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 Zoning Board of Appeals, Town of Schaghticoke — April 7, 2022. The Board met via Zoom videoconference under the 2022 amendments to the New York State Public Officers Law. Deputy Town Attorney Kristin Pratt explained the Zoom procedure, noting the notice was published in the Troy Record, that the meeting was being recorded and would be posted to the town website and transcribed later, and that minutes were being taken.
Public hearing
There were no public hearings scheduled.
Regular meeting
Chairman Ed McDonough opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. with roll call. Present: Ed McDonough (Chairman), Rich Geddis, Kristin Griswold, Lettie Saheim, and Jason Shover. None absent. Deputy Town Attorney Kristin Pratt and Clerk Elizabeth Hale were present, along with a resident of Schaghticoke.
- Minutes of March 3, 2022 approved as submitted (Shover · Geddis — Ayes: McDonough, Geddis, Griswold, Saheim, Shover; Nays: none).
317 River Bend Road, Pleasantdale — variance on hold
Chairman McDonough noted there were no applications before the Board. He reported that the owner of 317 River Bend Road, Pleasantdale — who appeared at the March meeting about a possible area variance to build a dwelling within 100 feet of the Hudson River — had asked, in light of the FEMA floodway discussion and the exorbitant cost of the required hydraulic analysis, to place the application “on hold.” There had been no further contact since. Lettie Saheim relayed that the owner, a neighbor of hers, had told her his family had lived on the River Bend property for 60 years without a flood and expressed frustration that he might be unable to build for lack of financial means while larger entities could afford to build in a floodway.
Planning Board referrals and subdivision discussion
Chairman McDonough asked whether there were any Planning Board referrals. Attorney Pratt replied there were currently no applications to refer to the ZBA, but relayed a Planning Board discussion about proposals to subdivide adjacent lots that have been merged into a single tax-map parcel by Rensselaer County. The issue arises fairly often where an owner proposes subdividing along old lot lines to sell an existing house on the original parcel while developing an adjacent lot; the Planning Board determined each such application would require case-by-case review to decide whether the lots fall within the “existing lots” provision of the Zoning Code. The discussion related to two lots under one tax-map number on River Bend Road, where the owner wants to determine whether a subdivision is needed to sell his home and keep the adjacent waterfront lot for his boat.
Attorney Pratt also noted that the owner of property at 100 Calhoun Drive appeared before the Planning Board with a new subdivision sketch; with a preliminary agreement to purchase additional land from a neighbor and a revised layout, that owner may not require any variances.
Other
Attorney Pratt noted the option of a Zoom or in-person May meeting would be addressed once she had information on changes to acceptable formats for public meetings.
Adjourned at 7:42 p.m. (McDonough · Saheim — Ayes: McDonough, Geddis, Griswold, Saheim, Shover; Nays: none). Submitted by Elizabeth Hale, Clerk (dated May 8, 2022).
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