Board: 9 West Oakley tenant is a more restrictive use than prior industrial storage; interpretation adopted

Owners of 9 West Oakley asked the Poughkeepsie City Planning Board for a zoning interpretation on whether a proposed tenant’s use is more or less restrictive than the building’s prior uses. The board voted that the proposed use is more restrictive, adopting a resolution the same evening.

Dave Page and Darren Page, who identified themselves as the property owners, said the building had previously hosted outdoor storage, vehicle and equipment storage and occasional equipment repair, including use by the sheriff’s department. The Pages described a near-lease with Liaison Incorporated, a company that handles college-application services and printing. Dave Page said Liaison is “more of a technology company” and that the operation would be light, with about four to five employees, mostly 8 a.m.–5 p.m., and “very rarely on the weekends.”

The owners told the board there would be no outdoor storage with the new tenant and no exterior changes to the property. A board member noted that the zoning code specifically lists hours of operation as one criterion for determining whether a use is more restrictive.

The board opened and closed a public hearing on the interpretation and then voted to adopt the posted resolution finding that the proposed Liaison use is more restrictive than the prior uses. The motion passed on a voice vote with all in favor.

Clarifying details from the hearing: the building is roughly 16,000 square feet; the prior user included the sheriff’s department with variable hours and outdoor storage of trailers and signage; the prospective tenant plans normal business hours and no outdoor storage. The owners said they hoped to have the tenant operating by August if leasing is completed.

Next steps: the interpretation allows the owners to proceed under the more-restrictive-use determination; no exterior modifications or additional storage containers are planned.