Planning Board

July 15, 2019

 

Attending: Robert Garrigan, John Kincart, William LaScala, Rich Fon, Aaron Bock

 

REGULAR SESSION

 

1. Faith Bible Church, Mohegan Avenue

After deciding to follow existing practice regarding the renewal of site plans, the voted unanimously to grant a second one year extension.

 

2. Stahmer minor subdivision, Birdsall Drive

(See Planning Board 2-25-2019.) The board voted to approve minor changes to an amended subdivision plan based on DEP requirements and also to approve the applicant’s SWPPP.

 

3. RCB subdivision, Old Crompond Road

(See previous history dating back to 2008.) The new owners of the site want to proceed with building houses on two lots. Based on an earlier approval, two additional lots that were part of the approved subdivision would remain undeveloped; although the original plan was to sell those lots to abutting property owners, that plan has been abandoned and the board suggested that the two unbuildable lots be combined with the two fronts lots and a conservation easement be placed on the rear portions of the lots.  The owners will pursue this option. In the meantime, while a new survey is being done and the easement agreements worked out, the board approved the subdivision plan, along with a wetlands and stormwater permit so that the owners could get a building permit. As a condition of the approval, they won’t be able to get a CO for the houses until the lot issue is resolved.

 

3. McDonalds, Route 202, Public Informational Hearing

(See Planning Board, 6-24-2019.) The applicant reviewed changes in the plan in response to the board’s previous comments, including reducing the lighting output, additional landscaping in the front and rear of the property, signage changes, and fencing at the rear of the site. There will also be interior changes in the customer service area.  It was noted that the changes will modernize the building that has been in operation for three decades.  The only comment was a memo from the Fire Board asking if an additional hydrant could be installed on the site.  The Planning Department will review the revised site plan. A public hearing is anticipated in August.

 

WORK SESSION

 

4. Crystal Court subdivision.  Removed from agenda

 

5. Roberta property, Front Street

The board is seeking clarification as to its exact role in reviewing and/or approving the revised site plan given the fact that when the Town Board approved the site’s transitional zoning in 2017, it also approved a site plan.

 

As the plan includes a landscaped streetscape on a portion of the abutting paper road, the applicant will need a license agreement from the town to use that portion of the town owned land.  (The streetscape, designed by Mr. Tegeder, was part of the 2017 plan and would provide access to the paper road in the event the property abutting it ever came in for development.) The applicant will work out some issues cited in the town engineer’s memo and was asked to document all the 8” trees on the site that are to be removed. Citing the fact that several years ago the applicant removed several trees on another property to the rear of the site, a resident, also to the rear of the site, asked that the board require a performance bond  just in case his property was similarly affected. The board advised the resident to write a letter to the board expressing his concern.

 

6. Lowes, Plans for Pad “B”

The applicant presented plans for a 5,800 sf building at the center of the site that would house three tenants: a Starbucks, a retail store operated by the Automobile Club of America, and a third still unknown tenant.  Because the approved site plan for the overall site anticipated a 4,500 sf building, this revised plan removes some of the previously approved landscaping and will require a higher retaining wall.  The required number of parking spaces will have to be recalculated based on the new uses. The applicant will also have to recalculate anticipated sewage flows, given existing concerns that the receiving Hunterbrook  pump station is at or exceeding its capacity.

 

In response to the applicant’s landscaping plan, Mr. Tegeder asked the applicant to provide elevations from Route 202 that would show whether the building roof would be visible over the proposed plantings.  He also asked the architect to provide elevations that would show the potential visibility of roof top HVAC equipment and suggested that since the public would view the building from both Route 202 as well as from Lowe’s that the façade be treated the same way and also include the same signage.

 

The applicant indicated that there was some interest in the western most pad, but not from banks, but no interest to date in the eastern most pad closest to the Taconic Parkway.