Three members of the Planning Board
  • Randy Katchis and Steve Tavolacci, who own commercial properties in the Chappaqua business hamlet
  • Bill Spade, a local architect

The property owners and architect who volunteered to serve on the Downtown Working Group participated in a purely advisory role. All have strong ties to our community. Randy Katchis lived in Chappaqua for 26 years and formerly served on the Chappaqua Board of Education. Steve Tavolacci is a lifelong resident and local developer. Bill Spade is a 30-year Town resident and has worked on numerous projects in our community, including as a volunteer at the Fuller Center rehabilitation underway at 300 King Street.

Collectively, the members of the Downtown Working Group brought over 100 years of experience living in the Town of New Castle to the task of informing KH what the Town hoped to accomplish through the adoption of amended zoning legislation for the Chappaqua business hamlet.

The Town’s goals for revitalizing the Chappaqua business hamlet are set forth in the Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Town Board in 2017. The Town’s Comprehensive Plan was the culmination of a 4-year effort involving intensive study and community input, as summarized in this timeline:

The property owners and architect who volunteered to serve on the Downtown Working Group participated in a purely advisory role. All have strong ties to our community. Randy Katchis lived in Chappaqua for 26 years and formerly served on the Chappaqua Board of Education. Steve Tavolacci is a lifelong resident and local developer. Bill Spade is a 30-year Town resident and has worked on numerous projects in our community, including as a volunteer at the Fuller Center rehabilitation underway at 300 King Street.

Collectively, the members of the Downtown Working Group brought over 100 years of experience living in the Town of New Castle to the task of informing KH what the Town hoped to accomplish through the adoption of amended zoning legislation for the Chappaqua business hamlet.

The Town’s goals for revitalizing the Chappaqua business hamlet are set forth in the Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Town Board in 2017. The Town’s Comprehensive Plan was the culmination of a 4-year effort involving intensive study and community input, as summarized in this timeline:

Form Based Code Planning Process

Show All Answers

1. NEW - Will completing the SEQRA review for the FBC on the entire study area undermine the Town Board’s ability to limit the FBC to only a small area (the North Greeley corridor)...
2. NEW - Why is the Town Board considering revisions to the FBC legislation before receiving draft responses to the comments from the public and interested agencies on the Town's DGEIS? ...
3. What is a form-based code?
4. What is the purpose of Chappaqua’s comprehensive plan?
5. What is the goal of rezoning the Chappaqua Hamlet?
6. Will the rezoning change the history of Chappaqua?
7. Is the Chappaqua form-based code a construction project?
8. What is GEIS?
9. Didn’t the members of the Downtown Working Group who own commercial properties in the Chappaqua hamlet have conflicts of interest that precluded their participation?
10. Does the Form Based Code allow the entire Chappaqua Hamlet to be 5 stories in height?
11. Why does the DGEIS study a "full build out" or "buildout scenario" of the Chappaqua Hamlet under the Form Based Code?
12. Does the FBC mean development on Town-owned land?
13. If the Town Board determines in the future to sell or lease Town-owned land for a development project, will I have and opportunity to vote on whether that should occur? Will there be a referendum?
14. Has the Town been in contact with other public entities on this proposal (e.g. the school board)?
15. Once the Form Based Code is in place, what are the next steps for the Town to attract interest in potential opportunities for development?
16. Does the Town plan to use eminent domain to buy and consolidate privately owned, small contiguous parcels?
17. How does the public notification of a proposed development project change with the Form Based Code?
18. Why is this the appropriate time to adopt a Form Based Code for Chappaqua?
19. Does Chappaqua have the water and sewer infrastructure to handle future development?
20. What assumptions were the foundation of the Form Based Code?
21. Can the public vote on the Form Based Code?
22. Can the Town conduct a "public opinion poll" or an advisory (non-binding) referendum of the electorate with respect to the proposed Form-Based Code?
23. Do any members of the Town Board have a conflict of interest with respect to the Form Based Code because they own property in the Chappaqua business hamlet?
24. Did the members of the Town’s “Downtown Working Group” write the Form Based Code?
25. What is the “New Direction” announced by the Town Board for the Form Based Code? What does that mean and what happens next?
26. If the Town Board is limiting the Form Based district to North Greeley, why will the FGEIS and SEQRA Findings Statement be completed for the entire study area?
27. Can the Town lawfully regulate the number of bedrooms that would be permitted within new apartment units?
28. The Chappaqua Board of Education has asserted that the Town cannot control whether future developments in the Chappaqua hamlet will be subsidized through PILOT agreements. Is this accurate?