Zoning Board of Appeals

City of Cortland – Zoning Board of Appeals Zoning Board of Appeals City of Cortland Regular meeting of March 12, 2019 A regular meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals was held on Monday, March 12, 2019 at 5:30 PM in the Mayor’s Conference Room at City Hall. Present: Commissioners Scott Steve, Juliene Ray, Abigail Cleary, Maria Manning, and Thomas Larson, Brett Barnes Excused: Commissioner Karen Leahy Staff: Zoning Officer Bob Rhea, Chief William Knickerbocker, and Confidential Secretary Devon Rainbow Item #1 – 160 Clinton Ave- Empire Management (GB) This item was for an area Variance for additional business sign. It was pulled from the agenda. Motion to close: Motion: Comm. Ray Second: Comm. Cleary Approved: Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Item #2 – 181 Port Watson St – Meriwether (GB) This item is for a special Use Permit for Auto body Repair center. Ron Walsh was present to speak. Because of the location, there needs to be a special permit. The cars will be indoors, and it is a great location because it is walking distance from a lot of residence. They are in the process of a subdivision. The plan is to have parking of 11 spots with a 9’ width. There will be about 3 or 4 employees. The entrance after merging the parcels will be on the west side of the property. There will be an additional door on the east side. Michael Kruman, the owner of the west side neighbor, 177 Port Watson, was present to speak to ask questions about the location of the door. Tom Terwilliger was also present. He mentioned street parking being useful. The additional garage door does not work without the east side door. He also mentioned possible buffers mentioned by planning commission. The vehicles will be on the north side and Port Watson side. Adam Gosser from the nearby Church was also present to speak about his concerns. One was the items that will be left out the back. It was explained that there will not be anything out back, because they don’t want it to look like a dump and they need the open space. As for lighting, the only area that would be lit would be the parking lot, and he would probably only keep one on. There will be 4-5 bays in the shop. There are no drains in the building at all. The deeds might have to be merged. There were some concerns regarding sound and noise. It is insulated. The auto body shop will be open Monday-Friday. Minutes of the March 12, 2019 Meeting 1  City of Cortland – Zoning Board of Appeals Motion to close the public hearing: Motion: Comm. Larson Second: Comm. Manning Approved: Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 The ZBA went through the SEQR questions and environmental assessment form to determine granting or denial. Motion to approve the SEQR: Motion: Comm. Larson Second: Comm. Ray Approved: Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion to approve with the conditions of an east entrance for the in and out of damaged vehicles, employee parking will be in designated spots, there will be no additional storage of anything in any outside areas, they will only be open Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, the west entrance is for delivery parts only, the decibel level stays reasonable for neighbors, and that the properties are merged and consolidated: Motion: Comm. Manning Second: Comm. Larson Approved: Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Approval of minutes Motion to approve the minutes as amended: Motion: Comm. Larson Second: Comm. Leahy Approved: Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Adjournment Motion: Comm. Manning Second: Comm. Barnes Approved: Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Minutes of the March 12, 2019 Meeting 2  City of Cortland – Zoning Board of Appeals I, SCOTT STEVE, CHAIR MEMBER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS FOR THE CITY OF CORTLAND, NY, DO HEREBY CERTIFY THAT SAID RESOLUTIONS WERE ADOPTED AT A MEETING OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS OF THE CITY OF CORTLAND, HELD ON THE 12TH DAY IN MARCH IN THE YEAR 2019. SCOTT STEVE, ZBA CHAIR MEMBER Minutes of the March 12, 2019 Meeting 3