De Witt board approves two variances to remove 10-foot landscape buffers at Franklin Park Drive parcels

The De Witt Zoning Board of Appeals on March 17 approved separate area variances reducing the town's required 10-foot landscape buffer to 0 feet at 812 and 820 Franklin Park Drive, applications filed by Steve Oliva Jr. and Oliva Management LLC.

The variances — each approved 4-0 — clear the way for a development the applicant's representative described as "2 office buildings, 6,000 or 7,000 square feet each," with shared parking and a single new driveway off Franklin Park Drive, according to Ed Keplinger, who spoke at the hearing.

Why it matters: The buffer relief would allow the parking lot to run through the center line between the two tax parcels instead of leaving a planted strip between parking areas. Neighbors raised questions about sight lines, traffic and drainage; the board reviewed stormwater plans and said Onondaga County and the town engineer had already reviewed drainage reports.

Board action and immediate context

The hearing opened with the clerk reading public-notice language that identified the parcels and requested relief from the town code requirement for a 10-foot landscape buffer. The board declared itself lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process and classified both applications as unlisted actions. At the conclusion of deliberations member Warbeck moved to grant the variance for 812 Franklin Park Drive; the motion was seconded by Pablo Pascal and passed 4-0. A second motion to grant the same relief for 820 Franklin Park Drive was made by member Dela Posta, seconded by Pascal, and passed 4-0.

Project details and neighbors' concerns

Keplinger said the proposal calls for two office buildings with parking behind and between them and that the shared parking arrangement is what creates the need to eliminate the middle buffer: "Because we're doing a shared parking, easement, the parking lot would run across that share of that landscape buffer," he told the board.

Residents asked about building size, views from backyards and drainage. John Centaur of 112 Stillwater Drive asked whether the proposed buildings would be similar in size to existing adjacent structures; Keplinger replied they would be "about the same size, 7,000 square feet." Resident Susan Kleinberg asked, "What kind of tenants were gonna be in here and how much traffic is this gonna be?" Keplinger said the intended users are professional offices and medical tenants and that traffic patterns would be similar to the surrounding office buildings.

On drainage, the applicant said the plan includes a small berm along the parcel line and a shallow infiltration basin designed to route runoff to Franklin Park Drive. The applicant said Onondaga County and the town engineer had reviewed and approved the drainage report. One speaker also urged the town to maintain an existing drainage channel that residents said has become overgrown.

Conditions and regulatory references

The public notice and staff remarks cited Section 267-a of the New York State Town Law and the town code requirement for a 10-foot landscape buffer. The board explicitly stated the town was acting as lead agency under SEQR and concluded there were no negative environmental impacts that would bar the variances.

What happens next

Board members indicated the applicant will proceed to site work and that clearing and further site preparation could start in the coming months. The applicant noted the full site plan would be completed and permitted following this variance approval.