Planning Board Agendas and Minutes

MINUTES OF THE COHOES PLANNING BOARD MEETING HELD ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE COMMON COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Joseph Moloughney Mr. Edward Carboni Vice-Chairman Clarence Badgley Ms. Sharon Gariepy Mr. Mark DeFruscio ABSENT: Mr. Jake Dumesnil CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 18, 2011 MEETING Member Carboni moved to approve the minutes from the August 18, 2011 meeting. Vice Chairman Badgley seconded the motion which passed unanimously. YES NO Joseph Moloughney X Leo Badgley X Edward Carboni X Jake Dumesnil ABSENT Sharon Gariepy X Mark DeFruscio X CONSIDERATION OF A SITE PLAN REVIEW AT 100 COLUMBIA STREET Chris Boyea, design engineer for the project, listed the concerns presented at the Thursday, September 8th, 2011 public meeting held at the site. He also presented the developer’s proposed solution to the issues. The list follows: 1. Remove two parking spaces in front; 2. Restrict delivery hours from 6am to 9pm; 3. Restrict hours of operation from 6am to 9pm. 4. Restrict construction hours from 6am to 9pm; 5. Sequence construction so that the 8’ privacy fencing is installed first; and 6. Change the type of privacy fencing. Member DeFruscio asked if construction would take place on weekends. Mr. Boyea explained that the end user would like to occupy the premises by March 2012. Therefore it is necessary to work quickly to complete the project, which would include weekends. Member Carboni expressed concerns about construction as late as 9pm, particularly with heavy equipment. He requested clarity on the types and amount of construction that would take place at certain hours. Mr. Boyea described 9pm work would be interior in nature. Board members stated that interior work could be done all night. Member Carboni also asked about exterior lighting, as it was not shown on the site plan. Mr. Boyea described 18’ high shoebox lighting on the site. Member Carboni then inquired about the 4’ chain link fence shown around the pocket wetland pond. Mr. Boyea justified the fence as required by the Planning Board Engineer, Thomas McGrath of Sipperly and Associates. The pond will always have 6” of water at the bottom and could constitute a drowning hazard for small children. Board members disagreed on the need for the fence. Some felt it provided a safety net against drowning while others saw the fence as an unnecessary eyesore. Those against the fence argued that the City does not fence the creek or pond. In addition, young children do not walk anywhere. The Board decided that any approval would be conditioned on a 4’ black vinyl coated chain link fence if it is indeed necessary from an engineering perspective. Otherwise, the developer need not install the 4’ chain link fencing. Vice Chairman Badgley asked if the sidewalk on Columbia Street connects to the front of the building. Mr. Boyea agreed to provide a connection. Initially he recommended a connection adjacent to the driveway entrance on Columbia Street. However, Board members agreed that most foot traffic would come from the west, so a connection from the corner to the store would make more sense. Bob Gage, developer for the site project, suggested painting crosswalk markings on the parking lot which the Board agreed to. Joella Timberland of 6 Wilson Lane asserted that the main issue is pedestrian safety. She maintains that the store will encourage children from Harmony Hill and the High School to walk along Columbia Street and cross to reach the store. She pointed out that it is unsafe due to the lack of crosswalks and lighting. Member DeFruscio asked if the children walk to the corner now where the Stewart’s and CVS are located adjacent to the proposal. Mrs. Timberland replied no, but clarified that there isn’t a dollar store at the site now. Member DeFruscio asked if Traffic Commission reviewed the plans and found the plan ok for pedestrian traffic. Paul Johnston of the Traffic Commission reviewed and informally approved the plans. Mrs. Timberland asked if the owners will clean-up the site regularly because the Dollar General in Latham is disgusting. Mr. Gage agreed to maintain the building and premises. Charles Alonge of 4 Wilson Lane pointed out decidous trees are shown on the rendering which the site plan do not show. Mr. Boyea explained that the trees shown are on another property. All decidous trees on the property will be removed and replaced with arbor vitae along the fence line. Member Carboni reminded everyone that the engineer had stated at the public meeting those trees would be planted 10’ tall to start. Mr. Boyea researched the matter and found the tallest trees available in the area for planting are 6-8’ tall. Mr. Alonge asked if the fence ran along the side property or just the rear. Mr. Boyea indicated the fence would run along the back of the property then for another 15’ onto the side property line the project shares with Stewart’s. Mr. Alonge then asked about a sidewalk on Monroe Street. Chairman Moloughney reminded everyone the issue came up early in the Planning Board’s review and was turned down. Those against a sidewalk on Monroe felt it wasn’t necessary, so it was excluded from the site design. Mr. Alonge asked whether the AC units had vibration pads. Mr. Gage explained that the AC units are pre-manufactured with built-in spring mounts installed 18” off the ground to reduce noise. Mr. Boyea added that the fence and tree line will further buffer any noise. Mr. Alonge then questioned times for garbage removal. Mr. Gage agreed to limit pick-up to later in the day. Ralph Alesio of Wilson Lane reiterated the need for a sidewalk on Monroe Street for safety reasons. Monroe Street is narrow and pedestrian traffic stops vehicular traffic in its current condition. Given the addition of a driveway entrance for a commercial use and the resulting increase in traffic flow, a sidewalk would mitigate the safety concerns. Member Gariepy asked how often deliveries are made to the site and when. Mr. Gage described once a week drop off of inventory between 6 and 9am. Chairman Moloughney asked if the Board wanted to condition any approval on constructing a sidewalk on Monroe Street, which the Board agreed to. As a result, Member DeFruscio moved to approve the site plan as conditioned: 1. Eight foot white vinyl privacy fencing along the rear and west side property line; 2. Installation of a sidewalk on Monroe Street; 3. Arbor vitae along the rear of the property installed at 6-8’; 4. Four foot black vinyl wrapped chain link fencing around the pond if required by engineering; 5. Construction from 6am to 9pm on the exterior; 6. Six am to nine pm hours of operation; 7. Deliveries from 6am to 9am; 8. Dumpster pick-up during the later part of the day; and 9. A wood fence around the dumpster. Vice Chairman Badgley seconded the motion which passed three to two. YES NO Joseph Moloughney X X Leo Badgley X Edward Carboni X Jake Dumesnil ABSENT Sharon Gariepy X Mark DeFruscio X Member DeFruscio moved to adjourn at 7:30pm. Vice Chairman Badgley seconded the motion which passed unanimously.