Planning Board Agendas and Minutes

MINUTES OF THE COHOES PLANNING BOARD MEETING HELD ON DECEMBER 17, 2018 AT 6:30 PM IN THE COMMON COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairperson Mark DeFruscio Vice Chairperson Jack Carroll Mr. Bob Bucher Mr. Joseph Nadeau ABSENT: Ms. Stephanie Couture ALSO PRESENT: Robyn Reynolds, Deputy Director of Economic Development and Planning CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER 12, 2018 MEETING Chairperson DeFruscio called the meeting to order at 6:31 pm and asked if any of the Planning Board members had any comments on the proposed minutes. There being no questions, Member Nadeau made a motion to approve the minutes, which was seconded by Member Bucher and the motion passed unanimously. YES NO Bob Bucher X Joseph Nadeau X Mark DeFruscio X Jack Carroll X Stephanie Couture Absent CONSIDERATION OF SEQR FOR A SITE PLAN AT 70 DELAWARE AVENUE FOR RETAIL AND MULTI-FAMILY BUILDINGS Jamie Easton of MJ Engineering was present on the behalf of the applicant, Prime Companies and explained that there had been a presentation on the site plan at the last Planning Board meeting to start the review process and that the applicant had already presented to the Zoning Board of Appeals for applicable variances for the project. Mr. Easton noted that after concept meetings and after the variances had been obtained, they made a submission of a site plan in September for review and had been working on various reports for archaeological considerations, stormwater, sewer, flooding, and effects on the Hudson River. Mr. Easton explained that the City Designated Engineer, CHA, after reviewing the site plan had delivered comments on the site plan and the City Engineer also had significant comments that they were working on addressing. Mr. Easton noted that the applicants and the City staff had a meeting to review all comments and had come up with some solutions and new features not on the originally submitted site plan including a multi-use path for the canoe/kayak launch, a dry hydrant in the back of the building for use by the Fire Department as needed, and designs for the dumpsters on-site to help screen them from important viewsheds. Vice Chairperson Carroll asked if a garbage truck could get on-site, to which Mr. Easton noted that they had designed the parking lot with this access in mind. Mr. Easton pointed out that there were concerns over the driveways of the proposed development and Cumberland Farms not lining up exactly which they were planning on addressing with roadway signage after better understanding queuing needs. Chairperson DeFruscio asked Mr. Easton to clarify aspects of the floodplain as delineated on the site plan, to which Mr. Easton noted that they had to base certain assumptions off of FEMA modeling and explained the methodology behind calculations in the Flood Report and site plan. Chairperson DeFruscio asked where they were planning to locate the drive-thru, which Mr. Easton pointed out on the site plan and clarified that they did not have an end-user for the drive-thru currently identified but were planning for it to have an average flow with standardized increments for queueing. Chairperson DeFruscio asked about the percentage of green space in the development to which Mr. Easton noted there would be over 38% of the site, not counting next to the bridge and that there would be a little over an acre of green space on the property. Chairperson DeFruscio asked about the specifics of the two larger buildings on the site plan and Mr. Easton noted that there would be apartments only in one building while the other would host a meeting room, fitness center, and community room. Mr. Easton noted that there would be mixed 1 and 2-bedroom apartments. Chairperson DeFruscio asked about the targeted end-users of the apartments, to which Mr. Todd Curley from Prime Companies noted that this development is primarily focused on workforce housing and the price point for rentals would likely be lower than other developments in the area. Chairperson DeFruscio asked if there were any other questions or comments, to which Member Bucher noted that there’s a lot on this site and that there’s some concern over the viewshed both from the Delaware Avenue side and also coming over the bridge. Mr. Easton noted that they had worked with City staff to try and soften the viewshed and to form a streetscape in the area with breaks so that there were riverfront views coming from Delaware Avenue. Vice Chairperson Carroll asked how tall the buildings would be, and Mr. Easton noted that they would be at least 40 feet, but obtained a variance for 55 feet. Member Bucher asked if this was well aligned with the Comprehensive Plan and R. Reynolds noted that the setbacks are geared toward better waterfront views as well as pedestrian experience. Chairperson DeFruscio noted that this was not necessarily truly mixed-use, and Mr. Easton noted that they didn’t want ultimately to mix the storefront with the apartment buildings as they wanted to break the feel of the site up with mixed uses on-site. Chairperson DeFruscio noted that at this meeting, the Planning Board could move the SEQR process along by declaring lead agency for review purposes. Vice Chairperson Carroll made a motion to declare lead agency for SEQR purposes, which was seconded by Member Bucher and the motion passed unanimously. YES NO Bob Bucher X Joseph Nadeau X Mark DeFruscio X Jack Carroll X Stephanie Couture Absent CONSIDERATION OF A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR A HOME OCCUPATION AT 14 MANOR SITES R. Reynolds noted that the applicant had not responded to communication regarding missed appearances. The Planning Board agreed that the applicant would need to get permission from the Cohoes Housing Authority prior to the Planning Board considering approving the special use permit. CONSIDERATION OF A SITE PLAN FOR A BEAUTY SHOP AT 150 REMSEN STREET Chairperson DeFruscio noted that when the City Zoning Code changed, beauty shops were no longer allowed in the district that the parcel is located on and for this reason, the applicant needed to get variances prior to coming in front of the Planning Board. R. Reynolds gave background on the site and noted that the Zoning Board of Appeals had reviewed the project and took lead for the SEQR review and the Historic Board had reviewed the design of the project and had given their approval. R. Reynolds also pointed out that the Planning Board could give an exemption to parking requirements given the ample street parking around the site. Member Nadeau made a motion to approve the site plan for the beauty shop, which was seconded by Member Bucher and the motion passed unanimously. YES NO Bob Bucher X Joseph Nadeau X Mark DeFruscio X Jack Carroll X Stephanie Couture Absent ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Member Nadeau made a motion to adjourn at 7:08 pm which was seconded by Member Bucher and the motion passed unanimously.