HOME | Departments | Planning 
SITE MAP



                                          Town of Clay
                                Approved
                                  
Planning Board Minutes  
                                                                                         
                                             January 9, 2008


The regular meeting of the Planning Board of the Town of Clay, County of Onondaga was held at the Town Hall located at 4401 Route 31, Clay, New York on the 9th day of January, 2008. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Lepkowski at 7:30 PM and upon roll being called, the following were:

PRESENT: Walter Lepkowski      Chairman
                      Bruce Johnson           Deputy Chairman 
                      Karen Guinup              Member
                      James Sharpe             Member
                      Allen Kovac                  Member
                      John Dougherty          Member
                      Hal Henty                       Member
                      Scott Chatfield             Planning Board Attorney
                      Ron DeTota                  C&S Engineers
                      David Balcer                 Town Planner
                      Mark Territo                  Commissioner of Planning and Development
                      Jill Hageman-Clark      Planning Board Secretary

Organizational Meeting for 2008

Motions for Reappointment 

The Chairman Appointed Bruce Johnson, Deputy Chairman.

A motion was made by Bruce Johnson, seconded by Hal Henty Appointing Jill Hageman-Clark, Planning Board Secretary.

Motion Passed 7-0

A motion was made by Bruce Johnson, seconded by Karen Guinup Appointing Ron Detota / C&S Engineers as the Town Engineers for the Planning Board.

Motion Passed 7-0

A motion was made by Karen Guinup, seconded by Hal Henty Appointing Scott Chatfield as the Town Attorney for the Planning Board.

Motion Passed 7-0

A motion was made by Allen Kovac, seconded by James Sharpe to Adopt the 2008 Calendar as Presented, having Meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 7: 30 PM. The exceptions being the months of June and August, at which time there will be one meeting on the 2nd Wednesday and no meetings on the 4th Wednesday.

Motion Passed 7-0


Minutes of Previous Meeting

A motion was made by Hal Henty, seconded by James Sharpe to approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

Motion Passed 7-0


Public Hearings:

2007-11-2 Self Storage Buckley LLC, Zone Change Recommendation I-2 to HC-1 & I-2 to R-10 to HC-1, 7500 & 7502 Buckley Road

Robert Ventre, attorney was present for the applicant. 

Mr. Chatfield asked the record to reflect that he is representing this applicant in another town under its joint name BC Storage. 

The applicant is proposing a public storage facility to be located in an industrial zone on a parcel that currently contains several dilapidated structures. The applicant stated that the buildings that are there contain asbestos and that they are aware of the cost to remove them. 

Mr. Ventre explained that while there is a lot of water on the property it is not actually wetlands therefore they are somewhat limited as to what this could be used for. He further indicated that a zone change from an I-2 to HC-1 would be a conservative zone for this parcel but would allow a storage facility. 

The storage facility would be constructed of green and earth tones and they would plant mid sized trees to conceal the 10’ high buildings.
The applicants also stated that the area would be gated and have cameras for safety and security. In addition they would close one driveway leaving only one open for ingress and egress for traffic to circulate. This project would be developed in two phases. 

The Chairman asked if there were any questions. Ms. Guinup asked why the applicant was proposing R-10 zone to the rear of the parcel. Mr. Ventre explained that was how the neighbors want it. Ms. Guinup explained that if the buildings were shifted back that would alleviate the need for some of the variances that the applicant will need. Mr. Johnson agreed that he would like to see the applicant avoid the need for the variances.

Ms. Guinup asked if the fire department would be able to maneuver around. The applicant said that they would. Chairman Lepkowski asked if they would pave the lot. Mr. Ventre stated that the applicant plans to pave. The Chairman recommended that the applicant has done a preliminary engineering study of the rain water run off. 

The Chairman asked if there were any questions from the audience. Joyce Cerito of Bayberry stated that she liked the transition between RC-1 and HC-1 and that she is supporting this application.

Hearing no more questions, Chairman Lepkowski closed the Public Hearing. The Chairman said that the Board would make a Recommendation at a later date. 



2007-12-1 Eldan Homes, Inc. (3) Preliminary Plat- Ver Plank Road (1 lot into 3 lots)

Doug Beachel, Manager for Eldan Homes was present for the applicant. The applicant is proposing to subdivide the 12-acre parcel into three lots. The owners would inhabit lot 1, which would be 5 acres and sell lots 2 (3.4 acres) and lot 3 (3.5 acres) to be developed for residential.

Mr. Beachel stated that there is currently public water and that the perk tests have been performed.

There was a lengthy discussion about the shared driveway for lots 2 and 3. The easement for the drive would be on lot 2. Mr. Henty stated that he would rather see a drive in place for lot 3 as well rather than an easement with a shared drive owned by lot 2. The applicant stated that this way would result in a reduction of curb cuts.

Mr. Chatfield said that he felt that the common driveway would affect the marketability. Mr. Johnson suggested that perhaps the applicant shift the property line on lots 1 and 2 to reduce the need for the variance. Chairman Lepkowski reminded that there are many common driveways in our town. 

The Chairman asked if there were any questions from the audience. Hearing none he recommended that the meeting be adjourned until the Board receives the comments from the Onondaga County Planning Board.

A motion was made by Karen Guinup, seconded by John Dougherty to adjourn this Public Hearing until January 23, 2008.

Motion Passed 7-0


Old Business: Adjourned Hearings

2007-4-1 Prime Management, Attn: Dean DeVito (3) Site Plan, located between Route 31 and Mendenhall Drive on the northeast side of Oswego Rd. (Rte 57) (Adjourned from 4 previous meetings 
The applicant requested an adjournment.

A motion was made by John Dougherty, seconded by Allen Kovac to adjourn this Public Hearing until February 13, 2008.

Motion Passed 7-0


2007-4-4 John E. Davis/ Davis Ventures LLC, Zone Change Recommendation RA-100 to HC-1, 5064, 5054 & 5170 State Route 31 (Adjourned from 4 previous meetings)

2007-4-6 Richard J. Alt & Donald W. Alt Zone Change Recommendation RA-100 to HC-1, 5236 & Vacant Land, State Route 31(Adjourned from 4 previous meetings)

Both applicants requested an adjournment.

A motion was made by Bruce Johnson, seconded by Hal Henty to adjourn these Public Hearings until February 27, 2008.

Motion Passed 7-0



2007-10-1 Michael Marley (3) – Site Plan, 4944 VerPlank Road (Adjourned from 1 previous meeting)

The applicant is asking for verbal Site Plan approval based on the new site plan. The applicant has added a turn around and additional parking. A crushed stone driveway and turn around are currently in place (there is no black top at this time). 

Chairman Lepkowski asked how the applicant will communicate that the truck drivers can turn around now instead of backing in as they have done in the past. The applicant stated that some of the drivers have already pulled in and turned around and he expects that other drivers will hear about it and do the same. The Chairman suggested a sign to alert the drivers of the new traffic pattern.

The Chairman reminded that this was a Public Hearing and asked if there were any questions from the audience, hearing none he closed the Public Hearing.

A motion was made by Bruce Johnson, seconded by Karen Guinup using standard Form #10 that the Site Plan proposed by Michael Marley be declared a negative declaration as there appears to be no environmental impact which could not be mitigated and does not involve any other agencies including the Federal Government. 

Motion Passed 7-0

A motion was made by Karen Guinup, seconded by John Dougherty to adopt a resolution using standard Form # 20 granting Site Plan Approval to Michael Marley for the property located at 4944 VerPlank Road based on a map by A. Scott Whittaker file # 037.161-cl, dated 7/22/2007; last revised 01/07/2008.

Motion Passed 7-0 



2007-10-3 Affordable Senior Housing Opportunities of NY – Zone Change Recommendation, RA-100 & R-10 to R-Apt, corner of Bear & Davis Road

Michael Connors, developer for Affordable Senior Housing was present for the applicant.

The applicant is requesting a zone change for the property located at the corner of Bear and Davis Roads. The property is currently zoned for residential development and the applicant wishes to have the zone changes to apartment to accommodate a senior housing facility. The facility would have 127 apartment units and be located on 41 acres of property. The target resident would be within the low to middle income bracket ($ 25,000 –$35,000 per year), filling a need for this community. 

The applicant is proposing a single building that would be fully sprinkled and wheelchair accessible. There would be a community room, a family room, a lounge, hair salon, computer room, exercise room and laundry room. Mr. Johnson asked if there would be a community dining room. The applicant stated that there would not. There would be a stove and refrigerator in the community room for “special events” such as baking cookies etc.

The one bedroom units would be 650-690 sf and cost approximately $700-$725 per month,
including heat and hot water. The two bedroom units would be about 850 sf and cost approximately $810 per month including, heat and hot water. Mr. Kovac asked if the apartments would be air-conditioned. Mr. Connors said that they would.

There was a discussion about the increase of traffic. Mr. Connors stated that the peak time for travel would be 9:30-10:00 AM and around 3:00 PM. He further explained the traffic study that the applicant had conducted using Traffic Study Highway Capacity software indicated that this will not impact greatly on the traffic flow. Mr. Henty asked if the study took into consideration that the seniors may not turn as quickly.
Mr. Dougherty asked why the building is to be three stories instead of two. The applicant stated they must have a certain number of units to make the project cost effective, and since the lot is primarily wetlands they cannot extend into the buffer. Mr. Johnson suggested a second wing in place of the third floor. The applicant stated that would discourage socialization. Mr. Kovac pointed out that there were not enough garages for the number of apartments. The applicant stated that experience showed that most people would not use the garage for vehicle storage but for household storage. In addition most would generally rather park closer.

Chairman Lepkowski stated that this was a Public Hearing and asked if there were any questions from the audience.

Sam Fanizzi pointed out that the existing homes have been there for a long time, not as it was constructed in Buffalo where the Senior Apartments were built prior to the single-family homes being built. He also pointed out that 448 apartment units currently exist surround the 16 homes on Davis Road and that the traffic study was not a good indication of what the current traffic situation is or would be if this change occurs.

Eric Dixon is opposed because of his concern with the noise generated by the proposed facility. Mr. Dixon stated that he has two small children and that their sleep would be disturbed by the noise and lighting.

Steve Barowve was concerned that the third story occupants of this building would look into his back yard. He was also concerned with safety vehicles, the room for fire trucks and the lights and noise generated by such.

John Hopp suggested that the applicant either reduce the size of the structure or petition the Department of Environmental Conservation for changes. Chairman Lepkowski asked if the beaver dam was within the existing wetlands. The applicant said that the DEC said that the beaver dam could be removed.

Joanne Plumley said that she was concerned with the number of stairs with regards to evacuation. Chairman Lepkowski explained that the building would be fully sprinkled with firewalls and that the safety measures in New York State are stringent.

Pauline McSweeney was concerned that the headlights would shine into her bedroom windows. She was also concerned with the impact this project would have on wildlife and drainage.

Fran Fanizzi stated that she liked the idea but not here. She stated that as a single family street she would rather have another neighborhood street of homes. This proposed project would make them feel more isolated.

Janine Joss of Bear Road said that she had just bought her house in July and that her deck looks onto the woods and she does not want to look at an apartment building. She would like the view and nature to stay as it is.

Jackie Barowve said that she had grown up on Davis Road and that she would hate to see the zone change from agricultural ( RA-100).

Ms. Guinup reminded the audience of the possibilities of other development that could take place without applying for a zone change. Some of these included farm stand, greenhouse, school, day care center etc. Mr. Fanizzi said that while each one of those would provide issues there would not be as many as with this application. 

Chairman Lepkowski explained that he would Close the Public Hearing and that the Board would make a Recommendation at a later date.


Old Business: Hearings Closed

2007-9-5 Skyline Management and Development Co., LLC –Zone Change Recommendation, LuC-2 to NC-1, 7558 Oswego Road (Walgreen’s)

Chairman Lepkowski opened the floor to the board for discussion regarding the Zone Change Recommendation to the Town Board that Walgreens is seeking.
The Chairman began by stating a NC-1 zone allows 5000 sf maximum retail space and that this would be a less intense use for this parcel than a restaurant.
Ms. Guinup stated that she also was in favor of this zone change because it would be favorable to combine the parcels. She did state that if the zone change takes place that the building should be appropriately sized and not require variances with the exception of the arterial setback. Mr. Kovac stated that he was in agreement with Ms. Guinup that there should not be any variances beyond the arterial setback and a NC –1 would not be much of a change. Chairman Lepkowski stated that it would limit uses and that he also was in favor of it. Mr. Johnson agreed stating that the NC-1 would be a better use for this however there are site plan issues that will need to be addressed if Walgreens purchases this parcel. Mr. Henty said that he felt that this is the proper zone for this area and that the other issues could be dealt with later.

A motion was made by John Dougherty, seconded by James Sharpe using standard Form #50, Recommending to the Town Board a Zone Change from LuC-2 to NC –1 for the property located at 7558 Oswego Road be Granted because the Planning Board has determined that it facilitates the NC-1 zone and that it is a better use for this property.

Motion Passed 7-0


New Business: 

NONE

ADJOURN MEETING

A motion was made by John Dougherty, seconded by Allen Kovac to adjourn this Public Hearing.

Motion Passed 7-0

Meeting adjourned at 10:05 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,




Jill Hageman-Clark


Planning Board Archive Minutes

Planning Board Agenda

 


[ HOME ]   [ About the town of Clay ]   [ Town Government ]   [ What is NEW ]   [ Contact Information ]   [ Departments
©  Copyright 2005 Town Of Clay
Please send any comments about the website to the WEBMASTER