Zoning Board of Appeals - Regular Meeting

okay let's open the meeting of the Cold Spring zoning board of appeals we have a quorum tonight four members out of five there's one item on the agenda and that is to re review a draft memo that summarizes the board's comments on the F Trail egis shall we take moment to read it or okay let's take take some time to look it over right there that third paragraph that just drains the section e e

e e e so what do what do you walk think everybody else um I have only found two spots that I think there are missing words between exempt and local and between wood and greatest sure yeah from local would be greatest the har would be greatest good reading I especially like

the point here about what are all those new costs that the village will that was and I think that's one of the big things that lots of folks from the V has spoken about like how much want it's all done comes back to us that was MaryAnn's point and for us to carry future I really appreciated the we should ignore any project numbers from 2033 other that was like yeah we should because we have no idea and unless one of you is arac or possibly some sort of a wizard well that would be Eric but I don't know probably that oneide and there um I really liked about talking about how Beacon and Cold Spring are different places yeah um do we want to say anything like that that houses but the trail and that's I think really important but there but could we say something about budgets relative size of budgets like I I the the yeah the um the governments or the the public there's a smaller pool of taxable properties in Cold Spring to carry the load in the future right and plus we don't get sales tax revenue so which Beacon does so so I think that's you know like an electric bill to Beacon wouldn't mean anything but it might mean a lot here sure yeah so yeah that's a good point I'll add that so there'll be two examples of the differences one is the houses the other is different scale budgets yeah from 2% Beacon big deal 2% here big deal

I wanted to um modify the point um the sentence that reads two members said that the harm to views will be greatest at the line of Cedars just north of near part and at the southern Trail and it's a little Stony Point well I walk by there again and um that it's actually that whole Northern stretch just when you get Beyond mayor's point oh no it's the whole thing especially just when you get just past the houses there's that an open dis span there where you have a totally clear view of that Causeway that the train goes over right which is right where the the fence would be totally open and and clear there's not vegetation there's nothing so should just be instead of these two singling we also add going all the way up to little Stony Point like if you get you know where the new structure is at little sty Point there's an office building but to the left is your facing office building is the one we built uh is you look from the trail that's right beside that and you look to the water that would be impacted right turn to the Southwest absolutely so yeah I think this should just say the whole stretch from um North of mayor's Park up to little Stony Point and the homes that are facing the river would then just get to look at a really tall fence for the rest of their lives yeah they they will definitely see it that's great they would no be no real direct view you you would only see any any water only through the structure yeah right and sure sure on that level you structure would actually climb and rise to as you're looking across to the mountains on the other side up about 20 30 ft you know optically as you're looking at water

suppose the 8 to 12 feet though is that because that state land that's not we don't have jurisdiction over the fact that's too tall right and the other thing is uh when we were at one of the meetings of aous manner they had mentioned that uh they we somebody asked what what are the minimum specifications meaning where does as low as things can go for the platform for the walking and they said 5T above the rails so now you read dgis it says one to four feet above the rails so that evidently has changed um but you know the reason why they were saying 5 feet above because they had done all the sea level information in case you know the Seas do rise and they didn't want to have to rebuild uh so whether it's going to be at 5 feet or one foot I think what you have to do is you you at minimum accept it as four feet because that is the true potential impact it's four feet and then the fencing rises from there right so you know so above the deck of M tracks we're talking about something that could be anywhere from 12 16 feet well no no no uh my understanding it's it's you know 8 to 11 feet above the um uh platform the walking platform they made build on the water side and and the reason why you don't have something like that down in the battery on the west side that goes down to the Battery Park a similar walking area cycling is because it's not a long a train Corridor and that's why they don't have high fencing yeah that that's what they say that it's it's Metro North that is maning the fence yeah correct so uh now and the way we

eliminate that is to not have the trail terminated May's Park and have it I mean littley point you know it's relatively flat but you know from there to the point but yeah anybody because I'm almost done writing here and so I'm just going to okay okay let's see on page two uh like two3 the way down where it says one board member said it would be okay at the bottom of that paragraph okay so I'll read the final sentence of that paragraph one of the differences for example is that the houses above the trail route in Cold Spring but not Beacon period then I was going to put the sentence the water side Trail in Beacon will terminate in the vicinity of the beacon train station Pama which is approximately half mile or more from Beacon's Main Street and and that gives a very uh fact specific technical understanding of how right on top or not on top the trail is to the main street right and and and to the um you know what kind of impact they might have you have to walk from the train station all the way up or take a

bus and you can take multiple routes by the way in Beacon so could I add that L yeah um I'll can I just take your copy oh yeah you could just take the copy uh because and from Beacon's Main Street let me just finish that okay and these are just sort of facts I mean it could be a mile but I'm just playing Devil's ADV go half a mile because the way the the trail goes is uh it's at least a half a mile it terminates at denning's point or terminates at it terminates in around denning's point and reaching you can reach uh the it's all connected down there right you can reach they have the kayaks in the image that are in Beacon right so they show where you can do kayaking right so it it terminates right there which the train station is so D is there and the train station there right and and right the D is up the hill the D is probably M quarter mile and then from walking from the dith to Main Street depends on whether you're walk into the North End of uh Beacon main or the South End which still either way is about at least a half a mile or more um the only other thing I was going to add okay it it's on the first page oh sorry go ahead um so it says the board members thought this fence would intrude I'm sorry this is like two-thirds the way down again it's the beginning of a paragraph after the quoted section thought that this fence would intr on views on the views from the East though they differed on how severe the disruption would be period And I was going to add there was no artist sketch of the appearance of the trail from the East at sea level

looking West such as from mayor's Park well there is one is there he mentions the artist Rend the document are too small and little resolution to allow judgment that's just later in that paragraph um which sort of the what you're addressing right well here's I mean here's one that yeah that that's that's sort of a an extra little statement that's said there I don't think it's right but but where do you see where do you see the trail where do you see the trail so how can you but there is you're saying there is none at all there is no there there's no there's no artist rendition of what the trail will look like um there's no depiction of Trail is on this side of the the trail will be on the other side of this grass are these meant to show are these artist renderings showing the trail is that the they're basically showing views of what the views would be if you're on the trail but there's no R existing conditions okay from um the section describes the existing views from locations near the trail okay all right well where is the artist renderings in here the ra none I thought there there is none from the East we saw one just a moment ago I'll show you the one we saw was it's further okay so it's this one here that we saw right that let me find the text relating to that then okay visual analysis renderings of the South okay so that image right here is looking sort of from the north and at a height but not looking at sea level looking towards the river where people walk people walk all along

there okay so all right yeah so your point right yeah this is correct there's nothing from from we and we saw an image of it and like I said they went through it real quick everybody went what was that and that's what I'm getting at and two or three people during the verbal uh discussion referenced to that slide right during interesting uh well then so this is missing this is missing what you can't you can't say what the impact will be CU that's simply a photo of photo without that's just existing conditions yeah okay then then we should say instead of saying artist renderings are too small and low judgment we should say there is not there is ning from the East well that's what I was pointing out right okay right and that goes for all the way along right and the only reason why I sort of know it because I was listening to the impacts that people were referencing you know as to that particular slide that was shown by accident that they went to quick and so we were always keen on what will it look like right and and this is saying this is your last chance to have a statement on it and we're not showing you what it looks like yeah that's my point yeah you can imagine it but it'll be okay it'll be fine yeah it it'll be okay I used to be at ease and you know I used I used to give people the benefit of the doubt they built right front and they put the thing straight across so I could see instead of doing it they were going to elongate it east to west and I would only see the back of it and wouldn't hear anything and it would be looking like a shed right but now I had the whole it went right across the view shed well here here they claim okay this

is um this is under um future with proposed action potential visual impacts of your Trail South from mayor's park at Fair Street facing West toward Mountains from this Viewpoint figure 4 G4 photo so G4 you looked at it that's what we looked at G I'll show you it was the one View Trail would be elevated one to four feet um so oh so so the photo they're pointing us to is just existing though that's right right very odd I'm saying this is where we're going to put this elevated trail photo G4 yeah okay so the reason why most of the photos are up from high or from is because when you up high everything looks smaller but when you're down walking along like everybody does it so this is saying this should be saying you know here's the worst scenario and what's your opinion of the impact right but it's saying they know they know what it is because they showed a slide of it was an artist rendition right and that's what people were commenting on and uh and so if it says this is your last chance to have an a statement of the impact of it how can you make a statement about it yeah tell okay so um we'll say that there is no artist from from East looking West and that's why I simply asked for a copy that's all I mean you know or we all said you know just give us a copy that's why so when I wrote uh let's see so there is no artist sketch of the appearance of the trail from the East at sea level looking West such as from

mayor's Park to discern the impact okay right um and then two members said that the harm to the views would be greatest at the little seeders that's not that is not necessarily this that's more specific I I was talking about General with the mayor Park so the other stuff is more specified where people do stop and look so I don't think it's repetitive and um and then the board found however the DJ does not provide information about the fence to permit a final opinion on the disruption period I don't mind reinforcing that statement and just leaving that there personally uh because all I want to do is see it you know and then I put uh right after that sentence about uh no FAL permit a final opinion on the disruption I said okay so pretty much this would be I I didn't read that b of so I was inserting no opinion is possible as to the view sh impact absent and artist rendition of the actual appearance of the water side Trail you know from mayor's Park and and and and and and and up to little Stony Point and the elevated trail is on the inside of the track or on the outside of the track outside of track towards water and then the fence is on the inside of the the elevated track so between the tracks and the walking is where the fence so the people walking on the trail see the water oh yeah they have grav VI yeah oh yeah sure so for instance they do have this rendering on their website and there but again if you look at that fence oh if here I'll come over you look at that fence I know right here oh Wood and Wire and yeah you could see the here there there is a break neck

right that's that's a storm king Storm King I meant yeah break neck Sor yeah my apology that's right so I don't know see this might I think this is North this is North a little Stony Point is this is the view I don't think that's true I this is I think this is north of mayor's Park north of mayor's Park but not north of Stony Point where is Stony Point we'll see it's not descript oh that's true sticks out into the water we left gu when you get off Fair Street North where fa stre meets 9d the next Park Fair Street means 90 right you know if you head out Fair Street then you hit n me yes and I hate that spot but I always take it I'm an idiot what you taking if you hate it I don't know driving or walking no fair street into 90 where it has that jut and then you have to J across and then a dri right is what you're saying yes yes but it's like um village hall is like right by fa street so I just that's true anyway I don't mind it coming into town it's nice I had no other comments I mean you know yeah yeah everything's been set that's okay the I'll let you work with that as you wish and uh I know I know time is of the essence so you might put it out and then we approve it unless we say approve it and I'll let you adjust it what do you think um fine with putting these points in I'll put them definitely put them in they want the final draft in straight this this month yeah few days away okay so I suggest we approve it as amended these are amend okay yeah and if there's any that you feel that you

know that you know like for instance that second sentence if you felt it was repetitive of the one preceding it you know say I'm just thinking that we don't need that and and just send it to the board and and we we're approving as amended really well you want me to reread it um no it's clear um I don't really see it as overly repetition no no artist Trail no artist sketch is present looking West that that's definitely not previously made that's a good point which good so no opinion is possible without without the the artist rendering that's okay great a fine that's a new point so yeah perfectly it's not I don't see that those as repeating right delete um the artist rendering on too small and low resolution because now we're making the point there's no artist well there yeah in fact if you if you if we were just is it possible there is a small and low resolution artist rering in that giant no I looked I went P all right well I mean I wanted to make sure we were accurate no I I spent like six hours in the library I went there went through every single page I went through the original draft and then I went through their website just to be sure that I was and there is nowhere that there is a picture that shows this trust me I learned a lot about all I can say is like when you know that that's the case then there's like come on this is going to be really detrimental well you know what what what what we really solidifies my understanding what I just told you yeah is that several people got on and said well we don't see anything in that showed that image that you showed at Duchess man that's what they said right and that's exactly what I saw but you know this is what other people who I don't know were independently saying right so I know I did my homework and looked at it and I'm sure from what some of these other people were mentioning

they did not see it either they looked for it because there are copies of these spread around yeah anyway there's a lot of good things about but you know but you know just calling you know the facts out that's all yeah so again it's it's not just mayor's part it's going all the way up to the bottom of little Stony Point and again there there's no jurisdiction of Cold Spring beyond that point right um so point in the village Stony no little Stony Point is just outside the village it's it's like the second house uh in but it's Phillips town right sure sure yeah so well Phils Town out to the county line right yeah to the tel anyway so um the Amendments we have um omitted words that Billy noted uh three sentences basically three points here that John has added um and then I was going to um instead of when referring to the specific view as is going to condense that and say the entire section from north of mayor's Park on where the the harm to the Views is greatest so um and then exactly then adding the second example of um difference between Cold Spring and Beacon is is the different size of Municipal budgets which includes the fact that Sal they get sales tax we don't so I would move that um we um approve the draft with those

amendments second that all in favor I I thanks for drafting did a great I will um get that to the um trustees okay I think they're really gonna appreciate it I think it's very helpful it's mainly going to um Ted thinkink the consultant ah he will collect from all the boards including the the trustees they'll get every it will all be follow to him and he will use it as input and he writes he will be writing the master response from the village and when do that due um it was expanded by a month deadline was oh they did by oh they did yeah so I think it's um firstline was way too early March instead of early February early March were you going to refer to that plate at all you need to good good great because it's it's clear it's clear that it's not clear it's clear it's not there yeah it's clear but anyway that's it huh that's the end of business somebody's ready to go stop we have a motion to to adjourn I'll move to during the meeting I'll second that all in favor I thanks for than yeah sure sure thank you thanks for writing this well maybe I'll see you on the Hills I can't imagine I don't I go up there you won't see me for a while I uh last October I tore the mines my right knee and it still isn't heal