Chester passes entity disclosure law to boost land-use transparency

Chester tightened its land-use rules with a new Entity Disclosure law that requires companies and other applicants, especially LLCs, to identify the people actually behind a proposal before the town’s boards act.

The Town Board adopted Local Law 4 of 2026 on March 25 and filed it with the New York Secretary of State, making the measure part of the town code under a new chapter called Entity Disclosure. The board first posted notice of the public hearing on Feb. 27, then held that hearing at 6:45 p.m. on March 25 at Town Hall, 1786 Kings Highway, Chester, NY.

The law is aimed at more than paperwork. According to the board agenda, it requires full and fair disclosure of the people substantively involved with entities making land-use applications, to the extent possible, so potential conflicts of interest can be identified and people speaking for those entities can be confirmed as authorized representatives. The draft law says its purpose is to inform the public and the town about the names of individuals with a vested interest in land-use applications, help the boards review proposals, disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest and strengthen enforcement of the town code.

That could matter in a town where development pressure has long fueled questions about who really benefits from a project. The new law gives Chester a formal local tool to look behind shell companies and other opaque ownership structures when a project reaches the zoning board, planning board or Town Board. It does not appear to change the underlying standards for approval, but it should make it harder for applicants to hide principals or leave key decision-makers out of the record.

Supervisor Brandon Holdridge thanked resident Tracy Schuh for working on the measure since 2023, underscoring that the law grew out of sustained local advocacy rather than a single board vote. Chester’s move also fits a broader New York trend toward disclosure. The state’s LLC Transparency Act requires beneficial-owner reporting to the Department of State, but that information is not publicly accessible, leaving Chester’s local requirement as a more immediate tool for town-level review. Orange County already has its own ethics and disclosure framework, including county laws enacted in 2018 and amended in 2023.

The same March 25 meeting also advanced several other town business items. The board created a new water district for the Greens of Chester, with the Village of Chester supplying water while the Town of Chester manages the district and bills residents at a rate of $14.25 per thousand gallons. Councilman Tom Becker pushed for a quick decision on an opt-out fee for residents who do not want the new cellular endpoint water meters, while other board members said they wanted to see how many people opted out before setting the charge.

The board also approved $382,415.33 in bills and signed off on a $6,441.41 48-inch tilting grading bucket for the highway department excavator, a purchase listed as about $545 under the $10,000 allowance. Together, the agenda showed a town balancing everyday operations with a sharper push for disclosure in future land-use fights.