Zoning Board of Appeals

Schenectady Board of Zoning Appeals Minutes September 6, 2023 I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Mr. Gleason called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. After calling the meeting to order, Commissioner Gleason explained to the members of the public how the consideration of the applications would proceed. He stated that the applicants would have an opportunity to make their presentation to the Board, followed by any members of the public who would like to speak in favor of the application. Next, any members of the public in opposition to the application would be invited to speak, followed by any further discussion or questions the Board Members wished to put forth prior to the vote. He added that after the initial presentation of the proposal the applicant would not be given another opportunity to comment unless directly questioned by a Board Member. The meeting is being recorded. II. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Jim Gleason, Chair; Dave Connelly, Vice Chair; Helene Lester, Brendan Keller, Jack Connelly- Department of Development staff. III. EXCUSED: Fred Clark, Mary D’Alessandro-Gilmore, Mary Zawacki, Chris Marney, Assistant Corporation Counsel, and Sylvia Jimison, Department of Development Staff . IV. CONFLICT OF INTEREST CHECK None. V. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES The minutes were approved for the August 2 and August 10, 2023, meetings. The motion was made by Commissioner Connelly and seconded by Commissioner Lester. Motion carried unanimously. V. Applications: New Business A. Chris Maddalone requests an area variance for 192 Erie Blvd. (tax parcel 39.71-3-20.12) in the C-4 Downtown District to allow 58 parking spaces where 78 are required, pursuant to Section 264-44(B) Mr. Dave Kimmer, ABD Engineering came before the commission to discuss the request on behalf of Mr. Maddalone. Mr. Kimmer made the following comments about parking: - He said the existing parking lot had 50 spaces total, but some of those spaces were taken up by Trustco Bank's easement, leaving around 38 usable spaces. - In response to a question, he said the lot currently has enough spaces to meet the 1:1 ratio of spaces to existing units. - He argued they would only need to use street parking or public lots for guest parking, not for primary resident parking, since they could meet the required spaces on site. - He also mentioned the multiple nearby municipal parking lots that could be used for additional overflow parking if needed. Commissioner Connelly asked if there were any other conditions placed by the Planning Commission when they approved the project. Mr. Kimmer responded saying that outside of adding greenery the parking was the only obstacle prohibiting their approval. Commissioner Connelly further expressed concern that if full occupancy was realized, there could be a parking issue without an agreement to use other nearby lots. He also mentioned another development on State Street that had parking issues, which made him hesitant to approve this one without a parking plan. Commissioner Gleason asked if Trustco Bank had any say in the parking arrangement or if it would remain unchanged. With no definitive response from Mr. Kimmer, the Board generally agreed that no decision should be made until the agreement with Trustco was reviewed, as that could substantially change the availability of on site parking. He also asked how many of the existing 32 apartments were currently rented. Mr. Kimmer stated that all of the existing units were fully occupied. Commissioner Keller expressed concern about public parking spaces being used to subsidize private development. He said the zoning requirement of 1/2 parking space per unit seemed unreasonable. RESOLUTION Commissioner Keller made a motion to table the application. The board voted unanimously in favor of tabling the application until more information could be provided about the parking easement agreement with Trustco Bank. No decision was made on the variance request. Motion made by Commissioner Kelller to table the application seconded by Commissioner Lester. Motion to table approved unanimously. B. Bohler Engineering requests an area variance for 1713-1733 Van Vranken Ave. (tax parcel 39.43, Block 2, Lots 44, 45,46, 47; and Block 3, Lot 10) in the C-2 Mixed Use Commercial District to allow 30 on-site parking spaces where 56 are required, pursuant to Section 264-44(B) Schedule F. Ms. Caryn Mlodzianowski of Bohler Engineering came before the Board to request an area variance for 1713-1733 Van Vranken Avenue to allow 30 on-site parking spaces where 56 are required. She introduced the project as a 37-unit apartment building with 30 on-site parking spaces, seeking relief from the required 56 spaces. She described the site layout and parking plans, including 3 ADA spaces by the building and 27 spaces across the street. She noted Planning Commission conditional approval and their request to add a crosswalk between parking areas. She also cited the steep slopes and technical challenges with the site that limited development areas. Also, she said 30 spaces plus street parking met the 1.5 space per unit ratio and suggested they could potentially add more spaces by extending the lot if needed. Commissioner Connelly asked if there were any other conditions from the Planning Commission. Commissioner Keller suggested 34 parking spaces seemed like a good number for the application. In general, he emphasized the importance of having enough dedicated parking to accommodate the number of units in a development. Ms. Mlodzianowski showed that there was room adjacent to the 3 ADA compliant spots to add 4 more parking spaces to accommodate that request. Commissioner Keller asked what a "feasible project" meant in terms of needed units. Commissioner Lester supported the project and said street parking was sufficient. Mr. Steve Strichman from the Schenectady Metroplex Land Bank supported and said Metroplex was working with the developer on the project. Mr. Strichman stated that given the walkability, availability of parking and prevalence of mass transit in the area that the parking requested is more than sufficient. Ms. Mlodzianowski said about 75% of units would be studios or 1-bedroom, with the remainder being 2-bedroom. 3 ADA spaces would be provided by the building with the remaining 27 spaces being across the street. She also said rents would be about 20% lower than downtown apartments. Commissioner Gleason received clarification that the house at 1713 Van Vranken Ave. was not yet demolished, but would be to further this project. The board ultimately granted a variance for 34 spaces as opposed to the 30 that were requested. The additional 4 spaces were to be placed adjacent to the 3 ADA spaces closer to the building. RESOLUTION Commissioner Keller proposed the following conditions when making the motion to grant the area variance and seconded by Commissioner Lester: - To allow 34 on-site parking spaces where 56 were required, pursuant to section 264- 44(F) of the zoning code. - That no undesirable change would be produced in the neighborhood character. - That the benefits could not be achieved by another method. - That there would be no adverse effect on the environment. - The approval was based on the condition that the applicant provide plans for 4 additional parking spaces across the street. Motion approved unanimously. VI. Other Business VII. Adjourn Commissioner Connelly made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion seconded by Commissioner Keller. The meeting was adjourned at 7:05pm.