ZBA - needs a new chair

Often the most interesting and meaningful discussions happen at the end of meetings. It was the case at the September 10 Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting, when one of the members mentioned that the current Chair of the ZBA has submitted a letter of resignation, effective at the end of September. This kicked off a discussion on how the next chair would be designated, the role of the remaining ZBA members, the role of the Town Board with the Head of Strategic Planning providing advice to the board members and what happens if there is a tie with only 4 members voting. So -- in October, expect a change in the make-up of the ZBA.

The ZBA Opened with a public hearing for a property at Pleasant Lane - the applicants currently have a 4' x 22' concrete slab at the front enterance of their home, built in the 1950s, and would like to upgrade it to a 8' x 22' covered front porch with two steps. They need a variance of 28 feet because their home is close to the street and the required 50 feet to the property line cannot be provided. Please also note that they applicants are living on a cul-de-sac... which is a very different circumstance than if they were living on a highly trafficed road. The Board Approved their request.

A Public Hearing for a property on MacIntosh Lane - was adjourned to November 26 because the architect didn't realize that there are drainage issues which need to be addressed. However, neighbors did attend for the purposes of explaining that their property directly faces this property and they have been dealing with culvert back-ups/drainage issues for a number of years. From the plans currently submitted, it appears that the applicant wants to create a four car garage on .38 acres along with an acessory apartment. The property has not been well maintained for oanumber of years - specifically a pool that has not been opened for decades. Understanding that the plan may change, the neighbors wanted the ZBA membes to be aware of the issues.

Two adjacent properties on New Hackensack Road want to install a 7 foot wall and a 6 foot fence, with metal gates. Four Feet is what is allowed in the code, so variances of 3 and 2 feet are requested. The Board requested drawings of the proposed fence.. there was a discussion of how the fence was to be measured -- are decorations on top of the gate included? These will be wrought - iron fence/gates... and a long discussion about how far off the road the fences are to be installed, and whether a shared fence, especially if a pedestrian gate installed, would create problems if the individual properties were to be sold to non-relatives at a later date. The public hearing was ajourned to October 8th.

A new appeal for a property on Blackthorn Loop was discussed. A current deck/porch/steps needs to be removed because of unsafe conditions and replaced in the same footprint. However, the current deck requires a variance of 7.4 feet because only 12.6 feet to a side yard can be provided, where 20 feet are required. The site visit is scheduled for September 21 and the public hearing is scheduled for September 24.