Wilmington votes to regulate land clearing

WILMINGTON | On June 24, the town board adopted a local law that updates the town's forestry requirements and establishes new oversight of large land-clearing projects. This law — known as Local Law #4 of 2026 — corrects an error in the town's zoning code and adds new requirements. Regarding forestry, Local Law #4 corrects an error in the town's current zoning code where two lines are reversed from their intended order. It also decreases the acreage threshold above which the town regulates forestry to operations larger than 5 acres in the hamlet, 10 acres in the Moderate Intensity zoning district, and 25 acres in the town's other zoning districts. As for land clearing, the town board added "Land Clearing" to the zoning code's Table of Uses and defined it as "the clearing of trees or other vegetation from property, including, but not limited to, any such clearing in furtherance of a project or subdivision for which approval is required under this zoning ordinance." Following the passage of this law, approval from the town's Planning Board will be required for land-clearing projects larger than 2 acres in the hamlet, 3 acres in the Moderate Intensity and Low Intensity zoning districts, and 5 acres in the Rural Use and Resource Management zoning districts. The law specifically excludes "the harvesting of Christmas trees," "routine maintenance of land for agricultural purposes," "the harvesting of firewood for the personal use of the property owner," and "ordinary, reasonable, and routine site clearing conducted in preparation for the construction of a building for which a building permit has been issued" from the zoning code's definition of "land clearing." These activities can still be undertaken without applying for a permit. "There is more interest in new subdivisions and large commercial operations in Wilmington than I can remember," said Town of Wilmington Supervisor Tim Follos. "This law is a reflection of the townspeople's unhappiness with some of the projects that have been approved or have started without approval in the past five years. We needed to create new guardrails so that the town's residents have some input into what happens next door or down the street." Follos has been pushing for changes along these lines for several years, and they were a major part of his campaign for town supervisor last year. Speaking after the law was approved, Follos cited several recent projects in Wilmington that he believes the townspeople are uneasy or unhappy about. The motivations for Local Law #4 are similar to those of Local Law #1. Passed earlier this year, Local Law #1 implements size restrictions on retail buildings, as well as screening and setback requirements for new commercial businesses. Local Law #4, which the town board began working on in February, reflects some of the same trends. "We have clearing happening on many different roads throughout the town, and I think a large percentage of the town is uneasy about the pace of clearing and the lots being cleared prior to any approvals being issued," Follos said. "This will help rein that in." For more information or to read the complete text of Local Law #4, visit townofwilmington.org.

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Wilmington votes to regulate land clearing

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