Unofficial summary. This is a community summary of the town's official minutes, provided so the record is searchable and readable. It condenses the meeting and may omit detail. Some private individuals’ personal details have been left out. The official signed PDF is the complete record of authority.
Office of the Planning Board, Town of Schaghticoke — June 5, 2019.
Public hearings
Marten Subdivision (Tax Map #31.-1-26.2)
Opened at 7:30 PM. Applicant Lawrence Marten proposed a 2-lot subdivision in an RA district at 486 Hansen Road, owned by the L & V Marten Irrevocable Living Trust: subdividing the 24.22-acre parcel into a 3.78-acre lot with an existing residence and a 20.44-acre lot. His attorney, Matthew Sgambettera of The Sgambettera Law Firm, was present. No public comment; closed at 7:34 PM.
Philpott Two-Lot Subdivision (Tax Map #14.-1-4.13)
Opened at 7:34 PM. Land surveyor Brian Holbritter represented applicant Randy Philpott, who proposes to subdivide an 8.40-acre parcel into lots of about 4.25 acres (with an existing residence) and 4.15 acres; the 4.15-acre lot is intended to be transferred to his brother- and sister-in-law to construct a home. No public comment; closed at 7:38 PM.
Warren Fane Mine Expansion (Tax Map #40.-1-6.21)
Opened at 7:40 PM. Professional engineer Jeff Lang (Griggs-Lang Consulting Geologists and Engineers, P.C.) represented applicant Warren Fane, who proposes to expand his mine (in an RA district, with part of the expansion in an HC district) on the north side of Pinewoods Road, east of River Road, to explore further reserves. No additional access is planned for the 65-acre expansion, and there would be no onsite discharge and no processing plant; approvals have been received from DEC and the Army Corps of Engineers. Three residents signed in as interested citizens. A neighboring resident asked about hours of operation and noise regulation, saying he hears noise as early as 5 a.m. and finds it disturbing; Mr. Lang replied there are no noise-control regulations. Another resident remarked on dust from mine activity affecting area residents and said Allen Road is not kept clean, questioning how often it is swept and raising safety concerns and whether the mines follow their permit regulations.
In rebuttal, Don Fane (son of applicant Warren Fane) stated the noise from “back-up alarms” is federally mandated and that water is used to control dust per DEC regulations. He said he was aware of at most 2 complaints in roughly 30 years of operation (the mine has operated since 1984), that the owners will continue to be good stewards, and that a reclamation plan is being considered, possibly including a park and lake when the mine closes. Closed at 8 PM.
Regular meeting
Members present: Chairman Frank Alessandrini, Wayne Akin, Dan Clow, Brian Davidson, Elizabeth Hale, and Scott Wiley. Robert Weir was absent. Deputy Town Attorney Kristin Pratt was present.
- May 1, 2019 minutes approved as submitted (Wiley · Clow — Ayes: Alessandrini, Akin, Clow, Davidson, Wiley; Nays: none; Abstained: Hale).
Marten One-Lot Subdivision (Tax Map #31.-1-26.2)
Applicant Lawrence Marten presented his one-lot, 3.78-acre subdivision with an existing residence, septic, and well from a 24.22-acre parcel on Hansen Road in the RA district. RCHD approval is not required.
- Negative declaration of environmental significance under SEQRA (Akin · Wiley — Ayes: Alessandrini, Akin, Clow, Davidson, Hale, Wiley; Nays: none).
- Preliminary approval (Akin · Clow — same Ayes; Nays: none).
- Final approval, contingent on receipt of the $180 application fee (Clow — same Ayes; Nays: none). The Chairman advised Mr. Marten to file the survey maps with Rensselaer County within 62 days to avoid expiration of the approved plans.
Philpott One-Lot Subdivision (Tax Map #14.-1-4.13)
Land surveyor Brian Holbritter presented applicant Randy Philpott’s one-lot subdivision on the northwesterly side of Master Street, about 1,100 feet south of Schweninger Road in an RA district: subdividing an 8.4-acre parcel into a 4.25-acre lot with an existing house, septic, and well, and a 4.15-acre flag lot with 53.93 feet of road frontage. Required setbacks for the 4.25-acre lot are met. RCHD approval had not been granted (no engineer available) and a topographical map was still required.
- Negative declaration under SEQRA (Akin · Wiley — Ayes: Alessandrini, Akin, Clow, Davidson, Hale, Wiley; Nays: none).
- Preliminary approval (Wiley · Clow — same Ayes; Nays: none). The Board decided to wait for RCHD approval before issuing final approval.
Hemstreet Park Mine Expansion — Special Use Permit and Site Plan Review (Tax Map #40.-1-6.21)
Engineer Jeff Lang represented applicant Warren Fane, who proposes to expand his 131.5-acre mine (in an HC district) on the north side of Pinewoods Road, east of River Road, for access to further reserves. Existing access off Allen Road will be used for the 65-acre expansion, with no additional access and no onsite discharge; SEQRA and the final EIS are complete. Sand and gravel will be hauled to the existing processing facility off Allen Road with no new facility; paved roadways will be swept daily; operational hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Information was submitted to Rensselaer County Planning, but no response had been received. The Board will review the distributed information and revisit the application at the July meeting.
Clement/Phelps Small Engine Service — pre-filing conference
Arthur Clement and Amanda Phelps appeared. Mr. Clement has been operating a small engine repair business from his residential property at 30 Milky Way Road in a Hamlet District. Chairman Alessandrini explained that small engine repair does not fall within the definition of a home occupation and would require a Special Use Permit application. The applicants received an application and short-form EAF; if submitted with the $100 fee by the 15th, a public hearing may be scheduled for the following month.
Martin/Sawyer — pre-filing conference
Land surveyor Brian Holbritter represented applicants Thomas Martin and Patti Sawyer, who propose to build a residence on River Road adjacent to the Hudson River. Mr. Sawyer had applied to the ZBA to locate the supports of a proposed deck 92 feet from the river (the Zoning Code requires a 100-foot setback from the normal stream bank); the 8-foot area variance was approved. Mr. Holbritter noted the house is designed for the 100-year flood zone, with the main finished floor (and all appliances and wiring) 3 feet above the flood plain and level with the deck. Mr. Martin abandoned plans for a lower-level wood shop and may instead build a 36’ x 36’ pole barn for that purpose; the applicants presented architectural plans for the 2,400-square-foot timber-frame dwelling. At the ZBA meeting the applicant was advised to seek a Special Use Permit from the Planning Board because construction is within the Flood Fringe Overlay District (Zoning Code Section VI(C)) and, under Chapter 69 of the Town Code, will require a flood plain development permit. The Chairman will research whether site plan review is required, and a public hearing must be scheduled after the application is submitted.
Other
Chairman Alessandrini noted that the Kehn application for a subdivision known as Sunshine Acres, at the corner of NYS Route 40 and Calhoun Drive, has not been completed; he would attempt to reach the project engineer, John Hartnett, to determine its status.
Adjourned at 8:56 PM (Akin · Clow — Ayes: Alessandrini, Akin, Clow, Davidson, Weir, Wiley; Nays: none). Submitted by Elizabeth Hale, Planning Board Clerk (dated July 13, 2019).
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