by Bea Peterson
At the recent Town Board meeting a combined meeting of the Zoning, Planning and Town Boards was scheduled for Tuesday, July 28 at 6:30 pm at the HAYC3 Armory. Two applications at the Town of Hoosick Planning Board meeting on Monday, July 20, gave an indication of why such a meeting might be helpful to applicants looking for project approval.
[private] Solar Farm
Larry Bugbee approached the Board with a request to make his 42 acre property on Route 22, across from Hoosick True Value, into a three lot simple subdivision. The property is zoned commercial. He would like to have 20 acres remain as it is with trees that are there. Since NY State mandates that no more than a 220 mega watt solar setup can be on one property, Bugbee wants to make two 10 acre pieces to accommodate two 220 megawatt solar panel sites. The sites would have a six foot fence, topped with barbed wire, around them. He appeared before the Zoning Board, but that Board does not deal with subdivisions. However, the Planning Board does not deal with roadways. And the big question becomes is there a need for two 50 foot wide roadways next to each other into the project, or will one suffice? That, said Planning Board attorney Denis King, must be determined by the Zoning Board, which cannot make a decision without knowing if it is a three lot subdivision as one of the lots would be landlocked. It doesn’t matter as both lots will be used for the solar panels, Bugbee explained, and no one else will have access to the roadway. No water, sewer or lighting will be required. The roadway will have a turnaround to accommodate emergency vehicles. Bugbee will continue to own the land and the solar company will have a 35 year lease. Bugbee has a special use permit from the ZBA for the solar farm. King believes the ZBA has the power to waive the roadway issue, then Bugbee can return to the Planning Board and request the simple subdivision. It was also suggested he return with a more clearly defined map of the area and a more detailed plan.
Where To Put The Sign
Land surveyor Wayne Willson addressed the Board regarding properties owned by Brown’s Brewery and Ruth Jones along Route 22 and Factory Hill Road. Willson appeared before the Board in November regarding this issue. At that time Jones wanted to transfer a triangular one-tenth of an acre of vacant land to Brown’s Brewery so a sign for the Brewery could be put up. Willson was informed the lot was too small for the Planning Board to approve. He was told the piece would have to be a minimum of one acre to grant approval. The Town has a law stating business signs can only be placed on property owned by that business. So, this time Willson approached the Board looking for a boundary line adjustment. He presented the Board with a configuration that included a walkway width of property encompassing Jones’ piece on Route 22 to Brown’s and giving Jones a small piece of Brown’s property to meet the one acre hamlet requirement. King balked at the land configuration and noted the Planning Board had never dealt with anything resembling the plan outlined by Willson. He suggested Willson approach the Town Board about a waiver for putting the sign on the Jones property. The Board members agreed that if the Town approved the waiver, they would approve putting the sign on the little piece of property. The Board was supportive of helping Brown’s Brewery since they have been such a good neighbor to the community.
Storage Units
Contractor John Cooney and property owner Robert Koronas appeared before the Board again this month to discuss putting storage units on Koronas’ property behind the apartment building on Route 7 near the Vermont line. They had with them the more detailed information the Board had requested at the previous meeting. The property is zoned agricultural, commercial and residential. Only one tenth of an acre will be disturbed. The environmental impact statement was reviewed and the Board determined there would be no impact. The Board waived the need for a public hearing on the six storage unit request, declared the application complete and approved the site plan.[/private]