1993-02-17 SP
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QUEENSBURY PLANNING BOARD MEETING
SPECIAL MEETING
FEBRUARY 17TH, 1993
INDEX
SEQRA Review 1-93
Peter Sahlke
1.
SEQRA Review 2-93
Joseph & Mary Carolyn Shay
4.
Site Plan No. 1-93
John P. Matthews
21.
Subdivision No. 2-1993
FINAL STAGE
Malcolm & Betty Batchelder
23.
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THESE ARE NOT OFFICIALLY ADOPTED MINUTES AND ARE SUBJECT TO BOARD
AND STAFF REVISIONS. REVISIONS WILL APPEAR ON THE FOLLOWING MONTHS
MINUTES (IF ANY) AND WILL STATE SUCH APPROVAL OF SAID MINUTES.
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QUEENSBURY PLANNING BOARD MEETING
SPECIAL MEETING
FEBRUARY 17TH, 1993
5:15 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESEN'l'
TIMOTHY BREWER, CHAIRMAN
CAROL PULVER
KATHLEEN ROWE
ROGER RUEL
CRAIG MACEWAN
MEMBERS ABSENT
CORINNE TARANA
EDWARD LAPOINT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-JAMES MARTIN
PLANNER-SCOTT HARLICKER
STENOGRAPHER-MARIA GAGLIARDI
MR. BREWER-The first order of business is Peter Sahlke.
SEQRA REVIEW 1-93 PETER SAHLKE CROSS REFERENCE AV '127-1992
JOHN RICHARDS, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, SEQRA Review No. 1-93 Cross Reference AV #127-
1992, Peter Sahlke, Meeting Date: February 16, 1993 "Prolect
Description: The applicant is proposing to demolish an existing
house and construct a single family residence. Variances are being
requested for a front yard setback of only 45' where 50' is
required, frontage on a collector street of 327' where 400' is
required, shoreline setback of 55' where 75' is required and a lot
size of .8 acres where 5 acres is required. The property is
located on Ridge Road in the Lake George Critical Environmental
Area and the Adirondack Park. Project Analvsis: The Planning
Staff reviewed Part 2 of the Long Form Environmental Assessment
Form submitted with this proposal and has the following comments:
IMPACT ON LAND The project involves construction of a two story
house. The lot on which the house is to be located is undersized
and is bisected by a brook, which is believed to be a tributary of
Lake George. There are no unique or unusual landforms on the site.
Since there was a house on the property prior to the construction
of this one. there should be no new impacts on the land. IMPACT ON
WATER The action is located in the Lake George Critical
Environmental Area. Pollution from over-stressed and non-
functioning septic systems is a problem in the areas around Lake
George. The proposal could also effect groundwater quality. Since
the depth to the water table is about 2.5 feet, new construction
and the placement of a septic system could have a negative impact
on the groundwater. The applicant also should show that the site
has suitable soils and percolation rates for a septic system. The
applicant also indicated the possibility of wetlands on the
property. This issue should be clarified. IMPACT ON AIR The
pro j ect should not af fect air qual i ty. IMPACT ON PLANTS AND
ANIMALS The project should not affect any threatened or non-
threatened species. IMPACT ON AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES The
project should not affect aesthetic resources. IMPACT ON HISTORIC
AND ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES The project should not affect an area
of historical importance. IMPACT ON OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION The
proposal should not affect the quality or quantity of open space or
recreational opportunities. IMPACT ON TRANSPORTATION The project
should not affect existing transportation systems. IMPACT ON
ENERGY The project should not affect the community's source of
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fuel or energy. NOISE AND ODOR IMPACTS There should not be any
objectionable odors, noise or vibration as a result of this
project. IMPACT ON PUBLIC HEALTH The proposal should not
adversely effect publiç health and safety. IMPACT ON GROWTH AND
CHARACTER OF COMMUNITY OR NEIGHBORHOOD The project should not have
a negative impact on the character of the neighborhood.
RECOMMENDATION: The Planning Staff, after taking a hard look at
the project, can recommend a negative declaration for the purpose
of SEQRA provided the issue of the possible wetlands on the site is
clarified. If there is a wetlands on the property, it has to be
shown that the construction of the house and septic system will not
have an adverse impact on it."
MR. BREWER-Do we have someone here for the applicant?
MR. RICHARDS-Yes. My name is John Richards. I'm the lawyer for
Peter and Olga Sahlke, and Peter Sahlke is here, as is his mother,
Mrs. Sahlke.
MR. BREWER-Do you have a copy of these notes, as far as the
wetlands?
MR. RICHARDS-I don't, but I can just give you a little more
information on the wetlands. Okay. We've been in contact, frankly
over the last year, with the Adirondack Park Agency, and they
originally told us there were no wetlands on this property, and
then they have told us that there are possibly some along this
line, although most of them appear to be. well, you can almost see
where it's marked here, it would be to the east of the creek, which
would not be on our property, but now I've just received word from
them, Friday, I believe. They believe there is, based upon the
map, although they tell us that there's no way you can pinpoint
things given the scale of the wetland maps, they believe that there
may be some wetlands that do touch this property. She's also told
me, and I'm supposed to be getting a letter from her, that even if
there are wetlands, that the reconstruction of the existing house,
particularly with an improved septic system, is not going to have
any impact on it, and I've written a letter to Arlyne Ruthschild
that confirms my conversation with her. So that should be in your
file.
MR. BREWER-Okay. Do we have to verify whether there is or there
isn't wetlands out there for SEQRA?
MR. MARTIN-I think that's what the letter was verifying, from APA.
MR. RICHARDS-Telling you it's their position that there are some
that may effect, but even if there are, the reconstruction would
not have any adverse impact on those wetlands.
MR. BREWER-And we can have that on file before any construction?
MRS. ROWE-It's in the packets that we have, there's a paragraph.
MR. BREWER-This is from you to her.
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MR. RICHARDS-I don't have anything in writing from Eleanor Duffus.
although I told her the Town wanted me to do this, and she didn't
have any problem.
MR. BREWER-Well, if you expect to forward a judicial inquiry, maybe
we could get that into our files before any construction. Does
anybody on the Board have a problem with that?
MR. HARLICKER-Here's a copy of this.
MR. RICHARDS-I can certainly get you a letter from them confirming
what you said before construction.
MR. BREWER-I don't believe you're going to construct right away
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anyway. What about the concern about the septic system.
MR. RICHARDS-We're replacing it and upgrading it.
PETER SAHLKE
MR. SAHLKE-There's a septic tank there, and a leachfield behind the
house.
MRS. ROWE-Where is the driveway going to be located when this mound
of septic moves in?
MR. SAHLKE-Perhaps on the north side of the.
MRS. ROWE-So we're not going to be driving over it as much?
MR. SAHLKE-No.
MR. RICHARDS-You'd have to relocate it.
MRS. ROWE-That's what I thought.
MR. RUEL-It would be out here somewhere?
MR. SAHLKE-Yes. It would be about in here.
MR. MARTIN-Usually mounds are fairly noticeable.
three or four feet, higher, above grade.
There's like
MR. RICHARDS-We could plant grass on it.
MR. MARTIN-Yes. I'm just saying, it's nothing you can drive over
very easily.
MR. SAHLKE-As far as driving, no.
MR. BREWER-Okay. Does anybody else have anything else? We left
the public hearing open.
MRS. ROWE-I wanted to ask him a question. Has this 15 foot strip
of land been deeded to you at this point in time?
MR. SAHLKE-Not as yet.
MRS. ROWE-Okay.
MR. SAHLKE-There shouldn't be any problem.
MR. RICHARDS-None of this property has been deeded to him.
MR. MARTIN-I don't think there's a public hearing, per say. Tim.
I mean, you can take public comments, but there's not one.
MR. BREWER-All right. Anybody else? Okay. I guess we can go
through the SEQRA. Carol, do you want to take us through the
SEQRA? Would you?
MRS. PULVER-Short Form or Long?
MR. BREWER-Long.
RESOLUTION WHEN DETERMINATION OF NO SIGNIFICANCE IS MADE
RESOLUTION AS IT REFERS TO THE SEQRA REVIEW NO. 1-93 PETER SAHLKE
AND THE AREA VARIANCE NO. 127-1992, Introduced by Carol Pulver who
moved for its adoption. seconded by Timothy Brewer:
WHEREAS, there
application for:
is presently before
A SEQRA Review, and
the
Planning
Board
an
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WHEREAS, this Planning Board has determined that the proposed
project and Planning Board action is subject to review under the
State Environmental Quality Review Act,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED:
1. No federal agency appears to be involved.
2. The following agencies are involved:
The Queensbury Zoning Board of Appeals
3. The proposed action considered by this Board is a Type I in
the Department of Environmental Conservation Regulations
implementing the State Environmental Quality Review Act and
the regulations of the Town of Queensbury.
4. An Environmental Assessment Form has been completed by the
applicant.
5. Having considered and thoroughly analyzed the relevant areas
of environmental concern and having considered the criteria
for determining whether a project has a significant
environmental impact as the same is set forth in Section
617.11 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and
Regulations for the State of New York, this Board finds that
the action about to be undertaken by this Board will have no
significant environmental effect and the Chairman of the
Planning Board is hereby authorized to execute and sign and
file as may be necessary a statement of non-significance or a
negative declaration that may be required by law.
Duly adopted this 17th day of February, 1993, by the following
vote:
MR. BREWER-Did this go to Warren County?
MR. RICHARDS-Yes, it did.
MR. BREWER-Maybe we could put that in there for an involved agency?
MRS. PULVER-No. They're not involved.
MR. HARLICKER-They're advisory.
MRS. PULVER-Yes.
MR. BREWER-Okay.
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Ruel, Mrs. Rowe, Mrs. Pulver, Mr. Brewer
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. Tarana, Mr. LaPoint
SEQRA REVIEW 2-93 JOSEPH & MARY CAROLYN SHAY CROSS REFERENCE AV
'4-1993
WALTER REHM, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, SEQRA Review 2-93 Cross Reference AV # 4-1993,
Joseph & Mary Carolyn Shay, Meeting Date: February 16, 1993
"Pr01ect Description: The applicant is proposing to demolish an
existing camp and construct a single family residence. Variances
are being requested for shoreline setback of only 25' where 75' is
required, lot width of 90' feet where 150' is required, lot size of
.58 acres where 1 acre is required and lot frontage, the lot does
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not front on a Town road. The property is located off of Brayton
Lane on Lake George. The property is also located within the Lake
George Critical Environmental Area and the Adirondack Park.
Proiect Analvsis: The Planning Staff reviewed Part 2 of the Long
Environmental Assessment Form submitted with this proposal and has
the following comments: IMPACT ON LAND The project involves
construction of a two story house. The lot on which the house is
to be located is undersized. The property has been used as a camp
for many years. therefore, the replacement of the camp with a year
round residence of similar size should have little adverse impact
on the land. However, since the size of the new structure is
approximately 65% larger and depth to water table is less than 18",
there may be a problem with construction of the house. The large
increase in impermeable surface, its concentration near the lake
and the slope of the property towards the lake may have an adverse
impact on the drainage of the property and create stormwater
management concerns. IMPACT ON WATER The action is located in the
Lake George Critical Environmental Area. Pollution from over-
stressed and non-functioning septic systems is a problem in the
areas around Lake George. The proposal could also affect
groundwater quality. Since the depth to the water table is about
18", new construction and the placement of a septic system could
have a negative impact on the groundwater. The increase in the
impermeable space and the location of the house so close to the
lake may have an adverse impact on the lake. Stormwater and
snowmelt will wash down the slope to the lake and groundwater.
This water will probably contain salt and other chemicals used to
melt snow and ice as well as pollutants from cars. IMPACT ON AIR
The project should not affect air quality. IMPACT ON PLANTS AND
ANIMALS The project should not affect any threatened or non-
threatened species. IMPACT ON AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES The
project should not affect agricultural land resources. IMPACT ON
AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES The project should not affect
agricultural land resources. IMPACT ON AESTHETIC RESOURCES The
project may have a negative impact on the aesthetic resources of
the neighborhood and the lake shore. From the lake, the house has
the appearance of a three story house because of the walk out
basement. This combined with the structure's close proximity to
the shore (18') creates an imposing and cluttered appearance of the
shore. The house's proximity to the shore may also impact the
neighbor's views of the lake. The current structure is smaller and
not as tall as the one proposed. therefore, even though it is the
same distance from the shore as the proposed structure, it does not
have the same negative impact. IMPACT ON HISTORIC AND
ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES The project should not affect an area of
historical importance. IMPACT ON OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION The
proposal should not affect the quality or quantity of open space or
recreational opportunities. IMPACT ON TRANSPORTATION The project
should not affect existing transportation systems. IMPACT ON
ENERGY The project should not have an affect on the community's
sources of fuel or energy. NOISE AND ODOR IMPACTS There should
not be any objectionable odors, noise or vibration as a result of
this project. IMPACT ON PUBLIC HEALTH The proposal should not
adversely effect public health and safety. IMPACT ON GROWTH AND
CHARACTER OF COMMUNITY OR NEIGHBORHOOD The project should not have
a negative impact on the character of the neighborhood.
RECOMMENDATION: The Planning Staff, after taking a hard look at
the EAF has several recommendations to mitigate the adverse
environmental impacts this proj ect will create. In order to
mitigate the adverse impact on the shore and the neighbors property
the house should be moved back from the shoreline to a distance of
approximately 60'. This would decrease the amount of impermeable
space by reducing the length of the drive. Furthermore, by moving
the house farther away from the shore the area of impermeability
is also moved away from the lake, thereby, mitigating some of the
adverse impacts from stormwater runoff and snowmelt."
MR. BREWER-Okay, and we do have someone here for the applicant.
MR. REHM-Yes. I'm Walter Rehm. I've got a series of maps to show
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you. These have already been submitted, but this is the survey map
of the lot. This is the lake, and it's almost six tenths of an
acre, which by zoning standards is substandard, by average lake
shore lot, it's a pretty good sized lot. I have a home on the lake
and have half an acre, which is, after I shoveled most of it last
night, is plenty. Anyway, there is an existing home on this lot
which is located in close proximity to the lake, and it shows on
the survey map. The location shows on the survey map. This has
been owned by the Shays for many years, and they have now retired,
and their plan is to spend the full year at Lake George, and so
this would be their permanent residence. They live in Syracuse.
We submi tt~d, also, a site plan show;i.ng the 10catiQn hof ,the h1)ew
house. and I think you've got photocop1es of that, ana t at s t 1S.
and what this shows is the outline of the existing house, and the
location of the new house. It also shows the location of the
houses along the shoreline, both to the north, which is
considerably closer than the proposal. and also to the south. You
just don't have the, I guess you don't have the.
MR. MACEWAN-You don't even have the same map that I do. That map
is not even close to this map.
MR. REHM-Well, I think that's a photocopy, a reduced photocopy of
what we submitted, b~t in any event, in fact, that is a reduced
photocopy of this.
MR. RUEL-That's a little different.
MR. REHM-Okay. That's a little bit different, but this has got
some engineering, but this is basically it. What you see here is
the same as you have there, in terms of the location of the house,
the existing house and the proposed house. Now, this was going to
be on last month and there was some question as to whether there
needed to be SEQRA Review, and at that time, this neighbor wrote a
letter to the Board, and said that he thought that the existence of
the house as it's located would interfere with his view. The view
along this portion of the shoreline is up this way, up north,
across is just across Harris Bay, but from here, these houses tend
to want to look up toward the Sagamore, and the open part of the
lake. These people have been neighbors for years, and so we had
the architect take another look at this view situation, and
yesterday, this was delivered to me, which moves the house back a
little bit. and is done for the purpose of providing this neighbor
with the same view that he has with this house, and so it is, you
can see that everything is moved back a little bit further,
probably, I can't tell you exactly what that distance is. I'd
have to scale it, but it's back, and the sole purpose for moving
this back is to maintain this view. There's an on-site sewage
disposal system presently used. and we've submitted this to the
Town, and the location of that system is in fairly close proximity
to the lake, and this is the copy of the map I think that you have,
is in fairly close proximity to the lake. A good bit of
engineering has been done, and the plan is to build a new mound
system back in this area that conforms with all of the regulations.
So in terms of environmental impact, at least from the point of
view of groundwater, there has to be an advantage by removing this
old, and probably substandard. I know substandard, system and
building a new modern system back here.
MR. BREWER-But we don't know how far back he moved it. The Staff
has some concerns about the runoff into the lake.
MR. REHM-Well, I know Staff has said that, but we've submitted a
stormwatermanagement plan which accounts for all of the runoff.
We've had Jim Hutchins do that, and that report Staff has had for
some time, and we submitted. I don't know. 10 copies of it or
something ~ike that, and this map, this is the drainage report that
we submitt~d, and basically, I'll tell you what it does, and you
can see th~t this map has some of the engineering details on this,
but with construction there would be silt fences around everything.
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For the entire new building, there would be eaves drains, so that
all of the runoff from the new building would be dealt with by
recharging into the ground. There are no eaves drains on the old
building. So that's the improvement. Also, if any runoff from a
gravel drive, will be dealt with with the drainage trenches.
MR. RUEL-Did you say gravel? I thought it was asphalt?
MR. REHM-It's gravel.
MR. RUEL-It is?
MR. REHM-yes. The Town of Queensbury looks at gravel drives, in
terms of $tormwater management, in the same way they look at
asphal t, because they're compacted and there is the rich runoff
from them. So the fact of the matter is, the runoff that gets to
the lake will be less wi th this plan than with the existing,
because there is no stormwater management at all.
MR. BREWER-Actually you're not changing the driveway at all,
really.
MR. REHM-No. This is really building a new house on an existing
lot, really, taking an old house down and doing it. From an
environmental point of view, I think it's an improvement. The lot
size is the lot size, and if this was any place else in the Town of
Queensbury it would be allowed as a prior nonconforming lot, but it
is not in the Critical Environmental Area, which is fine, but the
one thing that I think raises concern with this type of thing is
the proxim¡ty to the lake. Even though this house is fairly close
to the lake, what does this do to the neighborhood, and I got a
copy of tl)e shoreline map, this is the shoreline map. I had
Coulter & McCormack go up and check all of these buildings to make
sure they were in the proper locations, and also if there were any
addi tions to try to show the additions. This is the house in
question, and these are the locations of the houses along the
shoreline. This one is probably a little bit closer.
MR. RUEL-Tnis is the old house?
MR. REHM-This is the old house. The new house will be back about,
probably about 10 feet further back than this. If you go back any
further.
MR. RUEL-Tne house or the deck?
MR. REHM-Well, the way it's situated, you get a little house and
deck.
MR. RUEL-Yes. You get this line, lined up at the deck, right?
MR. REHM-Yès.
MR. RUEL-And the deck is what, one story off the ground?
MR. REHM-R1ght, and he could see it under the deck, but it's not.
MR. RUEL-He could see under the deck and over the deck?
MR. REHM-I don't know if he could see over it, but it's not an.
it's still an obstructed view, because there are posts that, you
know, support posts and so on, but now his view is as good as it
was with the old house.
MR. RUEL-The basement is exposed in this building, right?
MR. REHM-The basement is exposed.
MR. RUEL-Rilght, and this deck is what, on the first floor?
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MR. REHM-Yes.
MR. RUEL-All right. Is the basement exposed in this building?
MR. REHM-I can't tell you. I don't know.
MR. RUEL-So it looks like three stories here. right?
MR. REHM-Yes, it does.
MR. RUEL-And it looks like this is on a second story, the deck.
MR. REHM-Yes. I mean, this type of construction is not the least
bit uncommon along the lake.
MR. RUEL-How about over here. Is this an exposed basement over
here, too, the back end? It slopes down?
MR. REHM-No. It slopes down.
MR. RUEL-Do you have a sketch of the house?
MR. REHM-Sure. See, that's what it would look like from that.
MR. RUEL-So he would look this way, right?
MR. REHM-He would look this way. This view, right now, would be a
house out in here.
MR. RUEL-The old house is about here you say?
MR. REHM-Yes, it is. Just like that. So this is moving back. The
problem is, if you move this back further, then this house
substantially interferes with the view from this house, and really
that's why these houses were built the way they were built is to
preserve the views. The Shays would have no problem moving back
further if it didn't have such a devastating effect on the view,
but that's what lakeshore property is, and from an impact point of
view, there's really no environmental impact.
MRS. ROWE-What is the size of the current house, compared to this
size house?
MR. REHM-Thirteen hundred is the current on, and twenty-four.
MRS. ROWE-twenty-four, and how many bathrooms are in the current
house comp~red to the new house?
MR. REHM-Well, I can tell you, but I'm going to have to look. I
can't tell you how many are in the current house, but as far as the
new house is concerned, let me tell you something. it's going to be
a great improvement.
MRS. PULVER-Yes. The septic has to accommodate the size and the
bedrooms and the bathrooms of the house.
MR. MARTIN~The septic system size is determined by the bedrooms,
also.
MR. REHM-Yes.
MRS. PULVER-Yes.
MRS. ROWE""'!Well, I'm just wondering, because of the amount of
parking allowed, and the gravel drive, and the amount of expanded
area in th~s new house, how many more people are we going to have
living in this new house, compared, and the impact on it will be
compared tþ, versus the old house. I'm not concerned with views.
I'm concerned with environmental impacts.
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MR. REHM-Well, environmental impacts, if nothing else, just to take
a sewage system within 30 feet of the lake and move it back 250 or
200 feet from the lake, if nothing else would, I think, justify
this project, but the sewage system that has been designed is
designed for this particular, for this house, for the capacity of
this house, which is based on bedrooms, not on bathrooms, and there
are so many safety factors now in the standards that are required
by both the Town and the Park Commission that these systems are
really substantially over-designed, for safety purposes, but this
is a family, this is a retired man and woman that probably have
some children, and once in a while the children are going to be up
over the summer, but this is not going to be a rooming house or a
boarding house or anything of that nature. It's going to be a
substantial improvement in the neighborhood, as far as taking down
a deteriorating building that is unsafe, and that's probably a fire
trap.
MRS. ROWE-How long have you owned the present house?
MR. REHM-I don't own the present house.
MRS. ROWE-I mean the Shays. How long have they owned it?
MR. REHM-I don't know. Maybe I can tell you from a map reference.
I probably can. A long time, though, I would say, probably.
MRS. ROWE-So, if it's deteriorated, it's because of neglect on
their part, or for what reason?
MR. REHM-I don't know. I don't know that that's an issue, is it,
really? I mean, it's an old house that is not winterized. It was
built using standards that everyone around the lake used at that
time. This isn't a situation where these people have let this
house go or anything like that, but the foundation is cobblestone
foundation, which is probably the better part of 100 years old, and
what they could do is they could come to the Town and say, look, we
want to add on to this house, but that doesn't make any sense from
their point of view, and it doesn't make any sense from the Town's
point of view.
MR. HARLICKER-Other than imposing on their view from the house, are
there any other reasons why they can't move the house back, farther
back from the shoreline?
MR. BREWER-Because then they'll impose on their view.
MR. HARLICKER-That's what I'm saying, other than that or imposing
on the Shay's view of the lake, are there any other reasons, site
reasons, why they can't move the house back, other than their
desire to have a view of the lake?
MR. REHM-No. I can't imagine that there are. I don't know of any,
but that's the reason that you build a house on the lake.
MRS. ROWE-How many stories is this house? This is two story also?
MR. REHM-This is a two story house. Yes. What you have seen
around the lake time and time and time again is people with
cottages, and that's what they really were, and that have become
substandard, and people have purchased the property and they've
1 i ved with it for years and years and years and they've raised
their family, and it's a wonderful place to live, and all of a
sudden they've decided now that they're retired, they would like to
build a permanent home, and that's what these people want to do,
and they want to do it in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to
the neighborhood. They want to do it in a way that doesn't
interfere with their neighbors, and they want to do that which is
right by the lake, and I don't see any environmental impacts. I
don't see anything but an improvement, from an environmental point
of view, from a SEQRA point of view. They meet the standards as
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far as height is concerned.
MRS. ROWE-But not lot size.
MR. REHM-But not lot size? That's why we're here.
MR. BREWER-That's why they're going for the variance.
MR. REHM-Six tenths of an acre is around probably 24,000 square
feet, something like that, which is much larger than the average
building lot in the Town of Queensbury, much larger.
MR. BREWER-The average lot in the Town of Queensbury?
MR. REHM-The average building lot in the Town of Queensbury, six
tenths of an acre, I'll bet, is larger.
MR. BREWER-I find that hard to believe.
MR. REHM-If you look at all the subdivisions.
MRS. PULVER-Well, 43,560 square feet is an acre, so this is half an
acre building lot.
MR. BREWER-I understand that, but he's saying that's larger than
the average building lot in the Town of Queensbury.
MRS. PULVER-Well, because a half acre is about what average for the
Town of Queensbury, and that's a little over a half acre. So, it's
a little larger.
MR. REHM-You know, you look at what happens with Zoning Ordinances,
you look at, there's a regulation that says, okay, you've got to
have an acre. Well, these are preexisting lots. I mean if they
could have an acre, they'd love it, but you've got to have an acre,
and all of a sudden, anything less than an acre is bad, and that's
not true. That's not true at all. As I said, I've got a half an
acre, which is smaller than that, and I have got more land than I
can take care of.
MR. MACEWAN-Jim, you're proof for the SEQRA has nothing to do with
the site plan he's shown us. It's just from an environmental point
standpoint.
MR. MARTIN-Right.
MR. HARLICKER-From an environmental standpoint, what effect will
these variances have on the environment.
MRS. PULVER-He still has to go to the ZBA and convince them that
the size will be justified on this lot.
MR. RUEL-I have a question. This indicates that variances are
being requested for shoreline setback of 25 where 75 is required.
Is that still 25?
MR. REHM-No. It's going to change. It looks like it is probably
something between 30 and 35 now.
MR. RUEL-But you're going to apply for a variance for this, right?
MR. REHM-Well, I've got a hearing tonight.
MR. RUEL-Well, you better know the footage, right?
MR. REHM-Well, I will know the footage tonight. You can be sure of
that.
MR. RUEL-Okay. So tha~ will change, right, but the other
dimensions probably remain the same, right?
10
',,--,
-../
MR. REHM-Yes.
MR. RUEL-Yes. Okay.
MR. BREWER-Okay. Anybody with anything else, before we go on?
Okay. Then we'll go through the SEQRA.
RESOLUTION WHEN DETERMINATION OF NO SIGNIFICANCE IS MADE
RESOLUTION NO. 2-93 JOSEPH & MARY CAROLYN SHAY CROSS REFERENCE
AREA VARIANCE NO. 4-1993, Introduced by Carol Pulver who moved for
its adoption, seconded by Roger Ruel:
WHEREAS, there
application for:
is presently before
SEQRA Review, and
the
Planning
Board
an
WHEREAS, this Planning Board has determined that the proposed
project and Planning Board action is subject to review under the
State Environmental Quality Review Act,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED:
1. No federal agency appears to be involved.
2. The following agencies are involved:
The Queensbury Zoning Board of Appeals
3. The proposed action considered by this Board is a Type I in
the Department of Environmental Conservation Regulations
implementing the State Environmental Quality Review Act and
the regulations of the Town of Queensbury.
4. An Environmental Assessment Form has been completed by the
applicant.
5. Having considered and thoroughly analyzed the relevant areas
of environmental concern and having considered the criteria
for determining whether a project has a significant
environmental impact as the same is set forth in Section
617.11 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and
Regulations for the State of New York, this Board finds that
the action about to be undertaken by this Board will have no
significant environmental effect and the Chairman of the
Planning Board is hereby authorized to execute and sign and
file as may be necessary a statement of non-significance or a
negative declaration that may be required by law.
Duly adopted this 17th day of February, 1993, by the following
vote:
AYES: Mr. Ruel, Mrs. Pulver, Mr. Brewer
NOES: Mrs. Rowe,
ABSTAINED: Mr. MacEwan
ABSENT: Mrs. Tarana. Mr. LaPoint
MRS. PULVER-It didn't work.
MR. BREWER-No action. So now what do we do?
MRS. PULVER-Well, I guess, Kathy, what are your concerns?
MRS. ROWE-The size of the building is my main concern. It's so
much more expansive, I have a feeling it's going to have a major
impact on the site, on the neighbors, with runoff.
11
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--"
MRS. PULVER-But now, Jim, should we be concerned with that? That's
the ZBA's concern, isn't it, the size? They may decide that that
building is too big for that property, or they may, I mean, they
have to justify that setback, and.
MR. MARTIN-Right. You've got to assess this from an environmental
standpoint.
MR. BREWER-If we think there's going to be a significant impact, we
have to state so on the SEQRA.
MRS. PULVER-Yes, right.
MRS. ROWE-What you're saying is small to moderate, to me, can be
significant in the long run. I mean, we're saying here that right
now this gentleman is putting in a three story home. Who is going
to be next down this side line here on this waterfront issue, to
come back before us. It just seems like every issue we're dealing
with lately are waterfront homes that are trying to expand, put on
additions, we've seen more and more, yes modifications to the sewer
systems, but overall, I'm seeing a much higher impact on this
lakefront area.
MR. BREWER-Okay, and I guess we have to come back to, if you think
there's a potential large impact, can the problem be mitigated, and
with the stuff that we have, is the problem mitigated? That's how
we'd have to answer it. I'm not denying you the right to say you
think it has an impact.
MR. REHM-Could I say something? The way you have to look at SEQRA
is kind of a site specific thing. You can't say, we:Ll, something's
going to happen down the line that is going to impact this. This
is site specific. Is there a significant environmental impact from
this project, and it really isn't a situation where I think there
may be. I mean, you have to articulate it. Now, what we've done
is we have provided the Town, and I know the Board hasn't reviewed
it, but we've provided the Town with detailed engineering, and with
detailed sewage disposal plans, and they've been sized properly,
with detailed drainage plans, and with every piece of information
that the Town requires. So if there is, and the Board has, at
least some of the Board has indicated that there is no significant
large impact. Well, if you can articulate an impact that's
significant, I would be happy to react to it.
MRS. ROWE-Why is it, then, that these people feel the necessity for
having a 65 percent increase in the building size over what's
there?
MR. REHM-If they had a 2,000 square foot house.
MRS. ROWE-I have no objection tö them replacing the home with a
similar size.
MR. REHM-Why would this Board be telling someone that they have to
live in a little square camp? Twenty-four hundred square feet is
not a particularly large house by today's standards. You probably
live in a twenty-four hundred square foot house.
MRS. ROWE-I live in smaller than 2400 square foot.
MR. REHM-Well, maybe you do, but many people, and with new
construction most people, this is not a huge house at all. This is
kind of a regular sized house, and it's going to be their permanent
residence. It's no longer going to be a summer residence, and the
size of the house is not an adverse environmental impact.
MR. RUEL-It's 2100 square feet, according to that map.
MR. REHM-If there was a law that said you cannot build a house
that's greater than 1800 square feet, that would be one thing, but
12
"'----
~
we live in a democracy where people are entitled to do what they
want to do. as long as it doesn't have an adverse environmental
impact.
MRS. ROWE-Why do you think that one acre zoning was set up there in
the first place?
MR. REHM-Well, I know why one acre zoning was set up there in the
first place. I'll tell you the history of that, as a matter of
fact, because the idea was to limit the amount of growth on the
lake where there was vacant land, and in the original Ordinance,
when it was originally done, they said that any preexisting lot
was, did not have to conform to the one acre zoning. The original
Ordinance said that if you had a half an acre and it was a
preexisting lot and it was in existence at the time of the
Ordinance, then a half an acre was fine, and recently the Zoning
Ordinance was changed, and they said that if that was on the lake,
or in the Adirondack Park, then these preexisting lots were no
longer grandfathered, but lots of people bought lots on the lake
that were less than one acre size, in reliance on the zoning that
existed at the time that the one acre size was put in, and those
were legal lots, and then I think without real thought. the law was
changed. Any community that wouldn't trade a new modern house and
a new modern sewer system for an old, dilapidated house and a sewer
system that's 30 feet from the lake just is not thinking about the
environmental impacts.
MRS. ROWE-I'm not thinking in terms of the environmental impacts of
another house of a similar size going in there. It would probably
have very little impact.
MR. REHM-But that's not your job. I mean, the Planning Board is
not here to tell people what size houses they can have. What kind
of a system would that be? It really isn't your job. You show us
where we're polluting the lake. You show us where runoff is going
into the lake. You show us where there's something really wrong
with this that is really a significant environmental impact and
we'll fix it, but you just can't sit there and say no just because
you don't like it.
MRS. ROWE-I have sat here and said no.
MR. REHM-Well, I understand that.
MRS. ROWE-And you're not going to make me change my mind.
GENTLEMAN IN THE AUDIENCE-It's not your legal responsibility.
Excuse me. The gentleman is correct. Excuse me. You're stepping
outside of bounds of your authority and responsibility. Nice
presentation.
MR. MACEWAN-Jim, any guidance here?
MRS. PULVER-Yes, Jim, do we go back here to the impact on the land,
or?
MR. MARTIN-Yes. I'd go back through it again. if you want to
attempt to move this along. With no action, it's a dead issue. It
doesn't move on. It can't move on.
MR. BREWER-Okay. Do you want to go back through it one more time?
MRS. PULVER-Well, I think what we have to do is find in here
something that Kathy can either hold on to, to maintain her no
vote, or.
MR. MARTIN-Well, I think the point is well taken. You've got to
convey what you're environmental concern is, and what has not been
addressed, what has not been mitigated.
13
"--'
---'
MR. MACEWAN-I think the concerns that you have, at this standpoint,
are site plan concerns, not environmental concerns.
MRS. ROWE-The zone was set up as one acre zoning to eliminate some
of the overcrowding on the waterfront. It was acceptable half acre
zoning, or .6 acre zoning when it was a much smaller home. I don't
see where it's acceptable now for it to be so much oversized. The
property didn't change.
MR. MACEWAN-That's a site plan concern, that's not an environmental
concern. It wouldn't matter if he wanted to put up a 300 square
foot house or a 300,000 square foot house.
MR. BREWER-That'll take place tonight with the ZBA.
MR. RUEL-It has nothing to do with this.
MR. BREWER-We have to, in this SEQRA, come up with what impact it's
going to have on the lake or the environment, that that is going to
cause. and if we think it does, we have to put it down here, and
nobody's saying you can't say that there is something that is going
to have an effect. We have to tell them what it is.
MR. RUEL-But there is nothing about building size in that.
MR. HARLICKER-If you tie it in to the aesthetics.
MRS. ROWE-The aesthetic thing where he's talking about, the two
story high deck here. I distinctly recall him saying that these
people will have to look either under or over this deck now, that's
going in.
MR. REHM-I did not say that.
MR. MARTIN-Lets go to the aesthetics here, okay. Impact on
Aesthetic Resources, okay. Now lets go through some of the
examples that have been cited for us. Examples that would apply to
Column Two, if you think there's a potential large impact. We're
on Page 9. Proposed land uses or project components obviously
different from or in sharp contrast to current surrounding land use
patterns, whether man made or natural, okay. Now, in reviewing
that statement, do you think there's any impact in there, and if
there is, is it small to moderate, is it potentially large, and in
either case, can it be mitigated, all right. So lets discuss that
specific statement. Proposed land uses or project components
obviously different from or in sharp contrast to current
surrounding land use patterns, whether man made or natural.
MR. BREWER-And basically the surrounding area is homes.
MRS. PULVER-Residential. Right.
MR. BREWER-Residential homes, and that's what they're putting
there. The size of it may have a small impact, but, personally, I
don't.
MRS. PULVER-No. In this particular question, is this appropriate
for what's already there.
MR. MARTIN-Well, I might suggest that the Chairman poll the Board.
MR. BREWER-Okay.
MR. RUEL-How many columns do you have there, three?
MR. MARTIN-Well, you have two.
MR. RUEL-Well, where's a no impact column.
MR. MARTIN-Yes. If there's no impact, you just don't fill any out.
14
--
---
MR. RUEL-So a fourth column then?
MR. MARTIN-Yes.
MR. RUEL-Okay. Craig?
MR. MACEWAN-I'm going to abstain. and the reason being is that I
did not see the site, and that's the reason why I'm abstaining. I
did not see where your proposed house is. We couldn't find it.
MRS. PULVER-I don't think there's a problem.
MRS. ROWE-What I feel is that they've brought up this aesthetic
impact themselves.
MR. MARTIN-So do you deem it as no impact, small to moderate,
potentially large?
MRS. ROWE-No, it would be small to moderate.
MR. MARTIN-All right.
MR. BREWER-Roger?
MR. RUEL-No impact. I think it's an improvement.
MR. BREWER-Okay, and I'll say the same. no impact.
MR. MARTIN-Okay. Proposed
to users of aesthetic
significantly reduce their
that resource.
land uses or project components visible
resources which will eliminate or
enjoyment of the aesthetic qualities of
MR. BREWER-Okay. Carol?
MRS. PULVER-I say no. In fact, it should be better, because before
they had a total wall of a house that they were looking at,
correct. and now they're going to be looking through a deck.
MR. REHM-Actually,
fact, they'll have
the corner of the
deck. Actually,
improved.
they won't be looking through the deck. In
exactly the same view they had before. This is
existing house and this is the corner of the
if they look under the deck. their view is
MRS. PULVER-Well, okay. What I'm saying is, before, they were
looking, and their sight here, this was solid.
MR. REHM-Yes.
MR. RUEL-That was solid. Yes.
MRS. PULVER-So all they could see was what was in front. Now with
their view, they still have that same view, but now they can look
under and over.
MR. RUEL-Plus this.
MRS. PULVER-Right, plus that much more. So it's an improvement.
MR. RUEL-It adds about eight degrees.
MRS. PULVER-Yes.
MR. BREWER-Kathy?
MRS. ROWE-I still say the whole thing is small to moderate.
MR. BREWER-Okay. Roger?
15
",,--"" -.-""
MR. RUEL-No impact. It's an improvement.
MR. BREWER-I would also agree with that. Next, Jim?
MR. MARTIN-Project components that will result in the elimination
or significant screening of scenic views known to be important to
the area?
MR. BREWER-Carol?
MRS. PULVER-No.
MRS. ROWE-No change.
MR. BREWER-You're saying small to moderate, or no change?
MRS. ROWE-Well, he's going to end up, ultimately, with the same
view, so.
MR. BREWER-Okay.
MR. RUEL-No impact.
MR. BREWER-No impact.
MR. MARTIN-All right. Any other impacts that come to anybody's
mind from the impact on aesthetic resources?
MR. BREWER-Carol?
MRS. PULVER-No.
MR. BREWER-Kathy?
MRS. ROWE-No.
MR. RUEL-No.
MR. BREWER-No.
MR. MARTIN-Okay. Are there any other issues or topics of a
concern, as you look through this form? I'll read through them
from the beginning. Number One, Impact on Land, you've indicated
yes, and from the standpoint, I take you down to the second bullet
there, so to speak, construction on land where the depth of water
table is less than three feet. The indicated response was small to
moderate impact.
MR. BREWER-Right.
MR. MARTIN-And then moving on down.
MRS. ROWE-Does the water table remain at the same place throughout
the entire property?
MR. REHM-No, but that's, the water table
location of the sewage disposal system.
system is shown.
was measured at the
That's why the mound
MR. MARTIN-That's typically the requirement. The measurement is
taken in the area of the proposed septic system. Okay. Would you
like to go down and review them? I don't see anything else there
that's going to.
MRS. PULVER-That's the only one that I had.
MRS. ROWE-What is the water table nearer to the house, do you know?
MR. REHM-No, but it's really not much of an issue, because all the
sewage goes back.
16
'~
-../
MRS. ROWE-Consideration to the elevation on the house. because of
the fact that the basement will be above ground?
MR. REHM-I think the reason that a portion of the basement is above
ground is because there's ledge in there, but the septic system is
pumped back. That's uphill.
MR. RUEL-They put a pump on this?
MR. REHM-Yes.
MRS. PULVER-Well, I think with Impact on Water we said Small to
Moderate, because it was environmentally protected, but there was
small to moderate.
MR. BREWER-But is it mitigated, is the question.
MR. MARTIN-Well, my question on that is, is the water runoff from
the roof, the eaves, directed directly into the ground, or is it
simply caught in a catch-basin, or what's the approach?
MR. REHM-Eaves trenches all around. You see, these are shown on
here. These are eaves trenches, and what you have is 24 inches of
crushed stone.
MR. MARTIN-But they're generally sloped, aren't they, to the rear
of the property?
MR. REHM-No, because you don't drain back to anything.
seeps in.
It just
MR. BREWER-Okay.
MR. MARTIN-All right. Is there anything else?
anything else indicated on the responses.
I didn't see
MR. BREWER-Okay. Would we like to go back through it? I'd like to
get through it if we could.
MRS. PULVER-One more time?
MR. BREWER-One more time.
MRS. PULVER-"Will the proposed action effect any water body
designated as protected?"
MRS. ROWE-What is the drainage flow of the water on this right now,
towards the lake?
MR. REHM-Yes. There are no eaves trenches, no mitigation measures
at all. So that portion of it will improve.
MR. MARTIN-Well, just to highlight, what is the conclusion of the
engineer, just to summarize, in the drainage report, for the Board.
MR. REHM-These calculations, what he did is he designed the
stormwater management system, based upon the calculations that
engineers do, and I certainly can't speak to that, but what his
conclusion is, is that the system that he designed takes care of
all of the stormwater that is created by this project, which is
required by the Park Commission Regulations.
MRS. PULVER-During site plan review, won't Rist-Frost?
MR. MARTIN-You're not going to see this during site plan.
MR. BREWER-Why wouldn't they have a site plan if there's
construction over 65 percent?
MR. MARTIN-It trips.
17
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-/
MR. BREWER-Over 50 percent there should be. Shouldn't there be a
site plan review?
MR. REHM-There may have to be, but the first thing is the variance,
anyway.
MR. BREWER-So there should be a site plan review.
MR. MARTIN-Yes, okay. I think you're right about that.
MR. BREWER-Construction over a 50 percent increase.
MRS. PULVER-Yes. Right.
MR. HARLICKER-But the catch is what I think we were talking about
earlier, is that they're removing. It's not an addition to an
existing structure. They're removing it. So, it's considered new
construction.
MR. MARTIN-That's right.
MRS. PULVER-Well, why do we require this drainage report if no
one's looked at it and haven't had anybody review it.
MR. BREWER-We're not engineers.
MRS. PULVER-Right.
MR. MARTIN-It was reviewed by Elaine, in terms of the Zoning Board,
for their review tonight.
MR. MACEWAN-He won't be back? If he gets his variance, he won't be
back here for site plan review for that?
MR. MARTIN-I don't believe so, as it's a replacement of an
existing, not.
MR. REHM-He still has to deal with the, conform to all the Park
Commission Regulations which are more stringent than the Town's
regulations.
MR. BREWER-I think, in my mind, it should come back for site plan.
MR. REHM-That's no problem. If it has to go to site plan review.
it has to go to site plan review.
MR. BREWER-If it doesn't it doesn't, but I just think that it
probably should. You're increasing the use by more than 50
percent. That's not the way it was written, but I think that was
the intent.
MR. REHM-Well, I don't know. You see, with Ruecker, if you can
remember last month, a couple of months ago, this is really the
same situation that Ruecker was.
MR. BREWER-Except that there's no house there.
MR. REHM-Yes. That's right. I don't believe that he had to get
site plan review. He had a vacant lot. The plan is to make this
a vacant lot also.
MR. BREWER-Yes, but really you're not making it a vacant lot. What
you're doing is you're taking down a structure and putting another
structure there that's 65 percent, again, larger than the one
that's there. So, you're not, if you took the house down today,
and three years you went and said you wanted to build a house,
that's something different, but what you're doing is removing it
and putting something right back. That's where we're coming from.
MR. REHM-I understand that.
I understand that, but they're both
18
-../
starting from vacant lots. This is the same engineer, this is the
same plan as the Ruecker plan.
MR. RUEL-His studies are based on ignoring existing camp/garage?
MR. REHM-Yes. The garage is going to be removed.
MR. RUEL-All these studies are based on that, that it isn't there,
and it also indicates that you have asphalt. Did you change that?
MR. REHM-No. The reason that it's asphalt is the Town of
Queensbury requires that you do the stormwater management plan
based on asphalt, whether it's asphalt or gravel.
MR. RUEL-Also he's got these water runoffs, not only from the
house, but the driveway, all along the driveway.
MR. BREWER-But the driveway is not changing any.
MR. RUEL-No, the driveway is a little shorter, I guess.
MR. REHM-It actually is a little shorter.
MR. RUEL-It's about 10, 15 feet shorter, and it's crushed stone,
which is considered asphalt. So, they have drain off on that, and
they have drain off on the house.
MR. REHM-He doesn't have to, according to the regulations, deal
with the stormwater from the driveway, but he did. The reason that
he doesn't have to is because it's not a new impervious area, it's
an existing impervious area, but the idea is to do it properly the
first time.
MR. RUEL-Well, he's got runoff here before and after construction.
He apparently meets the engineering requirements.
MR. MACEWAN-Were your concerns addressed?
MRS. ROWE-I just want to ask one question.
through this, then we'll never see it again?
If th is make sit
MR. MARTIN-The thing that doesn't trip the requirement is, and I'll
read you the Section, "Site plan approval by the Planning Board
shall be required for any enlargement or extension of a
nonconforming structure or a use of the structure containing a
nonconforming use existing within a Critical Environmental Area",
and so on. This is Section 179-79F, Page 18052. This is not
extension of this structure. The nonconforming structure is the
old camp. Technically, when he tears that down, he's got a clean
slate, he's not extending or enlarging that nonconforming structure
or the use within the nonconforming structure.
MR. MACEWAN-His big hurdle, though, is to get by the ZBA.
MR. MARTIN-Definitely, and the other thing, the same thing, I call
your attention to 179-69, Conversion of Seasonal Dwelling Units.
Conversion to year round occupancy of any seasonal dwelling shall
be permitted only after approval under a Type II Site Plan Review.
Again, I don't think that's by the Planning Board, according to the
Uniform Fire Code and so on, but again, that's not tripped here, in
this case, because it's not, as yet, the dwelling is technically
torn down. We have a whole new structure.
MRS. PULVER-Well, you have 179-79 that says no enlargement or
rebuilding. Now, rebuilding, to me, is.
MR. MARTIN-It just says, shall be required for any enlargement or
extension.
MR. BREWER-Where are you reading, Carol?
19
"
'--'
MRS. PULVER-Page 18052,179-79(2), Single family dwelling or mobile
home may be enlarged or rebuil t as follows, no enlargement or
rebuilding shall exceed an aggregate of 50 percent of the gross
floor area of such single family dwelling.
MR. MARTIN-That's why he's in for variance.
MRS. PULVER-Right, but that doesn't mean that he has to come back
in for site plan review?
MR. MARTIN-No.
MR. REHM-No. I don't think it does.
MR. MARTIN-It's letter F that applies.
remember, as a Staff.
We discussed this,
MR. REHM-The information that you have is more than you would
ordinarily require for site plan review.
MR. BREWER-Yes, but we didn't review that information. We didn't
get your stormwater.
MR. REHM-Well, the Town's had it for 60 days or so.
MR. MARTIN-That's true. We reviewed it at the Staff level.
MR. REHM-The Staff has reviewed all of that.
MR. BREWER-Well, if we get a site plan for a project, we usually
would get that information. This project we didn't.
MRS. PULVER-Yes, but we're not getting a site plan.
MR. MARTIN-That information is being referred on to the Zoning
Board because this was in for a variance. It wasn't in for a site
plan.
MRS. PULVER-All right.
RESOLUTION WHEN DETERMINATION OF NO SIGNIFICANCE IS MADE
RESOLUTION NO. 2-93 JOSEPH & MARY CAROLYN SHAY CROSS REFERENCE
AREA VARIANCE NO. 4-1993, Introduced by Carol Pulver who moved for
its adoption, seconded by Roger Ruel:
WHEREAS, there
application for:
is presently before
SEQRA Review, and
the
Planning
Board
an
WHEREAS, this Planning Board has determined that the proposed
project and Planning Board action is subject to review under the
State Environmental Quality Review Act,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT
RESOLVED:
1. No federal agency appears to be involved.
2. The following agencies are involved:
The Queensbury Zoning Board of Appeals
3. The proposed action considered by this Board is a Type I in
the Department of Environmental Conservation Regulations
implementing the State Environmental Quality Review Act and
the regulations of the Town of Queensbury.
4. An Environmental Assessment Form has been completed by the
applicant.
20
-
.....,,'
5. Having considered and thoroughly analyzed the relevant areas
of environmental concern and having considered the criteria
for determining whether a project has a significant
environmental impact as the same is set forth in Section
617.11 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and
Regulations for the State of New York, this Board finds that
the action about to be undertaken by this Board will have no
significant environmental effect and the Chairman of the
Planning Board is hereby authorized to execute and sign and
file as may be necessary a statement of non-significance or a
negative declaration that may be required by law.
Duly adopted this 17th day of February, 1993, by the following
vote:
AYES: Mr. Ruel, Mrs. Rowe, Mrs. Pulver, Mr. Brewer
NOES: NONE
ABSTAINED: Mr. MacEwan
ABSENT: Mrs. Tarana, Mr. LaPoint
MR. BREWER-Okay. We'll go to the next one.
SITE PLAN NO. 1-93 TYPE II WR-3A JOHN P. MATTHEWS OWNER: SAME
AS ABOVE LOCATION: ROUTE 9L, EAST SIDE CEDAR POINT PROPOSAL IS
TO REMOVE EXISTING DETERIORATING, ROCK FILLED CRIB DOCKS NOW IN A
U-SHAPE TO REPLACE WITH NEW E-SHAPED DOCK TO SHORTEN NEW DOCKS SO
THEY CONFORM TO EXISTING REGULATIONS. (WARREN COUNTY PLANNING)
(APA) LOT SIZE: 2.68 ACRES SECTION: 179-16(D)(3)
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 1-93, John Matthews, Meeting Date:
February 16, 1993 "proiect Description: The applicant is
proposing to construct an E-shaped dock. The property is located
on Lake George west of the Bay Road and Rt. 9L intersection and has
220 feet of shoreline. The dock will consist of two slips and a
boat cover/sun deck. There is approximately 1,000 square feet of
dock surface area and it extends 40 feet into the lake. The sun
deck extends 13 feet above the water. Proiect Analvsis: The
project was compared to the criteria listed in Section 179-60 (b)
which pertains to docks and moorings. It was determined that the
proposal complies with the criteria of Section 179-60 (b).
Recommendation: The planning staff recommends approval of this
application."
MR. BREWER-Okay, and we've got also from Warren County, approved,
concur with local conditions. Now, you're here for the applicant,
and we have a problem. We went out on site visits twice and could
not find this dock, and I spoke to John personally and he said he
would give us a better map, and I don't think it's any better than
the one we got the first time. That's just my opinion. There were
four of us in the vehicle when we went there to find it, and we
could not find it.
MRS. ROWE-And I've been up there twice.
MR. BREWER-And it's not your fault, but I don't know how we can
review this if we haven't seen it?
MR. MACEWAN-When's our next meeting?
MR. BREWER-Next Tuesday.
MRS. SEFROM-Well, John said that, he's out of town right now, and
he said if you have any kind of a problem with this at all, that he
would like for a continuance, he'll be back in town, and we were
going to go take a look at the dock, and I'm afraid even the jeep
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won't make it down there.
MR. BREWER-Right. So is John going to be back Tuesday?
MRS. SEFROM-No. He'll be back a week from this Friday.
MR. BREWER-All right. We have a meeting the second. Will he be
back then?
MRS. SEFROM-He'll be back two weeks from last Friday, whenever that
is.
MR. BREWER-Will he be back the second?
MRS. SEFROM-He left last Friday, and he'll be back two weeks from
last Friday.
MR. HARLICKER-So he should be back by the end of the month?
MRS. SEFROM-Right.
MR. BREWER-All right. So, if we have your permission to table
this, we'll table it until the meeting.
MRS. ROWE-You know where the property is?
MRS. SEFROM-Yes.
MRS. ROWE-Where is the property on this map?
MR. BREWER-Because if when he comes here the second, and we tell
him we couldn't find it, he's not going to be.
MRS. SEFROM-Is the property not marked on that?
MRS. ROWE-There's a big house up here. There was a sign on a rock
that said Matthews on it.
MRS. SEFROM-That's John's house. Back up.
MRS. ROWE-Okay. Now behind that rock, there was a big, long drive
with beautiful lampposts and everything. I drove all the way down.
I walked there. There was like a dutch colonial in there, where is
it in relation to that property?
MR. HARLICKER-It's farther east.
HRS. SEFROM-John has a stone front on his house that says John
Matthews Construction.
MRS. ROWE-Right. That's the one that I saw.
MR. BREWER-Across the street from that is a driveway that goes down
in, with the lampposts and everything.
MRS. SEFROM-You have to come a little bit back up from John's
house, take the first street down in.
MRS. ROWE-The tennis courts were in the front there, and there was
a marker that had like four or five different names on it.
MR. MACEWAN-That's the same driveway we went down.
MRS. SEFROM-That's the driveway. That's it.
MR. RUEL-We never found that, did we?
MR. BREWER-We never found that.
MRS. ROWE-Where do we go from that driveway?
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MRS. SEFROM-Straight back down in, all the way to the back. You
don't veer off. If you veer off, you go to, I believe it's, is it
Weber's house?
MR. MACEWAN-Yes. That's where we ended up. We should have veered
to the left, instead of veering to the right.
MRS. SEFROM-Right.
MR. MACEWAN-Now we all know where it is.
MR. BREWER-Lets see if we can get to that.
MRS. ROWE-So, he doesn't necessarily have a house there? His house
is back up across on the other side?
MRS. SEFROM-The house that he lives in right now is across the
street.
MR. BREWER-Okay. So we have your permission to table this?
MRS. SEFROM-Yes. John said if there was any problem with this at
all.
MOTION TO TABLE SITE PLAN NO. 1-93
Carol Pulver who moved for its
Brewer:
JOHN P. MATTHEWS, Introduced by
adoption, seconded by Timothy
Until March 2nd.
Duly adopted this 17th day of February, 1993, by the following
vote:
MR. BREWER-Now, the only problem I have with that is, if you mark
it and we know where it is and we can't get to it, what good is
that?
MRS. SEFROM-Well, now that could be a real problem, because there's
lots of snow down there.
MR. MACEWAN-When he comes home, will he be plowing out?
MR. BREWER-If they plow it any day after this weekend, we can go up
there.
MRS. SEFROM-Well, and the other thing that John told me to tell you
is that somebody had a problem with this piece of the dock. He had
it squared off at first, and he said he has no problem with cutting
that off, and he did send it to the Lake George Park Association,
and they have already okayed it.
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Ruel, Mrs. Rowe, Mrs. Pulver, Mr. Brewer
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. Tarana, Mr. LaPoint
MR. BREWER-Okay. We've got the last item on the agenda.
~SUBDIVISION NO. 2-1993 FINAL STAGE TYPE I SR-1A C.E.A. MALCOLM
'jA & BETTY BATCHELDER OWNER: SAME AS ABOVE LOCATION: CLEMENTS ROAD
~ - EAST OFF RIDGE ROAD, NORTH OF RTE. 149 PROPOSAL IS FOR A 2 LOT
f'I,1' SUBDIVISION. (APA) TAX MAP NO. 27-3-1.1 LOT SIZE: 7.17 ACRES
~ SECTION: SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS
WILLIAM NEALON, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Subdivision No. 2-1993 - Final Stage, Malcolm &
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Betty Batchelder, Meeting Date: February 16, 1993 "Pro;ect
DescriPtion: The applicant is proposing to subdivide an existing
7.17 acre parcel into two lots. One lot, on which an existing
house, barn and swimming pool are located, is to be 4.39 acres in
size. The second lot, which is a flag lot, is currently vacant and
is 2.78 acres in area. The property is located on Clements Road
just west of Ridge Road and is zoned SR-1A. The flag lot will have
40 feet of frontage on Clements Road with the bulk of the parcel
located behind the larger lot. It appears that both lots are
bounded on the east by a pond. The proposal does not involve the
construction of any new roads or public utili ties. Pro; ect
Analysis: During the preliminary subdivision review it was found
tha~ there were no significant problems but there were a couple of
outstanding issues that had to be addressed prior to subdivision
approval. One issue was the location of the existing structures on
the larger lot. The Board wanted their location clarified. it was
their belief that the structures were actually located farther to
the east than what was indicated on the map. Further site visits
seem to indicate that the structures locations are accurately shown
on the map. The second issue that staff brought up was the impact
of the subdivision on a large tree that appears to be located
wi thin the 40 foot road frontage. The staff would like some
assurance that the tree would not be damaged or removed when the
access drive for the flag lot is put in. SummarY/Recommendation:
As previously determined, it does not appear that this subdivision
has any significant problems associated with it. It appears that
the proposal follows accepted planning practices and provided the
Board is satisfied with the placement of the existing structures on
the map and the applicant addressed the possibility of preserving
the large tree, the planning staff recommend approval of this final
subdivision application."
MR. BREWER-Is this driveway in?
MALCOLM BATCHELDER
MR. BATCHELDER-No.
MR. NEALON-There is no existing access.
MR. MACEWAN-Where is the driveway, on this map, that we went down,
for the house that's being built up in back?
MR. HARLICKER-That's farther back.
BETTY BATCHELDER
MRS. BATCHELDER-That is up where Mr. Jablonski, it was up in his
driveway.
MR. BREWER-That's where the misunderstanding took place. I
presumed we were in that strip of land going up to the driveway.
MR. BATCHELDER-I told you it was all right, when I was here.
MR. BREWER-And I apologize for that. It was our mistake. We were
in the wrong driveway. That's because, in my mind, I went there
three times and said, I'll be a son of a gun, if this is this road
right here, that house is in the wrong, and you can see where we
would make that mistake.
MR. RUEL-Mr. Chairman, we seem to have a problem findings these
locations. Something should be done to clarify this.
MR. BREWER-Something is going to be done, because I'm going to talk
to Mr. Martin about maybe having some kind of a sign. This last
one we were just talking about is a dock. If we go to a dock in
the middle of the winter, there's not going to be anybody there.
MR. BATCHELDER-What about his house?
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MR. BREWER-His house isn't anywhere near it.
contractor bUilding it.
He's just a
MR. BATCHELDER-Yes, but if he's home, he could tell you awful
quick.
MR. BREWER-I understand that, but if he lives on this end of the
lake and the dock he's bUilding is over on this end of the lake.
MR. BATCHELDER-I know.
MR. NEALON-That wasn't the case on this one.
MR. BREWER-That wasn't the case on this one, but I'm just saying it
could be.
MR. HARLICKER-Okay. What about the trees?
MR. NEALON-Well, there is the tree that is, essentially, at the
point of access.
MR. HARLICKER-Right. That's 40 feet wide, though.
driveway be put in so it won't?
Can the
MR. BATCHELDER-There's plenty of room.
MR. RUEL-It's 40 feet there, the frontage, isn't it?
MR. NEALON-Yes.
MR. RUEL-And how wide is the tree?
MR. NEALON-Twenty six inch.
MR. RUEL-Well, so you put a road on each side.
MR. BATCHELDER-The road would have to go on one side, because the
line off.
MR. RUEL-The tree is right in the center?
MR. BATCHELDER-It's almost over to the line on the other side.
MR. NEALON-I guess I would presume that, I know Scott and I had
discussed this before, and certainly the suggestion would be to
mitigate that. The reality is, that's the only tree that's there.
MR. HARLICKER-Yes.
on it, so there's
won't, if you have
a driveway in.
I think Mr. Steves redid this and put the trees
room on either side to put the drive in, so it
40 feet, you've got 20 feet on that side to put
MR. RUEL-It looks like it's in the center here.
MR. HARLICKER-Yes.
MR. BATCHELDER-That's not in the center. I can tell you that.
It's more to the west than it is to the east.
MR. RUEL-Now there seemed to be some doubt as to the location of
the house and the barn. Did anyone move the house and the barn to
conform to the map?
MR. NEALON-The map was right as previously drawn and it's right
now.
MR. BREWER-We were in the wrong driveway.
MR. RUEL-Okay.
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MR. BREWER-Does anybody else have any concerns? There was a public
hearing on this. It was closed. Okay. Would somebody care to
make a motion?
MOTION TO APPROVE SUBDIVISION NO. 2-1993 FINAL STAGE MALCOLM &
BETTY BATCHELDER, Introduced by Craig MacEwan who moved for its
adoption, seconded by Roger Ruel:
For a proposal of a two lot subdivision, with the stipulation that,
as a result of putting in the driveway, the tree shall not be
removed.
Duly adopted this 17th day of February, 1993, by the following
vote: \
MR. BREWER-With the stipulation of leaving the tree in.
MR. MACEWAN-With the stipulation that the tree remains.
MR. BREWER-You have no problem with that?
MR. NEALON-I would prefer that that not be included. Certainly,
it's an aesthetic consideration for the new owner, but I don't
think it's for this Board to legislate whether a tree sometime in
the future becomes diseased and we have to come back to you to.
MR. HARLICKER-How about if we said that, as a result of putting in
the driveway, the tree shall not be removed, or something like
that, tying it in to construction of the driveway. If the tree
happens to die somewhere down the line, you could take it down,
but.
MR. NEALON-I think that would be acceptable.
AYES: Mrs. Rowe, Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Ruel, Mr. Brewer
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. Tarana, Mrs. Pulver, Mr. LaPoint
On motion meeting was adjourned.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
Timothy Brewer, Chairman
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