Thursday, October 1, 2026
Changes are coming to Sea Cliff’s business districts on Sea Cliff Avenue and Glen Cove Avenue in the proposed updates to the village’s zoning code. The Zoning Advisory Committee has been working with the Board of Trustees and BFJ Planning for more than a year to update the zoning code in accordance with a Comprehensive Plan, passed in 2023.
The village held its third public workshop June 17 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church to update residents on the status of the zoning revamp and field questions and concerns.
“This is not a brand-new code, it’s being based on your existing code,” Frank Fish, principal in charge at BFJ Planning, emphasized. “There’s just a set of amendments to it that are being proposed to carry out the master plan recommendations.”
New York State legislation requires that zoning be undertaken in adherence to a comprehensive plan. Sea Cliff’s last update to its zoning regulations was in 1979 after the adoption of the previous Village Master Plan in 1970.
The final chapter of the new comprehensive plan provides a policy foundation for future zoning changes. This foundation includes a proposed future land use map, zoning recommendations and recommendations for incorporating future changes.
Sea Cliff is funding the project through the New York State Department of State Smart Growth program. The program promotes “smart growth” by encouraging a variety of housing types and employment opportunities, improving community quality of life, protecting natural resources and green spaces and supporting mixed-use neighborhoods that are walkable, bikeable or transit accessible.
A major area where changes are being recommended is to the village’s business districts. Business A, Sea Cliff Avenue, and Business B, Glen Cove Avenue could see updates concerning both businesses and residential property should the proposed changes be adopted and eventually passed.
Glen Cove Avenue would see more changes than Sea Cliff Ave, including sidewalks upgrades, building usage and the creation of subdistricts. According to Fish, the proposed update aims to achieve a curb-to-building distance of 15 feet. This would include space for trees, lighting and benches with a roughly five-foot-wide sidewalk.
“This will take decades to do,” Fish said. “We understand that, but in the zoning, if a developer redeveloped the site, came in with a new building, we’d like it to get set back so that eventually you can have a tree lined Glen Cove Avenue.”
Other zoning recommendations for Glen Cove Avenue include allowing new residential-only buildings by special permit from the village except on corner lots and allowing mixed-use of a building as a principal permitted use, meaning it does not require special approval.
Four subdistricts have been proposed for Business B, allowing different uses on different parts of Glen Cove Avenue. The zoning district stretches from North Shore Middle School to the edge of the village. Mayor Elena Villafane pointed out a shift in ownership of property on the avenue.
“We’ve all walked it numerous times,” she said. “We’ve driven it, we’ve sat and looked at it and looked at the various uses to try and get a real sense of where we are and what the future could look like.”
The four subdistricts are based on concepts that Villafane said have been observed in different areas. Subdistrict labels are not finalized, but a stretch adjacent to the middle and high schools is currently classified as a “neighborhood business district,” largely walkable for residents and students.
A second subdistrict currently labeled “residential multiple dwelling district” would allow multifamily dwellings without retail below. As it is now, the code requires retail on the lower level to have a multifamily dwelling on Glen Cove Avenue.
“Economic development district” is the third subdistrict’s working name, intended for businesses offering activities. This subdistrict would be in the middle of Glen Cove Avenue near Whitting Funeral Home.
The final subdistrict, currently labeled “mixed residential/commercial district,” which could allow a small apartment building in areas of Glen Cove Avenue where there is already housing. Apartment buildings would be no larger than eight units, no more than 28,000 square feet total, and they would have to provide their own parking.
Proposed zoning changes on Sea Cliff Avenue are less extensive than those on Glen Cove Avenue.
“We really feel that the way it is situated currently, while it could use a little help for the most part, it really is something that we want to encourage,” Villafane said. “We want to hold on to that charm that is Sea Cliff Avenue.”
The main change to Business A, Sea Cliff Avenue and Roslyn Avenue, would be to “streamline” the approval process for having mixed-use building. Currently, the code requires a special permit to have a business on the first floor and residential space on the second in this district. The proposed update would make residential dwelling units on upper floors a principal use, or the intended purpose. A special permit would no longer be required.
A change in allowable uses in both business districts is club or community uses, a shared space for organized social gatherings or recreation, will only be allowed by special permit. They are currently allowed without a permit. Laundromats, gaming facilities and cannabis stores are prohibited in both districts.
The Board of Trustees is aiming to hold a public hearing on the updated zoning code in October and adopt it in November.
