Smithtown town board jettisons outdated zoning

Smithtown Town Board members have adopted amendments to the town code to eliminate some outdated zoning regulations.

Board members voted unanimously, 5-0, on Nov. 3 to eliminate terms and requirements for coin-operated machines, commercial centers and discotheques, and to increase site design options for refuse containers and implement state enabling legislation for park fees.

The board also unanimously approved an environmental assessment of the amendments, which showed they would not cause harmful environmental effects.

Town planning director David Flynn recommended the zoning updates at a public hearing in August. He said commercial center regulations were redundant because they duplicated site plan requirements.

Also eliminated were regulations for coin-operated machines, since they were adopted in the 1960s in response to the invention of electric rocking horses and milk machines and there have been no applications for them since the late 1970s, Flynn said. The term "discotheque" was also changed to "dance club."

The board added a provision that site plans containing residential units must show a park where a playground or recreational purpose may take place, or pay a fee, as authorized by state legislation two decades ago.