The Varick Town Planning Board met April 26, 2007 at 7 PM at the Varick Firehouse. All seven members of the Planning Board were in attendance.

Frankie Long made a motion that the minutes of the March 22, 2007 be approved. Kevin Swartley seconded the minutes and it was carried.

There was a discussion of public hearings. These hearings are supposed to be for information only and they should not be used as public pressure to influence decisions.

There was a discussion of outdoor wood furnaces and how many municipalities are banning them because of the air pollution that they cause.

Bill Larzelere and Bob Kayser attended an evening training session in Lyons on May 3. They reported that the training was good although rather long. And the pizza was excellent.

There was a discussion on docks and moorings in the lake. The boundary of Varick extends into both Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. In fact, on Seneca Lake, it extends all the way across the lake to the other shore. This was supported by a 1988 letter from NY State. This leads to the need for rules and regulations on this underwater area. The two lake associations for Seneca and Cayuga Lake are taking the lead in this area. There is a desire for all towns and municipalities bordering on the lake to have the same rules and regulations. Bob Kayser made a motion that we pursue adopting a law in coordination with other towns. Kevin Swartley seconded it and it was carried unanimously.

Old Business: We spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the zoning code.

Bill Larzelere is going to look into language for mobile homes to permit their use, but not too junky appearance.

Bob Kayser is going to look into language hamlets and dwellings and noise and objectionable odors.

Frankie Long is going to look into language that will limit the size of kennels in the lakeshore zone in order to permit small-scale home breeding but restrict operations too large for the neighborhood.

There was a discussion of set backs. The consensus was for 15 feet on both sides and back. There apparently is no setback on private roads.

There was a discussion of fences in the institutional zone. It was decided that the requirement for a fence half they height from the property line would apply there just as well as everywhere else.

The meeting was adjourned at 9 PM.

Respectfully,

Larry Peterson
Secretary
Approved May 24, 2007