Croton-on-Hudson, the diverse and visually appealing housing styles, mature trees, and winding residential roads help create the sense of small town character and natural beauty for which the Village is known. Many Croton-on-Hudson homes have a historic or architectural significance as well, and serve as a visual link to the Village’s history. In the Resident Survey and public workshops conducted for this Plan, many residents cited preserving the Village’s character and beauty as a priority for its neighborhoods and commercial areas. At the same time, residents expressed a concern over the cost of affordable housing for senior residents, young families and Village personnel. Recommendations for housing in the Village therefore focus primarily on two areas: maintaining the scale and character of Village neighborhoods, and exploring affordable housing opportunities. a. Neighborhood Scale and Character The strategies described in this section focus on preserving the scale and character of Croton-on-Hudson’s neighborhoods. These specific strategies include: 1. Preserving historic and architecturally significant homes; 2. Ensuring renovations and new homes are appropriate to the style and scale of the neighborhood in which they are situated; 3. Issuing housing scale requirements to limit the bulk of new buildings; 4. Updating the home occupation provisions in the zoning code; 5. Updating off-street parking provisions for residential areas. In Harmon, the compact, smaller scale of the homes and green quality of the streets contribute to the charm of the neighborhood. This Plan also recommends that any further large-scale residential developments, other than the approved extension of Half Moon Bay, be discouraged, so that the existing development pattern in the Village can be preserved and that no further gated communities be approved. Promote and Encourage Preservation Measures. Critical to a successful preservation plan is the promotion of the historic and architectural heritage of the Village, so that residents are more aware of the overall historic character of their neighborhoods, and thus more motivated to participate in preservation efforts. A first step is to work with civic groups and community members to develop criteria for significant homes and buildings in the Village. These criteria can then be used to develop PAGE 106 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN a current list of historic and architectural resources, including buildings and neighborhoods. The federal, state and county lists of historic places, as well as the work of the Croton Historical Society, provide a valuable starting point and can be expanded to identify places of local importance. For the property owner, historic preservation efforts focus on renovating and maintaining the buildings so that their historic or architectural integrity is preserved. It is recommended that participation be voluntary to avoid imposing extra costs on property owners. The Village can encourage participation by developing a set of design guidelines for renovating and maintaining historic buildings. The guidelines should describe the housing types found in the Village and detail building materials (such as for facades, windows, and ornamentation) and renovation styles that are appropriate to these housing styles. The Village should also consider offering financial incentives for preservation efforts. Establish Architectural Standards As part of the effort to improve visual and built quality in the Village, the Village should establish specific architectural standards to encourage good qualities of exterior building design and appearance, to relate such design and appearance to the site and surroundings of such structures, to permit originality and resourcefulness in building design and appearance which are appropriate to the site and surroundings, and to prevent such design and appearance as are unnecessarily offensive to visual sensibilities. The Planning Board should be given the powers of an Architectural Review Board to avoid redundancy in the application process. This power of architectural review should encompass all non-residential properties and also include new residential construction and major alterations in residentially-zoned districts. In addition, the Village should also consider setting additional design guidelines to address building size and materials as well as design preferences for details such as building ornamentation, fencing, walkways and vegetation. As with historic preservation, adhering to design guidelines should be optional. General design guidelines can be developed as a separate handbook or combined with historic preservation guidelines. Establish Housing Scale Requirements Although Croton-on-Hudson’s residential neighborhoods are substantially built out, there is concern about the size and scale of new homes built on the remaining lots as well as expansions of existing houses. In cases where large new residential structures have been erected within the Village, the visual and aesthetic integrity of the local neighborhood surrounding these large homes has been harmed and the individual lots look overwhelmed. PAGE 107 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The current zoning code controls residential development through minimum lot sizes, setbacks for yards and accessory structures, and height controls. The Village should review the appropriateness of these standards in light of the recent trend in housing scale. The Village should also consider