Planning Board Meeting
We have really two agenda items tonight. And the first one, the applicant is not here and not coming. So we do have a public hearing for this application, which we will hold over till the next meeting when the application is able I mean, the applicant is able to be present. But if there is anybody who would like to speak on this matter tonight, we can take comment and enter it into the record and go from there. But otherwise, I think we're gonna table discussion of the actual submission until the applicant is present. So is there anybody who wants to speak on this tonight or wait until they're present? Okay. Alright. Having heard no one, I will hold the public hearing open until the next meeting, and we will revisit this application. The next item on the agenda is a new business item. Adam and Suzanne Decker, 13 Ackerman Court, building building envelope modification, excavation, and fill permit for a pool house. I am working on this project, my company. So as the architect, so I'm gonna recuse myself. I'm gonna ask Jeff to chair this portion of the meeting, and and we will take it from there. K. Sounds good. Alright. So I'll just go in the back. Yep. Hang out.
Alrighty.
Yeah. I've got a few questions. I mean, I just put in context for the board members here that, so this is a request for modification of the building envelope is what we're being asked, and and our re remit under that is to, make sure there's no adverse environmental impacts. That's kinda what we're to look at as far as this application goes.
Almost sounds like it was anticipated that this scenario could, could come up. Okay. So I I did have a few questions, and I'm sure other planning board members also have some questions. Just starting with that that tight path that you talked about in the side of the house, you're gonna have to get excavation equipment down there? And you you think you'd be able to find a way to get down there?
And to create that path, are trees coming down?
And say any privacy that might be given up by those two trees coming down. You talked about some some additional screening along that wall there.
Will any, say, boulders be brought in for any, any of the work that's being done?
K. Let me just make sure I understand that. So the boulders are doing the job of holding back the extreme slope.
Okay. And then since we're talking about a modification of the, building envelope, can we show the existing envelope and what the new one would be?
And this, proposal would be for what we're seeing here. Any additional structures such as, I don't know, a shed or some such thing, would that require applicant to come back, or how would that work?
Anything beyond that would would require some sort of oversight by the village, say, a shed or some other outbuilding wants to I'm talking about in the future.
Shed is proposed. So they have to come back and get approval for the shed. Yep. Okay. Unless it's, you know, original building. Okay.
Alright. I got a couple of things I'm gonna tick down off my list, and I'll let over to you guys. What about lighting? Tell us about how it will be lit. I mean, it's it's, you know, above Grand Street, and and neighbors presumably will would be able to see up there during certain times. What's what's your expectations with lighting?
Tennis court type of lights
Okay. Cool. And then, obviously, I have a fence around it, and that fence follows does it follow pretty much the building envelope? I think I see the line for the fence. Okay.
Alright. And, during the actual construction, say mitigation of of runoff and that sort of thing, what do you what do you have in mind there?
Mhmm. And you have a silt fence you mentioned. Yeah? Yes, And I was just curious about the mulch path, leading down the back of the property. Does it does it terminate at the property? Is there any kind of easement to get you down to Grand Street at all? No.
I guess the one other thing I knew was just about the timing, what you're thinking about when you would start, the work.
Because there will be a fair amount of, you know, excavating going on. I'm just, you know, thinking about the neighbors and all that. So, you know, suspect once you get started, whenever that is, you wanna move along as quickly as you can.
Okay.
So my colleagues on the board, any questions you guys have?
Probably would like to say that pool and dig it out, you wanna use that to level the surface. That's that's a good thing. Yeah. Looking at the picture here that you have, the four quarters, That's a nice place to put a pool. Was there a pool there before? It looks like there's a yeah. It's that's a start, though. Right? Yeah. It's a start. There were nothing to do with trees. And you said you may take one down. I saw somewhere near the house. You may relocate one. Road going up. You're gonna make that assume it's gonna stay. And the mulch path is there already. I don't see any problems with what you have. And any questions I would have had, you can explain already. The lighting getting up is probably gonna be your biggest problem. I don't know if you have much much in the way of solar lights or something. I don't know what trees you have in there. Think that Yeah.
I wish I had it in my property. I I I see nothing that gives me any questions that that weren't answered already.
Could I ask one more question? Sure. The the fence around the property, around the pool area. On on here, you have a it's it's a wooden fence with posts going across. Would that be a different fence to protect the pool, or you're use that fence?
I don't see the wire mesh. That's my question.
I I I can't see the wire. That's why I was curious because the gap seem wide. With the wire, it should be no problem. Thank you.
The pool gets drained, guess, in the off season. Right? Where's that water gonna go?
Filter's out. Okay.
What does that mean? Hold that system.
It's like a septic.
You don't you just said you don't have to drain the floor.
K. Any other thoughts, guys? Any other comments? K. Dan, anything? Do you wanna mention at all?
Alright. So we have a motion, that was passed out to you guys before the meeting or a resolution, I should say. And, I'll summarize it. So this is really just about the, modification of the building envelope. The fill permit is something that the engineer's office handles. Dan referenced at the very beginning about the, River Landing Subdivision 1990 when they created it to allow for accessory structures to be placed outside of the building envelope, in such facility when when the facilities cannot reasonably be located within the building envelopes provided that the planning board grants approval. Whereas the modification of the building envelope is necessary because the chosen site is the only reasonable location for the pool and the house. Pool and the pool house cannot be reasonably located within the existing building envelope due to the existing limited area above the large boulder retaining wall. And whereas requirements of the state environmental quality review act, SECRA, the planning board has determined that this project is a type two action. No negative declaration is required.
And skipping down to the bottom, therefore be resolved that upon review of the proposed location of the pool and the pool house planning board finds there will be no adverse environmental impact and hereby approves the construction of a pool and pool house as shown on the plan submitted outside of the building envelope. That's motion. It's our resolution. We have a motion to approve.
Test performed for certain low threshold active type of projects or construction desk restructures. Said they're they're exempt.
Okay. To approve the resolution for modifying the That's the building envelope to That's for the pool and the pool house. Yes. That's what you're gonna say. That's what I was gonna say. Do have a second? All in favor? Alright. That's approved. Thank you, guys.
Unfortunately, it looks like there was a couple of neighbors who Yeah. We got we got a little late. Yep. We're a little bit late. They'll they'll have the chance at the next meeting. Yeah. I mean and they'll have the benefit of the applicant being present as well. So that'll that'll be good. I know where I'll be next summer. It should be a nice spot down there. It catches it catches all of this southern light too and Yes. Catches all across the At the end of that path, is that Grand Street back down the way? There's there's properties that back up that that front Grand Street that back up to the to the back of them. Yeah. So it's you know, Ackerman sits up high. You know? Yes. And then Grand Street. Yeah. Down. So that's the retaining wall there. And it's interesting because some of the neighboring properties
The one that's right next to them has it's it's you can't even see them though. It's kind of amazing until you look on Google and then you see tennis courts and pools and all kinds of stuff. It's nice up there. Alright. So I think the only other action that we have tonight is the minutes of June our twenty eighth meeting, which I have here. And
I no comments on it. Karen has really stepped into the role of expert minute person. So resolution to accept the minutes as drafted. So moved. Second? Mhmm. Alright. All in favor? Aye. Okay. Anybody have any non agenda items?
Yeah. I'm just wondering about cat's property and what the plan there is going for.
Health department to address.
I'm pretty sure they want they wanna get all the paperwork from the state.
And then, you know, I don't yeah. Yeah. We gotta review them. You know, once the plans are submitted, it's it's a heavy plan set. Mhmm. I'm sure it's gonna take a little bit to review. Yeah.
Site plan approval was granted. Permit, so the board's still important. They'll have to deal with so this paperwork for the for the apartment system.
There's some, but I mean a lot a lot of it I've said a lot lot lot trees have come down because the two buildings are parking lot. Yeah. Sure. Maybe that hill was grading down to like a small wall. Oh, that's what I was wondering about. So the hill And they and they changed the the slope to leave some trees up. They were grading all the way up almost to the property line up on the back of the road.
Know, almost like, hey, can you push that grading? That was one of the things during site plan review that got modified pretty significantly was to so that there was more of an existing kind of tree buffer. I think 50 feet was kind of the number, and and then they were getting into it with their grading, and then they backed it. All
Yeah. I mean, they should be in good shape to move ahead as soon as they have their guts in all of the things. It's the it's the paperwork with the state. Yeah. Plans. Which
you know, it's it's it's getting those all those plans together is a pretty tough job. It's
It's not a small project. And, you know, worst case, even if it's sometimes maybe enough maybe not be worth washing just with site work. We we're doing a lot of, you know, expedition to like, for the winter and trying to get you through the winter with me. So it's, you know, it's it's their call too.
They did get help the problem. That was good for for the sewer line around the property.
25 South Riverside Avenue, the hardware store. It's hardware. Yeah. Yeah. West Webb was? So the building was removed, and now there's some, like, shoring against the retaining wall there. It's just kind of a cleared Right near Croton Medical at the bottom of Grand Street.
So property owners, and he said that some value engineering done. I at the most part of the case. And that, you know, Chase is gonna have to review that change. Sign change. Will also have to come back. And then to the side because they had one wall design. A little different, and I I haven't seen the plans exactly. They said that they on the upper part, they cured it back a little more to help take some load off the. We'll take a look at that. But it has to be it's it's basically I'd have to come back and amend the site plan to this. After every deal I changed. And I think in I wanna first step would be to get that wall in, you know, facility is relocated so they can kinda get the the footprint, if you will, for the vehicle. But, yeah, there was some comrades there. So
And then one one thing, process, in some of the worst that have to come in off that intersection of the West upper part. Yeah. Utility part. Mhmm. Probably, it wasn't stuff. Or we wanna discuss that a little. So, yeah, it's gonna happen. Maybe one more question with with that. Maybe one of the two. That that's a you know, typically a tight area down at the end of the Newark Street. Are parking. There's gonna have to be no parking there when the trucks coming in with your home. You know, they have they have a right to to just value engineering if that's fine. Well, it's like they have to come in and get it reapproved. Yeah. Well, you know,
if it that part of it does end up moving back away from the building a little bit, it's on to the benefit of the project. Gotta give some more distance between the building. Oh, you know, I mean, that was always a concern. Right? It was how close that wall was gonna be. So good. And I don't know if I I mean, I went down today to cook in anticipation of the, you know, Nordic cooking, wandered around a little bit down there and and went up to Piney Point. They are making very nice progress up there. It It was like they're gonna be a nice project.
the the one. He's the he's the one right here. Yeah. And interesting because they were putting they put regular standard sort of plywood sheathing on and they're putting zip sheathing on on that one. And I was wondering if it was a COVID related thing that they couldn't get zip or something like that. So they said we wanna move ahead and just put regular plywood in building, and they're just using building app, which is fine. Mean Starting on Genette's test first, it marks what's lagging. That's why I'm wondering if, like, they couldn't like, they wanted to do Zip, they didn't have it available or something. Because it's all you know, one's brown and one's green.
Do. They do. And, actually, from below, it's kinda interesting because from, you know, the street and even, you know, over where Rusty's house is, he's still got a a fair amount of coverage behind him, at least in the
when the trees have leaves on it. I mentioned, Jeff, that all that steel structure has to look much better once it's enclosed.
Very difficult to like it. In the long haul, it'd be nice to see them get that finished and landscaped.
And I can report on Wells Avenue directly across the street from me. Three houses that, were were built are nearing completion as well. And, the developer, Greg Portias, was very hands on on on-site, consistently talking to all the neighbors. Very little disruption down there. All the neighbors felt pleased with the work he did. So, that's wrapping up. I think we'll be putting sod in pretty pretty soon. And, and that's that was a big project. That was substantial houses. Mean, you know, one of them was Michael Grant's pared down. Right. But it's still a big project in a fairly tight neighborhood.
Were they sold have they already been sold? Were they sold or something? They've been sold for substantial sums of money. I was just walking I was just walking by with friend who for the neighborhood and Yeah. People's property values. You know? We're just noticing that the color of them, if they're all almost the same color, but not quite. We're wondering Mhmm. That happened. And my friends at a Iris chose chose the colors. And they chose, like, there's gray and blue gray. Yes. And blue gray. I don't know. So you don't know. Yeah. That was a major transformation of the greenhouse.
Subdivision approval of the variances granted, so board has to go through the process of checkpoint approval.
Well, it's good to hear that, you know, people are doing the right thing. You know? It's like it makes it makes it easier for us to look at projects when you feel like, okay. He's got a track record now, He's doing doing the right thing and being right by the neighbors.
I think about the project that was to be on the agenda tonight and how the neighbors consistently show up. Right. And how that was just not necessary on Wells Avenue. Yeah. Because the developer was very, you know, public. Transparent. Working working with the neighbor. It's great.
On-site. You know, people are walking down the street. And I don't know where he found the time to talk, but he would talk all day. He likes to talk. But and, you know, I saw a couple conversations where hands are waving and things like that, and everything was calm by the end of the conversation. It was good. It was good.
Okay. Relatively quick one tonight. Move to adjourn. So moved. Alright. Nice to meet you.