NARROWSBURG – The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) will award $4,700 to fund a Town of Tusten Zoning Updates and Open Space Planning project through its Fiscal Year 2022 Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) program.

That brings the cumulative amount that the UDC has provided to its member municipalities and counties to $921,652 since 1988. In all, 261 projects have been funded.

The Town of Tusten will implement several of the recommendations included in the Comprehensive Plan that they completed in 2021, also with UDC TAG funding assistance.

Zoning revision work will include clarifying definitions, location of accessory structures, small-scale livestock uses, fence provisions, and sign regulations.

Additionally, the Tusten Zoning Update Committee will examine home occupation requirements to encourage small businesses; short-term rental regulations; cannabis sales; and adjustments to help meet housing needs and objectives.

The new Comprehensive Plan also recommended reactivating the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) that originally formed in 2007 and spearheaded the Tusten Natural Resources & Open Space Inventory in 2011.

The CAC will play a vital role in contributing to the dialogue for future use and protection of land in the town for potential open space and recreation opportunities.

The Tusten Zoning Update Committee includes Supervisor Ben Johnson, Deputy Supervisor Jane Luchsinger, Assessor Ken Baim, former Zoning Update Committee Chair Kathy Michell, Code Enforcement Officer Jim Crowley, Planning Board member Sean Harrington, and Zoning Board of Appeals member Nico Juarez. They will work with consultant Peter Manning for the zoning revisions and focused Open Space planning project.

Applications for the TAG program were due by Aug. 20 and reviewed at a special meeting of the UDC’s Project Review Committee meeting held Sept. 14. The full Council voted in favor of the single application by the Town of Tusten on October 7, and the National Park Service approved the proposed use of federal funding on October 21.

Mid-term progress reports for the FY 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022) grants will be due by Feb. 18, 2022. The project completion deadline is Aug. 19, 2022.

Technical Assistance Grants are available on a competitive basis to the UDC’s eight member New York towns, five Pennsylvania townships, and their encompassing five river corridor counties. Buckingham and Manchester Townships in Wayne County, PA would be eligible to receive this member benefit if they joined the UDC.

To access a directory of the UDC’s Technical Assistance Grants from 1988-2021, review program guidelines, and download forms, visit www.upperdelawarecouncil.org.

Please contact the UDC at (845) 252-3022 or info@upperdelawarecouncil.org with any questions about the TAG program.