Comprehensive Plan Committee looks to the future of Greenwood Lake

The Village of Greenwood Lake’s Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC), an advisory group that guided preparation of the plan, voted last week to refer the draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan to the Village Board of Trustees for a public hearing. Voting in favor were committee members Jeff Hart, Trustee Chad Sellier, Lisa Milano and Tatyana Fedorenko.

The vote followed a presentation by Bonnie Franson, AICP CEP, PP, a partner at Nelson, Pope & Voorhis, LLC (NPV), the planning firm the Village of Greenwood Lake hired to prepare the presentation. The CPC worked with NPV to review public outreach, refine the plan’s recommendations and vet the draft before sending it to the Village Board. According to the plan, the committee includes members of the Village Board, the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, local committee representatives and residents.

The draft replaces a 2016 update that was never formally adopted and a 1997 master plan. It sets land use, zoning and other priorities through 2035. Its central principle is that growth in Greenwood Lake should be “evolutionary rather than transformational,” favoring incremental reinvestment, adaptive reuse and small-scale infill over large redevelopment.

Key recommendations

Lake protection. The plan calls water quality “a foundational principle.” Because the village has no centralized sewer system, it says any increase in density must be tied to adequate wastewater treatment capacity. It recommends stormwater practices to reduce phosphorus, continued septic inspections and support for the Greenwood Lake Commission.

Downtown revitalization. The plan proposes apartments above commercial space, a shortened site plan review for commercial changes of use, updated parking standards, design guidelines, streetscape improvements, and a feasibility study of a small shared wastewater system for the business district.

Housing. It encourages small infill buildings of two to four units, capped at 2.5 stories, and would consider accessory dwelling units where the owner lives on site. It also suggests considering caps on short-term rentals, prohibiting boardinghouses, and exploring small-scale senior housing near Windermere Avenue.

Waterfront. The plan proposes a “no net loss” policy for water-dependent shoreline uses such as marinas and boat launches, and discourages commercial rental of residential docks.

Zoning changes. It recommends eliminating the plan development and plan development commercial zones, rezoning certain lands and creating a new Open Space district for major parklands.

Getting around. Proposals include a walk/bike loop, traffic calming, and pedestrian improvements on Windermere Avenue, Jersey Avenue and Route 17A (working with NYSDOT). The plan also proposes exploring a one-way pattern on part of Windermere Avenue and allowing golf carts and similar electric-powered vehicles on low-speed streets.

Other priorities. These include dark-sky lighting standards, tree clear-cutting regulations, a historic resource inventory, and a ten-year capital plan for emergency services.

The plan was shaped by public input from the very beginning, including an online survey that drew hundreds of responses from village residents between May 22 and Dec. 8, 2025, and a public workshop held Dec. 4, 2025 at Greenwood Lake Elementary School. Residents’ concerns included water quality, overdevelopment, aging infrastructure, parking, housing affordability, and revitalizing Windermere and Jersey Avenues. The draft plan is available to download from the Village website at https://shorturl.at/oaDon.

Next steps

Only the Village Board can adopt the plan after a public hearing. Once adopted, state law requires the village’s land use regulations to conform to it, and the plan recommends substantial changes to the zoning chapter. The plan’s implementation matrix sets short-term goals at within three years of adoption, medium-term at four to seven years, and long-term at 10–15 years.

The Village Board will schedule a public hearing on the draft plan during the upcoming Village Board meeting. That public hearing will be scheduled for Nov. 18.