North Salem Planning Board Work Session: Stormwater/SWPPP Training and Short-Term Rental Discussion - October 15, 2025

On October 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM, the Town of North Salem Planning Board held a work session in person and via Zoom. William J. Angiolillo, P.E., of Hahn Engineering, presented a training overview on stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs), tailored to the board's review of development applications. The board then discussed short-term rental regulations and the recreation committee's role in the pickleball court matter. No formal votes were taken.

Stormwater/SWPPP Training

• Angiolillo traced stormwater regulation to the 1972 Clean Water Act and the NPDES program; in New York, DEC administers SPDES. He described the MS4 general permit for municipalities, noting North Salem is one of more than 500 MS4s in New York State, and the construction general permit. Projects that cannot meet eligibility requirements need an individual SPDES permit reviewed by DEC with public comment; the Reed Road group was cited as an example.
• North Salem lies largely within the 375-square-mile East of Hudson watershed that supplies New York City; only about 70 acres of the town are outside it. Because of that location, disturbance over 5,000 square feet requires a small SWPPP (erosion and sediment control only), and disturbance over one acre requires a full SWPPP with post-construction practices. The town code also requires mitigation of new impervious area for projects over 5,000 square feet, tied to the 90 percent storm event or first flush.
• The presentation covered the one-, 10-, and 100-year storm events (roughly 2.5, 5, and 9 inches of rainfall), curve numbers for land cover, and the difference between green infrastructure practices and standard stormwater management practices. The presenter noted the newer stormwater design manual uses updated rainfall data from the Northeast Regional Climate Center.
• Board members asked about solar-paneled roofs, microplastics from plastic underground systems, herbicide use on permeable pavers, and how to read large SWPPP documents. Angiolillo advised focusing on the site plan, proposed practice locations, project overview, and summary tables rather than the full HydroCAD model. He also stressed that all practices require maintenance and that maintenance access should be considered in design.
• Examples included common erosion controls, permeable pavement, rain gardens, cisterns, bioretention and infiltration systems, and the former Vox restaurant site, a 2.9-acre site with about 0.7 acres of disturbance that used a hydrodynamic separator and pipe detention system. One board member estimated the town has roughly 15-20 stormwater maintenance agreements; Angiolillo noted the annual MS4 reporting and inspection requirements.

Short-Term Rental Discussion

• Board members discussed comments made at the previous town board meeting. One board member stated that requiring a property owner to carry liability insurance as a condition of a short-term rental permit appeared to be overreach and possibly illegal, and said it would be researched.
• Another board member reported checking town law on fines and finding that the current fine appears to be at the maximum allowed by town law, while some other code sections are below the maximum; a future code-wide review was mentioned.
• One board member noted that a resident's question about why short-term rentals are not prohibited entirely was never fully answered, and another member said that is a policy question for the town board. Board members noted a seasonal need for short-term rentals, limited local hotel options, and the benefit of homes being occupied while owners are away. One member said if the town allows short-term rentals, they should be allowed across town, and host-on-site requirements would disadvantage owners who leave for months.
• A board member said he would incorporate tweaks suggested by a commenter named John and asked staff to obtain John's written comments that week, with the goal of working with the town planner and attorney to finalize the matter for the November 5 Planning Board meeting and then return it to the town board.

Pickleball and Recreation Committee

• A board member asked whether the Planning Board should have a role in the pickleball court discussion. Board members responded that the issue was primarily a recreation committee matter because the court change did not affect traffic or parking. They noted the recreation committee had proposed a more restrictive interim plan that was rejected by people in the audience.
• The recreation committee is updating its recreation master plan, engaging the public, planning surveys, and expects to hire a professional planner. A planning board liaison has been attending the committee meetings.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken; the training was received positively by board members.
• The board will research the insurance question, obtain the short-term rental commenter's submission, and work with the town planner and attorney to prepare short-term rental revisions for the November 5, 2025 Planning Board meeting.
• The next Planning Board meetings are the Regular Meeting on November 5, 2025, with at least two applicants expected and a likely short-term rental item, and the Work Session on November 19, 2025.