TOWN OF SARATOGA
PLANNING BOARD
DRAFT MINUTES*
February 26,
2020
Chairman
Ian Murray called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Planning Clerk Linda McCabe called the roll: Chairman
Ian Murray – present, Laurie
Griffen – present, Patrick Hanehan – present, Robert
McConnell – absent,
Joseph Lewandowski – present, George Olsen - absent,
Christopher Koval - present, Alternate Walter Borisenok - present.
Due to the absence of Board Member George Olsen,
Walter Borisenok was elevated to full voting status.
Also attending: Robert Bolen and Melissa Murdock. (Sign-in sheet is on file in the Clerk's
office)
A motion was made by Joseph Lewandowski, seconded by Laurie
Griffen, to accept the meeting minutes of January 22, 2020 as written. Chairman Ian Murray – aye, Laurie Griffen – aye, Patrick
Hanehan – aye, Robert McConnell – absent, Joseph Lewandowski – aye, George
Olsen - absent, Christopher Koval - aye, Walter Borisenok - aye.
Carried 6 - 0
Approved
Conference for Special Use Permit
Melissa Murdock
& Amy O'Neil #19-09 Owner: Scott Grosky
30 Division St. 2386 Hempstead Inc. Saratoga Springs,
NY 12866 45 Glen Cove Rd.
S/B/L 180.18-1-15.2 Lake Commercial
Greenvale, NY 11548
Location: 1453 Rt. 9P
Returning applicants seek to renovate the interior of the existing structure and open a law office at 1453 Rt. 9P. They also seek to repair and pave the existing parking lot.
Robert
Bolen, contractor for the applicants, appeared before the Board along with
Melissa Murdock;
Melissa Murdock noted that she is now the owner of the 1453 Rt. 9P property.
Chairman
Ian Murray stated the Applicant is here for a Special Use Permit conference. This application was before the Board on November
20, 2019 and as variances were found needed, the applicants were sent to the
ZBA. The Board spoke with the Applicant
at the November 2019 meeting, concerning the issues with the parking lot in the
front of the property and the drainage on the lot. He said he's had conversations with Town
Engineer Ken Martin and they need the Applicant to provide the Board with
engineered drawings, as they cannot work with what has been submitted. He added they need to know how they will make
it work with the drainage issues on that site.
Melissa Murdock responded that
the owner of parcel S/B/L #180.18-1-23, (104 Point Breeze Rd.), has conveyed
that parcel to her, so they won't have a problem with drainage or access
for drainage; a culvert will
go in.
Town
Engineer Ken Martin stated he knows they have drainage problems there and the
Applicant needs to provide engineered drawings.
Robert
Bolen said they are adding the landscape berms as the Board suggested and that
DOT agreed with that being necessary.
Town
Engineer Ken Martin questioned if the front parking spots are in the
right-of-way or on their property.
Melissa
Murdock replied they're on her property.
Town
Engineer Ken Martin and Chairman Ian Murray explained the ones in front are in
the NYS DOT's right-of-way.
Robert
Bolen replied which DOT is fine with. He
then added although he didn't go further with DOT until after he knows if the
Board is fine with it.
Chairman
Ian Murray stated he has issue with the sheet flow drainage. He told Robert Bolen he visited the site again today and believes the applicant will need to put in some infiltrators there and discharge
into the ground.
Robert
Bolen said he thought he could go down to the water.
Chris
Koval and Town Engineer Ken Martin suggested putting in some catch basins and a
culvert.
Chairman
Ian Murray stated that or infiltrators or something underneath the parking lot.
They can't discharge on someone else's property and Point Breeze Rd. is someone
else's property.
Melissa
Murdock stated they don't even have a shared roadway and doesn't understand why
the Town hasn't taken that road over.
It's her understanding, from talking to the neighbors, that the road is
constantly a mess and never fixed, no one's done a road maintenance agreement,
so no one's responsible for plowing it or anything.
Chairman
Ian Murray responded that is up to the owners; there are half a dozen of those
roads around the lake with the same situation.
Melissa
Murdock replied she just doesn't know why the Town doesn't take it over.
Chairman
Ian Murray stated those roads are not up to Town standards so those, as well as
some along Rt. 29 in the Town, are all pre-existing, nonconforming roads. The Town doesn't want to accept them nor
maintain them.
Melissa
Murdock then asked if the Town can go in and force the residents to participate
in a shared roadway maintenance agreement, because she doesn't think it's
fair.
Board
members replied no, it's a private, pre-existing road.
Chairman
Ian Murray suggested that Melissa Murdock do some research to find the owner of
that road and then draw up a road maintenance agreement and go door to door
with the property owners. He added the
Town has standards that can be given to her to help with the agreement
language.
A lengthy discussion continued between the
Board and Robert Bolen on private roads, drainage and parking issues with that
parcel. Chairman Ian Murray and Town
Engineer Ken Martin explained the elevation at the corner has to go up, or put
in two catch basins. Chris Koval agreed
with Town Engineer Ken Martin and added that on the north, sheet flow will
freeze as it gets little to no sun there.
He said they should put in catch basins and to do so is not too
pricey. The Board agreed.
Chairman
Ian Murray questioned the liability of discharging into the lake and stated
that is why he would leave an open swale, filter it or put in two catch basins
and discharge into the swale; safer for the owner.
Robert
Bolen stated that they will put in two catch basins and swale everything.
Chairman
Ian Murray stated he'll need to and the Board needs to see the sign off of
NYSDOT as well.
Robert
Bolen questioned what they need to do.
Chairman
Ian Murray stated get the engineering completed and on the plan, get the
elevations for inverts, get it graded, call the engineering firm who did the
map and get this done as soon as possible.
Expedite with NYS DOT as the Board needs to see the sign-off from NYSDOT
on parking and ingress/egress. The Board likes this reuse, just need to find a
way to make it work. Chairman Ian
Murray added they need to have everything in to the Clerk's office no later
than 8:45 a.m. on March 11, 2020 to be on the March agenda.
Returning
Old Business:
New Business:
A motion was made by Christopher Koval, seconded by Laurie
Griffen, to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 p.m.
Chairman Ian Murray – aye,
Laurie Griffen – aye, Patrick Hanehan – aye, Robert McConnell – absent, Joseph
Lewandowski – aye, George Olsen - absent, Christopher Koval - aye, Walter
Borisenok - aye.
Carried
6- 0
Meeting Adjourned
The next regular meeting will be held Wednesday, March 25, at
*All submittals must be to the Clerk no later than 8:45 a.m., March 11, 2020 to be on the March agenda.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda A. McCabe
Planning Clerk
*Please Note: Minutes are not verbatim unless so specified.