Planning Board - Regular Meeting

Okay, I'd like to call to order the October 20th, 2025 meeting of the city zoning board of appeals. We have a established approval September 22nd, 2025 motion. Second. All right. All in favor? [Applause] [Music]

Um I would like to it's um right that we have a single a single um project tonight. So would you mind if you go first? Thank you.

So we'll move on to the top. Um so our first Our first um tonight is area variance 250016 forum owner of tax number 302.20-1-14 family member 249. Uh after the barriers to install an ingground pool at a rear guard set back of 96 in uh the applicant also seeking an area to exceed the maximum block coverage threshold. here tonight. Can you explain your project over to us? Yes, please.

Okay.

Uh we're just looking to install a pool in our yard and I guess we don't have enough green space and we're looking for 6 in on the back fence line. Um it's really about it. We just feel like uh it's not going to ruin the neighborhood in any way, shape, or form. that's inside of already fenced in yard, 6ft fence all the way around. And uh that's really about it. I haven't had any objections from any neighbors that I know of. So I think uh there's other pools in the neighborhood with less green space, I feel, that are visible through a chain link fence, and mine is behind vinyl fencing. I think we've beautified the neighborhood with our house. Uh, we've won the Christmas decoration a few times now, I believe. So, we're beautifying the neighborhood. We're making it look better. And, uh, we care about the city. We care about the yard. My wife is a her whole life lived in Glenn Falls. So, I mean, we're we're Glenn Falls people and we love the city. We go to football games.

It's about it. I'm going to ask a question. Sure. Is there something? No, it it would be six inches towards the front, which I'm pretty sure we can do that. I just had the uh surveyor put it out on the map the way we kind of talked about it. He said I can move it a little bit. We do have enough room. Uh the front fence line, I believe we're plenty far back. I believe if uh you look at the uh the drawing, I believe we have the room to move forward a little bit. Really this the main problem is the green space. It's not the borders. We have plenty of border there. I think

do you know what the sideyard set back is for our So on the accessory structures greater than 100 square ft. Your sideyard setback is going to be 10. So will your rear but that's a front yard. Well they have two front yards. So they get to choose their rear. And we we look at them as front yards. We do at least for fences. Right. I I had to get a variance for my fence as well, which I got approved for. Let me see if I can find it. [Music]

I believe the front from the side yard or the front yard is 15 ft, which which I shows I have 15. Yeah. So, I could move So you don't need finger your side here. Your your front yard 17 step back, right? The question is your side and rear. The rear right now, the way the pool is laid out has 9 ft 6 in. I'm supposed to have 10. That's right. So I could go forward.

9 foot six is your side, not the rear. Eh, I guess that's that's the rear kind of that's the rear yard. [Applause] Okay. And that's his rear. Okay. Yeah. I I could move it 6 in. Like I said, the main problem is right. So, we can avoid that. That's fine. All right. That's no problem at all. All right. You mentioned, right? No, they won't. Yeah.

So that's what we check that off. Yeah. Um, so then we just come to the dimensions. [Applause]

I think I I see it before I even put in a pool. Okay. Well, I think we talked about using uh pavers instead of concrete, which um and stuff too. You could make it look so solid and love to Okay. Just I mean I doubt it and say the backyard. Right. Right. It doesn't.

Well, when it rains the water goes in, goes into it. It's just like doesn't count. don't count. That's true.

Yeah, we could do that. And is that the rest of the concrete already? The U patio? Yes, that's already there.

No problem. With respect to seeker, it's a type two action as it's the branding of an area for a single family of three. Therefore, action is required by the applicant has been amended his application to say that he's moving the closer to the front yard. Therefore, he no longer is requesting. And so, we're just on a lot has amended the application. We no longer have an area variance request, but we do have the service um variance request. Um so I would like to make a motion this board request with the condition that the cement paid through the proposed cement apron around the pool design papers as opposed to

all favor say I. [Applause] Great. Thank you. Okay.

Just call now. Okay.

Okay. Sounds good. Jack. Great. Um look all they're all in the same kind of together various 12 they're 25 12 13 and 14 all currently LLC let's start um 303-86 He's [Applause] three. [Applause] This is number two. I tried to make them as easy as I could. I know there was five of them, but 48 [Applause] correct. Okay. So, let's see.

I Yeah, I can I I I apologize. I was not here. I was in Ireland when we had the last meeting. Um, but Eric came and talked with everything. And I think that the the big hangover, the biggest hangup that it sounded like was um it came down to uh the storm water and and the the gravy. So, uh, Eric and I got together and we put together a grading plan. Keep in mind the the the site itself is almost dead flat and I provided you a drawing today about the drawing that shows we we took some spot elevations all around the perimeter of the lot as well as where the um catch basins are and the swale there there's a a a retention swale here that's full of stone. It's high at current Lane. It's high out here. It's high along this line and high along this line. And everything drains into the middle. Everything every So there's any storm water that comes off the roof of the Rockill House, um the new pavilion and all of the ground that's along here and along Curran Lane all runs into this area. This this whole area right here is all low. And that's and and that was laid out in in the vision engineering drawing that I that I provided to you as well. Um and the the catch basin that's there is is right opposite where our new pavilion is going to go. So that is the low point of everything. Everything's bring everything from this lot drains to that low point. It's not going on to the adjoining property owners. We understand that in the winter time when it rains there's there's a lake down here. The unfortunate part is that leak is coming on from their roof and Cooper Street and it just runs into that spot and for years it had it it had run and and gone

over onto Eric's property and he's now fixed his property so that he's maintaining his storm and to that point in in defense of what you're saying. Yeah. You're not obliged to take care of to take care of somebody else's storm just like we're doing to the other people. You're not required to take the run off from other people up by yours and they say that's your fault. Not at all. Correct. No, no, no. You didn't see.

All right. from these were from these were from 2017. They sent the to um Steve Gersworth back then because the city was supposed to be doing something as far as well the city's water and those that that's why. So this is the one the ground was in. I mean this area out here before we re regraded this stuff. This was a lake for us lane was a lake and this was a lake. I mean the whole thing was basically underwater.

But you know we you know we we put the soil in there. We cut back on the other side of the road too. Got it away from lunch produce. Put the drywall in. All the water stay on our property. So, and all the water stays on our property request. We're taking the the water from the city street park. So, um so I think that was one of the items. What's that? That is Rock Hill. That's a parking lot for Rock Hill. That is 2017.

And it is a lake. It was a lake back then till we till we fix it. Added drywall, change everything, brought in stone. So, you have a new proposed drywall also? Yes. Uh, yeah. It was it was always the intention that um if this drywall didn't have quite enough that we were going to put another one over here. So, we are we are going to put that in. The only time we actually need that drywall is in the spring when the wiring. Yeah. Like now I get 2 in away. It's not going to be a problem.

You got 2 in of rain and kind of I mean you you said Yeah. Yeah. There's nothing there anymore. You're definitely not putting money. That was my concern. And then I think the other question was regarding roof slopes of the proposed building there. This is the pavilion that was next door. It's a 512 pitch on the outside and the inside has a slightly shallower pitch. I think it's like a 312 or something on the inside. So is that from that property? No,

no, no. There's a the um we we agreed um this is graded to be a high point here. So this this whole property here is shaped like kind of like a dish. So the edge all the way around is a high spot on the dish and the low spot on the dish is this whole swale and metal here. you know, everything runs to that low spot.

And that's not the way it was originally. Originally, it was a rail bed. So, it was pretty much flat. And I think everything probably was pitched a little bit towards this line here anyway back in the day when we went to you know we regraded this so that we kept all our world on our property but at the same time we were keeping our neighbors park ready water off our park. So I remember no I mean it was it was like back in the day. It was because

right Perkins but it was Perkins. Well I mean even you know I used to work in that.

Yeah. No a lot of and part of the problem was too was it was so low edge right? It was almost flat. It was just like, you know, water over the whole thing. Now was made a little bit we made more of a pitch and we filled that low by gravel. So it acts in this swale here almost acts like a surface if you want right through this cuz there's much gravel sitting there. It just that doesn't work in the winter when that surface is all ice. You know, can't get you want to take them one at a time.

That's the thing about all Do you want to maybe to simplify a little bit, can you walk us on the map for each one of these saying what we're looking for, what they're asking for? I know you marked it on here. Yeah. Is that good for everybody? He wants us to set anything that he's asking for. That way we can just listen to the vote at the end all the way. [Music] I know. Yeah. I get that. All right. I'm just saying just he's going to be able to succinctly summarize all the facts. So

just for the record now. Yeah. So I can I can talk about the maintenance building next. Okay.

Yep. And this one again, we we've got the front on uh on Leonard Street. This is the property line between Eric's property and L is here. Um we're looking for setbacks. Uh we're looking for a sidey guard, a front yard, and I believe that's it for this one. That's the maintenance building. That's the maintenance building. This is this is the L-shaped building here. We are talking about adding a couple of high levels over there so we got the roof water comes off and and taking care of the rest of the water that is coming from Glenn Falls Produce.

The way I remember in the drawings was that it's coming down. I thought you had a liter and that leader is dropping more into interior portion of the alley. Yes.

Yep. And we'll pick those up. Um outside of that there's there's a garage door on this end of the building. a garage door that faces Leonard Street. Uh there is currently a container that sits over here and we've moved the building over just slightly to give Eric enough room so he can get in there and when the snow comes off the roof he can clean the snow out from behind the container. Um outside of that uh that that's really about it with that building. And then the last building is the the proposed toilet room building. Um and that's actually on this portion of the the trail that runs down through there. And again here we're looking for I think it's just a front yard inside there just a front just a front yard. Um again in the LI district we're based on the height of the existing building. So we're a little bit closer to current land to be allowed. We just felt that where we have that one sitting it's the best spot for us to hook up to the water and sewer that are there. How far is it? How far is it off that portion?

41 ft as opposed to 48 which is required. No, off the trail. Oh, off the trail. It's right on this trail. What's that? The building. The elevations are in the package. It's It's going to be a a four-way hip roof with shingles on it. It's going to look very similar to the rest of the buildings that we're doing. Just won't be quite as tall. That's my only concern. Just speaking back off that is when you have that move going back towards the path. Is there a way to leader? Oh, sure. We can Yeah, we can be my own. Yeah, the we can run a gutter along that edge and and leader back inside.

Yeah, back into the green space that's behind it. Yeah, absolutely. Is that path? No. So, I don't I don't clear that path during the winter. I just kind of considered the same as Warren County who wasn't clear. I'm sorry. It's not It's not supposed to be used. The path. So, it it comes right on from the end of the bike trail. Yeah. So, uh, the bike the bike trail in theory in theory comes right here and then you're supposed to come up Leonard Street and then you're supposed to come back behind the old postard building street and kind of go behind Price,

right? So, it's not public. That's not public. And it's Yeah. and and and really, you know, what what this is kind of helping out for, there's a couple of reasons. Obviously, it's it's nice to have it on the bike trail, but um again, when you're when you're doing the food truck corral and some of the events that they do there, rather than have the portaotties all over the place, it would be nice to have a fixed toilet facility for everybody to be able to. Awesome. I think that's it. the other two then then I'm going to resend my request from the leader because it's not on to anybody. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean I mean honestly we probably throw away just from a standoint of like if we have the path here and it's clear and it's cold and we have water riding on it then it's a maintenance concern for us. You know, I believe me, I want to minimize those issues. Well, we're definitely No, no, no. I was going to say probably why don't Okay.

So, I think your description is correct. This is this is a unique lot district that may no longer be relevant to the city. setbacks are nearly impossible for a lot. And looking at our current that the intent of this district is to permit continued in this district. So I think these requests are complying regardless of

true completely understand. Does anyone have any questions or comments?

Uh, the projects were also referred to the Warren County Planning Department and we have communication from the Warren County Planning Department that states on each of these applications, the Warren County Planning Department finds that the proposed action has no significant intercom community or countywide impacts. With respect to center, I will classify all area variances uh 250012, 250013 and 25004 as type 2 actions um based upon 617.5C9. It involves the construction or expansion of a primary or accessory nonresidential structure or facility involving less than 4,000 square ft of closed floor area and not involving a change in zoning. Um, and it's not seeing used variance. The first structure, the replace temporary campus pavilion, that building is 30 by 36. That's only 1,080. The second building, the maintenance building is 30x 54. That's 1620 ft. And the bathroom facility is 30 by 36. It's,80. Therefore, um, no further action is required relative to

Yes. Let's do motions one at a time. We have a motion on the floor to approve area 25-3012 currently currently an LLC for the owners of tax- 27-13-8 common 18-26 currently in area 12 is the area constructed pavilion with side at 232 in do I have a All say I hope.

Is there anybody online? Is there anybody Is there anybody online saying anything? No. Okay.

Thank you. I can't remember. carries the next one variance 13 current landl number 303.17-13-8 commonly known by 18-26 currently this is to construct a maintenance building with a sideyard set back at 15'6 in a front yard set back at 8'6 in and a rear yard set back at 7'6 in and this is also an area variance for exceeding the maximum coverage threshold I'd like to wish to approve this area. All in favor say I. Any third- [Music] own property address. This is an area constructed facility with the front yard set at 414 in and area maximum coverage special. All in favor say I.

I motion carries. Excellent. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. What you mean?