Land Use Boards

The Department of Planning and Community Development administers the functioning of the all the City’s Land Use Boards. The City’s Land Use Boards are comprised of the following:

Purpose

These Boards dictate and affect the aesthetic look and feel of the City by reinforcing the policies established by the City’s Comprehensive Plan on a case-by-case basis.

Duties

Department staff serves the city’s Land Use Boards by reviewing submitted materials, structuring meeting agendas, providing technical comments, providing training of Board members, administering State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) Compliance with New York State General Municipal Law and the Westchester County Administrative Codes.

In order for the Land Use Boards to make more informed decisions in a timely manner, the Department of Planning and Community Development (which serves as staff to these Boards) has instituted significant modifications which have been identified and illuminated to clearly distinguish the improvements to the Land Use Board’s processes. Therefore throughout 2009, the Planning Department has worked diligently to provide applicant’s with a seamless flow through the permitting and decision-making process.

Planning & Community Development is now on OpenGov!

The Department of Planning and Community Development (PCD) is excited to announce that it has joined other departments in launching on OpenGov. OpenGov is a cloud-based software that allows applicants and the City of Mount Vernon to accelerate processes around permitting, land use applications, and more. Currently, Buildings and eight other departments have forms live on the site.  

Beginning October 31, you will be able to file applications for the land use boards: 

  • Architectural Review Board 
  • Planning Board 
  • Zoning Board of Appeals 

You’ll also be able to apply for Wireless Telecommunications.  

Some key benefits of OpenGov include: 

  • 24-hour on-line access allowing the ability and convenience to file and update applications at any time, day or night, while significantly reducing the amount of paper used 
  • More transparency by allowing you to track the status of your application in real time 
  • The ability to upload additional documents as needed throughout the process 

To familiarize yourself with the OpenGov site and applications, check out our short videos below.

PCD Announces OpenGov Launch

Architectural Review Board Application Overview

Planning Board Application Overview

Zoning Board of Appeals Application Overview

PCD will have a transition period over the next six months during which you can submit applicants via OpenGov or directly to the department if you are having any issues. However, after April 30, 2023, we’ll only be accepting applications through OpenGov. 

To create an account and access all department pages, including PCD’s, go to mountvernonny.viewpointcloud.com.

If you need support while completing an application, you can fill out a short form on OpenGov via the Planning Department’s page and a member of our team will get back to you. You can also reach out to PCD’s land use boards secretary, Maria Pace, by calling 914-840-4036 or emailing mpace@cmvny.com for further assistance.  

We look forward to providing you more streamlined processes and enhanced customer service through OpenGov!