Village Zoning Enforcement Officer [ZEO] Al Keck thinks many people have the wrong attitude about the planning board.

Too often, he said, residents have an oppositional attitude toward the planning board when they come before them with projects requiring review. The planning board should not be seen simply as a regulatory agency, whose job it is to enforce the provisions of the village zoning law.

There is another role the planning board plays, Keck said, and that role is advisory in nature.

"It is vastly under utilized and affordable," Keck said.

Virtually the entire the village is in a historic district and that requires stricter standards than might be found in other areas. The zoning law clearly states the village's intent is to maintain and protect the historical and architectural characteristics of the district.

When village property owners are contemplating a project which will include changes to the exterior of a home or building, Keck recommends they make the planning board their first stop.

"People should use them in their advisory capacity before going to the contractor. They will help you find a direction. Once you have a direction and are clear on which way to go, then see a contractor," he said.

Keck said he has seen examples of people whose first step is to talk to a contractor about a project like an addition to their home before learning from the planning board what kind of requirements are involved with exterior changes.

By the time they get to the planning board, they may have incurred expenses for consultations, drawings and estimates only to learn that there must be changes to meet requirements of the zoning law.

Those changes can lead to increased cost which is sometimes wrongfully blamed on the planning board. Most of the time, he said, that situation can be avoided by talking to the board first.

"People should come to the planning board first so they [the planning board] can be constructive agents. It can eliminate time and in some cases cost. When you pay for a drawing that won't meet approval and you have to redo it, the planning board is seen as adding to the cost," Keck said.

The $5.00 application fee is nominal and is money well spent, he said. For that fee you can tap into the years of knowledge and experience the planning board's historical and architectural advisors - Bruce Guyot, C.R. Jones and Dr. Gilbert Vincent - have to offer; not to mention the board members themselves.

By going to the planning board early in the process, it is less likely there will be delays. Typically a project that calls for only planning board review can be handled in four to six weeks; maybe even three weeks if everything is on ready and there are no changes.

On the other hand, an applicant who must also get a variance from the zoning board of appeals and a special use permit from the board of trustees could be looking at a process as long as four or five months.

People who do not take those timeframes into account are often frustrated by the process.

"Long-range planning smoothes the water," Keck said.

Planning board chairman Paul Kuhn agrees that people should see the board as a resource.

"It's a great benefit to the residents. When you can have somebody like Gib Vincent advise on your project the $5.00 fee it's a tremendous value," he said.

Most people are aware of the planning board's primary mission to uphold the standards set in the zoning law, but many are not aware of the board's advisory role, Kuhn said. "We try to work with people early on. It saves time and spinning wheels."

To help people with the process, the zoning officer has developed a one-page outline of the steps involved which can be obtained from him by calling the village office at 547-2411.

With spring and the construction season right around the corner, it is not too early to begin the process so that when weather allows, work can begin.