Public hearing set for ten-lot subdivision
The Town of Saugerties Planning Board set a public hearing on a proposed ten-lot subdivision on Ralph Vedder and Manorville Roads for its next meeting on August 17. The board also voted to send the plans to the Ulster County Planning Board for review.
Prior to the August meeting, Planning Board chair Howard Post, vice chair Carole Furman and Planning Board member Kevin Brady plan to walk the property to identify trees the board wants to preserve. The lots are large – seven to ten acres and the developer — Catskill Terraces /HV Contemporary Homes LLC — has agreed to preserve many of the trees on the property, said engineer Jeff Hogan. Areas that are to be left undisturbed are delineated on the maps; the board members’ selections would be added. Hogan said about 51 acres have been included in the conservation area.
The proposed ten lots would occupy two parcels of 44 acres each, or nearly 90 acres in total. One of the two lots would hold four parcels and the other would have six. Two of the three internal roads would connect to Ralph Vedder Road and the third would connect to Manorville Road.
“So you can see, we’re going to put conservation areas over more than half of the land,” Hogan said.
As board members cast their votes to set the public hearing for next month’s meeting, they complimented Hogan on the quality of his plans.
Guardian Self Storage approved
Plans for Guardian Self Storage units on the Route 9W expansion are essentially complete, and the Saugerties Town Planning Board put the final stamp of approval on the planned expansion at its regular meeting on Tuesday, July 20.
Reynolds said the application had been sent to the Ulster County Planning Board, but he had not seen a response.
“I am absolutely amazed. This is the first application I can recall, where every one of [planning consultant] Adriana [ Beltrani’s] comments have been addressed,” said Planning Board member Ken Goldberg. “You expect everybody to do it, but nobody does it. Thank you, you’ve done it,” he said to Frank Reynolds, the project manager for Guardian.
However, the location of the building is such that it would be virtually impossible for a fire truck to get to it if it were to catch fire, said Planning Board member Michael Tiano. The fire chief has been away recently, but Tiano said he plans to draft a memo for him to sign.
Reynolds responded that the national association agreement requires that no combustible materials be stored in self storage facilities. Reynolds added that when the plans were initially submitted, it was agreed that the driveway was sufficient for a fire truck.
The Planning Board has discussed requiring sidewalks in new developments, Tiano said. He suggested that the board consider requiring sidewalks in this project.
Reynolds replied that storage facilities, as a matter of policy, do not take in hazardous materials. He also asserted that the building would be climate controlled with a heat pump and there would be no storage of flammable materials for heating.
Tiano offered to bring a fire truck to the property so Reynolds could see that it could not effectively fight a fire if one occurred in the building.
The board voted unanimously to approve the project, but Tiano reiterated his reservations before voting.
Town transfers property to Glasco Fire Department
The Town of Saugerties Planning Board voted at its regular meeting on July 20 to approve a lot-line change that would add just over half an acre to the Glasco Fire Department. The property would be taken from town ballfields on Liberty Street Extension.
The map shows two ballfields on the town property, neither of which is within the area to be transferred. The transfer was considered three or four years ago, but “it never went anywhere and now it’s back,” said surveyor Tom Conrad.
The problem is that the property contains an ice-skating rink and the town does not want to cut the grass on that area, explained Planning board Member Mike Tiano. “They don’t want to maintain it anymore, so the fire department said they would take it over and cut it.” When the indoor ice rink opened in Saugerties, the outdoor rink fell into disuse and the town no longer wanted to maintain it, he said. “We want to take it over and cut the grass ourselves,” said Tiano, a member of the Glasco Fire Company.
The board voted to approve the change. “Now you’ll have to start mowing, Mike,” Planning Board member Carol Furman said.
Open questions stall project approval
At last week’s Town of Saugerties Planning Board meeting, neighbors of a five-lot subdivision proposed by Joseph Gambino said they like him, but not his proposed subdivision. Gambino is proposing to create five lots on Route 32. The largest lot is 7.3 acres and the next is 6.4; these are in the highway business zone. Three lots of between three and four acres each are in the adjoining medium density residential zone.
Marilyn Freeburg of Route 32 asked whether the planners would be going over the topographical maps that had been submitted and the site work that has been done. “Last month they said the site work had been done and the town had received all the information for the site work from the engineer,” said Freeburg. “Are you going to go over that and say what you found?
Chairman Howard Post assured her they would.
Bill Stade, a survey crew chief with Praetorius and Conrad, said the topographical maps had been given to the board, along with the drainage study and other documents. He deferred discussion of roads to engineer Richard Rothe.
Freeburg also wanted assurance that the wells and septics would be separated by the required distances and that they would be approved by the Ulster County Health Department. Stade assured her that this is required and would be done.
The town’s engineer was supposed to have reviewed the well and septic plans, Freeburg said. She said she was disappointed that the promised reports were not available.
Planning Consultant Adriana Beltrani said the plans had been received and they are being reviewed, but the review has not been completed and given to the board.
Jeff Brandt asked about state Department of Environmental Conservation reports on the property. “We just received them,” said board Secretary Becky Bertorelli. Beltrani said the report stated that no violations had been issued at the time it was completed. Also, as less than one acre had been cleared, no further analysis was required. If one acre or more land is disturbed, a review of the work is required, but not if the disturbance is less than an acre. As the property is developed, further disturbance will take place in the future, Beltrani said.
Rothe said the drainage of the soils on the site had been tested and it “is extremely good” in answer to a question about potential runoff from the site.
Beltrani listed work on the drainage plan, easements and other environmental issues still to be completed. The board is awaiting for the town engineer’s evaluation of drainage plans, storm water control plans, erosion control and other issues. The engineer has recommended the project not be approved, given the outstanding issues, she said.
Rothe said he received a letter from the engineer, Dennis Larios, “with a few comments,” late Tuesday afternoon. He had not time to review it or prepare answers before the meeting, he said. He also asked that he be given a complete list of what issues need further comment, so he can prepare answers for the next meeting.
Planner Ken Goldberg said that while the applicant says the outstanding issues are small items, or that they have been largely taken care of, he wants to hear from the town engineer that he is satisfied with the project before voting to conditionally approve it. Chairman Post agreed that he would want to hear from the town engineer before conditionally approving the project. Other board members also agreed and the vote was against the approval. Rothe asked that he be given a list of outstanding issues in time to address them for the next meeting.
Stade said he wished he had received the engineer’s comments in time for him to prepare answers. While he understands that engineers are busy at this time, “let’s get everything together for next meeting and hopefully we’ll get it together then.”
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