1996-08-20
QUEENSBURY PLANNING BOARD MEETING
FIRST REGULAR MEETING
AUGUST 20, 1996
INDEX
Subdivision No. 13-86
MODIFICATION
Subdivision No. 13-86
MODIFICATION
Subdivision No. 13-86
MODIFICATION -
Conveyance
Site Plan No. 41-96
Site Plan No. 26-96
Site Plan No. 52-96
Site Plan No. 47-96
Site Plan No. 53-96
Site Plan No. 49-96
Site Plan No. 6-96
Site Plan No. 51-96
Herald Square, Phase II 5.
Herald Square, Phase III 6 .
Herald Square, Phase III 8.
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Hickey
Tax Map No. 11-1-11.1
14.
Lou & Christine Lecce
Tax Map No. 16-1-28
16.
Stacie A. Hopkins
Tax Map No. 54-1-36
33.
Robert Orban
Tax Map No. 101-1-14, 15
38.
BMI Supply
Tax Map No. 55-2-19.5
40.
Knights of Columbus Council 194
Tax Map No. 73-1-11.2
47.
Ken Ermiger
Tax Map No. 73-1-4.1
53.
Jay Curtis
Tax Map No. 136-2-7, 8.2
85.
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.
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
QUEENS BURY PLANNING BOARD MEETING
FIRST REGULAR MEETING
AUGUST 20, 1996
7:00 P.M.
MEMBERS PRESENT
ROBERT PALING, CHAIRMAN
CATHERINE LABOMBARD, SECRETARY
GEORGE STARK
TIMOTHY BREWER
ROGER RUEL
CRAIG MACEWAN
MEMBERS ABSENT
DAVID WEST
PLANNER-GEORGE HILTON
PLANNING BOARD COUNSEL-MILLER, MANNIX, & PRATT, MARK SCHACHNER
STENOGRAPHER-MARIA GAGLIARDI
CORRECTION OF MINUTES
April 16, 1996: NONE
April 23, 1996: NONE
May 7, 1996: NONE
May 14, 1996: NONE
May 21, 1996: NONE
May 30, 1996: NONE
MOTION TO APPROVE ALL THOSE MINUTES AS WRITTEN, Introduced by Craig
MacEwan who moved for its adoption, seconded by George Stark:
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mr. Ruel, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. West
MR. PALING-Okay. The first item on the agenda tonight is the
Subdivision No. 3-1996 for CVS, and there's been a request for a 30
day extension on this.
LEON STEVES
MR. STEVES-Mr. Chairman, my name is Leon Steves, representing CVS.
MR. PALING-Give us a reason for request.
MR. STEVES-So we can get your signature affixed thereto and file it
in the County Clerk's Office.
MR. PALING-Okay. Any problem with that? Do you want to make a
motion?
MR. MACEWAN-Thirty days from today?
MR. STEVES-Yes, sir.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. BREWER-Why don't you go to the end of the month, Craig.
MR. PALING-Yes, make it the end of the month.
MR. STEVES-That would be fine.
MOTION TO GRANT AN EXTENSION UNTIL AUGUST 30, 1996 FOR CVS PHARMACY
SUBDIVISION 3-1996, Introduced by Craig MacEwan who moved for its
adoption, seconded by Roger Ruel:
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Stark, Mr. Ruel, Mr. Brewer, Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. West
MR. PALING-What's the date on this?
MR. BREWER-8/20.
MR. HILTON-Today's the 20th. Yes.
MR. BREWER-When did that run out, or did it run out?
MR. PALING-I hope not. No, CVS couldn't have run out, could it?
MR. STEVES-I have no idea.
MR. HILTON-The 60 day approval on the subdivision, the approval was
May 21st. July 21st would have been the 60 days, but you're okay
if you want to extend it.
MR. BREWER-We went through this.
MR. MACEWAN-We can't extend that.
MR. BREWER-We can't. It's already expired. How can we extend it?
MR. PALING-It hasn't expired yet, it's the 21st.
MR. MACEWAN-He said July.
MR. HILTON-There's a 60 day tabling period, I mean, 60 day time
period to file a subdivision after it's been approved. It was on
the 21st day of May, 1996. Sixty days later, if I'm correct, would
be July 21st, around that date.
MR. STEVES-That was last month.
MR. HILTON-But I was under the understanding that this Board has
the opportunity to grant them an extension, I guess we said the end
of September, to get the map filed, without having to come back and
re-file the subdivision.
MR. PALING-Well, Mark, can you clarify this for us?
MR. BREWER-We've been through this and got opinions from our
attorney that we can't do it. Once it expires, it's a done deal.
MR. PALING-It hasn't expired yet, Tim.
MR. RUEL-July 21st.
MR. BREWER-It's August.
MR. PALING-That's right.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. RUEL-It expired July 21st.
MR. PALING-All right then if it's expired, that's right. We
cannot, we went through this before. I didn't hear the month.
MR. HILTON-Yes, well, for what it's worth, Staff is comfortable
with it. We have no problem granting it.
MR. STEVES-Would it be working as a re-approval, then?
MR. PALING-That's what's happened in the past.
MR. BREWER-We have to do it over, right?
MR. SCHACHNER-Yes. I think I have to agree with everything Tim has
said. This Board has been through this a number of times, and I
think that this Board ultimately adopted a resolution, correct me
if I'm wrong, adopted a resolution stating that it would be this
Board's policy to not do what is called after the fact or post
expiration extensions. In other words, no retroactive extensions.
I think this Board did that by a formal resolution, if I'm not
mistaken.
MR. BREWER-It all started with Bay Meadows.
MR. SCHACHNER-Correct.
MR. PALING-It was a five to one vote, I remember it.
MR. RUEL-So what's the alternative, a re-application or re-
submittal?
MR. SCHACHNER-That's what that would mean, and I believe we've had
other applicants have to do that in the past, since you've adopted
that policy.
MR. BREWER-So, we have to rescind that now, Mark?
MR. RUEL-Yes, rescind that.
MOTION TO RESCIND THE APPROVAL JUST MADE, Introduced by Craig
MacEwan who moved for its adoption, seconded by Roger Ruel:
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Ruel, Mr. Brewer, Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. West
MR. MACEWAN-Now what can be done to expedite this? Nothing's going
to change?
MR. STEVES-No.
MR. BREWER-We just have to have time to advertise, right?
MR. SCHACHNER-Yes, just exactly what you've done in the past, with
other applicants, which I think is you've put them on the next
agenda that you could take with your advertising time, which
probably would not be next Tuesday, but presumably would be the
first meeting in September, which I think is on the 17th of
September.
MR. PALING-I guess I'll have to hang on to this, or you'll have to
hang onto it, whichever, because it would be considered unsigned.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. STEVES-Have you signed it?
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. STEVES-Well, that's fine, then, hang onto it.
anywhere anyway.
It won' t go
MR. PALING-Yes. All right.
MR. BREWER-Nothing against you, Leon.
MR. STEVES-No, Tim, that's fine. I was thinking tomorrow as well.
MR. SCHACHNER-Now the other thing is, I think all I've heard so far
is a motion to rescind the motion to grant. So you haven't made
any decision, now, as to the request for extension.
MR. BREWER-Right. So now we have to make a motion to deny.
MR. PALING-We can't act on the request for an extension.
MR. SCHACHNER-You can act on it.
MR. PALING-It's expired. Wait a minute. What have I missed now?
MR. STARK-You can't extend it if it's expired.
MR. SCHACHNER-What I'm suggesting is, if somebody has made that
request, I thought you would perhaps.
MR. BREWER-Deny.
MR. SCHACHNER-Correct.
MR. BREWER-Yes, just giving the reason that the application, or the
time limit is expired.
MOTION TO DENY THE EXTENSION FOR SUBDIVISION NO. 3-1996 BERKSHIRE
ACQUISITION, Introduced by Timothy Brewer who moved for its
adoption, seconded by George Stark:
On the premise that the time frame has expired.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: Mr. Ruel
ABSENT: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. West
MR. PALING-We have no choice.
MR. STEVES-That's consistent with your policy, and I have no
problems with that.
MR. PALING-Yes, okay.
MR. STEVES-Thank you for your consideration.
MR. BREWER-I don't think anybody has a problem with the application
or the extension.
MR. STEVES-No, I understand, Tim.
MR. PALING-No. We've got to be consistent. I didn't hear the
month right. I thought we were within the 60 day period. Okay.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
All right. Well, maybe we'll see you next week, or whenever, as
soon as we can. Okay. I think we're finished here, are we not?
There's nothing else we can do. Okay.
OLD BUSINESS:
SUBDIVISION NO. 13-86 HERALD SQUARE, PHASE II MODIFICATION TO AN
APPROVED SUBDIVISION - LOTS 66, 67 & 88.
LEON STEVES, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
MR. PALING-Okay. The applicant is represented. Perhaps you could
identify yourself and just summarize what it is we're doing here.
MR. STEVES-Yes. My name is Leon Steves from Van Dusen and Steves,
and the applicant and the adjacent owners wish to enlarge their
lots, as reflected on our modified subdivision plan of July 30,
1996, basically to enlarge their rear yards, or back yards, as
shown on that plan.
MR. PALING-Okay.
time.
All right.
We can go through these one at a
MR. STARK-Each one needs a motion.
MR. PALING-Yes, one at a time. Okay. The first one is for the
modification of lot lines, 66, 67 and 88, and we now have two
drawings on this. One is before, and one is after. I think I'm
saying that right.
MR. BREWER-Didn't we do something similar to this a while ago,
different lots or something? The same thing, make them bigger, in
Herald Square? I think we did.
MR. MACEWAN-When Phase III was here, they were getting ready to
open up Phase III.
MR. BREWER-Phase II I think we did it, didn't we?
MR. STEVES-Not to my knowledge.
MR. BREWER-Yes, we did. I think two or three lots, same type of
thing, Leon.
MR. PALING-So these lots are being made bigger, is what they're
doing?
MR. STEVES-Yes, they are.
MR. PALING-And what is the land that they're taking it away from?
What is that?
MR. STEVES-That's just land held in the rear, which will be
considered, not the next one, but the third item tonight, in lieu
of recreational fees.
MR. PALING-Okay. So that's what would have been recreation land.
MR. STEVES-Part of that.
MR. PALING-Part of it. Okay.
MR. STEVES-This dog leg that you see right here, is the dog leg
right there.
MR. PALING-Okay, that's that same dog leg.
MR. STEVES-That one there is the same as shown on this plan. The
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
present subdivision comes straight across here, and then right
along like that.
MR. PALING-Right. Okay.
MR. STARK-There's no problem with this. You're just bending all
three of them out.
MR. STEVES-That's right. That's all we're doing.
MR. PALING-Okay. Now this is a modification, so there's no public
hearing and no SEQRA on this, but we still need a motion.
MR. STARK-But when you make the motion, you've got to say that
there's no significant detriment to the existing environment. Is
that the word, Mark?
MR. SCHACHNER-Yes, basically no modification to the environmental
impact, or anything like that.
MOTION TO APPROVE SUBDIVISION NO. 13-86 MODIFICATION TO AN
APPROVED SUBDIVISION LOTS 66, 67 « 88 FOR HERALD SQUARE, PHASE II,
Introduced by George Stark who moved for its adoption, seconded by
Craig MacEwan:
With the stipulation that there's no detrimental effects to the
existing environmental impact statement.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Stark, Mr. Brewer, Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel, Mr. West
MR. STEVES-Thank you.
MR. PALING-Okay.
SUBDIVISION NO. 13-86 HERALD SQUARE, PHASE III MODIFICATION TO AN
APPROVED SUBDIVISION - ROAD SECTION WILL BE MODIFIED TO ELIMINATE
THE WING SWALE AND TO CONFORM TO THE ROAD SECTION USED IN PHASES I
& II.
TOM NACE, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
MR. PALING-And this was at the request of Dave Hatin, I believe.
Was it?
MR. NACE-For the record, my name is Tom Nace with Nace Engineering
representing Guido Passarelli. This was at the request of Paul
Naylor.
MR. PALING-Paul Naylor. Okay.
MR. NACE-Now, on this one we also need to get an extension. This
was approved exactly two months ago. We've been delayed here
trying to get the modifications done so that we can get it filed,
get Paul to sign it. So we'd like to request an extension.
MR. STARK-First.
MR. NACE-Yes, first, and then the modification, or either way. It
doesn't really matter.
MR. PALING-Okay. Just to be on the safe side, what was the date?
It would be in June?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. NACE-The meeting date was June 20.
MR. BREWER-Today is the day.
MR. PALING-June 20th was a Thursday. We met on the 18th and the
25th.
MR. NACE-My notes say, meeting date the 20th.
MR. BREWER-Do you have it on file, George?
MR. SCHACHNER-Actually, there was a Thursday meeting in June.
MR. PALING-I'll bet there was, and I wasn't here.
MR. SCHACHNER-I'll tell you in a second.
MR. PALING-No. I think that's right and I wasn't able to attend.
That's why it's crossed off.
MR. BREWER-Yes, there were three meetings, Tuesday, Thursday,
Tuesday.
MR. SCHACHNER-There was a meeting Thursday night, June 20th.
MR. PALING-Yes, there was and I wasn't here. Okay. Fine.
MR. STARK-Do you want a 30 day extension?
MR. NACE-Enough time to get Paul. Yes, that would be fine.
MR. BREWER-The end of September?
MR. NACE-The end of September would be fine.
MR. PALING-Do the extension first.
MOTION TO GRANT AN EXTENSION FOR SUBDIVISION NO. 13-86 HERALD
SQUARE PHASE III, Introduced by Timothy Brewer who moved for its
adoption, seconded by George Stark:
Until September 30th.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Stark, Mr. Brewer, Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Rue 1 , Mr. West
MR. PALING-Okay. Now we want to talk about the modification of the
road section. Are there any questions on that? All right. Then
the same thing. We can go to another motion on this.
MOTION TO APPROVE MODIFICATION TO SUBDIVISION NO. 13-86 HERALD
SQUARE PHASE III, Introduced by Timothy Brewer who moved for its
adoption, seconded by George Stark:
To eliminate the wing swale and to conform to the road section used
in Phase I and II with no significant environmental impacts.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
ABSENT: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel, Mr. West
MR. PALING-Okay. Moving right along.
SUBDIVISION NO. 13-86 HERALD SQUARE, PHASE III MAP SHOWING THE
PROPOSED CONVEYANCE TO THE TOWN OF QUEENS BURY FROM GUIDO
PASSARELLI, FOR PHASE III HERALD SQUARE IN LIEU OF RECREATIONAL
FEES.
TOM NACE, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
MR. MACEWAN-Is this a recommendation to the Town Board?
LEON STEVES
MR. STEVES-Yes, it is.
MR. BREWER-I have a question. Did we go through this in Phase I or
Phase II of this subdivision, in Phase II, and they denied that?
Is this the same property?
MR. NACE-Yes, I believe this is the same property. At that point,
the Recreation Committee walked the property. I don't remember
what the hang up was at that time, but it's a piece of corridor
along Clendon Brook that makes sense for open land and recreation,
passive recreation.
MR. BREWER-Okay. Now, do we have any recommendation from them now,
or is it from the Rec Department?
MR. STEVES-No. We're starting here.
MR. PALING-Do we need one?
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, it's really, ultimately, a Town Board call. I
think, if I'm not mistaken, this would be before the Planning Board
for a recommendation to the Town Board, and then the process would
include Recreation Commission input and ultimately a Town Board
decision.
MR. PALING-It doesn't say it, but this is for a recommendation
only.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-Okay. All right. Then we can go ahead on that basis.
Any questions?
MR. BREWER-My only comment would be, I think if the Town Board and
the Recreation Commission turned it down before, I don't want to
recommend taking it now. It's the same piece of property.
MR. STEVES-We have been asked to resubmit it because the Town Board
has accepted the land to the north, west of Clendon Ridge, this
being the continuation of that Clendon Brook corridor. They may
want to consider it at this time.
MR. PALING-Well, could we also add to the recommendation that they
confer with the Recreation Commission?
MR. BREWER-They have to anyway, I think.
MR. PALING-Yes, before they do anything, otherwise I don't think we
have a problem. I don't know.
MR. MACEWAN-Did the Town Board originally decline the offer on
this?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. NACE-I'm trying to remember. I walked both of those properties
with the Recreation Commission, and I'm sure this is, we walked
this first, and then the piece north of this, which was part of Al
Cerrone's subdivision, Clendon Ridge. We walked that, I think, a
year or two later, and from just my memory, I believe the attitude
of the Board, or of the Recreation Commission, was a little
different, in that open land and passive recreation opportunities,
fishing along the brook, cross country skiing, seemed to have a
little more influence on them when they looked at the Clendon Ridge
property, although the same opportunities exist in this property.
I think their attitude had changed a little over time. So I think
it's worth a revisiting of that Commission on this property as
well.
MR. HILTON-If the Town Board has accepted land in lieu of
recreation fees since this was denied the first time, then possibly
the position of the Town Board could have changed, and Staff has no
problem recommending that they at least look at it to see if they
have different ideas than they did before.
MR. MACEWAN-How much of an input does the Rec Commission have into
this?
MR. SCHACHNER-It's a recommendation, similar to what this Board
does.
MR. MACEWAN-I mean, do they go to the Rec Commission as well with
this proposal?
MR. SCHACHNER-Any proposed acceptance of land for recreation
purposes is reviewed by the Town Recreation Commission, in its
advisory capacity, for that Commission to make a recommendation to
the Town Board.
MR. MACEWAN-Have you sought them out yet?
MR. NACE-No. That will be, I'm sure, the next step.
MR. PALING-There isn't a public hearing on this tonight, but I
think we can allow comment, if there's anyone that wants to speak
about just this particular one.
ROGER RUEL
MR. RUEL-I abstained from this application because I live in Herald
Square. My name is Roger Ruel. I live at 10 Mabel Terrace in
Herald Square. That is Phase I, and I have some comments for the
Board to consider, I think items beyond what you discussed a few
moments ago. First of all, one question I have for the Board to
explore is, how much of these 20 acres are wetlands? Because the
area bordering Clendon Brook is labeled wetlands. Secondly, the 20
foot wide entry points indicated are too narrow, and they are not
cleared for access. If the Town Board accepted this, I believe
that these roadways would have to be widened, and I think some sort
of a road would have to be put in there. There's nothing now at
this time. The most important item I have, I guess, has to do with
the fact that Phase I borders on this 20 acre area, because, as Tim
indicated earlier, there was an application made, or a request
made, to have the Town Board accept this for the Recreation
Commission, in lieu of the $500 fee per homeowner. This was
denied. I really don't know the reasons why. However, it was
denied, and it's my feeling, now, that if this was accepted by the
Town Board and the Recreation Commission, then the landowners, the
homeowners in Phase III, and possibly in Phase II, would not be
burdened with the $500 each. Now Phase I borders on the same land,
and we all paid $500 each. If this went through and this land was
available to all three phases, I believe that the homeowners in
Phase I should be reimbursed.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. BREWER-Well, it wouldn't only be available to you. It would be
available to anybody in the Town.
MR. RUEL-It's available to everyone.
MR. BREWER-Sure. If the Town owns it, then it's Town property, and
anybody in the Town can go on it.
MR. RUEL-Yes.
MR. BREWER-It would be like a Town park, so to speak.
MR. PALING-Being part of the subdivision, though, I think it would
be limited to anyone within Herald Square. It wouldn't cover the
Town.
MR. BREWER-No. Anybody in the Town.
MR. SCHACHNER-As a practical matter, these things are typically
used, of course, by people that are nearby, but if it's public
property, then it's available, as Tim says, for anybody's use.
MR. PALING-No, I was saying the $500 refund would only apply, I
would think, to someone in Herald Square subdivision.
MR. MACEWAN-I don't think that's something this Board is even going
to get involved in.
MR. SCHACHNER-Right.
MR. PALING-No, but we can pass it on, perhaps, as a comment,
because we're not going to get involved in that.
MR. SCHACHNER-Neither will any other Town entity. That's between
the developer and his residents, so to speak.
MR. RUEL-Well, I'd be curious to find out why it was rejected the
first time and why it should be accepted now.
MR. PALING-Well, a building permit, you've got to pay it when the
permit goes in.
MR. RUEL-No, I mean, the fact that the area was not picked up by
the Town Board for the Recreation Commission. I don't know if we
have any documentation on that.
MR. BREWER-I think they just deemed it that it wasn't, I don't want
to say not usable, but it wasn't.
MR. BREWER-Desirable for that purpose at that time.
MR. RUEL-But why should it be more desirable now?
MR. BREWER-That's what I said, 10 minutes ago, and I think Leon
said because they took other property along that corridor, and
maybe that Tom would want to extend that at this point. I don't
know.
MR. MACEWAN-I do remember a conversation, maybe a year or so ago,
that was the hopes that they would get a continuous piece that
entire parcel of the Brook.
MR. BREWER-Yes, because it starts over on West Mountain Road with
Vasiliou, with his property, and it ties into Al Cerrone's. This
would be the third piece, and then the other side of the Brook,
Hudson Pointe.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thanks, Roger. Anyone else? Okay. It's not a
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
public hearing, but we did allow that comment. I think perhaps in
our recommendation to the Board we could at least ask them, make
note that some comment has been made and suggest they follow it
further.
MR. MACEWAN-I would like to know, on the four parcels that abut the
right-of-way, this 20 foot right-of-way going in there, is there
any development on those parcels right now? Are there homes on
there?
MR. STEVES-Yes, there are.
MR. MACEWAN-There are?
MR. STEVES-Yes.
MR. MACEWAN-Is there any place close to this parcel where there
could be some access for parking, off street parking?
MR. STEVES-I don't know that that's being offered, parking, but
rather pathways. We don't want to encourage people to come across
town to park over there.
MR. MACEWAN-Why not, if it's Town property?
MR. STEVES-That's right.
MR. MACEWAN-Everybody's got a right to use it.
MR. STEVES-This is true. We're not denying them the right to use
it, but rather if they're going to use it, they're going to walk
into it.
MR. MACEWAN-So if someone was to come across Town to want to walk
this portion of Clendon Brook, where would they park?
MR. BREWER-Park in the street.
MR. MACEWAN-How well would that go over?
MR. STEVES-But if the Town wishes to develop this, 20 feet is wide
enough for a road path to be built and access made on that.
MR. PALING-Are we going beyond what we should be doing with this?
This was, did you say was accepted by the Town already, this parcel
of land?
MR. NACE-No.
MR. PALING-It was not.
MR. NACE-Adjacent, to the north of this, there was a parcel in
Clendon Ridge, and that parcel had no accessways into it, other
than a strip which came along the Brook all the way down to Luzerne
Road, and again it was the same sort of thing. There was no real
parking area allocated or available, but the Board, at that time,
felt that it still could be used.
MR. PALING-Okay. George?
MR. STARK-Why don't we let the Town Board decide and just make the
recommendation that they look at a few of the comments that were
made. Let them make the decision.
MR. BREWER-Well they're going to, but we still have to make a
recommendation, whether we should or we shouldn't.
MR. STARK-We made the recommendation that they approve Al Cerrone's
parcel and they didn't have any access to it.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. BREWER-Did we?
MR. MACEWAN-Just so I'm clear one more time. Will this parcel abut
the one that they got from Clendon Ridge? It comes right up to the
road, though, right?
MR. NACE-No. I think there is some intervening stretch of brook.
MR. STEVES-Yes, there is. It will not be contiguous.
MR. NACE-I'm not sure it's a short stretch up between Luzerne Road
and the north end of this property.
MR. PALING-Well, this is kind of a strange way to request a
recommendation, really. The word isn' t even used in here, plus the
fact we have no, there is no public hearing, and here we are asked
for a recommendation again, and I feel kind of hung up. If there
is comment, we've got comment from one, but maybe there's other
comment that we should hear, and again, in these recommendations,
we were embarrassed one time, and we said no more, and this doesn't
even say recommendation in it.
MR. MACEWAN-Well, in our past practices, where we want to go with
this thing, is that, give the public all the input they could, you
know, into a project like this, and there's a lot of homes that
this would effect.
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. BREWER-Lets advertise then? Make the recommendation next week
or next month.
MR. PALING-Well, could we make the recommendation that either the
Town Board handle this themselves, or that they allow us time to
advertise it, and have a pubic meeting on it, and then we'll come
back with a recommendation.
MR. NACE-Well, we're forced with filing this by September 30th,
which means we have to have the fees paid before you can sign it,
before we can file it.
MR. BREWER-Didn't they just pass a new law last night, about
something about that?
MR. NACE-When's that effective?
MR. SCHACHNER-It's effective when filed with the Secretary of
State, it'll probably be next week. The gist of the local law
passed, it was an amendment to the local law. The gist of it would
be, the fees are due at the time of building permits, as opposed to
at the time of approval.
MR. BREWER-So then you wouldn't have to come up with the.
MR. NACE-So then how does that effect subdivisions that are already
in the approval process?
MR. SCHACHNER-I believe what the Town Board said is that any
subdivision that's already been approved is still subject to the
law of previous.
MR. PALING-But if they're not approved yet, it's the new one.
MR. SCHACHNER-No, as I understand it, this is an approved
subdivision.
MR. NACE-This is Phase III, which was approved two months ago and
just extended.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. PALING-Then that would be under the old.
MR. SCHACHNER-That's my understanding.
MR. NACE-Which puts us into the bind of having to pay the fees
before September 30th.
MR. PALING-George, how are we supposed to act on this? Can you
answer that?
MR. HILTON-It's a recommendation only, and I assume, you know, it
would go to the Town Board, with your recommendation, and they
don't hold a public hearing at that point, either.
MR. PALING-You're telling us it's a recommendation, but what is
this sheet telling us?
MR. SCHACHNER-What sheet are you referring to, Bob?
MR. PALING-I'm looking at the schedule.
MR. SCHACHNER-It seems to me, I don't know if it's worth this
amount of attention, but when Staff prepares the agendas, I mean,
in this case it should certainly have said, recommendation, but
that's just one word added to the agenda. I'm not sure how that
would change, it wouldn't change the level of information before
this Board.
MR. PALING-Yes, it would, Mark, in that we have gone on record, and
very firmly, stating that if we're going to make recommendations to
the Town Board, we want a public hearing.
MR. SCHACHNER-Okay. I'm sorry. Well, the word itself wouldn't
change the level of information, but it might change how you'd go
about it.
MR. BREWER-Lets not make a recommendation. I mean, it's not our
fault. We said we were going to do it. Let the chips fall where
they may.
MR. PALING-I don't think we have any choice but to do that, pass it
back.
MRS. LABOMBARD-All right.
MR. NACE-If you do that, can you make it clear that you're doing it
without prejudice?
MR. PALING-Yes, absolutely.
MR. STEVES-Well, I think it's a Catch-22. The applicant is
required to make an application to the Planning Board for
recommendation to the Town Board to either accept this or not
accept it, but we are under the gun, then, to make that application
for recommendation. Now I don't believe there's anything in the
law that specifies or clarifies the procedure for that, but
certainly the portion of the public hearing can be at the
discretion of the Town Board, and I don't know that it should be at
this level.
MR. BREWER-I think what Bob's referring to, Leon, is we made a
recommendation on a certain project, with no input.
MR. STEVES-Depending on your recommendation, I understand that.
MR. BREWER-Right. We felt that we didn't make an informed
decision. So we said that, in the future, we make recommendation,
we hold a public meeting.
- 13 -
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. STEVES-Yes.
MR. PALING-We would have voted the opposite had we had a public
meeting.
MR. STEVES-Yes. I understand that.
MR. BREWER-Not in this case.
MR. STEVES-No. I understand that. I'm not trying to compare
apples and oranges, but rather, and the particulars that we're
referring to here is for a recommendation for recreational land.
MR. PALING-I'll entertain any way to get around it, but I can't see
it myself.
MR. SCHACHNER-I don't think the applicant has any problem with a
non recommendation, so long as it's clear that it's, to use Tom's
words.
MR. PALING-Without prejudice, sure.
MR. SCHACHNER-Right. That doesn't seem to be a problem with the
applicant. I don't see why it would be, you can certainly do that.
MR. PALING-All right.
MOTION TO DENY THE REQUEST FOR RECOMMENDATION FOR SUBDIVISION NO.
13-86 HERALD SQUARE PHASE III, Introduced by Robert Paling who
moved for its adoption, seconded by George Stark:
This is done without prejudice to the applicant. It is also done
because insufficient information was not provided for the Planning
Board to act.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
MR. BREWER-So do we want to schedule a public meeting for this?
MR. HILTON-At this point, I think it goes on to the Town Board with
this recommendation.
AYES: Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Brewer, Mr. MacEwan,
Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. Ruel, Mr. West
MR. PALING-Sorry.
MR. STEVES-No, I understand perfectly. Thank you very much.
MR. PALING-Okay.
SITE PLAN NO. 41-96 TYPE II MR. & MRS. JACK HICKEY OWNERS: SAME
ZONE: WR-1A, CEA, APA LOCATION: RT. 9L TO CLEVERDALE ROAD, TO
HILLMAN ROAD, TO ONONODAGA DRIVE (PARKING LOT) I #9 IS STRAIGHT
AHEAD AS YOU ENTER THE PARKING LOT. APPLICANT PROPOSES TO BUILD A
SECOND FLOOR ADDITION ON EXISTING HOME. PER SECTION 179 -7 9
EXPANSION OF A NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE IN A CEA IS SUBJECT TO
REVIEW AND APPROVAL BY THE PLANNING BOARD. CROSS REFERENCE: AV
57-1996 WARREN CO. PLANNING: 7/10/96 TAX MAP NO. 11-1-11.1 LOT
SIZE: .05 ACRES SECTION: 179-16
BILL MASON, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
MR. HILTON-This application was tabled from the 23rd of July 1996.
- 14 -
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
We're re-hearing this this evening.
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 41-96, Mr. & Mrs. Jack Hickey,
Meeting Date: August 20, 1996 "The applicants are proposing to
construct a second story addition to an existing home. The
proposed height of this second story will conform to the
requirements of the WR-IA district. Setbacks and permeability at
this location will not change with the proposed addition. The
applicants have received the appropriate variances from the ZBA for
this expansion. Staff foresees no negative impacts associated with
this application and recommends approval of Site Plan No. 41-96."
MR. PALING-Okay. How tall is it, George?
MR. HILTON-I don't have it in my notes. I would have to look at
the plan. Maybe the applicant could clarify the height for you
real quick.
MR. PALING-Okay. Would you identify yourself please.
MR. MASON-I'm Bill Mason. I'm the agent for the applicant.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. MASON-And I also am going to look at the plan.
MR. PALING-I think I estimated 31 feet.
MR. MACEWAN-I got 21'6", I wrote on my.
MR. PALING-21, 6", okay, but that's the approximate height, is
21'6". That's close enough.
MR. MASON-It's 21'6" approximately, depending on the grade level.
MR. PALING-Okay. Does anyone else have any questions on it?
MR. RUEL-Did this have ZBA?
MR. PALING-Yes. His variances have been approved.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-All right. This is a Type II. We do not need a SEQRA
then, right?
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-Okay. The public hearing was tabled. We will re-open
the public hearing. Does anyone care to comment on this matter?
PUBLIC HEARING OPEN
NO COMMENT
PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
MOTION TO APPROVE SITE PLAN NO. 41-96 MR. & MRS. JACK HICKEY,
Introduced by Roger Ruel who moved for its adoption, seconded by
George Stark:
To build a second floor addition on existing home.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel,
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West
SITE PLAN NO. 26-96 TYPE II LOU & CHRISTINE LECCE OWNERS: SAME
ZONE: WR-IA, CEA LOCATION: RT. 9L TO CLEVERDALE ROAD TAKE
CLEVERDALE ROAD TO ROCKHURST THEN FOLLOW SEELYE ROAD TO HOUSE ON
LEFT SIDE WITH LECCE SIGN IN FRONT. APPLICANT IS REMOVING AND
REPLACING OLD STONE RETAINING WALL ALONG SHORELINE WITH NEW
INTERLOCKING RETAINING CONCRETE WALL APPROXIMATELY 80' LONG AND 2
1/2 TO 3' HIGH. PER SECTION 170-60 15(3) ALTERATION TO
SHORELINE, NO REPLACEMENT OF RETAINING WALLS ALONG THE SHORELINE
SHALL BE UNDERTAKEN WITHOUT SITE PLAN REVIEW. ALSO PROPOSED IS
CREATION OF A SANDY BEACH AND MODIFICATION TO EXISTING U-SHAPED
DOCK TO RESULT IN A 40' X 40' U-SHAPED DOCK WITH OPEN SIDED BOAT
SHELTER. SECTION 179-16 REQUIRES SITE PLAN REVIEW AND APPROVAL FOR
DOCKS AND BOATHOUSES. DEC, LGPC WARREN CO. PLANNING: 6/12/96
TAX MAP NO. 16-1-28 LOT SIZE: .92 ACRES SECTION: 179-60 15(3),
179-16 179-60 B(l) (a) [2]
LOU LECCE, PRESENT
MR. HILTON-First of all, due to an advertising error, this
application was re-advertised and notice was sent to the neighbors
within 500 feet. That has been completed, and this is going to be
a new public hearing tonight, that you will open and close during
the course of this meeting.
MR. PALING-Okay.
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 26-96, Lou & Christine Lecce,
Meeting Date: August 20, 1996 "The applicant is proposing to
replace an existing retaining wall, the creation of a sandy beach
area, and modification of an existing U shaped dock. Staff has
reviewed this application in accordance with Section 179-38 of the
Zoning Ordinance and has the following comments. The proposed
retaining wall conforms to the Zoning Ordinance requirements for
retaining walls (Section 179-60B,3,E,3). The proposed wall would
be constructed so as to connect to the existing stone wall which is
being used by the property owner to the south. The construction of
this wall will better prevent any possible increase in soil erosion
or runoff into Lake George. The proposed sand beach area conforms
to the shoreline regulation clearing limits listed in Section 179-
60B,2. The retaining wall which is proposed will be built behind
this beach area. Planning and Engineering staff believe that
adequate erosion control methods are proposed to effectively
control runoff in this area of the property. The proposed
modification to the U shaped dock will conform to the area, length
and setback requirements pertaining to docks listed in Section 179-
60B,l,b. The dock as proposed would extend into the lake 40 feet
from the mean low water mark of Lake George which conforms to the
above mentioned regulations. The applicant's property is located
on an inlet on the lake. The dock which is proposed would not
extend into the lake farther or be of a different character than
other docks and boathouses on surrounding properties. The proposed
boat house modification would conform to the height requirements
for boathouses and would not adversely effect views of the lake
from surrounding properties. The dock presently in use at this
location is built next to an existing wood deck. The deck is
completely anchored on land and currently extends out over the
water and rests on top of the dock which is anchored on the bottom
of the lake. The deck, which is a separate structure than the
dock, is located in the shoreline setback area of the applicant's
lot. The applicant has indicated that he plans to remove this deck
- 16 -
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
from his property. Staff would offer a stipulation of approval for
this application that the deck be removed prior to the issuance of
a building permit for any dock expansion. This application
conforms to all applicable portions of the Zoning Ordinance and has
received approval from the Lake George Park Commission. Planning
and Engineering staff have reviewed this application and are both
satisfied that this proposal will not effect the physical
environment and character of the surrounding neighborhood.
Furthermore this application is in compliance with the requirements
for approval listed in Section 179-38 of the Zoning Ordinance and
the approval criteria listed in Section 274-a of Town Law. As a
result staff recommends approval of Site Plan No. 26-96 with one
previously mentioned stipulation."
MR. HILTON-I have public comment here. I think I will wait for any
discussion.
MR. PALING-Yes, wait until the public hearing is open on that. Do
you have any other technical or engineering or what not comment
beyond that?
MR. HILTON-I believe we have a technical letter from Rist-Frost
which has been read into the record previously, as part of this
application.
MR. PALING-That's the June 17th letter.
MR. HILTON-I have a July 12th, after supplemental information.
MR. PALING-July 12th.
MR. RUEL-Yes. We don't have that.
MR. PALING-Let me see here. I have a June 24th, that's C.T. Male.
I have a June 17th, Rist-Frost.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
had a meeting,
letter.
I have a June 17th, also, and then after that, we
and Rist-Frost responded again, on a July 12th
MR. PALING-Does anyone on the Board have that? You better read
that in. I don't think anyone has it. We better read that into
the record.
MR. HILTON-Sure. No problem. It's dated July 12, 1996. It's
addressed to Mr. James Martin, Town of Queensbury Office Building.
It says "Dear Mr. Martin: We have reviewed the supplemental
information received July 9, 1996, C.T. Male letter of June 24,
1996, C.T. Male Drawings Sl and 95-445, and C.T. Male letter dated
July 10, 1996 and received July 12, 1996. The concerns enumerated
in our letter of June 17, 1996 have been addressed except that a
note incorporating the requirements of 'NY Guidelines for Erosion
and Sediment Control' has not been added to the drawing." (Lost
word) of any concerns, Staff would accept a stipulation that that
note be placed on the drawing prior to the issuance of a building
permit.
MR. PALING-That's it, erosion control?
MR. HILTON-Just that it has to be noted that it complies with New
York State Guidelines.
MR. PALING-Okay. All right. Any comments, questions by the Board
at the moment. Is the applicant here? Would you please come
forward and identify yourself?
MR. LECCE-Hi. I'm Lou Lecce, the applicant in this application.
MR. PALING-Okay. Are you familiar with the engineering comments
- 17 -
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
that were made, and would you update us on any changes or plans YOU
have? Do you agree with the Staff comments?
MR. LECCE-I think, on the record, I did last time. I think there's
a responding letter from C.T. Male that was sent to address those
concerns, George.
MR. HILTON-The initial concerns that were raised by the public, the
letter that I just read of July 12, 1996 was in response to the re-
submitted drawings that Mr. Lecce gave to Planning Staff, and these
comments reflect the latest drawings.
MR. PALING-The only item I think that might have been extra to that
is the removing of the deck from the property, and you confirm that
that'll be done?
MR. LECCE-Yes. I think on record the last hearing I consented to
that as well.
MR. PALING-Okay. All right, then, if there are no other comments
or questions, why don't we open the public hearing. Does anyone
here care to comment on this matter?
PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
MARK MCCOLLISTER
MR. MCCOLLISTER-We're Mark and Linda McCollister. We own the
property immediately to the south of Lecce's. If I could, I'd like
to ask questions to begin with. Number One, are we still talking
about a structure, in the drawings that were submitted previously?
I just want to make sure we know we're talking about the same
arrangement?
MR. HILTON-We are talking about the same dock.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-From C.T. Male Associates drawings that were dated,
like, August, well this one says August 16th. I think that's
probably an error, and June 24.
MR. HILTON-Yes. We're talking about the same drawings.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-They're still appropriate. Okay. Good. The other
question is, regarding the erosion control, what is the remedy if
a problem does occur? We've had two letters saying that there will
be no problem, but there's been no detail as to that effect. My
only concern is, if a problem does arise, what is the remedy, or
how is that take care of?
MR. PALING-Well, we have an enforcement control officer, and I
think that would fall into his bailiwick. If something goes wrong,
or isn't done right, then it would be up to John.
MR. HILTON-I think more importantly, at this location in one of our
Staff comment letters, we stated that a DEC permit has been issued
at this location. The DEC, they have attached conditions to their
permit, for erosion control methods. If something is to go wrong
here, I think our enforcement staff, if contacted, would refer the
matter to DEC, and they would be responsible for any clean up or
any monitoring.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-We do have a means of coming back and revisiting
the issue if it occurs?
MR. HILTON-You can certainly contact us.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-From a comment standpoint, to reiterate, I think,
some previous concerns that we had, although it seems to be
- 18 -
-../
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
improving., Number One, we are still concerned about the overall
size of the dock. It is still going to be 47 feet long. It's
still going to be twice as wide under the covered portion or
between the piers, lets say. The current configuration, I mean,
we'll take exception to what the Staff recommended. This is not in
character. Almost every other dock in this particular part of our
bay is a single slip dock. There's only one other that I'm aware
of, nearby. So this is different than what most people have in the
neighborhood.
MR. PALING-Just to modify one thing you said, if the wood deck is
removed, and then the dock itself is only 40 feet. It isn't 47.
MR. HILTON-It's 40 feet from the mean low water mark, which is the
requirement of the Zoning Ordinance.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-But that mean low water mark is approximately seven
feet from the beginning of the existing pier.
MRS. LABOMBARD-It would still be 47 feet from the shore.
MR. PALING-But not from the mean low water mark, which is the way
they're measured. All right. Okay.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-We still think that's excessive and three boats
will easily fit at the dock. His current boats that he owns have
been tied up to the dock, fit at the dock. We just don't see the
need for the excessive, the additional length. It's going to be
two slips under cover, as well as a slip on the outside of each
pier. So, again, that's a net addition of one slip to the existing
arrangement, at the minimum.
MR. RUEL-What's the average length of the dock for neighbors in the
area?
MR. MCCOLLISTER-I think they run something in the neighborhood of
30 to 35 feet. That would be my guess, and that's not the mean low
water. I mean, in the area people commonly start measuring their
deck where it starts, which is at the shoreline.
MR. RUEL-It meets the Zoning Ordinance, though.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-We still object.
MR. RUEL-What's the maximum on the Ordinance?
MR. HILTON-For length of a dock?
MR. RUEL-Yes, 40 feet?
MR. HILTON-40 feet from the mean low water mark.
MR. RUEL-So this is the maximum?
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-But it starts, in a way, it depends upon how you look at
it. It starts from seven feet from the shoreline, if you look back
here, if the mean low water mark is here, and that's the 40 foot
measurement.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-And our concern with the length relates to the
number of boats that are going to actually be at the dock. Up
until now there's been basically three rentals. Now there's two
rentals and one of his. He stated before that he's going to only
have three boats at that dock at any particular time. We would
like to see that become a stipulation, if it's approved.
- 19 -
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. BREWER-That's already in the Ordinance.
MR. HILTON-It's in the Ordinance, and if there's a violation, as a
concerned citizen, if you do have a concern, you can contact our
enforcement staff and we would certainly investigate the violation.
LINDA MCCOLLISTER
MRS. MCCOLLISTER-Can it become part of this particular application?
MR. RUEL-It is.
MRS. MCCOLLISTER-It is already?
MR. RUEL-Yes. It's in the Ordinance. It's written in the
Ordinance, and this application picks up the Ordinance number.
It's in there. As a matter of fact, I think it was discussed at
the last meeting.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-Well, what's in the Ordinance and what actually
takes place is sometimes different.
MR. PALING-But that's what we have an enforcement officer for, and
you're welcome to use that facility.
MR. RUEL-We always hope that the applicant will meet the
requirements of the Ordinance.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-I guess our concern is if that is really going to
take place or not.
MRS. MCCOLLISTER-I guess over the years we've seen more abuse to
these things than somebody abiding by it.
MR. PALING-We didn't have a Code Enforcement Office recently, but
it seems to be very effective, and you are certainly welcome to use
it. John Goralski is his name, and if you do have a problem, a
complaint, refer to John.
MR. RUEL-But be optimistic. You may not need him at all.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-The other concern we had was with regard to the
deck, and if the deck is going to be removed, then our objections
are dropped there.
MR. PALING-Right. That's all been committed to.
MR. RUEL-It's one of the conditions.
MRS. MCCOLLISTER-Did I hear correctly, will that be removed before
any construction can take place on this dock?
MR. HILTON-Before a building permit is issued.
MR. MCCOLLISTER-I guess that's it.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you. Is there anyone else who would care
to speak on this matter? Please come up.
MARY ELLEN MERRIGAN
DR. MERRIGAN-My name is Mary Ellen Merrigan, and I live at the end
of the road that this is on. My question, first, is about the
size. The agenda refers to it as a 40 by 40 foot U-Shaped dock.
MR. HILTON-40' by 40' .
DR. MERRIGAN-Okay. Do I have the same drawing that you all have?
- 20 -
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. PALING-I don't know. You can look at this one if you'd like.
That isn't the same drawing we have, no. It may be an older one or
a different one, but this is the one we're using, if you'd care to
look at it.
DR. MERRIGAN-Okay. I would like to know how the 40' by 40' is
arrived at, because the numbers that I see on this drawing that
we're all going by is 35'. It's 24 plus 6 plus 5. Okay.
MR. BREWER-I think what they're saying 40' by 40' is each leg of
it.
MR. HILTON-I think originally that the proposal was for a 40' by
40', and the applicant has since revised the plans to make it the
width smaller.
MR. PALING-Okay. So the width is 35 feet, as shown on the print.
MR. LECCE-From the meeting, the second meeting, on the record I
stated that the advertisement shows 40' by 40', but in essence it's
40' by 35' .
MR. PALING-Okay. So it is 40' by 35' .
DR. MERRIGAN-Since when you vote, these things get written down, I
would like you to be really careful.
MR. PALING-It is on the print, however. I read it too quick. It
is on the print, and we'll have to go by that.
MR. BREWER-So we can just say 35' by 40' in the motion.
MR. PALING-Right, either way.
DR. MERRIGAN-Okay. All right.
MR. STARK-It was advertised as 40' by 40'?
MRS. LABOMBARD-Yes.
MR. HILTON-It
application is.
opinion.
was advertised for something greater than the
So I don't think there's an error, in my personal
MR. PALING-All right.
DR. MERRIGAN-How do you arrive at the square footage?
MR. PALING-Multiple length times width, would be 40 times 35.
MR. HILTON-It would be the dock surface.
MR. PALING-I get about 608.
MR. HILTON-I think the official figure we had last time was
somewhere in the neighborhood of 661. I think I can reference the
letter.
MR. PALING-It'll be under 700 square feet.
MR. HILTON-661 square feet as noted in the July 19th letter from
Jim Martin to the Planning Board.
MR. PALING-Okay, 661.
DR. MERRIGAN-Okay. Is that using the 35?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
DR. MERRIGAN-This seems, in proportion to the house and the
property, and the drawing appears to me to be at least (lost
words) .
MRS. LABOMBARD-You're absolutely right what you're saying. We've
gone through it.
DR. MERRIGAN-I realize that it's under the number, but I also
understood from the last meeting I came to that you folks have the
option of having an opinion separate from that number, and of
expressing that opinion and making a finding, and I would ask you
to really consider helping us protect the character of the
neighborhood, and not letting it just become overrun.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Ma'am, could I make a little response to what you
just said? I know just where you're coming from, except, and
you're right, we do have the option of making an opinion. However,
when we make our opinion, it's very subjective, and he's got the
facts and figures. He is within all legal limits. When I make my
opinion, I don't have any numbers or any facts or figures at this
point to back my opinion up because it's so subjective, and that's
what kind of puts me in a quandary here as far as what's down on
here, when George read it. I'm making little notes, and it's
positive, positive, positive, positive, positive, positive.
There's no negatives. There's not one negative thing that he read,
except when YOU talk, what you're saying makes a lot of sense.
DR. MERRIGAN-Well, I didn't speak at the last meeting because I had
the same feeling that you had. I heard the people at this table
say, it's under the limit. It's in compliance, and I didn't bother
to speak, because I felt the same way. There are no negatives. It
meets all the standards, and then the Board voted, and one of the
people who voted no said I'm voting no because I don't like the
size, and I felt like, I didn't know you could do that, and he was
supported by the legal people over here who said, yes, if you don't
like the size, you can vote no. That's why there's a Board, and so
I did feel the way you expressed, but when I heard them say that,
yes, the Board has that right to not like the size, I would ask you
to consider the size and how it does effect the neighborhood,
because it appears that there is more than just the number, and
that's why there's a Board and you're entitled to not like it,
whether it meets the number or not.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Just where is your place?
DR. MERRIGAN-I'm at the end of the road.
MRS. LABOMBARD-All right. You know the big long dock that's right,
you know where the little point goes out, as you're standing on Mr.
Lecce's dock?
MR. STARK~North of the Lecce dock.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Just north of the Lecce, there's that big long dock,
and there's a little point that curves around.
DR. MERRIGAN-Yes.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Are you on the point that curves around?
DR. MERRIGAN-I'm on the inner part of the bay, the other way.
MRS. LABOMBARD-You're on the south end of the road.
DR. MERRIGAN-Further in to the corner of the bay, and that's illY
feeling. I've survived for 23 years with one dock space. Why does
someone need six, and I think it's to rent, and when you rent, you
bring in people, and people bring friends, and it turns it into a
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. HILTON-That's using the surface of the dock.
DR. MERRIGAN-Based on the drawing, not on the 40' by 40'?
MR. HILTON-Based on the drawing.
DR. MERRIGAN-Okay. I really have a very serious concern about the
number of boats that will be docked here, and I think when somebody
builds something, whether they promise you that it's going to be
one or two or three, that you have to look at the potential,
because the potential winds up being actualized, whether it's next
year or the next owner, even if someone builds something and
sincerely promises you that they have no intention of having extra
boats there, once you create that size dock, with the potential to
hold six boats, that potential will eventually be realized, even if
it's after the property changes hands. So my feeling is that
Seelye Road is a neighborhood. It's not a marina, and I would ask
your help in maintaining the character of the neighborhood, and not
turning it into a small marina there, which would have extra cars,
extra traffic, extra boats, traffic on the road, traffic in the
water, and then I would really like you to consider that, because
I have tried to get the person right next to me to stop renting, to
stop having six boats, and I have not been successful. We've gone
to the Park Commission, and the six boats are still there.
MR. MACEWAN-Have you contacted the Code Enforcement Officer in the
Town?
DR. MERRIGAN-It seemed like the Park Commission investigated it.
They came out. They talked to us. They went and looked at it, and
then nothing changed.
MR. MACEWAN-But have you contacted the Town of Queensbury's Code
Enforcement Officer?
DR. MERRIGAN-That's what I'm saying. I thought the Park Commission
was the route, since they said, yes, here we are.
MR. MACEWAN-Not necessarily. I would urge you to contact the Town.
DR. MERRIGAN-John Goralski?
MR. MACEWAN-Yes.
DR. MERRIGAN-Okay. Is it your feeling that something would be
done? Because currently those boats are sitting there.
MR. MACEWAN-I can tell you that he would definitely pay a visit out
there and take a look at the situation and render an opinion.
DR. MERRIGAN-Okay. Because there is a difference between what the
Ordinance might say and what is actually done in a lot of these
cases, and I have concerns, too, about the visual effect of it, why
the dock has to be, it looks to me like more than doubled. Do you
have the dimensions of the current dock?
MR. PALING-I don't have them, no. The dimensions called for are
well within the Ordinance. There's no violation of any kind.
You're saying the character of the neighborhood, we understand.
DR. MERRIGAN-The character of the neighborhood. Exactly. I have
a photo of how the dock looks right now, and if I could show it to
you.
MR. PALING-Okay. We've all visited there. So we've been up there.
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small marina, and I've seen it happen. That's all I have to say.
I appreciate your listening.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you. Does anyone else care to talk on this
matter?
MR. HILTON-I have a few letters.
MR. PALING-Okay. Go ahead, George.
MR. HILTON-First of all, I have a letter dated August 19, 1996, to
the Town of Queensbury Planning Board. It says "Dear Planning
Board members: We are writing regarding the Lecce Site Plan No.
26-96, and requesting you deny the site plan. Since lake frontage
is decreasing and the current dock space Mr. Lecce possesses seems
adequate, a larger dock appears to be desired for purposes of
additional moorings for boats. Lake George is already overburdened
with too many boats and the resulting offensive traffic, noise, and
pollution. Therefore, the desire to turn residential waterfront
into commercial usage would be detrimental to the lake and the
surrounding neighbors. Regarding the wood deck recently built, we
are concerned about the way zoning laws are being enforced at Lake
George. Recently, we had to repair our deck because it rotted out.
We made no dimensional changes of any kind. We were required to
get a building permit and go through two variance hearings, even
though we were merely repairing a part of our house. At least six
different town officials or representatives inspected our property
and deck. We don't understand why we were required to adhere to
the 'letter of the law' and Mr. Lecce is allowed to build a deck
,without any permit or variance hearings. Now, he asks for
additional dockage and nothing has been done about his breaking the
law by building the deck. It seems that some of us are made to
follow the zoning laws while others, like Mr. Lecce, just ignore
them and still get the courtesy of additional building variance
consideration. We can't see the fairness in this kind of law
enforcement. Sincerely, Sarah W. Wheeler D. Billings Wheeler,
Jr." I have a second letter here dated August 19, 1996, addressed
"Dear Members of the Planning Board: This is written in reference
to Site Plan No. 26-96 which involves a dock plan proposal of Mr.
Lou Lecce. It is our understanding that Mr. Lecce proposes a dock
expansion on his waterfront. In a July 19, 1996, memorandum to the
Planning Board on this matter, Zoning Administrator Jim Martin
points out that the proposed size and layout of the new dock are in
compliance with the Town Zoning Ordinance, and we recognize and
acknowledge this stipulation. However, the same document points
out that the applicant has preceded this application with the
unauthorized erection of a wood deck which would be integrated with
the proposed new dock configuration. Destructive shoreline clutter
and overburden will be the eventual consequence of this 'piecemeal'
system of constructing waterfront facilities. This proposal should
be evaluated and examined within the totality of all the eventual
shoreline construction, both that which has occurred without
authorization and that which is now proposed. In this context, the
overall impact of the expanded dock and deck complex would be
significant and substantial with respect to shoreline density,
intrusiveness upon those whose properties lie proximate, lakefront
ecology, and, potentially, marine traffic. Therefore, we urge a
comprehensive review of this matter which includes all facets of
the reconfigured waterfront structures, even if the now-completed
and unauthorized deck construction was done inadvertently. Such
review should include consideration of the overall impact upon
neighboring properties and appropriate measures to define and limit
the extent of marine use which the dock may accommodate. Thank you
for your consideration and attention with respect to these
concerns. Sincerely, Judy S. Wetherbee William B. Wetherbee"
MR. PALING-Now the Wetherbee's in the first letter, they live at
the lake also, nearby. They're neighbors?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. HILTON-Well, they live on the lake. They're not within 500
feet. I think they're up on Cleverdale, closer to the Mooring Post
Marina, but they have concerns. I have a letter dated August 19,
1996, from Kathleen M. Tarrant. It says, "Regarding the
application for Lecce 26-96 for expansion, please be advised that
we are opposed to any changes which will permit additional boats to
be docked or rented at said location. This area of Lake George is
already over crowded and literally lined with docks and boats.
When will the governing boards for the Town of Queensbury say
'Enough', and enforce the existing laws rather than allow variance
after variance after variance. We are also very concerned with a
deck that was built on this property without the proper review and
authority, and is in direct violation of the codes. It is also an
'eyesore', and the type of construction that is meant to be
prohibited with proper enforcement of the regulations. After years
of attempting to control development in this bay, only to have this
type of activity approved by the board is not only personally
frustrating, but results in dire consequences for the long-term
quality of the lake. Sincerely, Kathleen and John Tarrant" That's
all we have for public comment.
MR. PALING-Okay. Again, I'll ask if there's anyone else who would
care to talk on this matter.
JIM MERRIGAN
DR. J. MERRIGAN-My name is Jim Merrigan. I live at the end of
Seelye Road. Mary Ellen is my wife. I came in a little bit late
today. I spoke to you last time. Basically, I share the concerns
of my neighbors about traffic, safety, the size of the project,
feeling that it doesn't need to be that large, and the fact that
Warner Bay is beginning to look like Warner parking lot, and I
think that we've been on the lake since 1973, and there's probably
been 100% increase in the number of boats. I think it happens in
small ways like this, and I think that we need to take some action
to prohibit that and protect the lake. Thank you.
MR. PALING-Thank you.
ROSE GUERRA
MRS. GUERRA-I'm Rose Guerra. I also live on the road, Seelye Road,
and I'd just like to make my comment noted that I agree with my
neighbors regarding this dock. Seelye Road is a very narrow,
narrow road. There is increased traffic. People do not follow the
speed limit. If you're only up there for a day, or a week, you're
not really too interested in what's going on. I don't see any need
for the dock to be this big. That's all I have to say. Thank you.
MR. PALING-Thank you.
MRS. ROBERT MIDDLETON
MRS. MIDDLETON-I'm Mrs. Robert Middleton. I live on Seelye Road.
I'm a few doors away from the Lecce property. I'm concerned with
the added traffic that this would involve, not only in boat traffic
but also on the road. As Mrs. Guerra stated, the property around
this particular site is very crowded now. We have many new
families with many, many children, and we get a lot of rental
people now. So it's hard to understand why you would want to put
more boats into this Bay, and more cars. That's all. Thank you.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you. Is there anyone else who would care
to talk on this matter?
MR. LECCE-Just to reference the comments made about additional
boating, boats, I'll go on record again. The intent of this dock
is not to have additional boats be moored or docked or stay at the
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property. I went on record from Day One that this boathouse is
being used for my own personal use, and it's not going to increase
any more traffic on the road than currently exists. The comment
made that there already exists enough traffic. Just because I
bought my house two years ago, does that mean I'm not allowed to
increase any traffic, or to drive to my house or have people visit?
The intent of this boathouse is not to rent. I've gone on record
with that from Day One, since the June meeting. So I just want
that to be on record again, that that is my intent not to rent
slips to anybody at the site, and as far as the environment itself,
other boathouses, directly across the Bay from me I think there's
a double boathouse, covered. Next door to that is another double
wide boathouse. Tarrant, who stressed the concern, that's the
boathouse where you come around the Bay and you go back out to the
Point, it's that big dock structure that sticks way out into the
lake. I believe every dock up and down the shore exceeds mine by
at least 10 or 15 feet into the water, because I'm located within
a little cove area. So I think the dock itself would be consistent
with the length as the other docks that currently exist on the
lake. So I don't think that adversely impacts the nature of the
environment or area of the other docks that are on the lake.
MR. PALING-Okay. Anyone else? Okay. If not, then we'll close the
public hearing.
PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
MR. PALING-All right. So that is the official public hearing now
is open and it is closed, and this is Type II. So we don't need a
-SEQRA.
MR. STARK-George, if this dock is to start seven feet out from the
shoreline, okay, at the mean low water mark, how do you get from
the shore to the dock then, where it starts, or is the dock
starting on the shoreline, and then if it does start at the
shoreline and go out 47 feet, is that first seven feet added into
the square footage that you calculated?
MR. HILTON-The first seven feet is counted in to the square footage
that was measured. As far as reaching the dock from land, the dock
would come up to the shore. They would step off the property onto
the dock, off the land onto the dock.
MR. PALING-It's going to start 'at the mean low water mark.
MR. HILTON-The physical construction of the dock will start where
the land meets the water, but the length as defined in the Zoning
Ordinance is 40 feet from the mean low water mark. So if the mean
low water mark were two feet off the shoreline, he or she, any
applicant, would have that extra two feet of length, in addition to
the 40 from the mean low water mark.
MR. SCHACHNER-If it was 15, it would be 15.
MR. STARK-So you figured the length of the dock at 47 feet.
MR. HILTON-We figured the length, for square footage purposes, yes,
but as far as length, we were referencing the Zoning Ordinance
which says 40 feet from the mean low water mark.
MR. MACEWAN-Educate me on the mean low water mark. Is that
something that's established by the Army Corps of Engineers, that
all along the shoreline is seven feet off, or is it, I guess what
I'm asking, could it be less or more depending on the areas of the
lake?
MR. HILTON-It's an elevation. I think it's a base elevation. I'm
not sure if it's Lake George Park Commission, APA or the State that
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
sets the level.
MR. SCHACHNER-It's not APA.
MR. MACEWAN-It's the Army Corps of Engineers.
MR. SCHACHNER-I'm not sure who it is.
MR. MACEWAN-My question is, could it be different?
fluctuate as you go around the shore of the lake?
Does it
MR. HILTON-I would think it would.
MR. BREWER-Yes, because it's an elevation.
MRS. LABOMBARD-It has to do with sea level.
MR. BREWER-Right. It's an elevation.
MR. PALING-I guess I'm just thick tonight, or every night. This
dock is going to start at the mean low water mark?
MR. BREWER-No, only for the purpose of measuring the length of, it,
Bob. The length of the dock, the measurement.
MR. PALING-Cannot go beyond where I'm looking at on this print.
MR. HILTON-Cannot go beyond, the length of the dock cannot go
beyond 40 feet from the mean.
MR. PALING-Well, it can't start closer to the shoreline unless they
narrow it and push it in that little inlet. It's too wide.
MR. BREWER-No, Bob. Imagine this as an imaginary line in the
water. You measure it from this point, 40 feet for purposes of the
length.
MR. PALING-All right, and that's the outer limit.
MR. BREWER-That's the limit.
MR. HILTON-But the mean low water mark could be five feet off the
shore, it could be ten. It varies.
MR. PALING-You're saying the mean low water mark is going vary.
All right, but the original question to you was, how do you get on
the dock?
MR. HILTON-You get on the dock from walking off the property onto
the dock.
MR. PALING-There is no deck.
MR. HILTON-There is a deck now.
will remove it.
The applicant has said that he
MR. PALING-There will be no deck. So the answer to the question
is, you'll walk from the sand onto the dock.
MR. HILTON-Right.
onto the dock.
From the property, from the physical property
MR. PALING-And if that happens to be five feet out, then it's going
to be five added to the seven that's there now on that little
inlet.
MR. BREWER-Right.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. MACEWAN-I don't think it met the requirements of the zoning
code 179-38 B & D.
MR. PALING-Tell us what those are, please.
MR. MACEWAN-It's self sufficient. It's right in there. Read it.
MR. PALING-Well, wait a minute, so everybody can understand.
MR. MACEWAN-Number One, I don't think it was in harmony with the
intent of the Chapter. I think it would have an adverse effect on
both the scenic and the aesthetic qualities of the area.
MR. STARK-I concur.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Ditto.
MR. BREWER-I agree with that also, but just to it, I don't think
just because the numbers meet the Ordinance, we don't have a right
to make a change and lessen the effect, and I think that's what
we're doing here. I think we had the right to do that, it's in the
Ordinance to do it. I think that's our right, and that's my
opinion.
MR. PALING-We have the right. There's no question about it on the
character of the neighborhood basis, there is the right.
MR. BREWER-I mean the whole Article V, that's what the whole, t,he
site plan is all about, and I see areas in that Article V that this
doesn't meet, and that's how I base my vote.
MR. MACEWAN-I think it should be added, too, that the Board, and
I'm not speaking for everyone, might be more receptive to an
alternative plan.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Yes. That's true.
MR. PALING-So it has been turned down.
MR. SCHACHNER-Technically, it has not been turned down.
Technically all that has happened is that a motion to approve has
not been carried. So if the Board intends to dispose of this
matter tonight one way or the other, then my recommendation is that
there be a motion for denial, and that that motion state the
grounds, within the motion, so that the record is clear as to what
the grounds for denial would be, if you intend to dispose of this
matter tonight. Obviously, you're not obligated to do that.
MR. BREWER-I feel in my opinion, I don't know how everybody else
feels, but if the applicant wishes to bring back an alternative
plan, I'm open to that idea.
MRS. LABOMBARD-I am, too.
MR. BREWER-Rather than deny it and make him go through the whole
application process.
MRS. LABOMBARD-I feel the same way, yes.
MR. PALING-Well, could we table it under those conditions?
MR. BREWER-No, I mean, that's totally up to the applicant.
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, you can't force the applicant to come back with
a revised plan. You can table this if you like, because you're not
obligated to make any decision for another 62 days. So you don't
have to decide this application tonight. That's why I prefaced my
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
MR. PALING-You might say, because it has been discussed, you might
say, and that there will be no rentals considered. I know it's
part of the Ordinance, but.
MR. RUEL-I don't think that should be added, because you might as
well repeat everything in the Ordinance.
MR. PALING-Sometimes it's good to send a message.
MR. RUEL-Well then you add it.
MR. PALING-It's your motion. If you don't want it, forget it.
MR. RUEL-Right. It's my motion. I don't want it.
MR. PALING-Okay. So be it. Do we have a second?
MR. MACEWAN-I guess not.
MR. PALING-Okay. There is no second. All right. Then that
becomes, at this moment, an item of no action. We can make, a-new
motion can be entertained.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-Does anyone care to make a new motion?
MR. BREWER-Does this fall under the default?
MR. SCHACHNER-Site plan? No.
MR. RUEL-Could you ask why there's no second on it, if anybody
wants to volunteer.
MR. PALING-Yes. We can poll, we'll poll the Board, because when we
do something like that, we should be able to acknowledge why.
MR. RUEL-If we have noes, I'd like to know why.
MR. MACEWAN-No one voted no.
MRS. LABOMBARD-We haven't voted no.
MR. PALING-Well, there was no second.
MR. MACEWAN-There's a big difference between not giving a motion
and voting no.
MRS. LABOMBARD-We just don't want to pass that motion.
MR. PALING-All right. I'll tell you what. Make your motion again.
MR. BREWER-Why? The motion still stands.
MR. RUEL-Yes, it stands.
MR. PALING-All right. The motion stands. I'll second it.
AYES: Mr. Ruel, Mr. Paling
NOES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Brewer
MR. PALING-All right. Now, may we poll the Board? Because now
it's been voted down.
MR. MACEWAN-You're asking me why I voted no?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. MACEWAN-I don't think it met the requirements of the zoning
code 179-38 B & D.
MR. PALING-Tell us what those are, please.
MR. MACEWAN-It's self sufficient. It's right in there. Read it.
MR. PALING-Well, wait a minute, so everybody can understand.
MR. MACEWAN-Number One, I don't think it was in harmony with the
intent of the Chapter. I think it would have an adverse effect on
both the scenic and the aesthetic qualities of the area.
MR. STARK-I concur.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Ditto.
MR. BREWER-I agree with that also, but just to it, I don't think
just because the numbers meet the Ordinance, we don't have a right
to make a change and lessen the effect, and I think that's what
we're doing here. I think we had the right to do that, it's in the
Ordinance to do it. I think that's our right, and that's my
opinion.
MR. PALING-We have the right. There's no question about it on the
character of the neighborhood basis, there is the right.
MR. BREWER-I mean the whole Article V, that's what the whole, the
site plan is all about, and I see areas in that Article V that this
doesn't meet, and that's how I base my vote.
MR. MACEWAN-I think it should be added, too, that the Board, and
I'm not speaking for everyone, might be more recepti ve to an
alternative plan.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Yes. That's true.
MR. PALING-So it has been turned down.
MR. SCHACHNER-Technically, it has not been turned down.
Technically all that has happened is that a motion to approve has
not been carried. So if the Board intends to dispose of this
matter tonight one way or the other, then my recommendation is that
there be a motion for denial, and that that motion state the
grounds, within the motion, so that the record is clear as to what
the grounds for denial would be, if you intend to dispose of this
matter tonight. Obviously, you're not obligated to do that.
MR. BREWER-I feel in my opinion, I don't know how everybody else
feels, but if the applicant wishes to bring back an alternative
plan, I'm open to that idea.
MRS. LABOMBARD-I am, too.
MR. BREWER-Rather than deny it and make him go through the whole
application process.
MRS. LABOMBARD- I feel the same way, yes.
MR. PALING-Well, could we table it under those conditions?
MR. BREWER-No, I mean, that's totally up to the applicant.
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, you can't force the applicant to come back with
a revised plan. You can table this if you like, because you're not
obligated to make any decision for another 62 days. So you don't
have to decide this application tonight. That's why I prefaced my
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
remarks earlier by saying if you wish to decide this application or
dispose of this application tonight. You can't force the applicant
to come back with an alternative plan, but if you want, you can
make a motion, you could certainly ask the applicant. That's
perfectly appropriate.
MR. PALING-Well, it appears that the objection to the dock is the
size, and the length to which it goes out. Could you kind of come
back up and comment as to what you would like to do from here.
MR. LECCE-Let me address the Board. What size would be acceptable?
MR. PALING-That's a good question.
MR. LECCE-We've gone through this process since June, and I've
asked input from the Board since June and I've got new input.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Well, I could probably start you off on that. First
of all, 47 feet out from the shoreline, right away, even though
it's within compliance, it's still awfully long. So maybe,
considering the seven feet, up to the mean low water mark, maybe
then you should just, you should have the dock seven feet shorter.
MR. LECCE-Okay. Would the Board propose removing the dock from the
application? And proceeding with the sandy beach and the retaining
wall?
MRS. LABOMBARD-That was something I was thinking about earlier. I,
personally, feel that what you've done on the other side with the
beach is fine, and all the questions that we had that first night
you've answered and addressed and I don't think there's going to be
any problem over there.
MR. BREWER-Can we do that, Mark?
MRS. LABOMBARD-I think the main thing is the dock, at this point.
MR. PALING-We have two beaches. Lets clarify which beach we're
talking about, the sandy beach which was going to be there anyway,
or the one created by the removal of the wooden deck?
MR. LECCE-There's no beach under the wooden deck.
MRS. LABOMBARD-There's no beach under there.
MR. BREWER-No. That's on land.
MR. PALING-Then the sandy beach would stay, as it is on the plan.
MR. LECCE-Correct.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, Tim's asking if you can do that, and I'm not
wild about partial decisions. I mean, there's an application
pending before the Board, and it seems to me that if the Board
should dispose of that application, I don't mean toniqht
necessarily, but I'm a little troubled at the notion of a partial
decision, deciding on only part of an application and not the
entire application. I don't think that makes for a very neat and
clean administrative record.
MR. BREWER-How about we table until next week, come back with just
a different drawing with the elimination of the dock on there?
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, the applicant can certainly modify the
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
application, or withdraw parts of the application. I mean, the
applicant has some control over that situation, certainly.
MR. PALING-Well, we'll have to re-open the public hearing, I would
assume.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Couldn't you make a motion where you would use as a
stipulation the fact that the dock hasn't met our approval but the
rest of the plan has? And so you could go on with the rest of the
plan as far as the beach goes, and you could use a stipulation in
the motion, and the dock part would be the stipulation?
MR. SCHACHNER-If you mean that that's the decision on this
application, if the decision on this application is the beach, and
what is the other part, not the dock, but whatever the other part
is.
MR. LECCE-The retaining wall.
MRS. LABOMBARD-The retaining wall.
MR. SCHACHNER-The beach and the retaining wall was approved, and
the dock is denied. If that's your decision, yes, you can dispose
of this application by making that decision. That means that
application number whatever, 26-96, has been decided, and that
means that if the applicant wants this Board to consider another
application for the dock, he has to submit a new application and be
put on an agenda, have a new public hearing, and go through the
process.
MR. LECCE-I have no problem with that.
MR. PALING-All right. Then if you don't, then lets do it, because
it'll include a public hearing, and everyone that is involved will
have an opportunity to come back and talk again.
MR. LECCE-I think I misunderstood. I thought Mark said that you
could still make a vote today, removing the dock, denying the dock
but approving the beach and the retaining wall this evening.
MR. SCHACHNER-That's precisely what I said.
MR. PALING-Yes. Right. We can rescind the previous.
MR. SCHACHNER-No, you don't have to rescind anything. All that
happened under the previous motion was there was a motion to
approve, and that motion did not pass, because only two people
voted in favor of it.
MR. HILTON-If I may, when we say removing the dock, where does the
boathouse sit in all this?
MR. LECCE-Well, I think the dock and boathouse is part of that one
issue.
MR. HILTON-Okay. So you're going to remove the boathouse, also,
out of this application?
MR. LECCE-Exactly.
MR. HILTON-Okay.
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, wait. That's not mY understanding. My
understanding is the application remains as it is. What is being
discussed, without binding the Board to its decision, but what's
being discussed is that the application/decision will be approving
certain parts of the application and denying other parts of the
application. That's my understanding of what's being proposed, not
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altering the application.
MR. LECCE-Correct. That's my understanding.
MR. SCHACHNER-That appears to be the applicant's understanding, but
more importantly, we need to make sure that the Board is all
comfortable with this.
MR. PALING-Yes.
effect.
All right.
We'll entertain a motion to that
MOTION TO APPROVE SITE PLAN NO. 26-96 LOU & CHRISTINE LECCE,
Introduced by Catherine LaBombard who moved for its adoption,
seconded by Craig MacEwan:
To have the application remain as it is, but only to approve in
this motion the sandy beach and the retaining wall, but deny the
boathouse/dock.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: Mr. Stark, Mr. Ruel
ABSENT: Mr. West
MR. BREWER-So he's got the beach and the wall.
MR. PALING-The beach and the wall, and then you'll come back with
a modified.
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, he may. That's up to the applicant, and I
don't think it's appropriate for this Board to try to force the
applicant to come back with an application or not. He certainly
can avail himself of that opportunity.
MR. PALING-Okay.
NEW BUSINESS:
SITE PLAN NO. 52-96 TYPE II STACIE A. HOPKINS OWNER; SAME
ZONE: SR-1A LOCATION: LEFT ON QUAKER ROAD, LEFT ON RIDGE ROAD,
4 1/2 MI., 1ST LIGHT, RIGHT ON SUNNYSIDE EAST, .6 MI. RIGHT ON
DRIVEWAY JUST BEFORE CREEK OVERPASS. APPLICANT IS PROPOSING TO
CONSTRUCT A 1,066 SQ. FT. GARAGE AND 1,066 SQ. FT. LIVING SPACE
ABOVE (DUPLEX). WARREN CO. PLANNING: 8/21/96 TAX MAP NO. 54-1-36
LOT SIZE: 4.001 ACRES SECTION: 179-19
PETER O'CONNELL, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, 52-96, Stacie A. Hopkins, Meeting Date: August
20, 1996 "The applicant is proposing to construct 1066 sq. ft. of
new living space and a 1066 sq. ft. garage on a four acre piece of
property located on Ridge Rd. The additional living space would be
a separate dwelling than what already exists at this location. The
present zoning of the property, SR-1A, allows for a duplex to be
constructed after site plan approval by the Planning Board. Staff
has reviewed this application in accordance with the approval
requirements listed in Section 179-38 and has the following
comments. The proposed addition would consist of a first floor
garage/storage area and a second floor of new living space. The
addition will be accessed by a gravel driveway to be built off of
an existing stone drive. Permeability and setback requirements for
the SR-IA zoning district will be met at this location. Staff
foresees no adverse environmental impacts associated with this
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request. The additional building area and small reduction in site
permeability could result in some minor stormwater management
concerns. As a result, staff would recommend that some method of
stormwater retention such as gutters or eave trenches be shown on
any plans submitted for a building permit. The amount of garage
area proposed is 1066 sq. ft. The Zoning Ordinance limits the area
of a garage to 900 sq. ft. The applicant has submitted plans to
staff that show a wall to be constructed on the first floor to
separate the garage area from a proposed storage area. The new
amount of garage square footage will be 768 sq. ft. Staff has
reviewed the revised plans and finds them in compliance with the
Zoning Ordinance. Staff recommends approval of Site Plan No. 52-96
with the stipulation that some method of stormwater management be
incorporated into any plans to be submitted for a building permit
for the proposed duplex."
MR. HILTON-As an additional note, this application requires no
Warren County approval.
MR. 0' CONNELL- I got a letter to go tomorrow night because I'm
within 500 feet of the County Road. My name is Peter O'Connell.
I'm here for Stacie A. Hopkins, my wife.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. HILTON-If the applicant does have to go to Warren County
tomorrow, we would just offer a stipulation that proof of Warren
County decision be presented at the time of building permit.
MR. PALING-What's the indecision, in regard to the County thing?
What's the indecision there?
MR. SCHACHNER- I'm not sure why it hasn't been reviewed. Typically,
the County Planning Board meets on the second Wednesday, and I'm
not sure if something changed for this month. It seems to me the
second Wednesday has to have passed already.
MR. PALING-Okay. Well, they just didn't get to reviewing that.
MR. HILTON-Well, no, I can explain that.
MR. SCHACHNER-And that's one of the reasons that this Board meets
not until the third and fourth Tuesdays. We can't proceed, if
something's been referred to the County, unless more than 30 days
have elapsed since that referral, we can't make a decision on an
application unless it's already been reviewed by the County
Planning Board.
MR. HILTON-As far as Staff goes, we have a particularly odd month
where the County, I guess their vacation, the members of the County
Planning Board have their vacation earlier in the month, and had to
postpone their meeting date until tomorrow, and Staff and Zoning
Administrator call on this one was to require applicants that
needed County approval to present that at the time of building
permit.
MR. PALING-All right. Well, it could be approved pending County
approval.
MR. SCHACHNER-Not lawfully it can't be.
MR. PALING-Well, what do we do then?
MR. BREWER-So what do we do about previous applicants?
MR. SCHACHNER-There weren't any, that I'm aware of.
MR. BREWER-Okay.
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MR. PALING-Well, can we go ahead or what?
MR. SCHACHNER-You can go ahead and review your application. You
can conduct your public hearing, you can do whatever you want, but
it's not legal to make your decision prior to receiving the
recommendation from the County Planning Board.
MR. PALING-Well, then we'd table it.
MR. SCHACHNER-Sure, that's fine, or just don't make a decision
tonight.
MR. PALING-All right. Then we'll proceed with this. George, do
you have any other information or letters or anything?
MR. HILTON-No, no other public input. The only additional comment
I would have is if we are going to table this, until the County
votes on it, we would open the public hearing, leave it open, and
specify that we could hear it next week.
MR. PALING-Yes. Okay. We're going to go through with all our
regular discussions, and then open a public hearing.
MR. RUEL-Why don't you just table it?
MR. PALING-Well, you can't when you advertise. You've got the
public here. You've got to give them the chance, if they want to
speak, to speak.
MR. BREWER-Yes, I agree.
MR. PALING-Okay. Is the height of this building 31 feet?
MR. O'CONNELL-In height? Correct.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. RUEL-Is that from the finished grade?
MR. O'CONNELL-Yes, it is.
MR. PALING-And you noticed the, what is your comment about the
stormwater management?
MR. O'CONNELL-Well, the fill I have on my property is very sandy
and very perky. I don't seem to have a problem with that right
now. I have gutters on my house right now, which is also the same
size that the addition is going to be. I have no problems with
putting gutters, actually I plan on putting gutters on the new
addition, but with rain runoff, I don't see a problem. What I'm
going to do is eventually I'm going to blacktop my whole driveway,
in addition to where I'll be putting the new addition. It will all
be blacktop area, and it's going to pitch down, you know, with a
grade going down toward where this storm drains, and I have a big
creek in my back yard.
MR. PALING-George, are you with us on this?
MR. HILTON-Yes, I'm listening.
MR. O'CONNELL-A big portion of my property is wetlands right now.
MR. RUEL-Just a question for the applicant. Mr. O'Connell, your
plan doesn't show it, but you had mentioned somewhere about a
future attic, and I don't see any access to it.
MR. HILTON-The access will be through the garage or through the
main structure, the home right now.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. RUEL-It can't be through the garage.
MR. HILTON-Well, you can walk in, and if you look on the floor plan
that I just handed you, there's an entry way from the garage area
into the existing home.
MR. RUEL-Yes, but I'm talking about the attic. You can't get there
from the garage.
MR. HILTON-Okay. I thought we were discussing second floor space.
MR. O'CONNELL-I had put down, yes, for future attic, in case I ever
wanted to cut in a stairwell there. I would put that basically in
the living room area.
MR. RUEL-Yes, well, if you could add that to the plan. You'll have
a chance now. Just put in future.
MR. O'CONNELL-Draw in like a future pull down staircase?
MR. RUEL-Yes.
MR. O'CONNELL-That's no problem.
MR. RUEL-Okay, and I have a question for Staff.
bedroom.
He's adding a
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. RUEL-This would alter the septic requirements, wouldn't it?
MR. HILTON-The septic requirements would, there'd be some concern
over that. The ultimate review on that would be our Building and
Codes Department. Preliminary review indicates that the septic
will be able to handle the increased load at present time.
MR. RUEL-It was reviewed?
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. RUEL-I see. So there's no problem there?
MR. HILTON-No.
MR. PALING-You say that's a yes, that it is okay?
MR. HILTON-It's okay. There is no problem.
MR. PALING-All right, and are you satisfied with the guttering that
has been discussed?
MR. HILTON-Yes. That's fine, as long as what's there is extended.
MR. RUEL-will that be shown on the plan?
MR. O'CONNELL-If you'd like me to draw it in, yes, I will. If not,
maybe I can just kind of draw it in and just write it down, also.
MR. RUEL-Yes.
MR. PALING-Well, what Staff is saying, it would have to be on any
plans submitted for building permit.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. O'CONNELL-Okay. Now how do I have to go about this? Do I have
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
to get a stamp by an engineer prior to getting a permit?
MR. HILTON-No. I believe you can just submit these plans that you
have.
MR. PALING-We don't require an engineering stamp.
MR. RUEL-This is a mother-in-law apartment?
MR. O'CONNELL-It's my mother-in-law, yes.
MR. RUEL-But you're getting a big benefit out of a two car garage.
MR. O'CONNELL-Yes, I am. I've got to do something. She's got MS
so she can't walk.
MR. RUEL-Did you have a garage originally?
MR. O'CONNELL-No. I have a shed on the property. I only moved up
about three months ago. So, I'm pretty happy about getting a
garage.
MR. RUEL-Yes. Is there a driveway?
MR. O'CONNELL-Yes. My driveway is about 150 feet long by about 9
feet wide, and I'm also doing some excavating, which I got a permit
from the DEC, because I'm within the 100 foot buffer.
MR. RUEL-Okay. Thank you.
MR. PALING-All right. Lets go to the public hearing on this. Is
there anyone here that cares to speak on this matter?
PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
MR. PALING-Okay. The public hearing will remain open.
MOTION TO TABLE SITE PLAN NO. 52-96 STACIE A. HOPKINS, Introduced
by Roger Ruel who moved for its adoption, seconded by George Stark:
Until such time as the Warren County Planning Board input.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
MR. HILTON-Yes. You can certainly do that, but I want, if anyone
comes in and reads the minutes, and wants to know when this item is
going to be heard next, they can just look at prepared minutes and
say, yes, until which time that Warren County has comments
prepared, but the intent is to hear it a week from today.
MR. O'CONNELL-Am I under the impression here that I'm supposed to
see the County prior to coming here?
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. RUEL-Get Warren County Planning Board input.
MR. PALING-You may have tried that, but they weren't available.
MR. O'CONNELL-No. I wasn't aware of it, because I've been working
on this for a couple of months, and naturally I would have taken
that step.
MR. PALING-Well, they weren' t available anyway. So we're
tabling it until they're available and you can get to them.
before we proceed, we have to have your consent to table it.
just
Now
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. SCHACHNER-Bob, I don't know how to phrase this without capital
letters and underscoring it. YOU DON'T NEED THE APPLICANT'S
CONSENT TO TABLE IT. In no situation do you need the applicant's
consent to table it. The only one I could think of would be a
subdivision, if 62 days were about to run out after the public
hearing, and you've never had that situation.
,MR. PALING-Okay. Well, we've done it that way time and time again,
Mark.
MR. SCHACHNER-And I've said, and I don't mean to be stubborn about
this, but I've said time and time again, we don't need the
applicant's consent. Getting the applicant's consent is fine, but
I get concerned whenever you say we need to have the applicant's
consent.
MR. PALING-All right.
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel,
Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West
MR. PALING-Hopefully we'll see you next week.
MR. O'CONNELL-Is that what the word tabling means, to put me off
until next week?
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. HILTON-Peter, if you want to call me tomorrow, just call me.
MR. O'CONNELL-Okay, good, and I'll let you know how I made out.
Thank you.
MRS. LABOMBARD-You're welcome.
MR. PALING-Okay.
SITE PLAN NO. 47-96 TYPE: ROBERT ORBAN OWNER: SAME ZONE:
SFR-10 LOCATION: 132 DIXON ROAD RENOVATION OF EXISTING SPACE FOR
PROFESSIONAL OCCUPANCY. SITE PLAN REVIEW IS REQUIRED AS A
CONDITION OF USE VARIANCE NO. 9-1995 APPROVAL. CROSS REFERENCE:
UV 9-1995, SP 13-95 TAX MAP NO. 101-1-14, 15 LOT SIZE: 20,550
SQ. FT. SECTION: 179-20
ROBERT ORBAN, PRESENT
MR. RUEL-I have a question for Staff. George, on this application
here, 47-96, isn't it overkill to have Planning Board involved in
moving walls around for interior renovation? It's kind of heavy,
isn't it?
MR. HILTON-It would seem that way, but under the current zoning of
this property and the Use Variance, any additional occupancy of
this structure requires a site plan review. This use is normally
a use that requires a site plan review. So even though we're
moving walls around, there's an additional business that's coming
into this location. It has to be reviewed as a site plan.
MR. PALING-Okay. I have the same questions, but I think we ought
to just put our questions aside and proceed and get the job done.
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 47-96, Meeting Date: August 20,
1996 "The applicant is proposing renovation of existing space for
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
professional occupancy. Under Use Variance 9-1995, which was
approved by the ZBA on March 22, 1995, the applicant is limited to
no more than two principal occupants at this location. The
applicant should be aware that the use of this office space is
limited to those listed in the Use Variance resolution. No
exterior modifications or expansions are proposed at this location.
Staff foresees no negative impacts associated with the operation of
a use as outlined in the resolution for Use Variance 9-1995. Staff
recommends approval of Site Plan No. 47-96. One point of
clarification: The SEQR designation for this project is Type II,
no further action required."
MR. PALING-Okay. Would you identify yourselves please.
DR. ORBAN-My name is Dr. Robert Orban. I'm the owner of the
property at 123 Dixon Road. This is Dr. Paul Shultze. He is the
potential occupant of the proposed space that will be renovated.
MR. PALING-Okay. Do you have any comments or difference with the
Staff Notes that were just read?
DR. ORBAN-I have none.
MR. PALING-No? Okay. Any questions or comments?
MR. RUEL-I've got a question for George. What was that statement
you made about the Building Inspector should check what?
MR. HILTON-On this application?
MR. RUEL-Yes.
MR. HILTON-I don't believe I said anything.
MR. RUEL-You wanted them to check the Use Variance?
MR. HILTON-No. I'm saying that the applicant is limited to the
uses that were outlined in the initial Use Variance.
MR. RUEL-Yes.
MR. HILTON-No.
Did you want somebody to check that, did you say?
It's just a matter of clarification.
MR. PALING-It's passed by the ZBA. That's what they're limited to.
MR. HILTON-And the applicant, I assume, is going to state what type
of use is going in there tonight.
MR. RUEL-All right.
Okay.-
I'm sorry.
I thought it was a condition.
MR. PALING-All right. Lets go to the public hearing on this
matter. Does anyone here care to talk on this matter?
PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
JOYCE WILSON
MRS. WILSON-I'm Joyce Wilson from 2 Hughes Court. I live across
the street from this gentleman's business, and it's a pleasantly
addition to the neighborhood. I'm very pleased with it. So I'm
for anything that goes in there.
MR. PALING-Very good. Thank you very much.
MRS. WILSON-You're quite welcome.
MR. PALING-Is there anyone else?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
MR. PALING-This does not require a SEQRA or anything.
MR. RUEL-I don't know. It just says, Type:, nothing.
MR. PALING-Go right to a motion.
MOTION TO APPROVE SITE PLAN NO. 47-96 ROBERT ORBAN, Introduced by
Roger Ruel who moved for its adoption, seconded by Catherine
LaBombard:
To renovate existing space for professional occupancy.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
MR. BREWER-Yes, with the proviso that I would like to commend you
on the job you've done with the building.
DR. ORBAN-Thank you.
MR. STARK-Yes, and I'd like to add Mr. Brewer's comment.
DR. ORBAN-Thank you.
AYES: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel, Mr. Brewer, Mr. MacEwan,
Mr. Stark, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. Ruel
MR. HILTON-Just one last Staff comment, it's minor, on
application. There was a condition of Use Variance 9-1995
site plan would be required for any use at this location.
that's why they're here.
this
that
So
MR. RUEL-Limited to whatever that indicates.
MR. HILTON-Limited to.
MR. PALING-Okay.
DR. ORBAN-Thank you.
MR. PALING-Thank you.
SITE PLAN NO. 53-96 TYPE: UNLISTED BMI SUPPLY OWNER:
ADIRONDACK INDUSTRIAL PARK ZONE: LI-1A LOCATION: WEST SIDE OF
QUEENSBURY (COUNTY LINE ROAD) SOUTH OF HICKS ROAD - SITE IS FIRST
VACANT LOT NORTH OF EXISTING MASONRY WAREHOUSE OWNED BY ADIRONDACK
INDUSTRIAL PARK. PROPOSAL IS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF 6,000 SQ. FT.
OFFICE/WAREHOUSE AND ASSOCIATED SITE WORK. BEAUTIFICATION COMM.:
8/12/96 WARREN CO. PLANNING: 8/21/96 TAX MAP NO. 55-2-19.5 LOT
SIZE: 1.603 ACRES SECTION: 179-26
TOM NACE, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 53-96, BMI Supply, Meeting Date:
August 20, 1996 "This application is for a 6000 sq. ft.
warehouse/office building to be built on a 1.6 acre lot zoned LI-
lA. Staff has reviewed this site plan in accordance with Section
179-38 and has the following comments. Parking, permeability,
setbacks and landscaping all conform to Zoning Ordinance
requirements. Comments from the Washington County Wastewater and
Town of Queensbury Water officials must be addressed prior to the
issuance of a building permit at this location. Signs at this
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
location are not being approved as a part of this application. A
separate sign permit must be applied for prior to installation of
signage at this location. The proposed access to this lot does not
contain an ingress/egress island as required by Section 179-66B,4.
The access to this lot as indicated on Subdivision 8-1990 is off of
a proposed new road tentatively named "Marcy Drive". As a part of
this site plan the applicant is proposing a curb cut off of
Queensbury Avenue which was previously not identified at the time
of subdivision. Staff recommends that the applicant's access to
this lot be redesigned through the area shown as future entrance
drive to the area outside the lot shown as a future roadway.
Redirecting access to the area that was originally proposed at the
time of subdivision would reduce potential conflicts that could
exist with two curb cuts located so close to each other. The
development of future lots within this subdivision will require
complete construction of "Marcy Drive" throughout this subdivision.
Comments from the Town Engineering Consultant should be addressed
prior to any Planning Board action on this application."
MR. HILTON-I have a comment letter from Rist-Frost. Lets see here
if I can pick out some of the comments. I guess I'll just go ahead
and read them all here. It says "We have reviewed the site plan
submitted on August 7th for a facility to be located in a
previously approved subdivision, Subdivision No 8-1990. This is
Lot Five of that approved subdivision. The submitted plan appears
to meet all requirements of the Queensbury Town Code. The original
subdivision plan specified the developer of the industrial park
site was to provide roadways, drainage, access and sewer provisions
in this Light Industrial zone. They are not yet in place." Our
comment is to have the applicant have access off of what is
proposed to be Marcy Dri ve . We're not asking for complete
construction of the road at this point, but if we get the driveway
in the location of the future proposed road, you'd already have,
you know, the driveway in the area that it's supposed to be. You
wouldn't require any following up to close the curb cut that
they've proposed, and the next applicant through the door would be
required to construct that road throughout the industrial complex.
"This separate site plan provides the proposed facility with
provisions to meet the standards with sewer connections, drainage,
and access without depending on subdivision development." And
we've required, you know, that the Washington County Wastewater and
Town Water follow up on this prior to a building permit. Basically
all their other comments are addressed. It's signed Paul Collins,
proj ect Engineer. We also have a Queensbury Beautification
Committee letter. They've reviewed this site plan, and a motion
was made to accept as submitted, seconded by Karen Dougherty, and
this is from August 12, 1996. That's all the comments we have at
this time.
MR. PALING-I always have trouble with their statement "As
submitted", but they all have that paragraph prior to that makes it
sound like. Okay, well, we can get that clarified so there's no
problem. Do you have any other input, George?
MR. HILTON-No. We're all set for now.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. NACE-Okay. For the record, my name is Tom Nace, representing
BMI Supply. George, wasn't there also a comment from the Water
Department that they've looked at it?
MR. PALING-Yes, there is.
MR. HILTON-I was going to address that also. We have a letter from
Tom Flaherty dated August 19th. It mentions several applications,
one of them being BMI Supply. Their comment is, "There is adequate
water available on County Line Road to supply this project with
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
standard service. If fire sprinkler is proposed, please re-submit
for approval." Staff's position would be, if it's required to be
sprinkled, we'll check that at the time of building permit. Our
Fire Marshal and Water Department people will review it.
MR. PALING-Okay. Did you hear the paragraph in the Beautification
letter?
MR. NACE-No. I don't have that letter. I have a set of stamped
plans from the Beautification Committee.
MR. PALING-Do you want to take a look at it? Just make sure what
they said there is what was agreed to.
MR. HILTON-It seems to me that the Beautification letter just
explains a bit about the project. There's no recommendations.
MR. PALING-They say that it was approved as submitted, and then the
prior paragraph seems to put a lot of qualifications on it.
MR. NACE-I think that's just an explanation of.
MR. PALING-All right. So you have no problem with what they're?
Okay.
MR. MACEWAN-Are you talking about the end of their motion about the
signs and artificial flowers, and replacing dead?
MR. PALING-No.
MR. NACE-No. I think you were talking about that paragraph that
says that Jim Miller explained that this was the way it was going
to be.
MR. RUEL-Talking about parking area, entrance.
MR. PALING-The paragraph that starts with "Jim Miller". That's
where I got a little confused by that. Okay. We're all set.
Okay. Any questions?
MR. BREWER-Just a comment, that it hasn't been to Warren County
yet.
MR. NACE-Well, that's tomorrow.
concerns?
Can I address some of the
MR. PALING-Yes, sure. Go ahead.
MR. NACE-Okay. I think the biggest thing was the entrance, and let
me explain. Right now this entire property which was the
subdivision that was referred to, was Adirondack Industrial Park
did that back, in '90, '91, and this piece, that one lot in the
subdivision is the only remaining lot that is still accessible from
Queensbury Avenue. Okay. We don't know, at this stage of the
game, BMI has no idea and ~ have no idea, when, if ever, this road
is going to be constructed. Therefore, what they've proposed is
to, for the present, put an entrance into their parking lot
directly off of Queensbury Avenue. They have agreed, and it's
stated right on the drawing here, that as soon as this road is
dedicated to the Town, that will be closed off and removed, and
permanent access will come into this new Marcy Drive. The reason
for that is, first of all, financial. They don't want to have to
construct a big long driveway here that, you know, they're taking
over part of the responsibility for constructing this eventual
road. That's a long driveway to pave and to maintain. Secondly,
for the identity of the property, until this is constructed and
this road becomes usable to the public, their property maintains a
better identity with an entrance that's easily identifiable with
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
the property. If the entrance is over here, and it's not really a
public road, that's sort of a grey type of thing. You don't know
where you're going into when you go in this driveway.
MR. MACEWAN-So, you just wanted the parcel located (lost words) .
MR. NACE-No. There are a bunch of parcels in that. These were
these deep lots that were the IDA,lots in the original subdivision,
and Joe Clark who is Adirondack Industrial bought up, I think,
seven of these lots, and we created a subdivision for him, so that
he could divide them into more usable lots that weren't so deep,
and we designed this little ring road, or little circulation road
for it, but at present, I don't know when his financial picture is
going to look rosy enough to be able to construct that road and
complete the subdivision. So it may be years before that road's
done. I just don't know.
MR. RUEL-This dedicated road, does that have a name?
MR. NACE-It's not dedicated yet. It's paper street on the filed
subdivision plans. When he wants to sell the next lot back here,
he has to build the road then, okay, otherwise he doesn't have
public frontage.
MR. RUEL-How far would that road go?
MR. NACE-It circulates around behind these seven lots and comes
back out.
MR. RUEL-I see, it comes back out to Queensbury?
MR. NACE-Yes, to Queensbury Avenue. If you've looked at all those
block buildings that are there now, I think there are five of them,
it comes out between the last, well, between the Pest Control place
and the last block building to the south.
MR. MACEWAN-What's the nature of this business?
MR. NACE-They design, assemble and install equipment for stages,
curtains, lighting equipment. Sort of like Adirondack, they're a
competitor of Adirondack Scenic, and a small portion of Adirondack
Scenic's business. They don't get into all the sets and scenery
type stuff that Adirondack does. They're more high school
gYmnasiums, curtains, lighting facilities, that type of thing.
MR. MACEWAN-Would the parcel that this fronts on be subjected to a
lot of tractor trailer traffic?
MR. NACE-No. I would say they probably send a tractor trailer out
maybe every two or three weeks out with one of their productions.
MR. MACEWAN-No problems with them turning around in there?
MR. NACE-No. It was designed, this is 90 feet here. It was
designed so that a tractor trailer could swing up in and back up to
the loading docks, but most of their deliveries are UPS type truck
deliveries.
MR. RUEL-What's the number of employees?
MR. NACE-Ten, eventually ten.
now. Right now they're located
shop that they're bursting at
business.
I think there are seven or eight
in Downtown Glens Falls in a little
the seams. They're an expanding
MR. BREWER-Is there room for expansion there?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. NACE-Here? Yes. We've allowed room. As you can see, we've
tucked the building over to the north to allow room to expand here
to the south in the future if they need to. The other comment
there I'd like to respond to is the sewer. I've talked Jim
Fishbeck, who is the Director of the Washington County Sewer Agency
today and provided him with a letter. He simply has to get
approval from DEC, which for this type of facility is no problem.
So it's just a paper trail at this point, for sewer connection.
MR. PALING-You're referring to the Rist-Frost letter now?
MR. NACE-And the Staff letter. There was some comment about having
to comply with Washington County sewer requirements.
MR. PALING-Okay. I see what you're saying, and you're satisfied
that the sewer drainage and access are taken care of, or will be
taken care of?
MR. HILTON-Yes. I'm comfortable with that.
MR. NACE-The only other thing, I think there was one comment on
there that I was hoping by now the Town Board would have changed
your ingress/egress island requirement, but I guess it hasn't. So
we will change the plans before we get a building permit to put the
island in.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. RUEL-You're going to put the island in you said?
MR. NACE-We'll have to.
MR. RUEL-Make it portable so you can move it around to Marcy Drive.
You're going to have a note on this plan indicating when that road,
Marcy Drive?
MR. NACE-There is a note on it right now.
MR. RUEL-Okay. All right. George, do you think it's necessary for
them to indicate on the plan the location of that other drive?
MR. HILTON-If the Board is comfortable with this configuration,
yes, I think the note has to be submitted, and I also think that a
stipulation requiring language put into the deed of that property
and the property behind it that the access will be closed up would
satisfy Staff's concerns.
MR. NACE-And the property behind it?
MR. HILTON-Yes, because they're going to be required to build the
road, and so it would somehow trigger.
MR. NACE-No. The person that owns this now, Adirondack Industrial
Park, will be required to build the road before he can sell this
property back here, before he can transfer that, because this
property back here now has no Town road frontage.
MR. RUEL-It's landlocked?
MR. NACE-Well, it has Town road frontage on a paper street, but not
a dedicated street. So you've got to build a street, turn it over
to the Town, and be accepted by the Town prior to selling that next
lot back here.
MR. RUEL-I would like to see, just in dotted outline the location.
MR. NACE-It's shown right here, the future roadway.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. RUEL-What, the entranceway?
MR. PALING-Yes. That's the one that will be when they put the new
road in.
MR. RUEL-Now wait a minute. That's not on their property.
MR. PALING-No. It's a shared drive.
MR. RUEL-It's shared. I see.
MR. NACE-When we did the original subdivision, one of the
requirements that the Planning Board wanted us to incorporate was
sharing of entrance drives, even off of Marcy Drive.
MR. RUEL-That's where your deed restriction comes in.
MR. HILTON-Yes, if we had some language in the deed of this
property, we'd be comfortable with that.
MR. NACE-Sure. I have no problem with that.
MR. RUEL-No problem? Okay.
MR. PALING-Any other comments? Questions?
MR. STARK-I have a question for the Staff and for Mark. They
didn't go in front of Warren County either. So we can go ahead and
hold the public hearing, keep the public hearing open, do the SEQRA
tonight, get that out of the way. The only thing is we just have
to table it until.
MR. SCHACHNER-Yes, and you can even, you're not required to keep
the public hearing open either. You're allowed to close the public
hearing also. It's up to you. You can do all the business on any
application like this you want, other than the actual decision.
MR. HILTON-We're kind of concerned here because we have quite a lot
of items here tonight that are going to be continued because of the
Warren County situation, and if we pile them all onto next week,
that's going to be a very, very long meeting.
MR. PALING-We will meet on the agenda, George, prior to this.
MR. HILTON-Well, just to start the discussion, if you guys can,
through the course of the meeting, maybe either this Thursday or
the Thursday after, we'd like to maybe get a meeting here, special
meeting, where we can address the items that are being continued
tonight.
MRS. LABOMBARD-You mean have another day?
MR. PALING-All right.
meeting.
We'll take that up at the end of the
MR. HILTON-Sure.
MR. SCHACHNER-It's up to you all, but if you're going to take that
issue up, I suggest you do it while some of your applicants are
present, because it will be that much easier to, not only
applicants, but people who are making comments would then have some
idea. It's up to you. You don't have to do it that way, but it
might be easier.
MR. PALING-Well, no. For the convenience of the applicants, yes,
I can see that we should do it. We can just interrupt and say,
you're talking like the 29th?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. HILTON-The 29th or the 22nd. Whatever's, you know, we can hear
it this Thursday because the Warren County decisions will be in.
MR. STARK-Maybe.
MR. HILTON-No. They will, because their meeting's tomorrow.
MR. STARK-Maybe they won't have a quorum, like they usually don't.
MR. BREWER-So give them until the 29th.
MR. PALING-Does that put a burden on any applicant if we go to the
29th? That way we feel a little bit more sure.
MR. NACE- I guess I missed some previous discussion. There's no way
the Board can do a contingent approval?
MR. BREWER-No.
MR. PALING-No.
MR. BREWER-By law, right?
MR. NACE-Okay.
MR. PALING-It's okay if it goes until the 29th?
MR. NACE-Yes.
MR. PALING-Do you want to make it the 29th?
MR. BREWER-That's fine with me, Bob.
MR. PALING-Okay. August 29th, if we can have this room. If not,
we'll have to go to the other building. Okay. August 29th,
special meeting. All right. We should go to a public hearing on
this right now. We'll open the public hearing on the BMI
application. Is there anyone here that cares to talk about it?
PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
NO COMMENT
PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
MR. PALING-I think we can go right to a motion. Wait a minute.
I'm sorry. This is SEQRA on this one.
RESOLUTION WHEN DETERMINATION OF NO SIGNIFICANCE IS MADE
RESOLUTION NO. 53-96, Introduced by Catherine LaBombard who moved
for its adoption, seconded by George Stark:
WHEREAS, there
application for:
is presently before
BMI SUPPLY, 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:
- 46 -
~
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
NONE
3. The proposed action considered by this Board is unlisted 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 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel, Mr. Brewer,
Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West
MR. PALING-All right. Now we can go to a motion.
MR. RUEL-Is this to be tabled, a motion for tabling.
MOTION TO TABLE SITE PLAN NO. 53-96 BMI SUPPLY, Introduced by
Roger Ruel who moved for its adoption, seconded by George Stark:
For a special meeting on 8/29/96.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel, Mr. Brewer, Mr. MacEwan,
Mr. Stark, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West
MR. PALING-Okay. Then we'll come back to this on the 29th.
MR. MACEWAN-George, would you notify Mr. O'Connell for Stacie
Hopkins?
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. STARK-George, you ought to notify him tomorrow to go up to
Warren County, because I don't think he was clear on that.
MR. HILTON-Well, yes, I'm going to talk to him about the whole
procedure. We'll let him know.
MR. PALING-Good. Okay.
SITE PLAN NO. 49-96 TYPE: UNLISTED KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL
194 OWNER: SAME ZONE: HC-1A LOCATION: QUAKER ROAD TO ROUTE 9
- ONE MILE NORTH PROPOSAL IS TO CONSTRUCT A KITCHEN EXPANSION,
BANQUET DINING AND BINGO ROOM TO EXISTING BUILDING. BEAUTIFICATION
- 47 -
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
COMM. : 8/12/96
11.2 LOT SIZE:
WARREN CO. PLANNING:
3.58 ACRES SECTION:
8/21/96
179-23
TAX MAP NO. 73-1-
DAN BARBER, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 49-96, Knights of Columbus Council
194, Meeting Date: August 20, 1996 "The applicant is proposing to
construct a 6437 sq. ft. addition to an existing facility on Route
9. The addition will contain a kitchen, banquet hall/dining/bingo
room. The new building will be connected to the existing building
near the southern property line. The parking and permeability
standards of the HC-1A district will be met at this location.
Landscaping which was approved by the Beautification Committee
should be included on any plans submitted for a building permit.
Details of the proposed stormwater management system need to be
submitted prior to the issuance of a building permit. The
increased use at this site will result in a need for additional
water service and a greater use of existing septic facilities. The
applicant needs to indicate how much of an increase in water usage
will occur after development. Approval of this plan by the
Queensbury Water Dept. is needed prior to the issuance of a
building permit. Information on the existing septic system needs
to be included which indicates the system will be able to handle
the increased volume that will result after development. Any
drawings submitted for a building permit must indicate that 8 inch
traffic covers will be used over paved septic areas of this site.
Any concerns from the Queensbury Water Dept. and Fire Marshall must
be addressed prior to the issuance of a building permit at this
location. Comments from the Town Engineering Consultant must be
addressed by the Planning Board prior to final action on this
application."
MR. HILTON-Now as far as the Rist-Frost comments go, they're quite
lengthy, and I really, in the interest of time, I'm not going to
read them all. I'm satisfied. Rist-Frost is satisfied. Our
Building Department is satisfied that these concerns have been met.
If the Board has any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to
address them. I also have a Queensbury Water Department letter
here, concerning the Knights of Columbus, a statement from Tom
Flaherty that there is a sufficient capacity in the Route 9 main to
serve this project. The 8 inch traffic covers that were mentioned
before for the septic in this parking lot, in a letter from George
Kurosaka, it is indicated that they will be used. The letter also
indicates that the septic system existing and proposed at this
location will be able to handle the increased volume. So as far
as, we're satisfied with those comments.
MR. RUEL-George, you mentioned about the engineering comments were
addressed. Have these comments been shown on a plan? Is the plan
modified to reflect the answers to these engineering comments?
MR. HILTON-To the best of my knowledge, the plan does not indicate
the 8 inch traffic covers or a notation that the septic will be
able to handle the increased flow, but we can ask for that, again,
prior to a building permit being issued.
MR. BREWER-Is like the perc tests and all that going to be required
before this is, I mean, there are comments on here that Rist-Frost
has, that I don't think we should just overlook.
MR. RUEL-There are 15 comments here.
MR. BREWER-Yes.
MR. RUEL-It's not just like we had a couple of them.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. PALING-George, is there a problem?
engineering comments now.
Because we're on
MR. HILTON-Yes,
submitted to me.
can't make out.
and I have some plans here that have just been
I'm going to go through them, here, and see if I
MR. PALING-On which ones are you talking now?
MR. HILTON-Well, I just have plans in general. I'm going to try to
find if any of the comments have been addressed on these plans, any
of the engineering comments.
MR. PALING-The Rist-Frost ones.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-Okay, because we'd like to go over these.
MR. HILTON-Sure.
MR. PALING-And can we do it simultaneously? Now is this a new
print that we haven't seen?
MR. HILTON-It's an additional page that I haven't seen. It's dated
today, August 20th.
MR. BREWER-Well, why don't we give that to the engineer and let him
go over it and get the comments taken care of before we look at it.
MR. HILTON-The applicant has spoken with Paul Collins of Rist-
Frost. Unfortunately, Paul could not be here tonight. He had
some, I guess, he had a death in the family, and we went over it
briefly. I don't have an official letter from Rist-Frost, but I've
got to believe that we have comments addressed.
MR. MACEWAN-There's going to be plenty of time for Rist-Frost to
comment on this, because we can't take action on it anyway.
MR. HILTON-Right.
MR. RUEL-I don't like the way this is going.
MR. PALING-Wait a minute. Would you identify yourselves please.
MR. BARBER-My name is Daniel Barber from the Knights of Columbus,
and here's Charlie Scudder, engineer.
MR. PALING-Okay. Yes. We're hamstrung I think by the County
thing, but we want to have time to review these things. This
Kurosaka letter, I don't think we saw before tonight.
MR. HILTON-No. This was just handed out tonight.
MR. RUEL-There are replies to the 15 comments, engineering
comments, new drawings. I think there's an awful lot of material
that we haven't had an opportunity to review. It's unfair to just
dump all of this on us at a meeting and expect us to review it.
MR. BREWER-I agree. I think it's a pretty shoddy way to do
I think we should give the comments back to the engineer,
plans, let him come up with more comments, if he has them.
that's what we pay the engineer for.
things.
the new
I mean,
MR. RUEL-That's the way we usual Iv do it.
MRS. LABOMBARD-It's not going to make any sense to do anything.
MR. PALING-Is that the consensus?
- 49 -
(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MRS. LABOMBARD-Yes.
MR. HILTON-If you would like to review this application, as it was
mentioned before, we obviously cannot vote on this tonight. I will
work with Rist-Frost to get a letter stating that he is satisfied
with all of the information that's presented.
MR. PALING-All right. Well, I know I have one major question in
this, and I don't know that much about them, but I'd like to know,
in detail, how they determine if the septic system is adequate to
handle this addition. It just seems that they're putting an awful
lot of capacity in there without adding anything more than 1,000
gallon septic system, and I would like to know more about the
justification of that.
MR. HILTON-Maybe the applicant can help explain that. I think that
hours of operation, how many times the system will be used, factors
into it.
MR. BARBER-It's on the sewage criteria, on the blue print here,
which in George Kurosaka's letter is states, you know, because it's
based on lady's restroom, because the use is going to be so
sporadic, but it's the system of drywells that he's developed
beyond that, with the two systems of holding tanks with the
extensive drywells, which Paul Collins, we had a meeting with Paul
Collins yesterday, and he had a death in the family, and he had a
few questions, and I spoke to Mr. Hilton, and it was only two
different questions he had, and one was a sewage, which we
satisfied by the letter from George Kurosaka, and the other was the
catch basins, and those were the only two questions that he had,
and he said we answered them there, and I got back to Staff on
this, and of course he was supposed to come back, but he didn't,
because of the problems that he had, but that was the only two
questions he had.
MR. PALING-Okay. Well, we have not seen the Kurosaka letter until
just now. That's the problem. We have not had a chance to read
it, and it's kind of tough reading it under these conditions, and
understanding everything that's in it.
MR. MACEWAN-Has Rist-Frost received a copy of the Kurosaka letter?
MR. HILTON-They've spoken with them directly and received a copy of
the letter.
MR. BARBER-He was satisfied with the design by George Kurosaka.
MR. HILTON-Again, if the Board wishes more information from Rist-
Frost confirming that, we have a week here.
MR. MACEWAN-I just want a letter saying they're signing off on it.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-Yes. We've got to have that.
MR. BARBER-The only other thing he had was a question on the
drainage basins, which, in the hard covers, which the letter
indicated also there would be hard covers in there, in that letter,
which apparently you didn't have, and I don't know why it wasn't
sent in, but it wasn't, and we have the engineering data right
here, schematic detail.
MR. PALING-And those will be put in, you're saying?
MR. BARBER-Yes, and Charlie Scudder could address any of that stuff
that you wanted on that.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting
8/20/96)
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. BARBER-But those are really the only two questions that Paul
Collins had.
MR. PALING-Okay. We've got to get written confirmation on that.
MR. HILTON-Sure.
MR. PALING-So that we know where we are and it gives us a chance to
review this material in detail. How about other questions or
comments for the moment?
MR. BREWER-It's basically the engineering.
MR. PALING-Yes. I think that's the only real hang up we have it
getting the written confirmation from Rist-Frost.
MR. RUEL-Yes, and a set of modified plans accordingly.
MR. BARBER-Well, we have the plans that he would approve.
already told us he approved this.
He's
MR. RUEL-We don't.
MR. BARBER-Yes, I understand, but he just wanted to see this sheet
here.
MR. PALING-All right. Well, this requires a SEQRA. We could
either do it tonight, or perhaps we'd rather do it next week, when
we have further engineering.
MR. HILTON-Sure. That makes sense.
MR. RUEL-Yes, put it off.
MR. HILTON-I have a couple of, just a couple of other comments
here. One is the Beautification Committee letter, which they
reviewed it on August 12th, and the motion was made to approve as
submitted. It was seconded and carried. In addition to this, when
you open the public hearing, I have one piece of public comment.
MR. PALING-All right. Why don't we go right to the public hearing
on this matter.
MR. MACEWAN-Bob, before you go, on the Beautification's approval,
was there a landscaping plan submitted of some kind?
MR. HILTON-There are species mentioned. There's a, you know, brief
review of what was discussed between the applicant and the
Committee. There are certain trees that are mentioned that are not
shown on the plan. That's why one of my stipulations was to have
those trees shown on a plan for building permit.
MR. BREWER-As well, the engineer did, too.
MR. RUEL-So that's another modification to the plan.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-Did the say, approved as submitted?
MR. HILTON-Approved as submitted. However, I believe that the
applicant presented them a plan which we do not have on file, and
we would like to have that plan prior to a building permit.
MR. MACEWAN-I would like to see that plan included for our next
meeting.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. HILTON-Next meeting. Okay.
MR. RUEL-Well, the next meeting we should have documented response
to the engineering comments. We should have a modified plan
reflecting these comments, and also we should have a landscaping
plan included in that, as far as ~ can see.
CHARLIE SCUDDER
MR. SCUDDER-We have a print that's marked up and is signed and
stamped by the Beautification Committee.
MR. BREWER-Well, we should get a copy of that for our next meeting,
then.
MR. SCUDDER-It was just marked up in pen, but if you want a
separate plan, that can be done.
MR. PALING-No, no. We're not trying to get any kind of fine work
out of you. We're just trying to get complete detail that we can
work with.
MR. SCUDDER-I understand.
MR. PALING-Yes. Okay. The public hearing is open. Does anyone
care to speak on this matter?
PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
MR. HILTON-I have a record of a telephone conversation between Ron
Jeckel and Jim Martin, the date, August 15, 1996. His concern is
"Will there be any increase in odor as a result of this proposed
project?", and this is the only comment we have.
MR. BREWER-What kind of odor? I mean, if it was cook out odor you
could handle it.
MR. PALING-All right. If there are no further comments, we'll
close the public hearing.
PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
MR. PALING-And now I think we can go to SEQRA.
MR. BREWER-I'd rather wait.
MR. PALING-No. You're right. Lets wait.
MR. RUEL-We're going to wait on that.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Wait.
MOTION TO TABLE SITE PLAN NO. 49-96 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL
194, Introduced by Roger Ruel who moved for its adoption, seconded
by George Stark:
Until 8/29/96, until such time as engineering comments are
addressed and plans modified accordingly.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
MR. SCUDDER-Could I
engineering comments.
ask, sir, you mentioned several times
What comments are we speaking about?
MR. BREWER-The 15 of them.
MR. HILTON-I think we're just looking to get a letter from Rist-
Frost saying that they are satisfied.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. BREWER-Taken care of.
MR. SCUDDER-Okay.
MR. PALING-Yes, that won't come from you. What we're asking for
there will come from Rist-Frost.
MR. RUEL-From engineering.
MR. SCUDDER-So we have to satisfy the Rist-Frost Consulting
Engineer?
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. SCUDDER-And he will submit paperwork to the Town.
MR. PALING-Right.
MR. RUEL-And attach your landscaping plan to the plans.
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Rue 1 ,
Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West
SITE PLAN NO. 6-96 TYPE II KEN ERMIGER OWNER: SAME ZONE: HC-
1A LOCATION: RT. 9, WEST SIDE OF ROAD, JUST NORTH OF AGWAY
PROPOSAL IS TO CONSTRUCT GO CART TRACK, OFFICE/ARCADE BUILDING &
ROLLERBLADE RINK. CROSS REFERENCE: SUB. 1-1996 SP 58-95
BEAUTIFICATION COMM.: 3/11/96, 8/12/96 WARREN CO. PLANNING:
3/13/96 8/21/96 TAX MAP NO. 73-1-4.1 LOT SIZE: 5.6 ACRES
SECTION: 179-23
TOM NACE, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 6-96, Ken Ermiger, Meeting Date:
August 20, 1996 liThe applicant is proposing to construct a go cart
track, and a 13375 sq. ft. office/arcade/inline skating rink
building, on a 5.6 acre piece of property. The present zoning of
the property, HC-IA, allows for an amusement center to be built
with site plan approval from the Planning Board. Staff has
reviewed this site plan in accordance with Section 179-38 and has
the following comments. To the north of the access drive for this
site an existing curb cut is indicated. This access point is to be
abandoned per a stipulation for the final plat for this land
(Subdivision 1-1996)." Which incidentally, as a matter of record,
I would like to know from the applicant at some point whether that
subdivision has been filed, and if we can have some kind of date
that it was.
MR. NACE-Yes, it has been filed.
Staff.
I'd be glad to supply that to
MR. HILTON-Okay. That's fine.
MR. NACE-But we checked that for sure.
MR. HILTON-Okay. "This site plan should be revised to include a
note indicating that the access point is to be removed. The site
plan indicates that 136 parking spaces will be shared by this site
and the 'Pirates Cove' property to the north. Amusement centers of
these types do not have a parking required listed in the Zoning
Ordinance. Staff believes that the amount of parking proposed is
adequate to serve both sites. The Planning Board should determine
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if the amount of parking proposed is a sufficient amount for both
locations. Setbacks and permeability requirements at this location
will conform to the requirements of the HC-1A district. It should
be noted that signage shown on the site plan is not being approved
at this time. The applicant will have to seek a separate sign
permit for any signage at this location. Proposed landscaping and
fencing for this site conforms to the requirements contained in the
Zoning Ordinance. However, the Planning Board may wish to consider
having the applicant provide more landscaping and a taller solid
screen fence at the southern property line of this site. This
would have the effect of buffering the property to the south from
the noise that is anticipated with this land use. As mentioned
above, noise associated with this land use is expected and could
have negative impacts on surrounding properties. Planning and
Engineering staff are not comfortable reviewing and commenting on
the sound study prepared for this project. The impact that noise
may have on adjacent properties must be identified and reviewed
prior to Planning Board action on this application. Engineering
staff is expected to comment on what steps need to be taken in
order to effectively review the sound study and the potential
impact on the neighborhood. As a point of clarification, the SEQR
designation listed on the agenda is incorrect. The proper
designation is Type Unlisted which requires a short form EAF to be
reviewed by the Planning Board. Any comments and concerns from the
Town Water Dept. and Engineering Consultant should be addressed
prior to any final action on this application."
MR. HILTON-Again, the comment letter from the Queensbury Water
Department, dated August 19, 1996, indicates that in conversations
with Mr. Nace, this site "will probably require a one service not
to exceed one inch. There is sufficient capacity in the Route 9
main to serve this project." Lets see. We're going to start with
engineering comments. These are prepared by Rist-Frost. Their
comments are as follows.
MR. PALING-George, what date is your letter from Rist-Frost?
MR. HILTON-The letter that we have is August 16, 1996.
MR. PALING-Do I have a copy of that?
MR. HILTON-You should. If not, I have a copy.
MR. STARK-It's right underneath the Staff notes, Bob.
MR. HILTON-Okay. The comments are as follows. "The plan has been
satisfactorily changed to address our comments of March 19, 1996.
The grading and drainage plan provided should add a note for the
contractor that 'NY Guidelines for Urban Erosion and Sediment
Control' must be followed during site preparation, i.e. grading,
drywell and sanitary installation. The plan is dependent on
development of the adj acent 'Pirates Cove' miniature golf facility.
This should be cross referenced on both site plans. NYSDEC and
NYSDOT permits are required for sewage system and highway entrance
work. Applicant should determine need for SPDES General Stormwater
Discharge Permit from NYSDEC. We do not feel that our firm has the
expertise to review the acoustical aspects of this project and the
report submitted. Since this is an important factor with this
project we request the Town's authorization to engage a specialized
consultant. It is estimated that the cost of the initial review
and a letter report would be $1,000." It's signed, Very truly
yours, Paul Collins, Project Engineer. One point of clarification.
If the Board so chooses to authorize this expenditure, they would
be authorizing additional information to be provided, and the cost
would have to be absorbed by the applicant. We also have a
Queensbury Beautification Committee letter. The item was reviewed
on August 12th, a motion made to approve as submitted by Karen
Dougherty. Seconded by Pat Carpenter. That's all the comments we
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have at this time.
MR. PALING-Okay. Well that Acnotech is just confirming that $1,000
thing, right?
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-Okay. That's all that is, and do you have public
comment on this, too?
MR. HILTON-Yes. We have some public comment. We're going to wait.
MR. PALING-All right. Okay. Do we have any comments at the
moment? I think we ought to move to the applicant, and kind of
summarize where you are on the project, if you would.
MR. NACE-Sure. For the record, my name is Tom Nace representing
Ken Ermiger. Let me first show you what we've changed since we
were here back in March. As you recall, we originally had a go
kart track which was, at our belief and the Zoning Administrator's
belief, correctly located within the Zoning Ordinance. We had it
located up relatively close, I believe about 30 feet or so from the
front property line, and it was relatively close, I believe 11 or
12 feet from the side property line. After the meeting here, we
were taken to the Zoning Board for a determination of whether or
not the setback lines applied to just our building or also to the
track surface, and the determination of that Board was that the
track surface also had to meet the setback lines. So what we have
done is move the track back so we're a little more, like 76 feet,
a foot or two extra, beyond the 75 foot front setback line, since
this is in a Travel Corridor Overlay Zone. The side setbacks on
this HC-1A property are 20 feet minimum with an addition of the two
side lines having to be 50 feet. What we have done is made each of
the side line setbacks 25 feet. For the building envelope we've
shown the actual track surface is located an extra foot inside
that. So the actual track surface setback from the property line
is 26 feet on the side lines. We've kept the general
configuration, except that as we move the track back, we've tucked
one piece of it back into a little corner back here in the
property. We've also, the staging area for the track originally
was located underneath, as part of the bridge structure. We've
pulled that out from there and located it back here, adjacent to
the building, which will serve as a skating rink, amusement area,
and service facilities for the track. The parking, we've added,
the building has become a little bit bigger with the addition of a
skating facility, and we've increased the parking by putting some
additional parking up front here, and that is the primary change.
The grading has changed somewhat. With tucking this track back in,
we've also lowered the track, as you will remember. Originally,
the front of this track was built up fairly high on a bank. We had
a retaining wall along the entrance road. We've lowered the entire
track down into the land a little bit more, which helps us in the
back portion of the site by setting it down in a depressed area,
which also helps with the noise issues. So that's sort of where
we're at and why we're there. I'd like to also address some of the
comments from Staff and the engineering. The curb cut, existing
curb cut up front obviously will be removed, but I will be glad to
add a note to the drawing to that effect. We're, right now,
working with DOT to get the curb cut permit for both facilities.
This is a combined curb cut with Pirates Cove Golf, which is
presently under construction. The parking we have researched. As
Staff said, there are no good Codes that are available, and the
Queensbury Code really doesn't address the amusement type
facilities. We do have good records with Pirates Cove Golf, as far
as their requirements for parking, and we've researched other
facilities of this type, and have come up with the parking we have
shown as what we feel is relatively conservative for our needs.
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MR. PALING-And you think you'll have spaces left, when you say
conservative, you think it'll be too much parking?
MR. NACE-I don't think there's a lot too much. I don't think we're
skimping, let me put it that way.
MR. PALING-Because you've got three facilities going there. I have
no idea what numbers to use either.
MR. NACE-Well, we've gone through a calculation to come up with
what we think is right, and there's obviously some interplay
between the facilities as far as what the peak hours of use are.
We've taken that into account and come up with a number that we
believe is reasonable.
MR. RUEL-Is there room for expansion, in the event that this is
inadeqUate?
MR. NACE-Yes, there is. There's room to do some more expansion in
this direction, okay.
MR. PALING-Okay. So you're covered.
MR. NACE-Yes. It would require some filling, but there's room for
another probably.
MR. RUEL-Is Pirates Cove part of this whole application?
MR. NACE-Well, no, it's not. Pirates Cove is doing their own
facility, but they have agreed to share the entrance road, and in
essence to share parking, okay. Nobody's going to go put a ticket
on a car if somebody using the Golf Course parks up here. The same
as they're not going to put a ticket on one of our cars if somebody
parks here to use the racetrack.
MR. RUEL-The reason I ask is that you have designated parking for
Pirates Cove, parking for Ermiger.
MR. NACE-That's just to show that this is what was originally shown
on the Pirates Cove site plan as their required parking is these
two areas.
MR. RUEL-But customers from either one can use any place at all?
MR. NACE-Yes, and in fact, it's expected that somebody will park
here and go play golf and maybe afterwards go over and use the
amusement facilities or the racetrack, or a family may park here
and part of the family play golf and part of the family.
MR. RUEL-There's no fence separating these properties?
MR. NACE-No. The only fence here, and let me speak to that for a
minute, too. There is a fence, obviously, for crowd and safety
control around the racetrack.
MR. RUEL-While you're up there, I want to ask you about a fence.
You don't show a guardrail on the bridge. Do you have any?
MR. NACE-Yes. We do.
MR. RUEL-All you have is a road going over the top of another one.
MR. NACE-No. There will be a guardrail there, and I thought it was
on one of the plans.
MR. RUEL-I didn't see it.
MR. NACE-No, you're right. When we re-drafted it, it disappeared
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somewhere. There should be a guardrail there, yes.
MR. RUEL-Bring it back, put a detail in there.
MR. NACE-Yes, we will. Okay.
MR. RUEL-While I have your attention here, what is the difference
between rollerblade and in-line?
MR. NACE-Rollerblading and in-line skating are the same thing.
MR. RUEL-It's all new stuff to me.
different names.
I wondered why they had two
MR. NACE-No. They're interchangeable terms. Okay. The other
comments from engineering, we will take care of the comments
regarding drainage and erosion control notes be placed on the
drawing. We will cross reference the sharing of the parking and
the access road on both sets of plans, and we are presently
underway getting, as I said, getting the DOT permits, and yes we
realize we need a New York State DEC SPDES Sewage Permit, and we'll
also file for a construction, stormwater and erosion control
permit. One of the questions that has been foremost, I'm sure, in
everybody's mind, is noise.
MR. PALING-Tom, before you go to that, the landscaping and solid
screen fence, you might cover that.
MR. NACE-Sure. Yes. I'm sorry. I intended to. We have, in the
landscaping plan, we have clusters, I think the comment from Staff
was along this south property line we have some clusters of trees
planted to help break up the track where it's close to the property
line, and we also have a chain link fence along this side. The
fence across the front is going to be an architectural type fence
with pillars and rod iron of that sort. The rest of the fence
around the facility will be chain link, with a vinyl colored fabric
so that it will not stand out as just a big ugly chain link fence.
MR. PALING-George, you were asking for more landscaping and a
taller fence there.
MR. HILTON-That's a comment of mine that the Board may wish to
consider, in effect to screen the property from the south from the
noise and visual impacts on this.
MR. NACE-The noise we believe that we can take care of with other
methods of screening, so to speak. The visual, we think we're
going to have a fairly nice looking facility here, okay, and I'm
not sure whether the visual screening is desirable or not. I'm of
a mind that, you know, a big barrier can sometimes be more of a
visual impact than a natural sight line into a facility. I've got
here pictures, I don't know if any of you have seen the race track
up at Old Forge, but we're planning similar types of landscaping
along the track with boulders. The chain link fence, if you'll
look at it there, sort of with the fabric, the dark fabric on it,
works into the scheme of things without being too obtrusive, and
I'm not so sure that a barrier of trees wouldn't be more visually
obtrusive than a sight line into the facility.
MR. RUEL-You show a sound wall. Do you know what the db reduction
is on that sound wall?
MR. NACE-Okay. What I'd like to do, I have with me tonight Rick
Graul, who is the gentleman that prepared the sound study for this
project. Rick has a Master of Science degree, and has extensive
experience in vibration analysis of all types, blasting and noise,
sound studies. I'd like to have Rick spend a minute and go through
the sound study and what he did with you and explain the features
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here that help mitigate the noise issues. Also, I think I talked
to most of you at one time or another, and have suggested that you
take a look and hear for yourself what the noise impacts really are
from one of these tracks. There's one up the road at Charlie
Wood's Gaslight Village, another one at Skateland. Noise studies
are maybe a little bit like traffic studies. You've got to be an
expert to really understand what the numbers mean, and even to me,
I've spent several days now with a noise meter around some of these
tracks, taking noise measurements for my own information, and the
numbers still don't mean a whole lot in assessing the impacts.
This Board is going to be the one that makes that eventual
determination, and my thoughts are that, you know, studies are
fine, good. We've done one here, but you've got to be able to
assess what the numbers mean, and I think, unless you've stood and
listened to one, it's very difficult to truly assess that, but let
me have Rick come up and explain to you what he's done.
RICK GRAUL
MR. GRAUL-My name's Rick Graul. I am a person who deals
specifically with the issue of the earth as a transmitting medium
of vibration and sound, being the earth, the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, lithosphere. In this particular study, as in any
sound study, we have to quantify both the ambient conditions and
the impact that a proposed condition will have on those ambient
conditions. Ambient conditions are merely existing conditions.
Proposed conditions, in this case, is a go kart track. What we
did, first of all, was took a series of sound level measurements
off of Route 9, at a distance of anywhere from the curb to 200 feet
away from Route 9 to determine what the noise levels are at Route
9. I think, being that you're all residents of this area, you know
that Route 9 is a source of fairly constant noise from traffic
during daytime and early evening hours, probably until about 11
o'clock at night, especially in the summer time. Human activity in
this area seems to be fairly abundant until maybe midnight on such
a road because of its various amusements and recreation type
facilities. The sound levels were then compared to sound levels
along other highways that were of similar dimensions, for checking
their validity. Then what we did was we took sound level
measurements of go karts, a single go kart, manufacturer's specs on
just an engine mounted on a block, taken 15 feet away. We've got
one kart up to 30 karts, and we also have manufacturer's data on up
to 30 karts operating on a track in real time. What we have
determined was that 30 karts of similar composition and
construction to those that are proposed for this facility produce
a sound pressure level of 71 decibels at 100 feet from the track
center. So, using that as a real number, what we have done is we
have placed that figure into this situation. There are three
sensitive receptors that are adjacent to this site. The first
being the southern boundary, Agway, the second being a campground,
over in this region, the third being a motel, somewhat off the
page on this plan, but nonetheless there. What I've done is, using
the expected 71 decibels that we would get from 30 karts, although
there are not 30 karts proposed for this facility, I always work
with conservative figures. We have taken clear propagation levels
to the campground, to Agway, to the motel. Then we took the
barrier conditions. Barrier conditions can either be imposed for
the purpose of noise reduction, or can be natural, being part of
the construction of this track. In this case, we have two barrier
conditions that are imposed for the purpose of noise reduction.
They're wooden walls that are placed in close proximity to the
bends closest to Agway. What this does, by putting the barrier
close to the receiver, is it maximizes the efficiency with which
the barrier will reduce sound. The next, by insetting this portion
of the track deep into the earth where its elevation is
approximately eight feet lower than the elevation of the ground
surface along here, at the campground, and it doesn't really
demonstrate it too well on this particular plan, but if you were to
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go out and actually look at the ground surface, the campground
ground surface is indeed six to eight feet below this ridge. A
third condition, the hotel. There is a major highway here that
produces sound pressure levels at 100 feet of 62 decibels on
average. To calculate sound pressure levels at the nearest point
which is the canopy in front of the office, was 65 decibels. The
sound pressure level at the nearest occupied portion of the hotel
was 62 decibels. With the reductions of the barrier that is
inherent to the construction of this portion here, the reduction in
sound was sufficient to lower it to ambient over here. This region
in here has an ambient of approximately 50 to 56 decibels. Over
here, with clear field attenuation, and the barrier tenuation, the
sound pressure levels will actually be below what is received from
the roadway combined with what is received from the highway. If
you take a finite number of sources of sound that are equal in
intensity, and you doubled it, you will increase the overall sound
pressure level by three decibels. If you take a finite number of
sound level sources and you add a sound level source which is 10
decibels less, a finite number of sound sources which are 10
decibels less.
MR. RUEL-I have a question at this point.
MR. GRAUL-Yes.
MR. RUEL-Does that mean that the 62 db's from the road to the motel
would now become 65, due to the 71 db at the track?
MR. GRAUL-No. Simply because you are not necessarily doubling the
number of sources. That would assume that you have 30 karts
sitting right on this portion of the track, right on this very
edge, which is a physical impossibility. Instead, you would have
a distribution of karts, which would be put across the track, okay.
They might be in small packs.
MR. RUEL-All right. So instead of using the 30, why don't you use
a realistic figure?
MR. GRAUL-The reason that I do that is for worst case scenario.
This way there can be no argument that we are skewing our
calculations in a way which is favorable toward the applicant.
MR. RUEL-Yes, but it's practically impossible to have 30 cars in
one spot.
MR. GRAUL-Precisely. What I'm saying here is a very conservative
estimate, beyond which no argument can be made.
MR. RUEL-So what would the db level be at the motel, then, if you
use a realistic figure on the track?
MR. GRAUL-About 62 decibels.
MR. RUEL-The same as the highway?
MR. GRAUL-What I was getting to was if you add sources that are 10
decibels less than the overall, it only increases the overall sound
pressure level one half decibel.
MR. RUEL-Okay.
MR. GRAUL-Now, the barrier walls are placed in an area on this
particular portion of the track which is somewhat equal in
elevation to that of the greenhouse area. By reflecting the noise
directly at that closest point in bend and equal elevation, you are
reflecting that sound level to the point where it will be
significantly attenuated to the degree of 10 decibels, and that's
only for the karts, regardless of the number of karts, that are up
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against this wall, or near this wall. Now, in coupling with those
other karts being distributed across the track, we have something
called a track effect. Track effect is a reduction in overall
sound pressure levels with the distribution of sources across a
broad area. Instead of it being a pinpoint source, and a
multiplication of the pressure levels from that pinpoint level with
an increase in the number of sources. Instead, it is a reduction
as a result of that pinpoint source being spread over distance. It
is eight decibels at 350 feet, and it's called track effect. It is
five decibels at 750 feet. It is irregardless of the number of
point sources on the track. It is a physical constant. This is
something that has been documented by the go kart industry, which
is by the way a very well regulated and organized industry, as I
found out from previous studies. Essentially, my findings on this
particular situation are that, with the number of karts proposed,
that they would not increase the overall sound pressure levels at
this site, at any of the sensitive receptors, more than three
decibels on average at any time, and in all likelihood would not
increase the overall sound pressure levels at all in most
instances, due to the inactivity of the karts being at idle, being
behind barriers, not working at all because it's off hours, things
of that nature. Worst case would be three decibels above ambient.
The normal case would be equal.
MR. RUEL-Have you made a similar study for other go kart tracks?
MR. GRAUL-Yes, I have.
MRS. LABOMBARD-I have a question, a little bit about the physics of
the sound being carried. Because there is sound from the go karts
and because the go karts are coming at you, I don't know we could
draw an analogy with the Doppler Effect.
MR. GRAUL-Absolutely.
MRS. LABOMBARD-But the sound wouldn't be uniform all the time if
you were standing in one specific spot.
MR. GRAUL-Precisely. If you're standing at one spot, there are
times that the sound level increases, and there's times that the
sound level decreases. Its frequency characteristics change with
what you have said, the Doppler Effect, where you have a shift
toward longer wavelengths as the source goes away from you, and a
shift toward higher wavelengths as the source comes toward you.
Now higher frequency sound is much easier to abate than low
frequency sound. Now it should also be kept in mind that these are
5.5 horsepower engines. These are not large scale mechanical
operating engines. These are very small, high frequency producing
engines.
MR. PALING-There are some eight and a half, are there not? Are
there not some larger engines?
MR. NACE-With the double karts, they do come. They're not
necessarily eight horsepower engines. They come both ways.
MR. PALING-Will you have higher horsepower engines at this track?
MR. NACE-Yes, I believe we will.
MR. PALING-Yes, right. That's what I thought you said last time.
MR. RUEL-And they're four cycles, and they have mufflers.
MR. GRAUL-Yes. They have mufflers and they are governed to travel
at a governed rate of speed around the track for safety purposes.
MRS. LABOMBARD-But back to what I was asking you about. You said
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you could abate the higher frequencies easier than the lower
frequencies.
MR. GRAUL-Right. There is essentially no low frequency component
to the sound levels from these vehicles. It is a high frequency
sound that you would get from a motor of this type, and the sound
is also greatly abated through muffling systems and governing
systems that are on the motors themselves. Plus that the motors
are enclosed in a fiberglass housing. So that there is not a
direct contact with the open atmosphere and the engine itself.
MR. PALING-In any of the figures you gave us, did you give us any
figures above 71 decibels?
MR. GRAUL-No.
MR. PALING-Okay. Tell me again where you measured? You said 100
feet from where, that you measured the 71?
MR. GRAUL-From the track to the center, the arithematic center of
the track. I did not personally, a manufacturer, conduct this
survey.
MR. PALING-Okay. Which direction did you go?
MR. GRAUL-They went perpendicular to the track surface. I did not
conduct this survey myself. The manufacturer conducted.
MR. PALING-100 feet anyway.
MR. GRAUL-Yes. That's how the go kart track studies are conducted
because these are transient noise sources. You can't stand at one
point along the side of the track and get a decent average of the
overall sound pressure levels. You have to take a step back to
some distance.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MRS. LABOMBARD-But did they do it like a complete concentric
distance from that center, like 100 feet on a circle?
MR. GRAUL-Yes, as a matter of fact. Yes.
MRS. LABOMBARD-From all points. They just went, like here's the
center and they just kept going back here, all the way around?
MR. GRAUL-They went a 100 foot distance from the arithematic center
of the track is how it was quantified for the study.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Three hundred and sixty degrees.
MR. GRAUL-I don't know if they went 360 degrees. However, they
did, they were 100 feet from the arithematic center of the track.
MR. NACE-I believe, from what I've seen the sound study that he's
referring to, the track was much more circular than what we're
looking at here. It did have some turns, but was more of a square
(lost words) .
MR. PALING-What was the highest decibel reading, ambient wise, that
you got, exclusive of the track, I'm thinking mostly of Route 9?
MR. GRAUL-At the curb, 83 decibels average.
MR. PALING-So there was one higher than the 71. Okay. That's the
83 is on the.
MR. GRAUL-On the curb of Route 9.
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MR. PALING-Yes. That's important, though.
MR. RUEL-What side of 9?
MR. GRAUL-The same side as the site, and that number is actually
consistent with records that I have taken at approximately 50 other
sites. Two to four lane highways just generate a tremendous amount
of racket.
MR. HILTON-I have a question for the applicant. When you said in
your study that there's not going to be an increase of three
decibels on average, as a result of this proposed development,
that's an average. What's the highest reading that you might get,
and what's the lowest reading that you might get? I'm still
confused on that.
MR. GRAUL-Okay. When I speak of average, what I am referring to is
the integrated time average of that operating hours, okay. That
means all times during the time that they operate, in comparison
with all times similar on a day where they would not be operating,
such as right now where the thing does not exist.
MR. HILTON-Right.
MR. NACE-Bob, to clarify, make sure that your question is answered
correctly, the 83 decibels was a traffic noise.
MR. PALING-Yes, traffic. No, that's what I was looking for.
MR. BREWER-Tom, was there any study that you know of done for
Charlie Wood's park up there?
MR. NACE-I did not follow that through the planning process.
MR. BREWER-Maybe we could find out if there was a study done there.
It probably wasn't any concern up there.
MR. PALING-There isn't anything around it that would bother it.
MR. SCHACHNER-There was a noise study done.
MR. BREWER-I know, for the roller coaster, but I'm talking Lake
George Action Park.
MR. SCHACHNER-You're talking about Gaslight Village.
MR. PALING-Yes, Action Park.
MR. BREWER-There wasn't a study done.
MR. SCHACHNER-I don't believe there was.
MR. PALING-I don't think anyone would have asked for it, the way
they're located.
MR. RUEL-Is it possible to translate all this in english, such as,
the noise level at the motel?
MR. GRAUL-Yes.
MR. RUEL-There is existing noise now from the road.
MR. GRAUL-That's correct, a constant barrage of traffic.
MR. RUEL-Now what does the go kart noise level do to increasing or
decreasing or what does it do to the motel area?
MR. GRAUL-If you took, as I stated before, all 30 go karts
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operating on the track simultaneously, okay, put them on this
particular track, they would only create a sound pressure level
which is equal to what is already existing at the motel.
MR. RUEL-Okay. Now that's assuming that there's traffic on the
road. Now suppose there is no traffic on the road. There's zero
db, right?
MR. GRAUL-Well, the thing is people have to drive to the track in
order to use it.
MR. RUEL-I mean, it could be very little traffic, right, and you're
taking the worst case. You've given me 62 db on the road.
MR. NACE-Roger, that road has many thousand vehicles per hour.
MR. GRAUL-That road carries probably 80,000 vehicles per day.
MR. RUEL-But I still think it's possible for the noise level to go
beyond 62, to go up to 71, as you mentioned, if you had that many
karts in one area.
MR. GRAUL-I'm sure that the applicant would love to be able to
sustain that kind of activity on the track, but realistically
speaking, it is highly unlikely that he will have a stream of
people waiting to use the karts with that frequency at all times.
MR. RUEL-So what you're saying is then there's no noise problem in
the motel area.
MR. GRAUL-There should be none.
MR. RUEL-And apparently there's no noise problem in other areas.
MR. GRAUL-That is correct.
MR. RUEL-Then we don't have a noise problem.
MR. GRAUL-There should be no noise problem with the layout of this
track as it is designed and proposed.
MR. BREWER-As you speak right now, how loud, how many db are you
speaking?
MR. GRAUL-My conversational speech, well, right now, at one foot
from my mouth, the sound pressure level is about 60 to 66 decibels.
MR. BREWER-So as you're talking, and I'm not asking you.
MR. GRAUL-That would be referred to as an acoustic power vental,
and conversational speech is anywhere from 60 to 66 decibels.
MR. BREWER-The conversation we're having right now, how loud is
that, about?
MR. GRAUL-Well, right now with this microphone, I'm generating
about 70 decibels.
MR. BREWER-That's as loud as the go karts are going to be?
MR. GRAUL-That is correct.
MR. RUEL-And what's the db level for the threshold of pain?
MR. GRAUL-90 decibels, according to OSHA standards. That's when
you have to put headphones on in an enclosed space, and that is in
any engineered environment in an enclosed space. OSHA's very
strict about that.
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MR. PALING-Did you have further? We're going to go to the public
hearing. All right. Lets open the public hearing on this matter.
Does anyone care to speak about the Ermiger application?
PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
MARTIN AUFFREDOU
MR. AUFFREDOU-Good evening. My name is Martin Auffredou. I'm an
attorney with the Bartlett/Pontiff firm in Glens Falls. I'm here
on behalf of the Lake George Campsite and also Skateland. Sitting
to my right is Mr. Dean Long of the LA Group, who is also here on
behalf of the Lake George Campsite and Skateland, and rather than
get into any specifics about illY comments at this time, I think it
would be appropriate to turn to Mr. Long. Mr. Long, as I said, is
with the LA Group. He's had an opportunity to review the study
that the applicant has submitted, and has indeed submitted a
critique to Staff of that analysis, and I think while the issue of
sound and noise is fresh in our minds, perhaps we should stick with
that, and simply turn to Mr. Long.
DEAN LONG
MR. LONG-Thank you. As Martin said, I'm Dean Long from the LA
Group. I'm the Director of Environmental Planning. I've worked at
the LA Group for the last 10 years, working primarily in the areas
of preparing Environmental Impact Statements. Many of them have
dealt with noise issues, especially as it relates to large
construction sites and gravel mines and other such things. One of
the things I want to focus on immediately here is Tom Nace' s
beginning statement of all this thing, and what you folks on the
Board were doing at the end of the presentation of the sound
studies, and that is, what do all these numbers mean, and what have
you got to do with them? Noise is one of those things that's
difficult to deal with, and unless you're methodical about it, it
can become very, very confusing. So the first thing, the first
part of the setting that I want to make clear about the situation
that we have out there is that there are some operating noise
standards that the federal agencies and housing utilize as well as
the Federal Highway Administration, as well as New York State DOT,
and as well as all these other agencies use in order to guide their
planning and determine when noise bar·riers are necessary for
highways, and suggest what kinds of structures may be necessary in
order to allow normal housing activities to occur both in urban and
rural environments. Out of that guidelines, and that's part of
what I submitted to the Planning Department, what it very clearly
states is what we have out there is a very, very marginal
situation. We have a situation out there where the noise levels
that they have put forth in their study are at the very edge of the
limits of where community discomfort and community opposition would
take place, to new noise and new activities, and I think that's the
critical thing, what the Board has to look at is, are you going to
push it over the thresholds because of this new noise source. The
study that's been put forth diminishes it and says it's only going
to be a three decibel increase, but when you're at the edge, that
three decibels becomes significant, and I think that's what you
have to evaluate. I think, specifically, one of the items that you
are also working on or trying to get a hold of was what was the
ambient study really about, and that's one of the problems I have.
The ambient study that they submitted was variable measurements
taken from distances of curb side to a distance of 200 feet off of
Route 9, but how many cars were driving on Route 9? I was out
there Friday afternoon walking around, just listening, just trying
to get a hold of the idea, just as Tom Nace said, of what is the
noise environment. I counted 105 cars in five minutes. So, you
know, at least Å know what I heard and what I saw and how that
related. One of the problems here with the geosonic study is that
we don't know how many cars were on Route 9, so we don't know if
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that 83 decibels represents an average afternoon, a Sunday morning,
or a Friday afternoon, which I think what you folks were trying to
get at by asking questions, you know, what really was the traffic
there. Also, the other typical things that you would have with
that kind of ambient noise study was what direction was the wind,
because the wind certainly pushes around noise. If it's a hot,
humid day, that causes noise to be different. If it's just after
a rainstorm or the ground is wet, that also causes the noise to be
different. All those things are lacking from the ambient study
that's been submitted to date. The other critical thing here is,
and it seems like a picky thing, but what kind of meter? The
meters are vastly different, and the types and nature of meters has
changed dramatically over the last two and three years. So it is
a critical part of any noise analysis to know exactly what kinds of
instruments are being used, and how that might effect the overall
ambient noise study. The other issue, another issue I had with the
study is that it talks about 27 and 30 cars, and it's never
absolutely clear. It appears as if they've judged the potential
noise from this new track on 30 cars, but that seems to be somewhat
unclear. Now, in the noise abatement discussion, in the noise
calculation discussion of geosonics, it talks about how the noise
barriers will be effected. Now, it lists the major criteria of
noise barrier being proximity to the noise source, which certainly
is one of the controlling factors, the height of the barrier,
because what it has to do is as they correctly stated is block the
line of sight, but they did not discuss that generally barriers
have to be very long. The studies generally tell they want them to
approach continuous. The barrier that's been proposed along the
Agway boundary has a very large gap, and I think what needs to be
done here is that we need an analysis as to whether or not that gap
is going to have a significant detrimental effect on the quality of
that noise barrier and whether or not it's going to cause the true
abatement that they're predicting that's going to occur at this
site. In general, the discussion of the noise calculations haven't
given us those specific calculations for each location. It
discusses cross sections, but in our review that took place
yesterday, of the planned sets, we only found one cross section
that basically showed a wall section and didn't show a cross
section through the grading plan to show exactly how the track is
going to be positioned on the earth, because if it is, as they
said, slightly cut in, that will have a positive benefit, but
unless we have all that information teamed up with the information
on the exact position of the barrier in relationship to the wall
and how continuous it is toward the noise source, it's really
difficult to evaluate whether or not you are going to get that
three decibel decrease that they're relying upon. Another issue in
the noise study is whether or not the three decibel decrease. The
noise study mentions a number of times noise attenuation by ground
effects. Now ground effect noise reductions only occur when noise
passes over soft absorptive ground surfaces such as earth or
vegetation that does not take place over pavement, concrete or
stone, and that's according to the Noise Barrier Design Handbooks
of the Federal Highway Administration. So in the absence of having
the cross sections, in the absence of having more information on
the barrier, it's very hard for me to agree upon, you know, whether
or not you're going to have the prescribed or the estimated three
decibel decrease that they're relying upon, especially in the
relationship that they're relying upon that three decibel decrease
to allow the noise from this track to mix compatibly with an
unknown noise source, being Route 9, since they did not give you
the traffic counts, and what were the actual ambient conditions out
there. Another issue is, in their study, they discuss the
Northway, as it relates to the Lake George Campground. Now, it
states that there will be high throttle, full throttle truck noise
occurring on the Northway at that position next to Lake George
Campground, but the problem is that the grades at the Campground on
the Northway on the northbound lanes are flat, and they start
dropping downhill. I spent some time out there last Friday, and I
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didn't hear any trucks gearing down to go downhill, so that you'd
have that additional noise source, and certainly the trucks don't
operate a full throttle to go down that hill. Any of the trucks
that are throttling out, up to go up the southbound lanes are doing
so probably 300 feet away from the right-of-way fence, all the way
across a very large median that's heavily vegetated. So I think
one of the problems they must address is whether or not the
assumption that there was going to be this high throttle, full
engine noise on the Northway is going to be part of the overall
ambient conditions on the Northway causing an overall reduction or
the heightening of what they perceive is ambient levels at the
track side and around the track. Another one of the interesting
things about these tracks, as Tom Nace said, what everybody's got
to do is go out and listen and hear it for yourself is the amount
of noise that the participants make themselves. As Rich
demonstrated, voices can be pretty loud. I was surprised, last
Friday, walking around, how loud the voices actually are.
Actually, many times it surpasses the actual noise of the motors.
So you can certainly have spites of noise occurring at these
facilities that mayor may not disturb the adjacent land uses and
other people going about their recreational activities in the area.
So, at this moment, you know, I see that there's a significant
number of problems with the study as submitted, the primary one
being you can't get a full understanding of the ambient conditions,
and then the additional issue is that, what does it mean within the
planning context here? Again, we're basically right at the edge of
the planning guidelines for community noise acceptance, and what it
means to the Lake George Campground is that the area that this
facility will be adjacent to is the area that happens to be the
furthest away from the Northway. Now granted that campground is
subject to a lot of noise from the Northway, but here, what's going
to happen is you're going to have a new noise source immediately
adj acent, reinforcing the noise that's already coming off the
Northway, at the location that happens to be the furthest away from
the Northway, which potentially holds out the area that could be a
portion of a future development or a few additional campsites that
would be, essentially, the quietest campsites on that property, and
I think that's part of the burden that the Planning Board has is
evaluating this noise study and evaluating its long term effects on
all the adjacent users, since we are at this boundary level.
MR. BREWER-Can I ask one question?
track is proposed to the campsite,
Skateland to the campsite, in feet,
In relationship to where this
how far away is the one at
in comparison?
MR. LONG-The Skateland track is out in front of.
MR. BREWER-Yes, I know where it is, but just how far away, it goes
out in back, doesn't it?
MR. LONG-No. When I went out there and walked around to the back
of the campsite, their overflow loop sits right immediately behind
the Skateland water slide, and the Skateland water slide was the
dominant noise source in that back part, because you have the
motors right at ground levels, as well as the rushing water
cascading down from the entire tubes. The track was operating with
about 12 cars at the time I was there Friday afternoon, and the
track really wasn't noticeable in the back because it was all being
masked by the water slide itself.
MR. RUEL-I thought this was an exact science, because you can come
up with a study, and somebody else will punch holes in it, forever.
MR. LONG-Right, and I think the problem, like any science, and any
approach of a study is it needs to be methodical, and as you are
getting at, you know, what is the noise on Route 9 and what is it
being caused by, and I think that's the key issue.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. RUEL-There are many assumptions made.
assumptions. I mean, that's not methodical.
You have to make
MR. LONG-Right, but in order to make assumptions, you have to have
a well grounded base of data, and what I'm saying here, on this
ambient study is we don't know how many cars are going past during
that time. We don't even know what time of day it was.
MR. RUEL-Yes, but aside from all the studies, I know when I go next
to Skateland, one of these places, I don't find the noise excessive
at all.
MR. AUFFREDOU-You may not, but I don't know if you've ever camped
at the campground behind where this object is proposed, and I think
that's the issue that I'd like to take up on it, at this point.
The site specific concerns that we have, obviously, in opposition
to the project, is the noise, and Mr. Long has addressed what he
believes are some of the flaws in the testing that's been done. We
would echo the concerns of Staff that were raised preliminarily
here this evening, that a separate study should be done. I think
that it's incumbent upon you to engage in that type of a study,
given the scope of it and the nature of the project that's at hand,
and given the amount of SEQRA review that this project is going to
require. I don't see how you could make a thorough SEQRA review,
take the requisite hard look, without having an independent study
of the noise that this project is going to produce.
MR. BREWER-There's no SEQRA on this.
MR. STARK-Yes, there is, Tim. They made a mistake. It's Unlisted.
MR. RUEL-Yes. It's a short form.
form, Noise Level.
That's the first item on the
MR. AUFFREDOU-And on that issue, I mean, it is a short form. I
understand that that's what the applicant has submitted, and I
understand that's what's typically utilized for an Unlisted Action.
MR. RUEL-But noise level is listed there.
MR. AUFFREDOU-It is listed, but you do have the discretion to
require a long form, and I would strongly urge that you do take
that under consideration. Again, given the scope of the project,
given the nature of the uses that are proposed, and given the
assistance that a long form will give you in identifying noise
issues and perhaps some other environmental issues that are
presented as well. I would urge you to use your discretion in that
regard. Our site specific concerns, again, are the noise. Our
site general concerns, basically, what I'd like to do is just take
a minute and appeal to your authority as a Planning Board and I
think your obligation as a Planning Board to take a look at the
proposed project in light of the uses that are ongoing now on Route
9, the commercial highway zone. Your Zoning Code talks about the
purpose of a Highway Commercial zone, and it defines the purpose as
follows, and this is the Highway Commercial zone. "Those areas of
Queensbury which have already developed fairly intense and
haphazard commercial patterns. The purpose of these zones is to
confine development of this type to these areas while providing for
minimal expansion, primarily through infill. II Thus the Zoning
Code, in my opinion, recognizes the necessity for keeping
commercial zones diversified and the uses haphazard. You have a
similar, if not identical use, right down the street that's already
there. It's a unique use. It's not like a restaurant. It's not
like a gas station on Aviation Road where you would expect to see
two gas stations in close proximity. You may expect to see two
restaurants, less of a unique use. You have unique uses here, a
skating facility and go karts. You don't see them all up and down
Route 9. Seeing them in such close proximity, I submit, is not
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
keeping in line with the purpose of the Code which is to develop
haphazard commercial uses, and commercial patterns. Having these
in such close proximity, I think, is a detriment to the character
of the community. Going north or south on Route 9, yes, you're
going to see a number of motels there. You may see a couple of
restaurants, not necessarily right on top of each other. You may
see a cinema. You're going to see a campground. You're going to
see a go kart track and a go kart track. You're going to see a
skating facility and a skating facility. Granted permissible uses,
yes, but again, I appeal to your obligation to take a look at this
project from a commercial, from the Commercial Highway zone
perspective, and from an overall planning concept. That's a site
general concern. Getting to a specific concern, I would like you
to consider the impact that this project is going to have on the
campground. The south side of the campground you have an existing
amusement center and Skateland facility. It's been there for a
long time, well run, well operated. Go kart tracks are running at
night. To the north of the campground, you're going to have
another go kart facility. Right now, Mr. Gardner, proprietor of
the Campsite, is here tonight. What he does is he sends his
campers to the north side of that camping facility for peace and
quiet. They've come to expect that. His customers have come to
expect that tranquility. You put a go kart track up on the north
end, you can have studies 'til our hearts desire, call it a study,
call it whatever you want. Call it a camel as far as I'm
concerned. What you're going to have is you're going to have two
go kart tracks on each side of his property, and nowhere for his
campers to go. You're creating a tremendous hardship for Mr.
Gardner and his wife, the proprietors of that campground. I need
you to consider that. I know it's a permitted use. I understand
that, but I need you to carefully consider what this use is going
to do to Mr. Gardner's business.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you. The hour is getting late, and I don't
want to take time away from anyone, but I would ask you to keep
your comments as brief and to the point as you can. Who would be
next?
ART SMITH
MR. SMITH-My name's Art Smith. I represent Lake George Zoo, Animal
Land for Mr. Dave Osbourne. The only thing we're concerned about
is the fencing. We got the fence from Pirates Cove, and all we ask
is you continue it, Mr. Ermiger to us.
MR. PALING-Right. This was brought up before, and I think this
will be taken care of.
MR. SMITH-Right, but I was told this was a new submission and I had
to be here to say it.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. SMITH-The only other thing I've got to say is, there is a
drainage problem there, but you guys all tell me there isn't, for
their parking lot. From where their parking lot's going to be,
there's a good 20 or 30 foot drop down to me, but the drywells are
supposed to handle it. I just want to be on record that there is
that much of a drop. It's a valley that comes right through there,
and then it goes right back up, but right where their parking lot
is, where both of those empties right into the valley, which is a
20 to 30 foot drop down to me.
MR. MACEWAN-Has Rist-Frost looked at these latest plans?
MR. HILTON-Yes, they have, and the comment letter which I read
previous was in light of these new plans.
MR. RUEL-Are you getting water from that property now?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting
8/20/96)
MR. SMITH-Absolutely. Sure, 'when it
those hills and right into me. I
rains. It lays real wet there when
rain.
rains, it comes right down off
only have a problem when it
it rains, when I get a lot of
MR. RUEL-Well, they're going to solve it for you.
MR. SMITH-Well, I'm hoping, but on the map it only shows a little
droppage, but there is 20 to 30 feet, but as long as it's on
record, I'm happy. Our animals, noise is noise, you know. I've
got a bulldozer over there now, beep, beep, beep all day long.
Anyway, just the fence. We need the fence continued up to the end
of his property, the same as Pirates Cove, is all we're asking.
MR. PALING-The fence and the drainage, right. Okay.
MR. SMITH-Thank you.
MR. PALING-Thank you. Who's next?
TOM MCDONOUGH
MR. MCDONOUGH-Good evening. My name's Tom McDonough. I'm here to
speak on behalf of myself, the Greycourt Motel. We are directly
across from the proposed area of development, and staying with the
site specific issue of noise, I would join in the correspondence of
Mr. Auffredou that he sent to the Board, as well as Staff
requesting an independent study of this issue, in light of the fact
that the issues brought up by the expert here as well as the fact
that understanding what these numbers mean requires some outside
source to tell us what they really are. It's quite hard to believe
that the noise is going to be equal if not less with the 30 go
karts across the street from the motel. It's just hard to
understand, and I also would point out that even as the petitioner
has stated, the average number of decibels that they were talking
about comes from some other survey done somewhere else, and the
highest noise level was done, the average noise level he comes out
to is the 71 db's was done over a 24 hour period. So you're going
to have peak periods where the db's exceed the numbers he's already
told us, okay, and I don't know what the source of those surveys of
those numbers are, and in addition, even putting up the barriers,
they're not sound absorbent barriers, and in light of the fact
they're not sound absorbent barriers, they reflect noise, they
increase noise. In the service we used to shout to have our voice
bounce against the wall and come back to us, and sound does bounce,
okay. So you have that increase based upon the barrier that's not
a sound absorbent barrier. It's just a sound barrier. So to that
extent, there's going to be an increase in noise. No question
about it, and I think an independent study based upon Staff's
recommendations and based upon the critique of the experts sitting
up here, it ought to be done. That's just addressing the noise
issue, and that's an impact on the Motel, and I just want to
emphasize that without pushing the issue. It's noise. It's an
increase in noise, and you're pushing the envelope at 71 decibels.
How many more over 71 does the noise become irritant, not painful,
and as the expert here stated, you are pushing the envelope at the
71 dbl limit. I don't know if this is the time to address these
issues, but I think perhaps I'm going to point them out. There's
no statement as to the hours of operation with respect to this.
MR. PALING-That was discussed before.
MR. MCDONOUGH-It was, but it wasn't resolved, as I recollect.
MR. PALING-No.
resolved.
I think you're right.
Yes. It's got to be
MR. RUEL-It's open.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. MCDONOUGH-And also, there's no provision in these designs here
for vehicle storage. So apparently there's going to be open
storage of vehicles. Where do they go at night? Are they going to
store them out in the front lawn? Where are these vehicles stored?
MR. BREWER-I think that there was discussion of a building
somewhere near the bridge.
MR. MCDONOUGH-But it's not on this map.
MR. BREWER-Outdoor storage, at one time, we talked about under the
bridge.
MR. MCDONOUGH-Yes, and they talked about storing them under the
bridge, 30 vehicles.
MR. RUEL-Yes, it's not there now.
MR. PALING-All right. Well, we can bring the point up if you'd
like.
MR. MCDONOUGH-How about fuel storage? There's no provision on the
maps or charts or information on it.
MR. PALING-Yes. Well, we have to ask for protection there.
MR. MCDONOUGH-Hours of maintenance.
MR. BREWER-Like I said, there was a building on the previous plan.
There was a building for that.
MR. RUEL-There's a maintenance building here.
MR. PALING-Okay. Well, lets go ahead with your, I've got vehicle
storage followed by fuel storage. What was the next one?
MR. LABOMBARD-Maintenance.
MR. PALING-Maintenance, yes. Okay.
MR. MCDONOUGH-There was some discussion, as I recollect, on one of
the last meetings, that maintenance was going to be done at night.
MR. PALING-Okay, maintenance hours. All right.
MR. MCDONOUGH-Now this map is a little different than the last one
that was here. That's the question I have about setbacks visa via
ingress and egress. What's happened here. Here's the entrance
from Route 9. You've got your property line right here. No
delineation on the property, going down through what is the
driveway on two separate pieces of property, okay.
MR. PALING-That's shared drive, now.
MR. MCDONOUGH-Well, it said shared parkinq. It wasn't shared
drive, okay. There's no indication of shared drive, because the
Code, I understand, requires egress and ingress of 10 feet for the
property owner, for each property. If one property owner here
decided he was going to put his boundary up, neither one of these
would meet the requirements of the Code.
MR. HILTON-I think it's a stipulation of the subdivision for this
property that they share access.
MR. MCDONOUGH-Well, that's fine. I understand the shared access
because that was the route, the only way they could develop the
property. This came up years ago, okay, and shared access was a
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requirement, because DOT took the position that the line of sight
access from the other open area was inadequate for safety to the
north because of the turn and downgrade. So they required only one
access to this piece of property. That's the history that goes
with that okay, and it was generally agreed shared access, but
there was nothing stated with respect to each one of these property
owners having equal outgoing and ingoing, and your result here is
that you've got a problem here, just like you probably have right
over at the Pizza Hut. You can just about get your car in and out
and turn it around, and it doesn't meet the Code requirement, which
requires you to have enough room to turn a car around and back it
out in your own back yard. There's no agreement with respect to
this line, and I don' t think at this stage you can make an
agreement to rectify the problem, and it does require a variance.
No variance was given.
MR. HILTON - I don I t understand the problem.
there's a violation either.
I don't see where
MR. MCDONOUGH-Well, lets say this man was developing this piece of
property by himself. He would have to have 20 foot wide parcel
here, 10 foot in and 10 foot out, plus his parking, plus adequate
room for the parker to get his car in and out. This does not have
that space available.
MR. PALING-We have, again, made note of it. I don't know. We'll
find out.
MR. HILTON-If you're asking about the width of the parking areas
and the drive, the access aisle between the two, they meet the
Code. We require 60 feet, and you do have double wide parking.
They have approximately, they have like 63 feet wide.
MR. MCDONOUGH-I think if you were to meet Code, you're required, at
this point, to have 80 feet between this point and this feet.
MR. HILTON-No. I can tell you it's 60, and they meet it.
MR. MCDONOUGH-Well, I understand what you're saying, but to make my
point, if they were separate parcels of property, which they are,
this parcel would not meet the requirements for this parking space
and have two lines of traffic, one in and one out, and this one
would not either.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. MCDONOUGH-And there's been no agreement, provisions with
respect to it, and also they're using that same line for the side
setback, to meet the 25 foot minimum.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. MCDONOUGH-I believe that's all I have to say at this point in
time. Thank you for your attention. I appreciate it.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you.
JIM VALENTI
MR. VALENTI-Jim Valenti, owner of Agway. Again, I have concerns
which I come tonight about the sound. Okay. I feel as though this
site needs an independent study done to tell me at 26 feet away
what it's going to sound like in my nursery, okay. They're telling
me three decibels. I can't see it. You're taking 30 cars, five
and a half horsepower engines, and in the information they gave us
last time, four cars at 10 feet is 82, at 50 feet is 68.5. I'm 26
feet. That's got to lie at four cars in the 70 range of the
decibels. With 30 cars, kids screaming, cars bumping into each
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other, I can't see it going down to that, and with an independent
study done, we will all know what the sound's going to be like. I
conduct a lot of business out there in my nursery. I have my
counters.
MR. HILTON-I'd just like to state for the record that what Rist-
Frost is suggesting and what Staff is suggesting is not a separate
study. It's just a review of the current study submitted.
MR. VALENTI-Okay. Right here is where we conduct the business out
there in the greenhouse. Right in front of the greenhouse, I've
got about 15 feet with counters where everybody checks out, okay.
In the spring time, May and June, I'm busy out there. Saturdays
and Sundays are my busiest days. With these go karts going around
here, which they're going to be their busiest days on that time, I
need to know the sound. They have the wall coming around here,
ending here. Now I would like to know, in the study, how much is
that wall going to knock it down compared to the front of the
greenhouse, to a little more out front where the wall isn't. You
see where that wall ends in the front here? Okay. I would like to
know what that sounds going to be like over in here. I want to
know what that wall's going to do, which I haven't heard yet on
that. So the sound's my main issue on it. Then I have some other
issues, subject to approval on this. Back here, where the walkway
is, the sidewalk, they've got the chain link fence coming around
and tying in to their maintenance building here. I feel as though
that sidewalk where the people are going to be at night, you know,
unattended there, I should have a chain link coming around the back
side, tying into the building, to keep these people from coming
over into my back yard, which I don't see any chain link. You see
right here. I carry inventory back there, and it's free to walk
back there, which looks like only about 35 feet away from the edge
of that sidewalk there to my back yard. Number Two, there's a
little problem right here on the back. I have retained this wall
here, which back here shoots straight down. If this track is
coming around, this is getting developed here, I think we could be
looking at an erosion problem right here, which I feel as though
that should be retained. There's a six foot embankment that runs
around 100 feet that is vertically straight up and down. Nothing
I did. Nothing Ken did. This embankment was there when we came in
10 years ago. Over here there's a fuel tank to be removed. I'm
sure that DEC regulations will be taking that fuel tank out with
all the information on contamination, a clean bill of health. I
would like to see that. Well, the sound was the main thing, and
with an independent study done on that, I'd feel a lot more
comfortable with this development right here.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you. Who's next?
EDWARD GARDNER
MR. GARDNER-My name is Edward Gardner. I own the Lake George
Campsite, and as you requested ever so briefly, I am concerned, in
addition to the other statements that have been made prior, this
evening, I'm concerned about the securi ty of the campground, and to
the extent that Jim has just brought to your attention the need for
fencing to protect his property, I would encourage that fencing be
provided for the entirety of the go kart property so as to prevent
involuntary access to the campground through the go kart track, if
it is eventually approved. That's it. Thank you.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you. Go ahead.
MR. VALENTI-Again, along with what I had forgot was that chain link
fence. I didn't see the pictures of that other, I would like arbs,
as a sound wall, to help with the sound, upright arbs along that
whole fence, along the whole southern line of where it goes. I
think the nursery, the plantings will look nice and it's going to
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give me a lot of added protection with the sound. Thank you.
MR. PALING-Thank you. Is there anyone else who'd care to speak on
this matter? Okay. If not, the public hearing is closed.
PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
MR. PALING-Would the applicant come on back.
address some of these issues?
Would you like to
MR. NACE-Sure. What I'd like to do is go through and address a
bunch of the general issues, hit on some of the sound stuff myself,
more from a laYman's standpoint, we can have Rick address some of
the sound questions, from a technical standpoint. First of all,
I'd like to point out something. You all saw these pictures of the
track at Old Forge. Okay. You'll notice in the background here,
you see that building, that's in fairly close proximity. This is
the upper section of track. There's a lower section that you saw
in one of the other photographs, but that building that you see in
the background here is a motel. It's directly across the street
from the track. It's closer to this track than the motel across
the street will be to our track. Well, that's the road through Old
Forge. There's probably less traffic, but that's a very viable and
very busy motel, and in talking to the people at the track at Old
Forge, sure there were some initial concerns from residents about
noise, but there have not been any complaints since the track was
open.
MR. BREWER-How many karts at this track?
MR. NACE-There were quite a few. Ken says 27, and he was there
with me, and I believe that, if it's not exactly 27, it's certainly
in the 25 to 30 variety. Okay. Let me start down through the
issues. First of all, Dean Long presented criticism of the sound
study. I'd like the Board to know, and I'd like to know myself,
what Dean's specific qualifications, doing himself, not reviewing
or not incorporating into an Environmental Impact Statement,
reports of other experts. I'd like to know what his
qualifications, specific qualifications, regarding sound producing
and doing sound studies are, and I think that's a question I'd like
the Board to ask him. Okay. Most of Dean's issues on sound are
technical. I'll let those be answered by our sound expert. One of
the questions came up, by Martin Auffredou, was limiting
competition, at least that's what I put it down as. Do we need two
tracks on the same stretch of road? Do we need McDonalds and
Burger King together? They normally go into the very same areas.
Competition is good for our commercial establishments. So I would
hope that the Board would look at that issue in the proper light.
The Campground, the issue came up with moving people to the north
end of the Campground for peace and quiet. I've looked at the
Campground. I've walked out along the property line. I've
listened to the Northway noise. I don't necessarily believe that
that north end of the Campground is necessarily quiet. If you
listen to the trucks on the Northway, and I think some of you have,
it's pretty noisy, and I'm sure that any campground operator would
tell you you don't physically ask people to move from one site to
another in the middle of the night if it's too noisy for them.
They just, they don't do it. The Animal Land comment, I apologize.
The fence, I meant to put it on the plan. It will be there.
MR. PALING-That's okay. All right.
MR. MACEWAN-To interrupt you, just along the lines of his concern
with the possible erosion down that hill.
MR. NACE-Yes. That was down further. The erosion, for the Animal
Land issue, the erosion, we are collecting all the water off our
paved surfaces, and putting them into three drywells here. My
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engineering calculations, drainage calculations, showed that only
two of those drywells were really necessary. The third I put in
recognizing that this is a low point. If any of those were to
overflow, there is a large potential, because there's a fairly high
slope there, but I don't think, in fact I think that we will be
reducing the existing amount of runoff that reaches the slow spot
back there on the property line.
MR. MACEWAN-What is the edge of the parking pavement like? I mean,
has it got a swale to it?
MR. NACE-It's curbed. So it's got to go over a six inch curb
before it can get off that parking surface, and that's shown right
on the plans. It's labeled curb. Okay. While I'm at it, the
erosion issue over on this other property line is a pipe drain.
There's really no tributary area to create erosion from runoff.
There's a very small little hummock here of land. He has a
retaining wall that's along here. We aren't creating a retaining
wall, but we are making a cut in here which will produce a slope
that's steep but maintainable, but there's no area up here large
enough where runoff could concentrate and become a problem.
MR. MACEWAN-What about his request in that area of re-locating that
fence to the other side of the perimeter, going from that corner up
to the corner of the building?
MR. NACE-From here up to the corner of the building?
MR. MACEWAN-Yes.
MR. NACE-That cuts off any future plans we might have in this area.
MR. MACEWAN-Why is that?
MR. NACE-Because the fence would go through it. If we eventually
want to do something with this area, we'd come back for site plan,
obviously, but I don't think there's any specific need. He's got
a retaining wall here. People from the track, you know, this track
is going to provide the attraction for people from the Campground
or other facilities to come look at the track. It's not vice
versa. The people that are here are focused on what's here.
They're not going to go off wandering back through the woods
because they think there might be a campground back there. The
attraction's here.
MR. MACEWAN-I think he's raised some legitimate concerns, that the
potential for people to want to wander out, on his side of the
property.
MR. NACE-If you walked back through there, they'd have to go and
climb down a six to eight foot retaining wall made out of stones
that's rather precarious, and even if they got to the bottom of
that, they would end up in a bunch of bushes without any pads. I
just don't think it's a reasonable assumption. Okay. We addressed
Animal Land. The source, Mr. McDonough requested a little bit of
knowledge about the source of the information for the sound study
that came from the go kart manufacturers. That information was
generated by a sound consultant out on the West Coast who is an
expert noise consultant. Again, I'll let our consultant address
that in more detail. Hours of operation. We are planning to be
open until midnight.
MR. PALING-What time do you open in the morning?
MR. NACE-We'll probably open nine or ten o'clock in the morning.
MR. PALING-Okay.
intend?
That's what you, ten to midnight is what you
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MR. NACE-That is correct.
MR. RUEL-You should consider 11 p.m.
MR. NACE-No. The track down the street is open until midnight.
They advertise it.
MR. BREWER-How can we control a business' hours?
MR. PALING-Okay. They are open until midnight. That's the correct
hours for them, but lets not try to debate this point right now.
Okay. That's your intention. Lets go on.
MR. NACE-Okay. Vehicle storage and fuel storage. What we are
doing is very similar to the pictures I showed you for the track at
Old Forge. They have a starting area. I think I passed this one
out. Maybe I didn't. They have a starting area for their karts
which is a covered building, and we've indicated here covered
starting area, which will have side slatting doors that can be
drawn down for security at night, and that's our storage of karts.
We have a maintenance building, and that maintenance building will
include a small storage tank, about less than 1,000 gallons, that
is done according to Code for fuel storage. The karts, generally
the tracks we've observed, the karts require refilling once during
the day, and that is done with the portable gas cans. So the karts
will be maintained there. The hours of maintenance won't be after
the track closes. It'll be during off periods during the day.
MR. PALING-Okay. Within track hours.
MR. NACE-Within track hours, and there's also a little office area
indicated with that maintenance building which will be a place for
collection and selling of tickets, etc.
MR. MACEWAN-The only storage of gasoline will be with the
containers?
MR. NACE-No. There will be a tank within that building. It will
probably be, I'm guessing, it may be a 150 gallon tank that will
have proper containment, secondary containment, but it'll be an
above ground, visible. If anything happens, you can see it, tank.
MR. MACEWAN-How often do you think that that tank would have to be
filled?
MR. NACE-The karts, I believe the karts hold two to three gallons,
fill them a couple of times a day. There's 30 of them. They're
filled twice a day, 30 times two times three is 200 gallons. So
probably every day.
MR. MACEWAN-And you said they would deliver like home heating
tanks, that idea?
MR. NACE-That is correct. Simply, like a truck delivers gasoline
to a farm. Okay. Maintenance we've covered. The shared driveway,
okay. I think the driveway indicated on there is 24 feet wide.
The parking stalls are 20 feet long. It makes a total width here
of 64 feet. It will be shared. It's noted as shared on the
subdivision plan, for shared entrance. When the property was
transferred to Pirate's Cove, this was transferred as an easement
between the two for access. I don't know what more I can say. One
thing on the sound that I would like to point out. Agway has been
concerned and has expressed additional concern about his sales
area, and specifically the sales area up here by the greenhouse.
If you look, that's pretty close to Route 9. Plus, if you'll note,
our sound measurements, as Rick had said, were taken on the
conservative side, and the analysis was done on the conservative
side. Our analysis is at the property line, okay. If you come
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back to the nearest point where he has existing walkways or
customer access areas, you're another 10 to 15 feet back into his
property.
MR. RUEL-Yes, but that one section in front of the greenhouse does
not have the advantage of the sound wall.
MR. NACE-Yes, it does. The sound wall wraps around all the way to
here.
MR. RUEL-Yes, but I thought you were talking about an area further
to the right.
MR. NACE-I'm not sure I understand where you're saying.
MR. RUEL-The sound wall starts here, correct?
MR. NACE-That's correct.
MR. RUEL-He was talking about this area.
MR. NACE-Okay, but if you get to that area, by the time you look at
where a kart's going to have free straight line transmission to
there, you're quite a distance away. This is 20 scale. You're 80
feet away.
MR. RUEL-Yes, but he had asked what the effect of the sound walls
was, from a db level, on one side and the other side, and also what
is the db level over here without the sound wall, this way.
MR. PALING-Well, I think we'd like to get clarification of the
effectiveness of the sound wall, but I don't think if we remove it,
the sound wall is going to exist. So lets talk about only that
condition.
MR. RUEL-We don't want to remove it.
MR. PALING-No.
MR. NACE-The person from Agway also referred to the studies which
had been previous provided, which were from the J & J Kart
Manufacturers sound expert, and referred to the levels that were at
different distances away in that study. I want you to keep in mind
that that study did not have any sound barriers. We do, or the
areas of the track that are in close proximity to Agway. The
erosion problem at Agway, security fencing I addressed as applies
to the.
MR. PALING-The only thing I have left on my list is, I'd like to
get the sound wall explained a little bit more in detail.
MR. NACE-Okay. Well, lets have Rick come do that, and I'll review
the rest of my notes while he's doing that.
MR. GRAUL-First of all, I kind of need to refer to the plan. The
sound wall is merely put in place to mitigate noise levels from the
closest portion of the track to the greenhouse. The clear distance
attenuation, which with doubling of distance you have a drop of six
decibels in sound pressure level, is going to take over past the
end of this wall, plus the focusing of the sound energy is not
going to be directly at this property, but rather it's going to be
in an oblique angle, which is going to be out in this area adjacent
to the roadway. Yes, indeed, this is the area where he conducts
his sales, but that is also the area where human activity is most
prominent, such as transacting sales, trucks and cars coming in and
leaving, people speaking, loading and unloading, and things of that
nature. Also, you have sound pressure levels in excess of 60
decibels at that distance off of Route 9, which are consistent.
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These sound walls will, indeed, provide 10 decibels plus, depending
on the distribution of the kart in relation to the wall. Now, if
the kart is on this side of the track, and your receptor is
standing directly on the property line, you're going to have a 10
decibel reduction. If the kart is right up against the wall,
you're going to have about a 14 decibel reduction. That is the
purpose of having these two sound walls in place is to reduce the,
take the bite out of the noise from the karts being at that closest
point to that property line. Clear distance attenuation will break
down the sound levels further in these further points.
MR. PALING-It was noted that these would be absorbing or bouncing.
Which are you saying?
MR. GRAUL-These are wooden walls. They will have a very good sound
transmission loss, but they will also be absorbed because the wood
surface is not perfectly flat, but it is continuous within itself,
and it's a porous substance as well. So it is an acoustically
absorptive material, and if it becomes an issue, it's something
that can be added later, as well. Putting an absorptive material
on a wall is not unheard of. The next thing that I'd like to get
into. They mentioned who did the studies and what time they were
done. The ambient study was taken at the curb, right here on the
curve of Route 9, and back to a distance of 200 feet, at intervals
of 10 feet, 20 feet, 40 feet, 50 feet, 75 feet, 100 feet, 150 feet
and 200 feet, both typical or average levels or range levels were
both recorded. They were taken at 11:45 a.m., March 22, 1996 at
the location of the proposed access road. All readings were taken
with the normal automobile traffic present on Route 9. Readings
were A rated readings taken with a realistic meter Model Number 33-
2050.
MR. MACEWAN-They were taken in March?
MR. GRAUL-That is correct.
MR. PALING-What day of the week was that?
MR. GRAUL-I believe that was a Friday. Also, standards. You asked
about noise standards. There were two noise standards that are not
imposed. However, they are recommended by the Federal Government.
One is by the Federal Interagency Committee on Urban Noise. This
area is decidedly urban. If you look at a definition of an urban
area, this would definitely classify as an urban area. They
recommend that noise levels be maintained between the hours of
seven a.m. and ten p.m. at 65 decibels, and between the hours of 10
p.m. and seven a.m. at 55 decibels. That is not a law. It is
merely a recommendation by a committee of people who come from
various studies in our government, and the intellectual community
and the like. The second standard, which is established by the
Federal Highway Administration, is 67 decibels. That is the limit
that if you are a residential receptor, you qualify to have noise
barriers put between your property and the edge of a highway, 67
decibels.
MR. MACEWAN-Can I get you to step back in your presentation for a
couple of minutes. Someone asked, regarding this sound wall. If
it was a thicker, taller wall, would it work better, as far as
deadening sound?
MR. GRAUL-It wouldn't have to be thicker.
MR. MACEWAN-In other words, this one's four by eight by four foot
high. If it was like six by six's, five foot high, would it work
better?
MR. GRAUL-The transmission loss characteristics of the materials
themselves are going to be highly'efficient. You're going to have
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a very good transmission loss with that type of material,
regardless of thickness, as long as it is sufficiently thick to
deaden the sound. It's height and length, yes. The longer you
distribute the materials and the higher you distribute the
materials, the more attenuation you will get. However, you have to
remember where the source of the sound is from these karts. It's
down near the ground level. The karts are only about this tall.
The motor is mounted on a frame which is approximately three inches
off of the ground, with a baffle that sticks off the manifold of
the motor. The source of noise from all these motors is
approximately 10 to 12 inches off the ground surface. So
therefore, a four foot wall will sufficiently attenuate the sound
from this.
MR. MACEWAN-But if you have your sound deadening wall on this side,
and you have karts on that side that have a farther distance to
carry the sound.
MR. GRAUL-Well, the sound deadening wall is not intended to
significantly reduce sounds on that side of the track. Clear
distance will do that.
MR. MACEWAN-Okay. My next question for you is, the day that the
survey was taken, the sound tests were taken up there on that
property, was the property clear cut at that time? Was it cleared?
MR. NACE-The property? The property's not clear cut now. You're
talking about the pirates Cove property.
MR. MACEWAN-Okay. That was going to be the second part of my
question. How did that effect that test, in having the Pirates
Cove area that was clear, which would allow more noise to come in?
MR. NACE-The Pirates Cove property was clear. It was approximately
the way you see it now.
MR. MACEWAN-That's it.
MR. GRAUL-Okay. I had a couple of other issues. First of all, i
want to clarify, the proposed number of karts is 27. We used 30
because that's the number that was supplied to us by the kart
manufacturer, J & J Amusements. They did their study with 30
karts. Seeing as how that is more karts than what we're proposing,
it would not be unacceptable to use the numbers for 30 karts. It
would only be conservative. Overly conservative, maybe, but it is
not the number of karts that we were proposing. Also, we were not
talking about a three decibel reduction. However, we were talking
about no more than a three decibel increase in the overall sound
pressure level, to correct the expert from the abutters. I do
apologize for one thing. I did make a mistake in saying that the
northbound lane was an upgrade. I'm sorry about that. That is,
indeed, the southbound lane that is on an upgrade. However, these
two lanes are in very close proximity to each other and the noise
levels from both lanes are evident at all times during the day and
night, and if anybody wants to dispute that, you can merely stand
at any point on this site, and you'll be able to hear the drone of
the traffic. What else do we have? I did cross sections on this
property as well. As a matter of fact, back when it was originally
proposed, I conducted approximately 15 cross sections, and I
conducted another four to six cross sections, I believe I in
addition to those, when we re-calculated the new distribution of
the track and the walls. You have to keep in consideration here
that there is, a very substantial portion of this track is going to
be bounded barriers of one type or another. It's going to be
bounded by barriers of wood, barriers of solid ground, and barriers
of vegetation. The receptors over here are going to be completely
out of the line of sight by a factor of two feet. This track
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surface is seven to eight feet below this ground surface. This
ground surface is six to eight feet below this ground surface as
well. That makes a continuous, unbroken barrier between the
Campground and the nearest portion of the track where the sound
level, pressure levels, would be the highest.
MR. RUEL-All the barriers you've shown are on the south side,
though.
MR. GRAUL-That is correct, because this side here is a similar land
use, and across here we have a distance between the nearest edge of
the track and the road surface, well of the road right-of-way of 75
feet, 90 feet between the edge of the track and the road surface.
MR. RUEL-So the barrier there is the distance.
MR. GRAUL-Yes. The barrier there is the distance and the overall
ambient condition of the road surface itself.
MR. RUEL-How about on the other side, in the back there?
MR. GRAUL-Over here? This is all part of their operation, and
their neighbor's operation in which they're in conjunction, because
they are similar types of land use.
MR. NACE-Plus the building will provide a barrier, too.
MR. GRAUL-The nearest campsite is somewhere, it's 200 feet off of
the property boundary, I believe.
MR. NACE-From about here, it's about 200 feet out this way.
MR. GRAUL-And it's about 350 feet from the nearest portion of the
edge of the track, plus there is an eight foot high effective
discontinuous barrier between the track surface and the Campground,
which will provide a decibel reduction of approximately 14
decibels, in and of itself, just the barrier alone, plus the
reduction of noise levels because of distance, and this will be the
furthest receptor, and if we are planning this to be a reducing
condition for the closer receptors, the further receptors are going
to be far less impacted, and I said before, if you're getting a
sound pressure level of 71 decibels at 100 feet, you double that
distance to 200 feet and you're down six decibels, which is 65
decibels, 400 feet, you're down to 59 decibels, and in that range,
you're starting to find your ambient conditions, because if you go
any further, you're going to be getting closer to the Northway.
You're going to be getting closer to the roadway of Route 9, plus
that there is substantial human activity that takes place in this,
in and about this corridor at all times. There are always people
talking somewhere. There are always people splashing in the pool
when the pool is operating. So if there is any question of
diminishment of the environment around the pool, you must remember
that the people at the pool also make noise. They splash, yell,
play, the like, just like they will be doing in here, and I don't
know what your laws governing who is allowed to make more noise
when they're having fun, but it would seem to me that it would be
unfair or, I don't know exactly what term you'd want to use, but.
MR. RUEL-Unconstitutional.
MR. GRAUL-Unconstitutional to allow these people over here to have
less fun than these people, or vice versa.
MR. NACE-I think another question that I had jotted down here is,
how many complaints has the Town had regarding the noise from the
existing go kart track at Skateland? Are there any?
MR. BREWER-We have no Ordinance for noise.
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MR. NACE-We have no Ordinance. We really haven't had any
Ordinance. I'd like to point out, this yelling and screaming and
what have you has been brought up, regarding impact on the
Campground. If you take a look, I think I passed around that
overall area map that showed the proximity of Skate land to the
Campground, and the waterslide area of Skateland is right adjacent
to the Campground.
MR. PALING-Okay. Do you have more?
MR. NAtE-We have two or three more here.
MR. GRAUL- I would like to ask one question. The existing
situation, is it marginal? By Federal Highway standards and by
standards of the Federal Interagency Committee on Urban Noise, they
are not marginal. They are well below those thresholds established
by both of those organizations, and pushing the threshold at best
we would be approaching the threshold at an extreme condition. We
would not be pushing the threshold consistently or in a manner that
would jeopardize the overall sound quality of the area, because it
is indeed already an area i which this type of human activity is
traditional and accepted.
MR. PALING-Okay. Thank you.
MR. STARK-Tom, Mr. Valenti also asked about putting some
arborvitaes up on the southern side to fill in the spaces and so
on. I don't think there's a set plan.
MR. GRAUL-Solid rock provides the ultimate transmission loss.
However, being that it's solid surface, that in itself acts as a
reflector that the surface is irregular in shape and geometry will
do something to break down the sound levels, such as rough acoustic
tile will.
MR. STARK-I don't think he was referring to so much for the sound,
as for the aesthetics.
MRS. LABOMBARD-The aesthetics.
MR. PALING-That's more Tom's bailiwick, I think. I don't think it
was referring to sound.
MR. GRAUL-Yes, you know, putting up any kind of barrier in places.
MR. NACE-Okay. As far as doing some additional barrier work with
landscaping there, yes. We'll be glad to put some additional
arborvitae in to provide, not a solid wall. I don't think that's
to anybody's benefit, but to provide more of a continuous line of
landscaping down along that property line.
MR. STARK-One other question, and I think this might be a concern
to more than just myself, is the hours of operation, Tom, being
open to 12. Granted Skate land is open until 12, but there's no
motel across the street from Skate land. I could see where that
could be a problem, you know, from 11 to 12, the extra hour, with
the pulling in, the pulling out. I think we restricted the hours
at Pirate's Cove to 11, if I'm not mistaken.
MR. NACE-I'd have to go back and look. I don't remember.
MRS. LABOMBARD-I think we did.
MR. MCDONOUGH-Yes, you did. That was a topic of discussion.
MR. STARK-Why don't you confer with Mr. Ermiger or Mr. Rehm. I
think, Walt, I think 12 o'clock is really pushing it. Skateland is
open until 12, fine, but there's no motel across from Skateland.
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MR. MACEWAN-I think, more importantly, Skateland is not in front of
this Board with an application.
MRS. LABOMBARD-And we're not dealing with Skateland either. You're
right, Craig.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. NACE-We are agreeable to, if you'll let us originally stay open
until 12, okay, we're agreeable to close at 11, if the McDonough's
come back to the Planning Department and say, we have a problem,
once the thing is constructed, in operation. If they truly have a
problem at that point, they don't have to demonstrate, all they
have to do is complain. Then we will be glad to close at 11.
MR. PALING-You said the McDonoughs. Is that the motel?
MR. NACE-That's the motel. Is that reasonable?
MR. PALING-And you're talking about 11 o'clock.
midnight.
You'd start at
MR. NACE-We'd start closing at midnight.
MR. PALING-And then if there are any complaints you would back off
to 11.
MR. NACE-If they have a problem with it, perceived or real, all
they have to do is complain to the, or give notice to the Planning
Department and.
MR. PALING-You'll back off to 11.
MR. NACE-Right.
MR. PALING-All right. We'll just, we'll take it down. We're not
saying anything final yet. Okay.
MR. MACEWAN-I'd like legal input in that.
MR. BREWER-Yes, do we have a right to control hours of business?
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, the answer is that, upon an applicant's
representation of what the hours of operation will be, and I'm
speaking in general now, that would become, that can become part of
an application, and therefore if we approve an application in which
an applicant has made representations about hours of operation,
those are the limitations on the hours of operation. Getting to
Craig's question. That would be an unusual condition, and for one
thing I'm troubled with the notion that it would be specific to the
McDonoughs. I don't know that that's appropriate. If you want to
tie that to Staff determination in the future and come back, you
know, if in fact this application is approved at some point, come
back for re-visitation of the hours of operation issue. There are
ways to structure that. I mean, you're not acting on this
application tonight anyway, as I understand it, by virtue of the
Warren County Planning Board limitation. So that's something we
can think about between now and whenever you do act on it.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. BREWER-We can leave it as an open issue right now, Bob.
MR. PALING-Yes. No. We're not deciding anything. It's written
down. We're not doing anything yet. We haven't done anything.
All right. Do you have anything further?
WALTER REHM
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MR. REHM-My name is Walter Rehm, and I represent Mr. Ermiger. I
just want to say in response to George. We don't want to cause the
McDonoughs or anyone else any problems. We don't want any
problems. We'd like to have this operation run smoothly and be a
benefit to the community, but what Mark says is absolutely right.
There needs to be some kind of a standard. If Tom feels that,
after this starts, that running until 12 o'clock is a problem, if
he gets in touch with the Staff and the Staff makes an assessment
and reports to the Board, that would be fine. It is very, very
difficult, very difficult, and it's bordering almost on the
unconstitutional to tell people how long they can be operating
before there is a demonstration of some negative effect. I mean,
it's like saying that a bar has to close at 11 o'clock at night or
something like that. It's a difficult problem. We want to
cooperate with the Board. We want to with the neighbors, and we
want to do this in a way that has really beneficial to the
community. This is a pretty well developed area, and it looks
pretty good now, and we'd like to make it look a little bit better.
MR. PALING-Okay. Fine. Okay. You're all set then? Okay. All
right, then the public hearing has been closed. Everybody has had
their say. Now the conversation will be within the Board, okay,
within the Board and with Staff. We've got a SEQRA review, but I
think we ought to perhaps, I would like to just see if there's
anyone that would like to express their feelings about this whole
thing before, then hit the SEQRA, and see what we'll do.
MR. BREWER-Why don't we do the SEQRA the next meeting.
MR. RUEL-Because most of the items that are open are in the SEQRA.
MR. BREWER-I'm sure the applicant's going to come back with some
type of a response, I'm sure, to these, or not.
MR. RUEL-I suggest that we hold the SEQRA open.
MR. PALING-Why can't we do a SEQRA tonight?
MR. HILTON-First of all, Bob, if I may. I would just like to point
out or ask the Board if you are considering Engineering Staff's
comment that they have further review of the sound study. If that
is the case, we'd like to get that started as soon as possible,
because if we meet on the 29th, between now and then, there's the
opportunity to have the study done. Have the letter come in with
the comments from the people out in Cambridge, and at that time,
SEQRA can be done in response to those comments.
MR. RUEL-Yes. You can't do it now.
MR. STARK-I don't think it's necessary.
MR. RUEL-No. Don't do it now.
MR. STARK-No. I mean, I don't think it's necessary for a further
sound study.
MR. PALING-Well, yes. This is why I was going to try to get an
idea of how you felt, because I'm not sure I feel a sound study is
necessary. Craig, do you have any comments?
MR. MACEWAN-I guess the only comment I have, you have parties on
both sides who have conflicting analogies of what the reports hold,
for the minimal amount of money it would cost them, I guess it
would seem appropriate to me to at least have these people analyze
the report. If they're an outside interest, they don't have
anything vested in this, other than supplying a report that says
they're report taking was accurate or not.
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MR. STARK-I don't think it's necessary.
MRS. LABOMBARD-As far as the sound study goes, we're talking about
the numbers again, and I wish we could just start up three or four
karts in the middle of the property and go down there and listen to
it. I mean, to me, the numbers are.
MR. BREWER-We can. Why can't we?
MRS. LABOMBARD-Well,
MR. NACE-Have you listed to the karts up at the?
MRS. LABOMBARD-No, but I'm saying there. I mean, to me, that's
more relevant than these numbers that, another thing is this sound
study, who's going to pay for it? The applicant? Well, how biased
is that going to be, again? Please, I didn't mean to imply a thing
there. Seriously, I really didn't, but I'm thinking, you know, if
the applicant has to pay for the sound study, then where's your
bread buttered here?
MR. MACEWAN-No. Cathy, what it is is taking this report, sending
it to an independent company who will review that report for its
integrity. Am I correct on that?
MR. SCHACHNER-Correct. The applicant would bare the cost for this
in the same sense that the applicant pays, sometimes pays
engineering review fees, for example, not to their own engineer,
although they do that, too, but to the Town's consultants. So this
is not something that the applicant would have any direct control
over.
MRS. LABOMBARD-So the applicant wouldn't hire this person?
MR. SCHACHNER-No. In fact, in your packet of materials is the
proposal that was solicited by Rist-Frost, the Town Engineer, of a
company from Cambridge, Massachusetts that holds itself out as
being expert in this area. What Rist-Frost and the Town Planning
Staff are proposing is that the Planning Board authorize Rist-Frost
to engage this consultant, this independent consultant, that would
be engaged by Rist-Frost, on behalf of the Town, not to conduct a
new independent study, but to evaluate the study that the applicant
conducted that would be, the expense for that which would be
capped, as I understand it, from the proposal at $1,000 would be
borne by the applicant, but there'd be no direct contractual
relationship between the applicant and that consultant.
MRS. LABOMBARD-Okay, but then when we get these numbers again. I
mean, that's where I really have a problem with these numbers. I
really do.
MR. RUEL-I have to have faith in somebody somewhere. We get noise
level studies, and we also get traffic studies, and if we start
questioning these things and we show that we don't have any faith
in these studies, where do we go from here? We have somebody check
the study and then we don't believe him and then we have somebody
check him again. This could go on forever.
MR. PALING-You don't think it's necessary?
MR. RUEL-No, I don't think it's necessary. The only thing that's
missing is that maybe a traffic study would have helped to assist
in the noise study here. That's the only comment I have, but I
don't think it's necessary. I'm willing to accept the studies that
we have. I think they've been checked and re-checked, and I'm
satisfied with them. Also, I have experience and gone near these
racetracks, and I don't believe, to me anyway, they're not, the
noise is not excessive.
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MR. PALING-Okay. Tim?
MR. BREWER-I would agree with Roger that I don't believe that a
study is needed. If there's any doubt in anybody's mind, we can
all go to Gaslight Village.
MR. MACEWAN-I think you're all being confused here about what's
being requested by Staff and the Engineering Department. It's an
evaluation of the one that was conducted.
MR. BREWER-Right. I think it comes right back to what the
gentleman said to us tonight. He's telling us numbers and terms.
I don't understand them. I think if I want to know about noise, I
want to go listen to it.
MR. PALING-All right. Let me tell you about my experience with
this if you will. I went to the Campground with the group here,
and about the only thing that we heard there in the Campground was
the noise from Interstate 87, when we visited that. I went on my
own Sunday evening at nine o'clock to Skateland, as well as up to
the Action Park, and in Skateland, you go up to the track and you
hear the noise of the cars, but I went across the street to
Leonard's Insurance, and I went down to the curtain place there.
I could not hear the cars for the noise of Route 9. All I could
hear was traffic. I came back across the street and walked north
from the parking lot trying to approximate 100 feet. I could,
again, only hear traffic noise. I could not hear the karts. I did
the same thing at Action Park, and it's a little bit different
atmosphere up there, and there's no motels or anything, but I got
about the same reaction because the loudest thing up there is the
music that they played at the Park. When the music shut off, you
could hear the cars, but if you got across the street near the
other building, the noise faded way away. I went back again,
today, at four o'clock this afternoon and went through a similar
exercise, and the most noise that I could get up there was from the
road, and I stood across the street, in the park, did the same
thing down at Charlie Wood's, and I don't think, with the distances
we're talking, and the barriers that we're talking, that noise is
that much of a factor, and I don't think it's necessary to go back
over the noise thing, because I'm going to go by what I hear, and
experience, because I can't understand all the numbers anyway, but
that was my experience, and the most noise up there is on Route 9,
and it drowns out the noise of the cars, and so I don't think
there's any necessity to do the noise thing further.
MR. RUEL-So you think we should do the SEQRA?
MR. PALING-I'm in favor of going ahead and doing the SEQRA.
MR. STARK-No.
MR. PALING-Why don't you want to do the SEQRA, because you want to
get the other inputs?
MR. STARK-There is no other input.
MR. RUEL-No. There's nothing else.
MRS. LABOMBARD-When do you want to do it?
MR. STARK-Next Thursday we'll have more time.
MR. BREWER-We didn't do the SEQRA on the previous application
because of Warren County. We'll just wait for the next one.
MR. STARK-Yes. The same thing with this.
MR. RUEL-Yes, but we're not waiting for anything now.
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MR. STARK-Well, you've got a point there, also.
MR. RUEL-We were waiting on the other one.
MR. BREWER-Waiting for what?
MR. STARK-For the input from Rist-Frost.
MR. PALING-But you have nothing to wait for on this.
MR. HILTON-If I may, if the members of the Board, if you're all
planning on, lets say, going out to other sites in the area between
now and the 29th and observing and hearing for yourself, and that's
the way you want to handle it, you may want to wait to do SEQRA
based on what you may find between now and the 29th.
MR. PALING-If somebody wants to do that same kind of exercise, I'd
say that's great, that's good.
MRS. LABOMBARD-All right, because we're going to get that snag, the
first question on the SEQRA.
MR. BREWER-Lets just wait.
MRS. LABOMBARD-So then lets all do what you did.
MR. RUEL-I did that. Who else did it?
MRS. LABOMBARD-I haven't heard them in a while.
again.
I'll hear them
MR. RUEL-So you want to wait until everyone has an opportunity to
observe the noise?
MR. PALING-Yes. If that's what we're waiting for, I think that's
legitimate, yes.
MR. RUEL-All right. Okay.
MR. PALING-And we can wait. Are we doing this next Thursday night?
MR. HILTON-The 29th, yes.
MR. PALING-All right. Then what other comments or input do we
make? Nothing? Then we'll go ahead and table this, and we'll take
it up again Thursday. Okay.
MR. NACE-Thank you.
MR. PALING-All right.
MOTION TO TABLE SITE PLAN NO. 6-96 KEN ERMIGER, Introduced by
Roger Ruel who moved for its adoption, seconded by Timothy Brewer:
Until the meeting of 8/29/96.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel,
Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West
SITE PLAN NO. 51-96 TYPE: UNLISTED JAY CURTIS OWNER: FRANK
PARILLO ZONE: CR-15 LOCATION: CORINTH ROAD, WEST OF NORTHWAY TO
BIG BAY ROAD SOUTH APPROXIMATELY 800'. PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP A
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
6.7 ACRE PARCEL FOR BUILDING MATERIALS STORE (10,000 +/- SF) AND
WAREHOUSE SPACE (67,390 +/- SF) WITH ASSOCIATED PARKING, STORMWATER
MANAGEMENT, ON-SITE SEPTIC AND GREEN SPACE AREAS. BEAUTIFICATION
COMM.: 8/12/96 WARREN CO. PLANNING: 8/21/96 CROSS REFERENCE:
UV 50-1996 TAX MAP NO. 136-2-7, 8.2 LOT SIZE: 6.724 ACRES
SECTION: 179-24
JOHN RICHARDS, REPRESENTING APPLICANT, PRESENT
MR. PALING-George, I think you'd want to give us a kind of special
presentation on this one.
MR. HILTON-Yes. In the interest of time, first of all, and the
fact that we, as Planning Staff, aren't prepared to really go
forward with this application tonight anyway, I'm not going to read
in any of the notes and the comments from engineer or
Beautification Committee. Attached with your comments is a letter
from Cathy O'Brien of the DEC. We met on this property. A field
inspection was conducted on August 12, 1996. It was a Monday. At
that time, the property was inspected because of information
received that the plant, Blue Lupine, existed on the property,
which is a habitat for an endangered butterfly known as the Karner
Blue. At that time, it was observed, as I've said, that there was
a, lets say, a substantial amount of the plant, Blue Lupine. Since
then, I have personally been working with Curtis and their
representative and the DEC in order to kind of come to some form of
mitigation that would allow for Curtis to continue with their plans
in a more timely fashion. The DEC is receptive to this. They are
working with us. We are, at this time, in the middle of
discussions to try to come to, as I said, some sort of mitigation.
In your letter, there are some forms of mitigation that are
mentioned. The one at this time that I think we're pursuing is
that the applicant would contribute the sum of between three and,
it's estimated at between three and four thousand dollars where
that money would be used to conduct a survey of the entire Town of
Queensbury to identify sites that are Karner Blue habitats. In
exchange for that, the idea, at least right now, is that the Curtis
people would be able to proceed with their plans on this property.
A ruling would have to come down from DEC, and I think the basis of
that ruling, if I'm not mistaken, would have to be that the benefit
of this study would outweigh the benefits of protecting this site.
It still, I think, has to be determined, in its entirety, whether
or not this site really has the potential to be a substantial
habitat for the Karner Blue butterfly. I know it sounds very
confus ing , and we are in the middle right now, as I said, of
negotiations, and speaking with DEC and Curtis to try to come to
some sort of mitigation here. Short of that, I think that if we
were to open up the public hearing tonight, if you felt that was
necessary, and we could continue it to the 29th. Between now and
then, we could address any engineering comments. I've been working
with Dennis MacElroy. He could address some of the site specific,
the Zoning Ordinance issues, and we would continue to work with DEC
to come to some sort of compromise.
MR. BREWER-Doesn't DEC themselves have some sort of a map of where
it is?
MR. HILTON-The mapping that they have, that was done, I believe,
around 1990, was for Saratoga County. Their information for Warren
County and Queensbury in particular is not up to date. Therefore,
there is a need for some sort of study that has been mentioned in
the letter from Cathy O'Brien.
MR. BREWER-What about when we did Native Textiles? Wasn't Nature
Conservancy involved and they had some sort of mapping or what not?
MR. HILTON-Again, I'm not familiar with what happened at that site
at that time. There are some, DEC has limited mapping that shows
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
some areas of the Town, but there is not a comprehensive study that
indicates where the areas are throughout the entire Town, and that
would be the benefit of this study.
MR. PALING-That was site specific, I think, just limited to there,
but we don't have anything like this, and I would like to see this
because we're running into this too often.
MR. HILTON-Right, and that would be an obvious benefit. We would
have it mapped out. If someone came in and proposed a development,
we could, up front, alter them and go through the procedures and
the process much quicker, and not have it happen almost after the
fact.
MR. PALING-Yes.
MR. RUEL-George, the Blue Lupine is the thing of concern, right?
MR. HILTON-The Blue Lupine is really not the main concern. The
main concern is the Karner Blue butterfly which uses the Blue
Lupine as a habitat.
MR. RUEL-Okay. Now, do we know where that is on this site?
MR. HILTON-We know that there is, as I said, a substantial portion
of the plant, but at this time we cannot determine if there's a
large or a population at all of the Karner Blue butterfly.
MR. RUEL-Okay. I understand that, but there could be. You'd have
to wait until next year to find out.
MR. HILTON-Well, that's one possible way.
MR. RUEL-Okay. What about, whatever it is, Blue Lupine? Can this
be transplanted, picked up and moved somewhere else to one of our
recreation areas? How is the butterfly going to know?
MR. PALING-Why don't we wait and see what the DEC.
MR. RUEL-I'm just wondering if that's an alternative.
MR. PALING-Well, lets what they have to say.
MR. SCHACHNER-Actually, I know a tiny bit about this. It's a
pretty low survivability species and it requires certain types of
soils or almost lack of soils.
MR. RUEL-We have plenty of that soil in this area.
MR. SCHACHNER-Well, typically it's considered a very low
survivability transplant species, and that's one of the reasons
that the significant habitat has taken on the significance, because
if were that easy, then it would be that much easier to repropagate
and to make new Karner Blue habitats, and that's, I'm told by
Wildlife Biologists who have been years studying this issue that
that's actually a very difficult proposition.
MR. STARK-Is the applicant agreeable to paying three and four grand
for this?
MR. HILTON-Well, the applicant is obviously going to address you
this evening. We've been talking, and I think that that's probably
the way we're headed right now.
MR. STARK-When I'm saying we're not holding them up, we're forcing
them to pay three or four grand in order to get their application
processed a little sooner?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. HILTON-We're not forcing anything. That's a suggestion of DEC.
If they choose to follow that as a form of mitigation, and it's
acceptable to DEC, then we are agreeable to it. The other options
being that they wait until next year and survey the site, or the
accommodate the possibility of the Karner Blue existing right now,
by modifying their current site plan, which I think would be
potentially more costly to the applicant.
MR. PALING-But that's a reasonable question. What's the applicant
toward it?
MR. HILTON-Well, I think that they should address you.
MR. PALING-Okay.
address this.
Would somebody want to identify yourself and
MR. RICHARDS-Good evening. My name is John Richards. I'm the
attorney for Jay Curtis who's the applicant. We do have several
members of the Curtis Lumber team here, as well as Dennis MacElroy
from Environmental Design Partnership. Certainly this, as George
said, this did come up almost after the fact, but we're right in
the middle of addressing it and working closely with DEC. As a
matter of fact, I spoke this afternoon, and they'll be one of my
first calls tomorrow to DEC because we do want to do this properly
for the Town. It's not something we expected when we got involved
with the parcel, but it's certainly something we want to deal with
correctly and hopefully to everybody's advantage. However, we want
to do that in a very time sensitive manner. It is essential for
this project and for the jobs it involves that we move on this
quickly, and so that's effected how we look at some of these
different mitigation alternatives, and certainly in our discussions
with DEC. So we'll handle that, and we will come back to the Town
and I talked to both Jim and George, earlier today, and my
understanding from the Town is you obviously have to feel
comfortable. DEC has agreed to whatever mitigation we put
together, and once that's in place, that we can go forward here.
Obviously we have to be able to satisfy all the SEQRA requirements
and everything else. So we're working on that, and we're ready to
go ahead and hopefully have this in place so we can appear next
Thursday and complete the process here, and my question is, I know
it's very late. Is there other, can we proceed with some of these
other aspects and maybe get them out of the way tonight, or did you
not want to talk about those?
MR. PALING-No. We can open the public hearing and we can also
proceed with other parts of it and then just table it.
MR. RICHARDS-Well, my suggestion would be, since it's very easy to
get deeply involved in this type of a subject, but we're dealing
with things when the investigation is not quite complete. We
haven't finished talking to DEC. I think it's premature to get
involved in the Lupine question tonight, because we'll have answers
for you.
MR. PALING-Well, it was only to ask you if you were, what the Staff
and DEC was coming up with would be okay with you, like the money.
MR. RICHARDS-I'm not going to say that we're agreeing to anything
right now, but we're certainly right in the middle of
conversations. So, we realize something's got to be done.
MR. PALING-All right. Then why don't we proceed as far as we can
with your application now, and then table it and come back next
Thursday. I think it's pretty straight forward.
MR. BREWER-I don't have any major questions.
MR. RICHARDS-If it's all right, I'm going to ask Dennis to come up
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
and sit at the table, because he's the expert on the details of the
plan.
MR. BREWER-The only question that I saw, Bob, that hit my mind was
the traffic. The engineer said something about traffic here.
MR. PALING-Okay. Now, George, you said you wouldn't read anything
to us tonight.
MR. HILTON-I had not planned to. If the applicant wishes, I think
we can address a few of these question. I'm going to hold off on
the engineering comments.
MR. PALING-Just avoid the other subject and go ahead.
MR. HILTON-Okay. Well, the basics that have been mentioned before.
STAFF INPUT
Notes from Staff, Site Plan No. 51-96, Jay Curtis, Meeting Date:
August 20, 1996 "The applicant is proposing to develop a 6.7 acre
site as a building materials store and warehouse space. Staff has
reviewed this application in accordance with Section 179-38 of the
Zoning Ordinance and the Requirements of SEQRA and has the
following comments. The site plan proposes an initial phase of
73370 square feet of combined office space, retail space, and
warehouse space. A specific breakdown is as follows:
Office Space = 3120 sq. ft.
Retail Space = 10000 sq. ft.
Warehouse Space = 60250 sq. ft.
The application lists the proposed square footage of all buildings
at 77390 sq. ft. Staff believes the current figure to be 73370.
Proposed future expansion would bring the amount of square footage
to 78620 sq. ft. Planning staff would like to meet with the
applicant and verify the site development data as it may have an
effect on lot permeability requirements and may limit future
expansion."
MR. PALING-Okay, and that can probably be done between now and
Thursday.
MR. HILTON-Yes. "The applicant is proposing to construct two
points of access to this property off of Big Bay Rd. The current
design of these curb cuts does not include an ingress/egress island
which is required by Section 179-66B,4. Staff would like to have
a shared access point on Big Bay Rd between this site and the
abutting CR-15 property to the north. The proposed location of the
northerly curb cut on this site could present future access
management difficulties if the property to the north were developed
with an additional curb cut on Big Bay Rd. From a planning
perspective, staff is interested in reducing the number of curb
cuts along major thoroughfares such as Corinth Rd. In response to
this, staff feels that any access for this property and the
property to the north should be off of Big Bay Rd. An additional
curb cut that would be located approximately 70 feet from the drive
proposed for the Curtis Lumber site would result in unsafe
ingress/egress for both properties. Staff would like to work with
the applicant to redesign the northerly access point at this
location so it can be utilized by any future development to the
north and provide 1 inkage of the proposed parking lot to the
property to the north as required in Section 179-66.1."
MR. PALING-Is the shared access a problem, do you think?
MR. RICHARDS-Well, we don't have any objection. I don't think that
there's any proposals on the table for the northern parcel. So it
might be a little premature to start siting that.
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting
8/20/96)
MR. PALING-No. I didn't know, basically, if you had any objection.
MR. RICHARDS-Not in concept.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. HILTON- "The amount of parking that is required for this site is
110 spaces:
50 spaces for retail
60 spaces for warehouse
The site plan indicates 62 spaces will be provided. The
applicant has indicated that the 42000 sq. ft. warehouse building
will be a "drive-thru" warehouse where cars will go inside the
building to pick up materials that are being purchased. The inside
area of this building that will be used by cars can count toward
the total parking requirement for the site. In order to determine
how many spaces exist in this warehouse and to calculate total site
parking requirements, staff needs to see a floor plan of the
warehouse and calculate the number of spaces inside."
MR. MACEWAN-Did those calculations take into account the future
expansion as well?
MR. HILTON-Well, at the time of future expansion they would have to
have enough parking on site at that time, or provide it with the
future expansion. "The Zoning Ordinance requires a planted traffic
island at both ends of each aisle of parking (Section 179-66B,3,b) .
Staff would recommend the addition of a Red Oak to be placed at the
west end of the parking aisle directly in front of the proposed
retail building."
MR. MACEWAN-If they couldn't meet the parking, they're in line to
have to get a variance?
MR. HILTON-They would either have to get a variance, yes, or
redesign the site plan.
MR. MACEWAN-It's kind of a unique situation. I mean, I can't see
where they would need to have that kind of parking for the kind of
business that's going on here.
MR. HILTON-Right, and that's why the interior of the warehouse can
count, and we did some preliminary calculations today, with the
square footage and the amount of drive through lanes that are going
to be used. I'm not going to go on record, but I think that they
will be able to meet parking calculations.
MR. PALING-If not, that would have to go to ZBA?
MR. HILTON-Yes. Now, the only other comments that I have are all
concerning the presence of the Blue Lupine and the concerns of DEC.
Subject to a resolution of that issue, we will work with the
applicant between now and the 29th, and on the 29th address any
other issues that need to be addressed. "Staff met with the
applicant and a representative of the NYS DEC at the site on Monday
August 12, 1996. At that meeting the site was found to have a
substantial amount of the plant Blue Lupine which is a known
habitat for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly. The potential
that the Karner Blue could habitat this site would conflict with
the environmental assessment that will be done under SEQR. Since
that meeting staff, the applicant and the DEC have been discussing
possible mitigation measures and courses of action in light of the
plant being found on the property. Because the flight of the
Karner Blue has taken place already this year, it is difficult to
determine if a population of Karner Blue's exist at this location.
One possible course of action would be to wait to observe the sight
in the Spring of 1997 to see if the butterfly exists at this
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location. This would mean that review of this site plan would be
put off until that time. As stated before, staff has been
discussing alternative mitigation measures which would involve a
shorter time delay than almost one year. At the present time staff
is unable to recommend approval of Site Plan No. 51-96 until DEC
approval is given or acceptable mitigation is agreed to by Planning
staff and the DEC. Before final action by the Planning Board, any
comments from the Town of Queensbury's Water Dept. and Engineering
Consultant must be addressed."
MR. BREWER-The only question I had was on the engineering comments,
was traffic. They suggest, does the applicant have these comments?
MR. RICHARDS-Yes.
MR. BREWER-It just says it should be determined if there are any
effects on the traffic generation.
MR. RICHARDS-As George knows, that subject was addressed at length
with the Zoning Board, and we had both our own, independent study
by an affiliate of EDP, Transportation Concepts, and we have a
report on that, which if you haven't seen this, we'd be glad to
provide you. Also, Paul Naylor reviewed the whole situation and
issued a letter that he did not feel it had any significant impact.
So we don't feel that's a problem.
MR. PALING-Were you before the ZBA?
MR. CURTIS-We were before the ZBA because of the use. We had to
get a Use Variance.
MR. PALING-Okay.
MR. CURTIS-With respect to the other matters raised here, we
certainly don't think any of them are going to require a variance,
and we're in compliance.
MR. PALING-Okay.
right. If we're
this. Is there
matter?
Yes. If we can work that parking out. All
at that point, we'll open the public hearing on
anyone here that would care to speak on this
PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
LORRAINE TROY
MRS. TROY-My name is Lorraine Troy, and I live just a little bit to
the, I guess it's the north of the proposed site, kind of kitty
corner across the road, a few feet up the road. They say there's
no problem with traffic. It must be there isn't. I must be blind.
Another thing, I think it was the Zoning Board, they stated
delivery was going to be, there were going to be no deliveries
before seven a.m. and none after seven p.m. I don't know if you're
aware of that. I'd just like it in the record.
MR. PALING-Now, say that again, please.
MRS. TROY-At the Zoning Board, they said, Curtis agreed there would
be no deliveries before seven a.m. and none after seven p.m.
MR. RICHARDS-That was actually a condition of the variance.
MR. MACEWAN-Whatever variances they received from the ZBA would be
enforced through the site plan.
MRS. TROY-Okay. I just wanted to make sure, and it seems the
building has grown from what it was at the other meeting. It was
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a 20,000 square foot for one building and 42,000 for the other.
That's gotten bigger. What are they going to do in the area as far
as blacktopping? Are they going to blacktop the parking area, or
what's going to be used there, and I guess that's all I'm really
concerned with.
MR. PALING-We can find out. Okay.
MRS. TROY-The butterflies, too.
MR. PALING-Do you want to comment on what she has said now, what
she asked about? Okay. Is there anyone else that would like to
talk on this matter? Okay. Now the public hearing must stay open
because we're going to meet Thursday. Would you care to comment on
these questions raised?
MR. RICHARDS-Well, I'd just say that we had a number of neighbors
that were in favor of the project, too, both at the, and signed a
statement both for the variance approval and hopefully the site
plan approval if you'd like to see that, but these issues, we're
very cognizant of the very issues she raised, and we certainly have
addressed them all and will continue to address them all. As far
as the blacktopping, it is self evident.
MR. PALING-Okay. You will blacktop. There will be blacktop.
MR. RICHARDS-Certainly we'd take that into account with the
stormwater plan.
MR. PALING-Okay.
DENNIS MACELROY
MR. MACELROY-The site plan you see here, this is Big Bay Road,
Corinth Road to the north. The areas in grey are the hardsurface
area, so to speak. In particular, the areas with parking, the more
public areas, are those that will be paved. The areas back in here
which will be for truck delivery, material delivery, will be a
graveled surface.
MR. PALING-Okay, but wherever automobiles go you're going to pave,
is that right?
MR. MACELROY-And the public, correct.
MR. PALING-Right, and the public. Okay. That answers that
question, and the hours of operation you worked with the ZBA
anyway. The traffic, we can't answer that too much, and building
size they said changed. I don't know.
MR. MACELROY -The size of the buildings from the retail to the
warehouse has increased since our initial application, but
certainly I'll work within the percentages of green space and
building area, permeability within the lots.
MR. MACEWAN-What are the proposed hours of operation?
MR. PALING-What hours will you have at this location?
JON HALLGREN
MR. RICHARDS-This is Jon Hallgren, the Vice President of Curtis
Lumber.
MR. HALLGREN -Okay. The hours of operation would probably be
something, right now they work seven to six weekdays and probably
seven to eight or nine on weekdays, Saturdays most of the stores
tend to work seven to five or eight to five, and there is a
potential to go maybe eight to six on Saturdays, or if the
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
conditions warrant we could go later. We tend to adapt to the
local conditions, what's needed for the retail environment and the
area, and we also have Sunday hours. They vary from store to
store, from anywhere from nine in the morning until three, four,
five at night.
MR. PALING-So there's nothing before seven a.m. and nothing after
seven p.m.
MR. HALLGREN-No. What we talked about at the Zoning Board of
Appeals was there was a concern over tractor trailers parking in
the neighborhood, waiting with their engines running, in front of
houses, parked on the road, and we're not going to allow trailers
to park on the property and leave their engines running before
seven in the morning. They can McDonald's parking lot, that
parking area, before we open, but the issue relates to large
tractor trailer deliveries, not our operations. That's what was
agreed upon at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. We could
possibly have employees earlier in the morning or later at night
working on staging loads, but we would not have a series of.
MR. PALING-Store hours.
MR. HALLGREN-Store hours or some operations in the yard.
MR. TROY
MR. TROY-McDonalds has already posted, it has been all this time,
no overnight parking. So if that's the plan for parking, that's
out. The signs there are very clear.
MR. HALLGREN-Okay. That was our thoughts that they could park
there. We would not allow parking on our property overnight.
MR. PALING-You won't allow it. Let it be at that. Okay.
MR. HILTON-One thing that I would like to raise. This may have an
effect on my discussions with Dennis between now and the 29th.
From the Rist-Frost comment letter, they have noted that on the
site plan, stormwater mitigation will be through retention ponds or
detention ponds, however you want to term it, on the property.
It's been historically, I guess, the Town's position that they
really don't like this. They look for some sort of sub surface
infiltration, and if we can get a position, maybe, from the Board,
if you feel that you'd rather see sub surface infiltration, and
Dennis and I would sit down and work, between now and the 29th, to
revise the plan, so that we don't have any further snags on this.
MR. MACEWAN-Back up again on that for a second.
against?
The Town is
MR. HILTON-Not against. Historically in favor of having sub
surface infiltration. That's listed in the Rist-Frost comment
letter, and I'm going by that and I'm going by our example with
Perry Noun. There were some concerns about retention ponds and
safety of people in and around those ponds.
MR. BREWER-I think in that area you're not going to have a real big
problem with retention of water there.
MR. HILTON-Okay. Sure. I mean, if that's the Board's position.
MR. RUEL-Is this a change of heart? It seems to me that you were
advocating?
MR. BREWER-That has always been my position.
myself.
I don't like them
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. RUEL-You were advocating ponds the last time.
MR. BREWER-Why would you advocate standing water somewhere?
MR. HILTON-Well, if the Board feels that it's not any major concern
here, that's fine. I just wanted to get it out in the open so we
could avoid any further delays.
MR. PALING-Okay. All right. Then we have a motion to table.
MOTION TO TABLE SITE PLAN NO. 51-96 JAY CURTIS, Introduced by
Roger Ruel who moved for its adoption, seconded by Catherine
LaBombard:
Until 8/29/96.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Rue 1 ,
Mr. Brewer, Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West
MR. BREWER-I would make a suggestion that we shorten the agendas
down a little bit.
MR. PALING-I hear that.
MRS. LABOMBARD-This is really out of line.
MR. BREWER- I think we do terrible work late at night.
terrible.
It's
MRS. LABOMBARD-I know it.
MR. HILTON-Well, we had eight new items. We had eleven. Eight of
them were, lets say, newer items. The others were modification of
pre-existing subdivisions.
MR. BREWER-We always had a practice of eight items on the agenda.
MR. HILTON-Well, we had eight, except that the three quicker.
MR. PALING-All right.
MR. HILTON-This is regarding Site Plan No. 45-95. The applicant is
requesting a one year extension. I believe you have the
information in front of you. They fully, stated in their letter,
they fully expect the construction to be completed this fall. In
the event of delays due to dock builders schedule or winter
weather, a request of one year seems reasonable. They've had their
approval from the Lake George Park Commission. Staff foresees no
negative effects with extending this period for one year, and I
would leave it in the Board's hands.
MR. PALING-Lets see, when was this approved. September 19, 1995.
They have one year, right?
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. PALING-So we're okay in so far as dates are concerned.
MR. HILTON-Yes.
MR. STARK-What do they want, another six months or another year?
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(Queensbury Planning Board Meeting 8/20/96)
MR. HILTON-They want another year.
MOTION TO EXTEND SITE PLAN NO. 45-95
by Roger Ruel who moved for its
MacEwan:
JOSEPH TORNABENE, Introduced
adoption, seconded by Craig
For one year, to September 19, 1997.
Duly adopted this 20th day of August, 1996, by the following vote:
AYES: ,Mr. MacEwan, Mr. Stark, Mrs. LaBombard, Mr. Ruel,
Mr. Paling
NOES: NONE
ABSENT: Mr. West, Mr. Brewer
MR. HILTON-I believe we're all set. The only other thing is that
this application for the Sportline Honda, Gary Cardinale, which was
handed to you this evening. We will be reviewing this next
Tuesday.
MR. MACEWAN-Do they consider this a minor modification?
MR. HILTON-Minor modification.
MR. PALING-George, we are going to get together on the agenda, and
it better not go out until I participate in it actively.
MR. HILTON-Sure.
welcome.
If you'd like to sit down, you're more than
MR. PALING-As soon as you people are ready to go, you call me.
MR. HILTON-Okay.
MR. PALING-We're going to have to hand deliver another package to
these people before next Tuesday.
MR. HILTON-Next Thursday.
MR. PALING-Thursday, excuse me.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
Robert Paling, Chairman
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