BETHEL, NY — The Town of Bethel proposed a new law that would aim to allow for its sustainable development while also maintaining the rural character of the town at a town board meeting on September 23. This law marks the second one proposed after the passage of the Town of Bethel’s comprehensive plan, which was adopted Wednesday, August 12.

The local law will impose several new requirements and guidelines during the zoning process of a new development, including a general requirement that at least 50 percent of the developed area of a development be open space. The law also requires more thorough development plans, requiring developers to think about the long term preservation of open space and conservation areas.

“The proposed local law is intended to provide the town with a clearer and more comprehensive framework for reviewing residential development while protecting Bethel’s rural character, natural resources, agricultural lands, scenic areas, wetlands, waterways and other environmentally sensitive areas,” the narrative for the local law reads. “The proposal builds upon the town’s existing conservation-subdivision provisions and provides more specific standards for the planning and design of major subdivisions and large residential developments.”

During the meeting, town supervisor Dan Sturm said that the proposed law was in line with the town’s new comprehensive plan, and that the idea of conservation subdivisions were brought up several times in the plan.

“We’re talking about recommendations from the [comprehensive] plan. I looked through it this morning, and the idea of conservation subdivision updates is in the [comprehensive] plan,” Sturm said, before listing the locations where the subject is brought up. “All suggesting that we preserve 50 percent open space when we do conservation designs or multifamily developments. That’s one of the keys of the comp plan recommendations. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Town board members and members of the public highlighted the comprehensive plan and its relationship to the local law. Board member Wendy Brown said that the local laws that have been coming out based on the plan’s recommendations show the plan’s strength.

“I think in reading through this, when you get the opportunity to read it once up online, it really shows what a thoughtful document of the comprehensive plan is,” Brown said. She then thanked everyone involved in the creation of the plan.

Board member Adam Gold also thanked people involved in the plan, and said that conservation subdivisions was a topic that required a lot of thought, and he was happy with the outcome. Gold served on the comprehensive plan committee before his election to the town board, and then served on it as a liaison to the town board after his election.

“We spent a lot of nights and hours on this topic, and to get it here is a really good thing.”

Former town board member and comprehensive plan committee member Vicky Simpson thanked the town for the work that went into the local laws, and that they reflect recommendations made by the comprehensive plan. She also thanked the town for working so quickly to implement the plans recommendations.

“I want to thank you for putting together what I read through the local laws that are being proposed. A lot of thought went into it, and I really appreciate it,” Simpson said. “I think people really appreciate that you’re acting on things that matter so much in a timely manner, so that it can get done quickly, but thoughtfully.”

The public hearing for the local law is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28 at 8 p.m. The conservation subdivision law is the second to be proposed, after a law regulating waste water package treatment plants was proposed earlier in September. The public hearing for that law is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14 at 8 p.m.