New Windsor board weighs zoning change, housing plans at key intersection

At Union Avenue and Temple Hill Road, New Windsor is considering a zoning shift that could turn a suburban residential corner across from Devitt’s into highway commercial land. The Town Board will hold a public hearing on July 1, 2026, on the change, a move that could shape what gets built at one of the town’s most visible intersections.

The proposal fits into a broader land-use push tied to the town’s 2021 Comprehensive Plan Update, which was meant to guide zoning-map changes and line up code with the town’s long-term land-use goals. Board members also discussed three projects that would require overlays, since the zoning cannot be changed on individual parcels. That means the town would need a district-level fix, not a one-off exception, before any of the projects could move forward.

One of those proposals would let Access Supports for Living buy property across from Devitt’s for housing tied to children attending the school, a use that would serve residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health challenges and other disabilities. Another would rework the old Duffers Hideaway site for senior housing. A third would allow Best in Backyards, which operates at 432 Temple Hill Road, to build a mixed-use structure with businesses on the first floor and three levels of apartments above. Together, the plans point to more people, more daily trips and a stronger commercial presence along Temple Hill Road.

For nearby property owners and drivers, the stakes are practical. More highway commercial and mixed-use development could raise land values for parcels suited to retail or apartments, while also adding traffic to roads already carrying local and regional flow. The Temple Hill Road and Union Avenue corridor has carried safety concerns before. In 2018, CSX finished long-term fixes to the Temple Hill Road and Route 300 crossing and the Union Avenue and Erie Avenue crossing after wear and safety issues drew attention.

The board is also weighing a June 3, 2026, public hearing to prohibit parking on Hudson Valley Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, in part to cut down on littering and the offloading of Amazon trucks. On Sue Kelly Avenue, the town advanced a sale of the old gymnasium for an officer and catering venue. The building was assessed at $625,000, but the prospective buyer offered $750,000 and wanted the adjoining road included as parking.

Elsewhere, the town approved a resolution seeking a request for proposal for 13 new flagpoles in front of the Last Cantonment, backed by a $126,000 grant from Assemblyman Chris Eachus. It also granted permission for Riverkeeper’s Walsh Road dam project, which the state Department of Environmental Conservation said will improve fish passage and address flooding upstream on Quassaick Creek. The project includes realignment and restoration of about 1,400 feet of the creek upstream of the dam.