Zoning code changed after paragraph deletion
Monroe. During a recent meeting, the Village Board of Trustees removed a provision on steps that can be taken to address unsafe building conditions.
| 30 Sep 2025 | 04:58
The Monroe Village Board voted to amend its zoning code by deleting a provision on unsafe buildings at its Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Approved was the “Amendment to Chapter 200, Zoning, Unsafe Buildings,” removing paragraph five in its entirety from “Section 200-67 Repairs and maintenance; unsafe buildings.” The section lays out the steps the village can take to address unsafe building conditions, including maintenance repairs or demolition.
The deleted paragraph states that if an owner or responsible party failed to make repairs or couldn’t be located, the Village Attorney “shall institute an appropriate action in the courts to compel compliance.”
According to the text of the Introductory Local Law #4 of 2025, the purpose of the amendment is to “protect the public” from the health and safety risks that unsafe buildings pose, and to preserve the property values of the village.
This amendment came as the Village Board received complaints about an abandoned building at 13 Lakes Road.
During a public hearing on Sept. 2, Monroe resident Peter Galipeau spoke in favor of the amendment. He expressed concerns over the health risks that the abandoned building poses, describing the property as a “dilapidated, horrible building, full of feral cats [and] disease-carrying raccoons.”
In addition to deleting a provision of the unsafe buildings code, the Village Board also approved the addition of subparagraph “Country Inn” to Section 200-61.1F(5) and expansion to the types of uses allowed in buildings listed on the state and national historic registers.
The Village Board also accepted an event application request by Fred Schuepfer, a representative of the Monroe United Methodist Church, to hold the 29th annual Crop Hunger Walk on Sunday, Oct. 26 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The walk will start and end at the Monroe United Methodist Church, using the lower Millpond walking path.
Additionally, the Village Board approved a recurring measure to implement a curfew on Halloween for minors under 18. The curfew will take place on Thursday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Oct. 31 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Trustee Andrew Ferraro, who presided over the meeting due to Mayor Neil Dwyer’s absent to attend a conference, said appearance tickets will be issued for minors aged 16 years and older who violate the curfew.