Varick Planning Board
April 22, 2021
Present: Linda Mastellar (chair), Rich Olsen (via Zoom), Hershey Sensenig, Michele Hermann (via Zoom), Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secretary, via Zoom), one vacancy.
Guests: Nick Davoli for Parella
Called to order at 7:11
Approval of Minutes from March
Moved by Olsen, second by Sensenig, approved 6-0
Public hearing for Parella subdivision.
Hearing opened 7:12.
Will be on the Agenda of the County Planning board’s next meeting.
Hearing closed 7:15
Resolution: The Varick Planning Board issues final approval for a lot-line move to take 2.09 acres from Lot 10-3-26 (Lafferty) to lot 10-3-25.3 (Parella). The frontage and narrowest part of the remaining part are 561 feet.
The applicant supplied an Agricultural data statement. The board finds that there will be no impact on adjoining agricultural uses because the land use will not change and is not currently agriculture.
The board received the Short Environmental Assessment Form and declared itself the lead agency for State Environmental Quality Review. Upon review of the EAF, the board found no impact because the action will lead to no change in land use, nor creates a condition that would encourage one. The board makes a negative declaration of environmental impact.
This approval is contingent on a positive recommendation by the county planning board and the map can be signed once that is received.
Moved by Björkman, Second by Hermann. Approved 6-0.
Approval of Minutes
Moved by Sensenig, Second by Long. Approved 6-0.
Discussion of definitions in zoning code.
We have recently had some cases where residents, or prospective residents, wanted to find out what the permissible use was for a unit, but there was ambiguity because some terms were not defined, or not defined well enough.
Excessive parking: “Sufficient parking shall be provided that no vehicles are parked on the road” from 309.5 F needs to be repeated in to 309.5 C and elsewhere as needed. Perhaps also add “Residential parking shall be limited so as not to contribute to congestion.[TB1] ”
Use the word Household rather than Housekeeping unit as a replacement for “family”.
Define Household as follows:
Household. An interactive group of persons jointly occupying a single dwelling unit, including the joint use of and responsibility for common areas, and sharing household activities and responsibilities (e.g., meals, chores, household maintenance and expenses) and where, if the unit is rented, all adult residents have chosen to jointly occupy the entire premises of the dwelling unit, under a single written lease with joint use and responsibility for the premises, and the makeup of the household occupying the unit is determined by the residents of the unit rather than the landlord or property manager (as they do in a rooming house). Seasonal occupancies, whether structures or mobile, are households.
Change all occurrences of “family” to “household”.
In the definition of Multihousehold Dwelling, delete “contiguous lots with common ownership.”
We will address the number of houses and dwellings on a single lot separately from that definition. We need to specify (elsewhere) the conditions under which multiple residential buildings can be on one lot. The potential for high-density rental units in separate buildings is a specific concern. We have some helpful descriptions in 310.3 and 310.4.
Define Structure as follows
Structure. A static construction of building materials, including buildings, stadiums, display stands, storage table and includes, among other things, buildings, stadiums, platforms, radio towers, sheds (portable or fixed), storage bins, fences, signs and temporary storage units and satellite reception dishes. Structures can be either permanent or temporary.
Define Building as follows:
Building. Any structure that has one or more floors and a roof and is intended for the shelter, housing or enclosure of persons, animals or personal property.
Define “Habitable building” to distinguish buildings where people may live. It will replace “dwelling” in some instances where there is ambiguity. We will develop the definition next time.
New members. Town Board member Tom Fox suggested two (perhaps three) residents from the middle of the town who might be candidates for the vacant position. Linda will contact them to gauge their interest.
Adjournment moved by Björkman, Second Olsen, Approved 5-0
Adjourned 9:07