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.
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The Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Schaghticoke met at the Town Hall, 290 Northline Drive, Melrose, on Thursday, November 2, 2023.
Present: Chairman Ed McDonough, Rich Geddis, Kristin Griswold, Lettie Saheim, and Jason Shover. Also present: Deputy Town Attorney Kristin Pratt and Clerk Elizabeth Hale.
The Board approved the October 5, 2023 minutes (Saheim · Griswold · all).
Public hearing — Hemstreet Park lot-line variances
The Board opened a public hearing on an application by a Hemstreet Park homeowner who owns two back-to-back parcels with frontage on both South Pearl and South Linden Streets. To pursue a Planning Board lot-line adjustment and build a 30-by-40-foot dwelling (with a 22-by-25-foot garage) facing South Pearl Street, the applicant sought a 9.7-foot rear-setback variance for an existing garage and an 11-foot lot-depth variance for the parcel to be enlarged. The applicant’s surveyor presented a survey map and explained that the resulting lot depths remain in keeping with the neighborhood. There were no interested citizens present and no public comment, and the Board closed the hearing (McDonough · Geddis · all).
Reviewing the balancing test, the Board found the variances would not change the character of the neighborhood or harm nearby properties, that the benefit could not be achieved another way, and that the variances were not substantial or environmentally adverse (though the difficulty was self-created); the Rensselaer County review left the decision to local consideration. The Board granted the variances (McDonough · Saheim · all).
Riverfront residence — hearing deferred
The scheduled hearing on a riverfront-residence application near the Hudson River in Pleasantdale did not take place. Because a portion of the small lot may lie within the flood plain, additional information from the applicant’s surveyor — who was unreachable — is needed before the application is complete. The applicant chose to wait rather than proceed, so the Board deemed the application incomplete and will take it up at a future meeting once the flood-plain research is available.
Other
- Chairman McDonough noted an inquiry from someone considering purchasing 489 NYS Route 40 to build self-storage units. With no provisions specific to self-storage in the Zoning Code, he recommended the prospective buyer consult the Planning Board or seek an interpretation from the ZBA.
- The Board briefly discussed solar farms and facilities in the town and in the neighboring Town of Easton.
The Board adjourned at 7:30 p.m. (McDonough · Saheim · all).
Respectfully submitted by Elizabeth Hale, Clerk.
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