Board Approves Battery Storage Study, Eyes Winter Parking Changes for Business Districts

The Croton Board of Trustees tackled a packed work session agenda June 24, advancing plans to study battery energy storage on village land, proposing changes to winter parking rules for business districts, and wrestling with the intricacies of chicken and duck regulations.

Trustee Nora Nicholson was absent. Mayor Brian Pugh, Deputy Mayor Len Simon, Trustee Stacey Nachtaler, and Trustee Maria Slippen were present, along with Village Manager Bryan Healy and Village Attorney Lori Lee Dickson.

Towing contract re-awarded

The board re-awarded the village's towing contract to CNC Towing Inc., doing business as Luposello Auto Body, covering June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027. The board had previously approved the contract under the DBA name only; the revised Resolution 153-2026 references the company's official corporate name. Healy explained that the correction was made when it came to light during contract preparation that Luposello Auto Body is a DBA, not the legal entity. The vote was 4-0.

Battery energy storage exploration authorized

Lindsay Audin, chair of the village sustainability committee, presented a proposal to explore hosting a commercial-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) on village-owned property. Developers currently pay $30,000 to $40,000 per megawatt annually in site leases, Audin said, meaning a five-megawatt system could generate $150,000 to $200,000 per year in revenue for the village, plus a $50,000 building permit fee. Audin said the Croton-Harmon train-station BESS had been tested. Healy said it was not yet storing power because the solar canopy was not on, and described a second, privately owned system at Croton Auto Park. Audin requested $2,000 to hire a consultant to identify viable village sites near power lines with available hosting capacity and to issue requests for interest and proposals. The process would take three to four months, and no commitment to install anything would follow, Audin emphasized. Audin noted that hosting capacity on nearby power lines is a first-come, first-served opportunity. "If there are available lines like this near village property, we want to lock them up and get that revenue for the village," Read 18:00▶ Audin said during the presentation. Trustee Maria Slippen pressed for a more deliberate public process, noting that other municipalities have enacted moratoriums on battery storage. Slippen said the presentation felt too polished for an early-stage concept. "I think I described it to the manager as the horse is out of the barn," Read 32:37▶ Slippen said, urging the board to communicate the process authentically to residents. Audin countered: "We haven't even found if there is a horse." Read 38:13▶ Pugh said the village’s earlier BESS hearing had not been especially contentious and that he had received no emails about that night’s BESS agenda item. Simon recalled that Croton was among the first communities in the region to adopt specific safety standards for battery energy storage systems in 2022. The village attorney explained that proposals would return to the trustees for consideration and would still have to meet the criteria for a special permit. Pugh noted that the village's position as landowner gives it greater control, in addition to the planning board's special permit and site plan review process. The board voted 4-0 to appropriate the $2,000 from the sustainability trust account. Deputy Mayor Simon made the motion, seconded by Trustee Nachtaler.

Grant applications prioritized

Village Manager Healy presented a monthly grant update on behalf of consultant Valerie Monastra, who was absent. The board agreed to pursue three of four state Consolidated Funding Application opportunities: • Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA): $425 million available statewide, with a 30% local match and a maximum grant request of $5 million, targeting water main replacement on Harrison Street and Sunset Trail. • Environmental Protection Fund: $28.75 million available, a 50% local match and a maximum grant request of $675,000, for design and engineering of the house at Gouveia Park.

• Water Quality Improvement: $75 million available, a 25% local match and a maximum grant request of $600,000, for relocation of the salt shed from its current flood-zone location at the train station. The board declined to pursue a Climate Smart Communities grant for sidewalks requiring green infrastructure enhancements, noting that existing sidewalk projects on Municipal Place and South Riverside are already funded through county grants.

Animal code rewrite advances — with debate

The board spent extensive time on proposed changes to the village code governing animals and fowl, informed by research from Cornell University, Penn State, the USDA, and the CDC. Healy outlined proposed coop setbacks of 25 feet in RA-5 and 50 feet in other districts, compared with the current five-foot accessory-structure setback. The draft initially allowed chickens and ducks, excluding roosters, but the board revised its direction on ducks by the end of the discussion. Trustee Nachtaler suggested limiting smaller lots to hens only, noting that ducks are flighted birds more likely to create nuisance and enforcement issues. By the end of the discussion, Healy said ducks would be removed from the general allowance and addressed with more specific limits in the proposed farm-animal table. Those limits remained to be drafted and reviewed. Slippen urged removing the word "fowl" from the code entirely, noting it had been a source of confusion at the zoning board. The village attorney confirmed there would be no grandfathering for animals that become prohibited under the new law. The board also asked that a chart modeled on Briarcliff Manor's regulations — which permits certain farm animals on lots of two acres or more — be incorporated into the draft for review. The zoning amendment process takes approximately two months.

Student member policy takes shape

The board reviewed a draft policy for student members on advisory committees. Students would serve as non-voting members, be juniors or seniors in high school, and serve terms aligned with the school year. Slippen, who has championed the initiative for about a year, recommended dropping a proposed 2.5 GPA requirement and allowing nominations through school guidance counselors rather than formal letters. Slippen also stressed the need for parental acknowledgment for minors and safeguards against conflicts of interest for committee chairs. "I just don't wanna exclude somebody completely who maybe isn't a great student." Read 139:53▶ Slippen said. The board reached general consensus, with a formal policy to be drafted.

HEART Committee to become ad hoc

Trustees supported converting the HEART Committee from a standing committee to an ad hoc committee and asked for a resolution to implement the change. The proposed change would allow members who serve on other committees to continue participating without running afoul of the village's committee membership rules. The committee, which honors community members through events, would retain its name and continue its work but with a less formal structure.

Winter parking rules eyed for business districts

Healy proposed allowing daytime parking from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on one side of the street in business districts — North Riverside, Harmon, South Riverside, and the Upper Village — during snow events. "We allow parking in our business districts from 7AM to 7PM on one side of the street." Read 159:11▶ Healy said. Overnight restrictions would remain in force to allow DPW crews to clear streets curb to curb. The current regulations, unchanged since 1993, prohibit on-street parking once two inches of snow accumulates. Business owners and residents complained during the past winter that the rule was too restrictive for smaller storms. Simon called the proposal innovative and said business owners would be very pleased.

Healy also announced that the DPW will notify property owners — primarily commercial properties along South Riverside and Croton Point Avenue — that they will be responsible for clearing adjacent sidewalks starting this winter, as those sidewalks had been cleared by the village without a clear basis in code. A section of Farrington Road near Palmer will be added to the list of sidewalks the village exempts and clears itself, due to accessibility issues. The winter parking changes require a local law amendment, with a public hearing likely scheduled for August.