Planning Board

Olean Planning Board Meeting Minutes Revised Monday, July 14, 2025 Municipal Building Room 119 & Zoom Attendance: Chairman: Craig Polson Members: Jaye Beattie Mary Fay Reed McElfresh Mark Sabella Applicant(s): Rick Bokman, Bokman Properties, LLC Matt Derx, Bokman Properties, LLC Aaron Tiller, Project Engineer Staff: Keri L. Kerper, CD Program Coordinator Kathleen Monroe, Sr. Account Clerk Typist Others(s): None 1. Roll Call Recognizing a quorum, Chairman Craig Polson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and requested the roll call show all members present except Jerry Steiner who was excused. 2. Reading and approval of the June 23, 2025 public hearing & meeting minutes A motion was made by Mary Fay, seconded by Reed McElfresh to approve the June 23, 2025 (O’Reilly Auto Enterprises, LLC SP # 2025-160) public hearing minutes. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. A motion was made by Mark Sabella, seconded by Jaye Beattie to approve the June 23, 2025 meeting minutes. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. 1  3. Old Business There was no business at this time. 4. New Business i. Bokman Properties, LLC (SP # 2025-197) 801 East State Street Mr. Tiller introduced himself to the Board, and advised the applicant is proposing to construct a new 48’ x 100’ building on the owner-occupied site for automobile repair on the corner of Chestnut and East State Streets. He indicated the building would consist of four repair bays for working on damaged automobiles as well as an office area. Mr. Bokman added the design would provide a customer drive- through for automobile repair estimates. He noted the existing shop has outgrown its available square footage, and would continue to operate adjacent to the proposed new construction. Mr. Bokman indicated it would free up space for the insurance adjusters. He stated all of the applicant-owned properties would continue to be well-maintained. Mr. Bokman indicated Mr. Tiller did a wonderful job on the design for the main dealership. He advised the project would be an attractive addition to the neighborhood. Mr. Polson inquired about the proposed exterior of the building, and Mr. Bokman advised the exterior of the building would consist of white siding, black metal trim and doors, and large glass overhead doors with the signature look of the main dealership. Mr. Polson asked if the applicant planned to keep the parking lot as crushed stone. Mr. Bokman indicated the crushed limestone would remain. Mr. Tiller noted the Chestnut Street side would feature a concrete entrance leading to the garage door. Mr. Bokman explained the site sits lower than the sidewalk, and paving the area would lead to drainage issues. He indicated the Chestnut side of the building would be free of any debris, spillover, or residue. Ms. Kerper referred to Code Enforcement Supervisor David Bauer’s June 23, 2025 memorandum and advised the four parking spaces required per City Code would be located at the adjacent lot owned by the same individual. The correspondence notes the means of ingress and egress are appropriate, storm water runoff would be directed to the catch basin for disbursement into the City storm sewer, the dumpster area would be located on the opposite side of the existing building, exterior dark sky compliant wall mounted lighting would be placed above the doors and the greenspace requirement is less than 10%. She noted lighting is not proposed on the residential north side of the building. Ms. Kerper advised the signage allowed is 96 sq. ft. for the proposed project area, and shall meet the requirements of the City of Olean Zoning Laws, which requires a separate sign permit application through Code Enforcement. Mr. Bokman noted the signage would be affixed to the building. Ms. Kerper referred to the comments received from the Department of Public Works Divisions on the project, and noted a cross connection control device would be required on the water service. She advised the Director of Public Works commented the 4”/6” concrete slab between the proposed building and Chestnut Street should be terminated at the south edge of the south overhead door in the west building face to prevent parking perpendicular to the building too close to the intersection of Chestnut and East State Streets. Ms. Fay asked for clarification on the comment received from the Director of Public Works. Mr. Tiller referred to the site plan application, and explained the comment 2 refers to terminating the concrete slab at the southwest corner of the building to ensure the slab is not located too close to the intersection. Mr. Polson indicated the change may allow for greenspace at the corner of Chestnut and East State Streets. A motion to declare the Planning Board as Lead Agency for an uncoordinated NYSEQRA review was made by Reed McElfresh, seconded by Mary Fay. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. The Planning Board reviewed Parts I & II of the Short Environmental Assessment Form prepared for the project and made the following changes to Part I: question 4. add “Urban, Industrial and Residential”; question 20. Mr. Tiller explained the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) EAF Mapper had automatically populated the question with a “Yes”, noting a gas station may have once been located nearby. Ms. Kerper noted the EAF Mapper was likely referring to a very small remediation site. She recommended, and members agreed, to keep the response as generated by the DEC. Mr. Bokman added the site was formerly a residential duplex, which he purchased from Ray Padlo. No changes were made to Part II. After brief discussion, a motion indicating that the Planning Board made a finding that the project would have no significant adverse environmental impacts, and that the Planning Board therefore issues a Negative Declaration for (SP #2025-197), was made by Mark Sabella, seconded by Mary Fay. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. A motion to certify the application complete was made by Jaye Beattie, seconded by Mark Sabella. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. A motion was made by Craig Polson, seconded by Jaye Beattie to set the public hearing for Monday, July 28, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. Ms. Kerper explained the public hearing process to Mr. Derx, and advised the materials for the project would be emailed to him from the Department of Community Development by Wednesday morning. She advised the notices should be postmarked no later than Friday, July 18, 2025, and the Certification Form returned to our office prior to the public hearing. Mr. Bokman thanked the Board for their review of the proposed project. 5. Miscellaneous Communications Ms. Fay advised she would not be in attendance for the July 28, 2025 meeting. The remaining members verified they would be available to attend the public hearing and meeting scheduled for July 28, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. 6. Next Meeting The next Planning Board meeting has been scheduled for Monday, July 28, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. 7. Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Mary Fay seconded by Jaye Beattie. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at approximately 6:25 p.m. 3