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1-11-2007 by JIM AUSTIN Editor The recommendation came in response to a request from the board of trustees asking the planning board to "review the village zoning map for its present appropriateness and making any recommendations for change that they feel are necessary to the board of trustees." The 2.2 acre parcel is currently zoned commercial and has been targeted for development by Joseph Galati, who appeared before the planning board earlier in its meeting to begin the review of a his proposal to build a motel there. In a discussion at the end of the meeting, planning board member Roger MacMillian commented that he had heard from a number of residents who were opposed to the motel plan. "There is groundswell against this proposal," he said. Chairman Joe Siracusa said that a residential use for the property would probably be best for the village and that the zoning should be looked at immediately. Board members discussed the concerns of neighboring property owners who worried about being negatively impacted by development on the property. "If this (residential development) is what we feel is the best use of the area, we should say so," commented board member Charles Hill. "Other uses are problematic. To me it's a nobrainer." Galati had approached the planning board last March about the possibility of building a nine-unit duplex residential development on the property, but because the property is zoned commercial, it required a change in zoning. Galati proposed a change in zoning from commercial to R-3, but with the lesser setbacks for commercial structures. "This is not a permitted use; however, I feel that it is the best use of the property, as opposed to what is permitted under the present land use laws for commercial and business zones," he wrote in a letter to the planning board at the time. But his attempt to change the zoning went nowhere and he decided instead to look at commercial uses for the property. Last month, he appeared before the board of trustees with his special use permit application for a motel and simultaneously submitted a preliminary site plan to the planning board as required by the zoning law. More recently, he said he was also considering a restaurant, self-storage warehouse or paid parking lot for the property because they are permitted uses in a commercial zone and require no special approval. Wednesday morning, Galati said he was pleased with the planning board's recommendation. "I want to sit down and talk and do whatever it takes to build homes there," he said. Galati reiterated his belief that a residential use was best for the property, but said that a commercial use will remain a possibility until he has a guarantee he will be able to develop the property in a reasonable timeframe. |
Copyright 2007, Cooperstown Crier, Cooperstown, NY All rights reserved