[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6342808,"mediaKeyId","2253253-51cd6c67b529ecc30f657dd4b20087b8","parentId",2253253,"title","Green Mountain Supply seeks outdoor storage at 63 North Ferry; BZA issues SEQR negative declaration and tables final action","audioSeconds",2396,"startMs",1609000,"endMs",4005000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253253-51cd6c67b529ecc30f657dd4b20087b8&start=1609&end=4005","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253253-51cd6c67b529ecc30f657dd4b20087b8/thumbnail_1609000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6342808/Albany-City/Albany-County/New-York/Green-Mountain-Supply-seeks-outdoor-storage-at-63-North-Ferry-BZA-issues-SEQR-negative-declaration-and-tables-final-action","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342808-c1c0c40113347432c8b3af4210302947/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199031&Signature=BD6hy~P6~H~-6BUa28NchGeR7WOaZTugofz4zc-kfqGTrjt3f19lXDY7sNVThbBB91tCkdXF85V7tmnTMxrmSf20Qo6AXG~9kzsHjvKBzBhZxSuPasEo21tecwFX8aa3h-VwptGNNNPF8WK88Xsi3ptBRzdR6BOEPAindfawFPkoDItcZL5TIBMkwkxc2uM3d~DoEteUdgleTiGu7qVvDN3YF528gViU3EQTt0dp78dntu3l9CviU4zprGDhQeHwJ9uUyq5snoKIDH7z~dGODJx7vrjknUSf3p0HP3E5OzilPJ3t6PN8fCvW6yTHjSjEOQynI-BH1iGwM0Ti-bt2Qw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Albany, NY","date","2025-02-05T00:00:00Z","article","On Feb. 5, 2025 the Board of Zoning Appeals considered an area-variance request from GMS Realty (operating as Green Mountain Supply) to allow outdoor storage at 63 North Ferry Street in the MUFW (mixed-use, form-based warehouse) district, where outdoor storage is permitted only in certain industrial districts.

Dan Hirschberg of Hirschberg and Hirschberg, representing GMS Realty, told the board the company seeks to demolish an existing building, repave the footprint and use secured, fenced areas for materials that are difficult to store indoors. “Electrical equipment. That'd be things some of the larger things might be transformers or switch gears,” Hirschberg said, describing the larger items that the company stores and moves frequently. He said the site would also hold poles and equipment boxes used on construction projects.

Hirschberg told the board the yard is already used for outdoor storage dating back to at least 2022; the application also includes a proposed lot consolidation (three lots into one) and a pending minor site-plan review. He said the applicant followed city erosion-and-sedimentation practices and does not expect additional stormwater detention; the applicant also said the outdoor materials would be inert (no energized equipment) and would comply with all hazardous-materials and storage standards required by the city during site-plan review.

Board members raised multiple concerns: whether the request should be considered as an area variance (dimensional/physical standard) or as a use variance (allowing a use otherwise not allowed), potential impacts on adjacent residential properties where new apartments have been built on nearby Broadway, truck access routes and whether truck access would run along local streets, and the adequacy of existing or proposed landscaping and visual buffering. A planning memo and past board practice were cited in discussion of the correct variance standard to apply.

After deliberation the BZA moved and seconded a motion to issue a SEQR negative declaration for the unlisted action; the board recorded yes votes from Paige, Martha and Adriana and issued the negative declaration. The board nevertheless tabled any final action on the variance and asked the applicant to return with additional documentation addressing environmental impacts, preliminary landscaping or buffering plans toward the adjacent residential property, clarification of truck access and confirmation of neighborhood outreach.

The applicant said fence screening and volunteer vegetation currently limit visibility from nearby properties and that additional landscaping would be provided as part of the site-plan review if required. The applicant also noted difficulty in demonstrating a use-variance economic hardship and emphasized past board practice treating similar requests as area variances; planning staff indicated they recommended treating the application as an area variance in this instance.

The BZA did not vote on the variance itself and set follow-up items for the applicant; the negative-declaration finding allows the project to proceed administratively toward site-plan review while the board evaluates variance standards and neighborhood impact issues at a later hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Albany Board of Zoning Appeals February 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","On Feb. 5, 2025 the Board of Zoning Appeals considered an area-variance request from GMS Realty (Green Mountain Supply) to allow outdoor storage at 63 North Ferry Street in the MUFW district, where outdoor storage is limited to certain industrial zones.","taxTitle","Albany City, Albany County, New York","taxId",3731,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6342814,"Trinity Alliance seeks 0-foot rear setback for addition at 15 Trinity Place; BZA consents to Planning Board lead agency",1447,135000,1582000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2253253-51cd6c67b529ecc30f657dd4b20087b8&start=135&end=1582","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2253253-51cd6c67b529ecc30f657dd4b20087b8/thumbnail_135000.jpg","/articles/6342814/Albany-City/Albany-County/New-York/Trinity-Alliance-seeks-0-foot-rear-setback-for-addition-at-15-Trinity-Place-BZA-consents-to-Planning-Board-lead-agency","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6342814-d418e9bf2f618ae979df501c736047ed/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199031&Signature=iqQLpzz2UcOiNGSqKNUWZz7Z~RCkIKVdOy3vX1nn0~Qsc~R13oCZrfMCY5WUOK0icwrZLJ2UmdScvHcVHy3TZmlLYDnPxx5rZQN-~DJtW3W4mCBif~L9uTNkLNpc1AIjmRkBikn~Lz42I38gYkoTM7pUnP23nyfXqcGAZWMzgGBdj5yTQ9rPdHNdq-bXHIKTnW1LVUrsHuc1wgfsaPJ~t303iIAWObNdPcwLHn3ptrg~MgG0zMkzwOD2OZCaP7Hm21CoYA2~gb2TPLQU1xEBgZ4M3zPSE1WvTiNNbThUUZ-L8QKJcVcnLCgTxhDbMLaPmal3w7S3HinH8yLRKoaXiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","On Feb. 5, 2025, the Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of Albany heard a request from Trinity Alliance of the Capital District to allow a 0-foot rear setback at 15 Trinity Place where the zoning code requires a 15-foot rear yard.

The request covers an addition on the footprint of a former church and would let Trinity Alliance place a ground-floor food pantry, a bicycle-share station and a pantry warehouse in a tightly constrained urban lot, designers said. Echo, a representative of Faze Design Group representing Trinity Alliance, said the project team is in the “design development phase” and working under deadlines tied to public funding. “We recently received an EPA grant for about $20,000,000,” Echo said.

The project team told the BZA the addition would consolidate several Trinity operations on one site and replace a church footprint that collapsed and was demolished. Anna, a member of the project team, said the new building is being set back slightly on the front façade to preserve the historic character of the existing settlement house and that the rear footprint is similar to the former church footprint. The team said the site consists of several lots that are in the process of being merged and described the rear alley as about 10 to 12 feet higher than Trinity Place; the design takes advantage of that grade change to locate the pantry warehouse partly into the hillside with rear access to the alley for secondary egress.

Board members and project staff discussed fire access, delivery logistics and coordination with the Albany Fire Department and other authorities having jurisdiction. The BZA was told that fire apparatus cannot turn into the alley but that the design will provide for hose deployment and front access; a curb cut on Trinity Place is proposed to facilitate deliveries without blocking the narrow street.

The BZA voted to consent to the Planning Board serving as lead agency for environmental review (SEQR) for the project. Board member votes were recorded as yes for Paige, Martha and Adriana on that consent motion. The BZA did not act on the variance itself and indicated the variance hearing and any formal action will be deferred pending the Planning Board’s environmental review, required certificate(s) of appropriateness from the Historic Resource Commission and completion of related site-plan and lot-consolidation work.

Trinity Alliance and the design team told the board the total project involves renovation of the settlement house and townhouse as well as the new addition; the project team described total project cost figures and grant support during the presentation. The project representative said the overall program cost is “about $17,000,000” and that “about 12 and a half million dollars” has been raised so far alongside the EPA funding, language the board noted during questions.

The BZA asked the applicant to return with required permitting details, confirmation of coordination with the Fire Department and documentation of the lot consolidation and any easements, and it reserved final action until those items and the Planning Board’s environmental review are complete.","Trinity Alliance asked the Board of Zoning Appeals for a rear-yard area variance at 15 Trinity Place to return a building footprint to a historical lot line. The BZA consented to the Planning Board acting as lead agency for environmental review and deferred final action pending that review and related approvals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Green Mountain Supply seeks outdoor storage at 63 North Ferry; BZA issues SEQR negative declaration and tables final action

Trinity Alliance seeks 0-foot rear setback for addition at 15 Trinity Place; BZA consents to Planning Board lead agency