New Firehouse? Board not excited about an upgraded Gas Station

The Town of Wappinger Planning Board met on October 6 with one item on the "discussion" agenda and several labeled as "Miscellaneous" -- but they really didn't feel Miscellaneous when one considers the impact on the town and the community.

For discussion - a proposed Amended Site Plan for the Citgo Station at 1336 Route 9. In what is becoming a battle of traffic engineers and Planning Board Members who live in the neighborhood . Everyone acknowledges that the current situation is not good for customers, people traveling on Old Hopewell Road and Route 9 North, or the owner of the business -- but coming to a conclusion that satisfies everyone doesn't seem in the cards. The applicant would like to reorient the gas pumps and add one -- which their traffic engineer and industry expert explains will relieve some of the queuing and make it easier for gas/convenience store customers to enter and exit the property. The Town's traffic engineer isn't so sure that is the case. And while everyone agrees that exiting onto Old Hopewell Road is confusing, especially for those individuals trying to go South on Route 9 -- the compromises that would require seems beyond everyone's capabilities. The Planning Board basically hinted VERY broadly that they were not in favor of the plan and seemed cranky that the applicant hadn't incorporated their suggestions into the plan. The Applicant requested that they process move forward with a public hearing, which was scheduled, with the planning board basically saying "it is your right, but we aren't persuaded".

Then... the Hughsonville Fire District sent a letter to the Planning Board, requesting that the Fire District be named lead agency in their proposed project to tear down the current Fire House in Hughsonville and replace it with a much larger structure. Lots of discussion about "the Monroe Doctrine" (No... not the one you learned about in 7th grade, the one related to Monroe County -- where there was a debate about the right of a municipality to oversee the projects of another municipalites building work, in that case an airport) -- and whether the Fire Department had the skills/process in place to conduct a robust review, including public hearings, Environmental Reviews, setback compliance, the rights of adjacent neighbors etc. (Does anyone see a problem with an organization who wants to build something conducting their own oversight? Well -- that is what the School District does..other municipal entities have independence). So -- after long discussions about what kind of response should be sent to the Fire District (there is a time line, and since the last planning board meeting was cancelled) -- it came down to the conclusion that a letter would be sent to the Fire District bascially objecting to the Fire District being a "lead agency". Of course the compelling reason to build a completely new building has not been stated... and an enlarged building would require additional equipment to fill the space.

As noted in the last Zoning Board Meeting, a request from Hudson Valley Volkswagon for 2 variances... allowing additional parking.. was tabled until the ZBA could get assurances from the Planning Board that the variances are absolutely needed. So -- the applicant will be asked to provide a plan showing a "code complaint" site plan -- so that the planning board can see the difference between what they are asking for vs. what the code allows. There was a discussion that, unlike other dealerships, HVVW parking areas do not have curbs -- inventory is being placed on "landscaped areas" because basically it is easy to drive on the grass. It was mentioned that every car dealer has an inventory storage problem -- and that by granting a variance, it could create a precedent that could become untenable.

After these discussions, the Town Planner then stepped through some of the recent Zoning Code changes that were enacted by the Town Board as part of the update to the Comprehensive Plan. Clarifying "cluster housing" and eliminating the many paths, often conflicting, of how cluster housing developments could be built in the town. Updated definitions for Attached Housing, Net Lot area calculations, Conventional Yield calculations, and Open Space. The process to begin a project now is firmly in the hands of the Planning Board before it goes to the Town Board. The Planning Board will continue to have discussions on the implications of these changes to the project they are asked to evaluate and approve.