Reporting from Tuesday, May 19, 2009 :

Videos of the May 19 ZBA Meeting

From the May 19 Regular Meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)

1. Opening and Restraining Order Readout (8:16)


2. Decision To Discuss Meaning Of Recreation (4:40)


3. Discussion of Meaning of Recreation (9:01)


4. Recreation Discussion vs. Planning Board Decision (8:43)


5. Petitions; Noise Law Different Opinions (11:08)


6. Precedence, Uses, Scale, Law (10:58)


7. Duplicate or Distinct Application? (4:57)


8. Tom Kiely’s Statement (6:21)


9. Bob Rockler’s Statement (16:38)


10. Final Discussion and Vote (13:54)

Reporting from Monday, June 2, 2008 :

Zoning Commission (ZC)

From the June 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

Supervisor Young, responding to changes proposed by Councilperson Edwards to the ZC section of the draft May 5 Town Board meeting minutes said “You also remember I told you at that time that Tony and Richard would be the ones from the Board that would be on the committee.” Supervisor Young also reminded Ms. Edwards that “I said the structure will be 2 members from the Town Board, 2 members from the Planning Board, 2 members from the Zoning Board and…3 citizens so we have an odd number.” Ms. Edwards felt that the TC as a whole should vote on this and expressed concern about having 2 TC members serving as voting members of a ZC whose recommendations they will ultimately have to vote on.  Supervisor Young said she’d inquired of other towns and this was their suggestion.  Councilperson Skoda reported that a ZBA member had contacted a representative of the Pace Land Use Training Institute.  From the audience, ZBA member Robert Rochler identified himself as the person who had made the call and said the Pace representative recommended there be 2 people from each board.  According to Mr. Rochler, Pace didn’t necessarily recommend a TC member be on the ZC but did recommend that a member familiar with the zoning laws (Mr. Rochler said he had immediately thought of Councilperson Skoda) serve as chair and the Pace representative recommended that he be appointed.  Mr. Rochler also reported the Pace representative said that the more people on the ZC from the ZBA, not from the PB, the better since it’s the zoning code that’s being re-done.  Mr. Rochler said Pace also recommended the addition of members of the public.  Another ZBA member in the audience, Moisha Blechman, said that Ancram expected members of its Comprehensive Plan Committee to participate with zoning revisions.  Mr. Rochler said that he “completely disagree[d] with that; that she [the Pace representative] recommended 2 people from Comp Plan but no more than that because they’re going to be biased towards the Comprehensive Plan.” [Note: New York State Town Law Section 272-a (11) provides that all town land use regulations must be in accordance with a comprehensive plan adopted pursuant to the provisions of that section.] After further discussion about the need to hire a land use planning or law firm to assist the ZC, the need to put out a request for proposals, discussion of how zoning revisions had been done in the past (by the full TC, PB and ZBA), etc., the TC felt that further thought should be given before deciding on the ZC’s structure and seeking letters of interest, and tabled the issue.

Reporting from Monday, May 5, 2008 :

Zoning Commission (ZC)

From the May 5 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

TC discussed setting up a committee to work on revisions to the Town’s land use laws.  Councilperson Edwards felt this project was too large to add to the PB workload.  ZEO Dennis Callahan said he understood it would not be proper for the ZBA to assume that role.  Supervisor Young said it should be a separate committee with no more than five to seven members and that letters of interest would be sought.  The town attorney advised caution about delegating the TC’s authority; he recommended two TC members serve on the ZC.  Alice Platt, chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee, said she understood that a planning or law firm was normally hired to work with the zoning committee and asked whether a Request for Proposals should be used.  The town attorney concurred about the drafting of any changes but said it would be a professional services contract so it could be deemed exempt from the procurement policy.  He said that he’d done revisions as town attorney for Livingston, Claverack and Philmont, and that the town was free to use whoever it would like.  After further discussion, the TC felt that the committee should be set up and have an opportunity to consider this before making any decisions.  Councilperson Edwards recommended that Elan Planning and Design, the Town’s Comprehensive Plan consultant, also be asked about recommended procedures for revising zoning.  Audience member Loretta Carley asked whether “there really would be an honest effort to make [the ZC] a diverse board or would it turn out like the Planning and Zoning Board where only people who really backed the Republican Party in the last election….” At that point, Supervisor Young banged her gavel and told the questioner “that’s enough.” She started to comment that when it was “the other side…,” at which point, several audience and TC members interrupted and said there was a lot of diversity then; that “…they had added diversity where it didn’t exist but now it’s all been reversed.”