TOWN OF
PLANNING BOARD
July 9, 2012
PRESENT: Chairman Douglas Allen, members Suzanne Airy, Mert Bartels, Mark McEwen, Tom Morrison, Kevin Rooney and Greg Whitney. Also present were Town Councilman David McEwen, Town Engineer Scott Allen and Board Clerk Susan Bush.
Chairman Allen called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m.
A motion to waive reading the Legal Notice was made by Mert Bartels, seconded by Mark McEwen. All in favor (Rooney absent); motion carried.
PUBLIC HEARING:
PB-07-12 – Edler –
OLD BUSINESS:
PB-07-12 – Edler –
NEW BUSINESS:
Board member Kevin Rooney entered the meeting at 7:39 p.m.
PB-09-12 – L & O Mechanical (Kemp) –
PB-08-12 – TJJK Properties, LLC (Maxwell) – 997 Route 31 –
Campground – Log-in & sketch – Applicant Barbara Heald
and her engineer, Don Lewis of AEY Engineering, were present to address the
Board. Mr. Lewis explained the proposed
campground (Twilight on the
This is a 129± acre parcel which
will be split into two (2) 65± acre lots.
The southern lot will remain as a farm/residence with access from Route
31, and the northern parcel will become the campground site. The campground property is buffered by trees
and would not be visible from Route 31. The
site is bounded on the west by private property (some of which is farmland), on
the north by the Erie Canal, and on the east by
Individual campsites will be 2,400 sq. ft. (1,500 sq. ft. minimum required by NYS), and all sites will have electric, water & sewer available. Camping season will be April to October. The first phase to be developed will be near the entrance. No canal access is proposed at this time. A business plan and long-form SEQR have been included with the application. SEQR will be the responsibility of the Planning Board.
The Town Engineer provided the Board members with a list of comments regarding layout, utilities, NYS building/fire codes and general items. He also included a memo from a representative of the NYS Dept. of State concerning fire prevention/property maintenance inspections.
Ms. Heald explained they will be independent operators (not part of any franchise) and have researched other campgrounds over the last three years. They plan bigger than average sites to accommodate larger RV’s, pull-through sites and a few cabins. The cabins would be one room, 12 ft. x 14 ft., and can be moved. The campground layout would also include “rally fields” which are sites in a wagon wheel design allowing groups of campers to be together. Ms. Heald said they expect the overall occupancy to be 50/50 to 60/40 of daily vs. seasonal campers. Due to different camping styles, the seasonal (permanent) campsites would be grouped together in a designated area. The possibility of adding a few tent sites was discussed. This would be an attractive option for people taking advantage of the Canal Trailway system and Bike Corridor 5 (NYS Route 31).
The first phase (75-100 sites) is expected to take 1-3 years. Full build-out would be 300± sites in 7-10 years. The size of the phases will be determined by market demand. They hope to have Phase 1 open in 2013.
Board also discussed extension of
the right-of-way and paving of
A motion to grant sketch plan approval was made by Tom Morrison, seconded by Mert Bartels. All in favor; motion carried.
ZBA REFERRAL:
Z-11-12 – Wilson –
MINUTES:
A motion was made by Mert Bartels, seconded by Suzanne Airy, to approve the 06-11-12 minutes. All in favor; minutes approved.
ADJOURNMENT:
A motion to adjourn was made by Mert Bartels, seconded by Tom Morrison. All in favor; meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Bush
Clerk to the Board