Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting

Alright. Welcome everyone to the October 2025 meeting of the Croton and Hudson zoning board of appeals.

• Welcome to Bill, our newest member to the board. Thank you very much. We have a very light agenda today. No applications,

• simply a couple of

• administrative

• issues for new business.

• The first being a review from the village board of trustees to review draft local law introductory number 14 of 2025

• about alternative members being appointed to the ZBA

• and the planning board.

• So we all have materials in front of us about the proposed resolution.

• I have

• really a kinda two initial questions to tee us off with. And, Ron, you might have some insight from what you've seen. So the first is we it talks about an alternative member.

• Is the idea that there will be one alternate shared

• by the planning board and the ZPA or that there will be one alternate per board? Is that two? I am about certain it's one one per board. I guess. So that would be so I might have a couple of adjustments just to make that clear because the way it's worded, it could be read to be one alternate period, not per board.

• So I think it's kind of minor. Fair enough. Okay.

• And my other question is kind of for the board of

• right now, it contemplates so this is on the back on the second page,

• subsection d.

• Yeah.

• So read through it.

• And it's all about kinda what the alternate does.

Yeah.

• That that that was my question. Is the board member

• expected to review all the, like, the picture in the bullpen warming up? Like, have Every meeting or is it just gonna be Like, you almost have to give them the materials so they're ready. Right. Because, know, Jim will call him sick at the last second.

And and so there's that practical. And then practically,

• this also like, is the person participating in every hearing

• regardless of whether we need coverage as, like, a sixth person, but they only vote

• to be if if if they need to be number five? I almost feel are they only up here

• when they're actually sitting in place of a board member?

Well, I almost feel like they would have to participate in all the meetings to be up on on the cases.

Mhmm. Because then, like, what if something carries over?

And then,

• you know, like, I couldn't something got carried over,

• and I couldn't make the last vote on the

• Bank Street Mhmm. Property, and I would have been the deciding vote if I didn't.

You do have the meeting minutes

• so they can catch up, like, you're being asked to sit in. But you're right. That's not quite the same as being there as actually hearing it in person participating and going on-site. See them I think it's often enough that someone's missing that they would probably be pretty active being participating.

• Mhmm. Like, it's it's not like we always have five. Like, it's like we have five meetings, like, half of the time. Mhmm. Right. Yeah. So we're asking the alternate to get all the materials for every monthly meeting,

• come,

• have

• a seat up here for them, but they only vote

• when we need a fifth.

That sound right? That makes sense. Sounds right. But isn't it also desirable to only vote if you've actually sat through all of the presentations on a particular application or a subsequent

• carryover? That's what I'm saying. Which is what this will solve for. Doug is saying. And it would seem to me

• minimum, you would

• only want

• that person to participate if they've actually heard

• all of the presentations on a particular application.

I'm gonna jump in. Sounds fair to me. Mhmm. So

• this was before the planning board, and I saw the presentation to the planning board. Was in the room.

• My understanding,

• which which isn't necessarily it was presented to the planning board,

• that the

• alternate member

• will generally,

• unless

• they are required, would not be here up on the DS. Mhmm.

• I would expect them to

• this wasn't ironed out, but I expect them to at least watch.

• They'd be in the audience. Right. In the audience. The stream. Or it could be on stream. Oh, right. Yeah. That's

true. That's true. It'd be more convenient. Livestream or after the fact? Or it doesn't really matter. Doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Yeah. Long you review it.

You know, unless they are here and called in as an alternate, they would not be participating in the deliberations.

• K. If they're an alternate member, if they're nonvoting member and they're participating, that was the discussion that came up. And and my understanding is that they are

• not participating unless

• they're

• voting essentially or you have that opportunity. Right.

• No q and a?

• No. And and and, you know, discussion at the playing board, then they could, like,

• steer the discussion

• whilst not

• having that

• skin in the game of actually putting in a vote. Mhmm.

• That was my understanding with the planning board.

• Perhaps that should be a bit more clear here. Mhmm.

• But that that was

• what I was told was the intent of the law. And

I see someone in the audience with a hand up.

Could

you come to this microphone and just share your name?

• Curious why you had your hand up.

I'm only my name is Ed Riley of Truesdale Drive.

• I attend almost every

• village board meeting in the last

• four or five years

• and every

• planning board meeting, including the last one.

• This alternative

• member is subversive to the job you're doing,

• and I believe it's an attempt to pack the zoning board and the planning board with an alternative member. I don't care what other villages and towns are doing because that's going on in those towns and villages also, the same process, to undermine local zoning.

• So the alternative member

• I was at both meetings, and the planning board was concerned that,

• in fact, this member would participate

• in the discussions

• of issues as they go on.

• And to my knowledge, certainly on the planning board,

• if they have no agenda, they cancel a meeting.

• If they don't have

• five members, they tell a person if it requires

• a unanimous

• vote that, you know, you can continue with us now or you can postpone till next time. To my knowledge, this board meets once a month,

• and I haven't seen I've seen one person missing. I've only been at four meetings.

• The planning board does not have a problem with absenteeism.

• The board that does have a problem with absenteeism is the mayor and the board of trustees. They do have an absentee problem.

• And so I would recommend to you that you recommend to them if there's gonna be an alternative member, perhaps they should have an alternative member to the mayor and the trustees

• because they have a bigger absentee problem than you've had. You have been selected.

• You have a high level of expertise

• in zoning and building things

• and building problems. Many of you come from a background where you where you built,

• you architect,

• you did stuff relative to your position.

• And to say that we need a sixth member,

• that's like having a, you know, a fifth wheel in a car,

• is really insulting.

• Right? And if if you can't get enough people to a meeting

• and that person is persistent in not attending, that person needs to be replaced.

• But it's been brought up here. If a person is not fully participating in this board and perhaps following a big issue over many, many meetings,

• they're not up to snuff. They really shouldn't participate.

• And so this is really a fifth wheel on a car. It may be the hot thing to do in some other towns,

• which is basically meant to

• to dilute the vote or to undermine their zoning because of, you know, maybe some holdovers from previous regimes.

• I think it's totally unnecessary.

• And

• if anybody's gonna set a precedent having an alternative member, it should be the board of trustees.

• And contrary to the engineer, I was at both meetings, both the village board meeting and the planning board meeting.

• That fit that sixth wheel would be a full participant.

Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you.

If I could follow-up Yes. The planning board discussion, packing the board, that was

• the word used.

• Represented to the board about

• the alternate member being up on the PS and participating in the conversation

• was not was not correct.

• Well, after the meeting, I was told that I I I was Okay. No. We're not gonna do a back and forth here. Just to follow-up his direct amendment.

It was it was not clear to him. Sir, we're not doing a back and forth. I know that he looked over you. I appreciate the want desire to respond. We're just gonna Okay. Leave it as is. Okay? So

that being said, clarification

• would be appropriate. Okay.

Yeah. So I do think we need clarification

• on what the anticipated role of the person is in terms of are they up here when they're not needed as a fifth,

• or is it just the expectation, hey. If you're called in for the next meeting, there's a holdover, which isn't very common for this planning board and the others are very different. We, on occasion, have holdovers, but it's not nearly as common.

• Would they be expected to get up to speed and just be here in participatory

• when they're asked to step in to be a fifth? So I think that that's a clarification. I don't think subsection d here is clear on that point, and clearly us and the planning board need some clarification there. Agree with those comments.

I would also add

• that it's totally

• unclear

• to me whether this person is going to

• what this if this person participates,

• what their level of participation is. If they're just in the room, are they allowed to ask questions?

• Or are they just and when you said they're up here, does that mean by being on the dais, they can ask questions? Or

• is it more like just being here because they're an alternate, but they can't really engage in the discussion? The other thing I was gonna say is I this is my first day doing this at the this is important. But my

• gut is telling me that a lot of times absentees are

• because somebody gets sick maybe that day,

and they can't show up. Yep. So that's hard to plan in advance. Work family obligations. It absolutely does come up. Prepared. No. And then it's not fair to the applicants that you don't have the full five people. Well, it's also not fair to

the person that they're sitting around waiting for a call. Can I ask you just to ask? What what is the genesis of this idea? Do they think it was really that much of a problem that everyone had the quorums?

Like I don't remember. I know it was floated out there. I I think I first heard about it a couple of months ago. I don't remember why. I know I remember thinking I'm supportive because, again, we've had it on occasion here. So if we had someone who could step in again, you can get up to speed on materials fairly easily. The information's available online. So I thought it'd be a helpful thing given that we've all had to I mean, we've had a bunch of meetings where we've had four. We've had very, very, very few where we've only had three. Right.

• And I don't think we've ever had a meeting. And when we've had three, we've had to sometimes hold over because the person,

• you know, they was hoping to get a different answer. So I don't know if it comes to the board. Maybe the gentleman

has a good point. Maybe if it's if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, it sounds good in theory. Right. And but when you start talking the details and how it's gonna work, it gets really

kinda complicated and really kinda messy when you think of all the contingencies that happen. Someone gets sick today. Right.

Right. You know? Yeah. I mean The planning board is voting separately from us. It's our decision what we wanna do, and it's their decision what they wanna do. Right. You are providing your recommendations.

Right? So we're we're not voting on this. This is our reaction to the proposal. Oh, I thought we were voting. Right. I don't think we're because I don't think this is final. Okay. Yeah. I I agree with the chair. I think that this is a proposal. I don't think it's finalized yet. I think they're just looking for feedback.

Yep. The other

• thing is it says the alternate member should be appointed for a term of the year.

You keep having a turnover of that alternate member. Yeah. That doesn't make sense. Doesn't make sense. It should be the same as our terms. Yeah. You just want someone with some confidence some experience because there's Ours are five. Is it five? It's five. Because every year, there's one person. Right. But the the chair is a one year thing. That gets re upped kinda every year. It's it's revisited every year. So that could be the idea of this. Maybe two

three years.

• Years. I don't know. It just seems like there's there's a lot to come up to speed if if someone if it keeps getting a turnover. Mhmm.

So in general, the the the premise of having an alternate member, curious kind of everyone saying maybe, maybe not.

It just seems like it maybe overcomplicates

things. Like, I don't think we've really had a big

• MCT problem,

except for me because I've had all these surgeries surgeries. It complicates things. Mhmm. The I don't

• if it's not broke,

• you know, it's not like we've had a lot of major problems in the past that I'm aware of. Maybe I don't know. You know, don't know what people are seeing.

• Public things. People

• complaining that we only had four.

Well, like, last week That's what I'm saying. What's the genesis? We we were deadlocked at two, which is gonna provoke

another application for the same thing. Mhmm. Just you know, that's one way that Mhmm. And this year, we've definitely had a few times where we've only had three, and so the applicants came back the next time. And we held over on the vote, and I'm that applicant experience, I'm sensitive to. I also don't think

• I think we all do a very good job, but I don't think it's rocket science to get up to speed on the materials for the applications for that month. Long to your point, I'd prefer not be a different person every year, but I don't think it's a massive lift. I agree the how much notice we give. Like, a last minute sickness, I'm not sure we can call this person in. But if someone has a work trip, they know their kid has something, they are on vacation It's an advanced could see pulling them in month for that, right, where we know the person will be out for a little bit. Mhmm. Alright.

Well,

• I guess we have to find out more what the role they expect is and then make a decision from there.

That's it. I don't know that I don't think it's our decision to write. This is ultimately the board of trustees that decides whether to pass the resolution. So this is I see. Our input on it that if they are going to pass it Got it. Let's be clear on kind of advance like, what are the obligations?

• Where are you Oh, okay. During each meeting. Our decision. Okay. Yep. It's our, I think, reaction to the draft.

Yep. Got it. Got Got it. It. Mhmm.

Alright. The devil the devil's in the details on something like this Mhmm. As we're talking about here. Mhmm. So

• it's a little bit of a pig in the poke right now

• because we of all the questions we've raised,

• I I would be very interested in hearing,

• you know, pros and cons. You know, what what the deliberate and then maybe I need to just go back and read the trustee's

• deliberations on this.

• But I'm curious what the pros and cons were discussed because, obviously, you know, different points of view are gonna raise some And also just like what brought it on. Yeah. Is it family marketing?

Yeah. What

• now what why why do they feel this was a necessary

move that they wanted to recommend?

• Maybe the planning board has bigger absentee problems than us. I don't know.

Any final thoughts to have kinda in the record here be passed along

to the board of trustees? Any other reactions to anything that's in here? No. I think the two big things are clarification on that and, like Bill said, pros and cons, and also just what

• was the impetus for this proposal?

• Yeah.

There's no, like, whereas sort of Yeah. Like, what this is trying to solve for. Right. Yeah. They What to solve for? Yep.

And when something like this, do we send

• the board our minutes, or do we draft some questions for them?

You can probably make a memo of minutes. Right. That's yeah.

Complagiarize

• your minutes.

Use AI.

• Take the minutes to create a memo.

• AI. There you go. There you go. So in the memo, I'm disinclined to take a position saying yay or nay on whether they should do this because think we all have kind of different thoughts on that. And it's just if you're gonna go forward, here's some of the logistical difficulties we see. Right. Is anyone opposed to that approach? No. I think that's the approach.

• Alright.

• Any final thoughts on this one?

• No.

No.

Alright. Then we get to talk scheduling, everyone. Sure. Get excited. So what are the options? The

• first discussion regarding the rescheduling of regular zoning board of appeals meetings to either be first or third Tuesday of each month. Right now, we're doing the fourth.

• Yes.

To be honest with you, as long as it's a Tuesday, I I have no preference. So if somebody else has a preference, I would defer to that. Tuesday's a Tuesday. Tuesday's a Tuesday. And sometimes it's gonna be a good Tuesday. Sometimes it's gonna be a bad. Just curious. Why did the planning board change?

That

was to address they got a consultant

• and as to accommodate

• a schedule there for a planning consultant.

And is this starting in November?

December.

Do you guys have anybody?

First or either the first or third is fine with me. The only one I couldn't do is the second, but that's not

• second Tuesday of each month.

So Mhmm. I don't see if there's any difference for me either. Yeah. Typically, I'm good for December 16. Mhmm.

Yeah. Yeah.

And that's closest to where we're doing now, so we're not gonna have a weird meeting, like, flooding up against change the time.

• Mhmm.

• Yep.

• Third. That was easy. Alright. Now we just have meeting minute approvals. Gonna remind us.

• Well, November's still the well, where does November fall with Thanksgiving?

• Do we have an issue there?

• And right now, we're we're the third. It's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Yeah. That's what I'm checking. All done. Is the seventeenth

• then is our next meeting? I'm

• sorry. The eighteenth? I'm looking for you. It's still at seven. 07:30. So

• that is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Anybody traveling? I'm local. You think I should be here?

Are you planning to travel, but if I go the next day, I don't think I go Tuesday night. It's Tuesday, the twenty fifth, I should. Most people go Wednesday. Yeah. Okay.

Great. You should fine.

• Yep.

• Alright.

Jim, I'm going to defer to need to vote on, or that's also a recommendation?

I think that's I don't think we have to vote on the meeting date and time. Yeah. Okay.

• This is the first We do have to vote on the meeting minutes, and I was not here for August 26. So I will defer to Jim to take any inputs on the notes of the twenty sixth.

To me.

• Okay. So I'll make a motion to approve the

• August 26.

Twenty twenty five minutes. I'll second.

• All in favor? Aye.

Abstain.

• Abstain.

• Alright.

• Next one. And then we swap to September 30.

• I have a couple of edits, just one I want to run by on page three

• when we talk about the five factors.

• So, you know, this is the one for

• North Riverside

• and the electrical company building.

• For number four, on the five factors here, the proposed variance will not have an adverse effect or impact on the physical or environmental conditions in the neighborhood or district. I'm just gonna put overall before physical. I know it slightly changed the wording a bit, but I don't wanna conflate that with the first one. Right.

Yep.

• And

then

• I also had a comment on fourth on page eight.

• So this was for the carport,

• the second variance for that one

• property.

• I just wanna turn Will from May. So the proposed variance may have an adverse effect or impact on the fiscal environmental conditions.

• I don't know that we got to a point where we would completely set it up. It would if the carport was placed there, but it may.

• We declined.

• We declined the card.

So we're gonna do this next week. Is that that on the radar yet?

Not yet. Okay.

• All

• the rest are just I just we're have a couple of minor things that stuff I can give to you, but I can represent all the rest are

• minor

• type of events.

• Any other adjustments?

• I will make a motion to approve the September 30 minutes.

Second.

Alright. All in favor? Aye.

Abstain.

Okay. And I believe that's it.

• That will close the meeting.