Special Natural Area District (SNAD) Update Open House

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We encourage you to join us tonight for an Open House to discuss the proposed update to the existing Special Natural Area District regulations. The proposal is now in public review as it was certified by the City Planning Commission on May 6th.

The Open House will begin at 6:30, with a presentation beginning at 7:30 followed by a question and answer session with DCP staff.

The event will occur at Horace Mann School, 231 West 246th Street in the Fisher Hall - Dining Commons. We hope to see you there!

Feel free to contact, Juton Horstman with any questions; 718-220-8518 or jhorstman@planning.nyc.gov.

Additional information can be found on our website, https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/snad/snad.page

A brief introduction to the proposal:

The Special Natural Area District (SNAD) was established in the Bronx in 1975 with minor updates in 2005. Over the decades, DCP has established important best practices, and our understanding of the natural environment has evolved significantly revealing the importance of larger natural resources, such as large parks, forests. The goal of the SNAD proposal is to address the broader ecological context and incorporate best practices to create strict, clear and mandatory rules that achieve predictable outcomes for the natural environment and property owners.

While current regulations have preserved the tree-lined neighborhoods and natural features of the community, the regulations allow property owners to remove or modify natural features through a site-by-site review by the City Planning Commission (CPC) without regard to the larger ecological context. Over time, this has resulted in inconsistent application of the rules and created unnecessary cost and time burden for small homeowners.

The proposed changes streamline review for development on small properties, those of less than one acre. The regulations will establish strict but reasonable rules and standards for small properties, which allow owners to proceed directly to the Department of Buildings (DOB) for review rather than coming to the Department of City Planning (DCP) for approvals before going to DOB for permits. The existing two-step process takes approximately 13 months and a requires a significant cost for a small homeowner when looking to add a minor enlargement or deck/patio addition. Larger and sensitive sites will continue to require discretionary review by the Department of City Planning and the City Planning Commission. To support homeowners, DCP will create a homeowner guide to ensure the community understands the new rules and how to meet them.

SNAD was established to ensure development rights and natural features are balanced and protected. Under the proposed regulations, SNAD will shape development by focusing on outcomes - for instance connecting larger natural resources such as parks and waterways, promoting greater biodiversity, and preserving the tree canopy. The changes will establish firm limits based on today's best practices for the modification of natural features.

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