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Planning board approves several permits, carries consent agenda items and tables rezoning requests
Summary
The board approved consent agenda items, granted conditional use approval for 154 Livingston Ave, approved the First Church Code Blue permit, carried two consent items and adjourned or deferred several map amendments and larger conversion proposals for further review.
The Albany City Planning Board took multiple procedural and final actions during the meeting: it carried the consent agenda, approved a conditional use permit for a townhouse conversion at 154 Livingston Avenue, approved the First Church Code Blue conditional use permit, adopted a SEQR negative declaration for the Capital Center expansion and deferred detailed DPR/CUP review, and adjourned several zoning map and rezoning hearing items to a future meeting for additional materials.
Votes and actions at a glance
- Consent agenda (two items): adopted. Items were (1) an amendment to developer plan review #0082 for 17 Holland Avenue (demolition project) and (2) a conditional use permit for 232 Myrtle Avenue to convert a one‑dwelling townhouse into a three‑unit townhouse (project numbers 00322 and 00615). Motion moved by "Vanessa," seconded by Martin Hall; approved by voice vote. (Transcript records voice approval; individual vote counts not recorded.)
- Conditional use permit — 154 Livingston Avenue (project 0091): Approved with conditions requiring that refuse and recycling be stored outside the public right‑of‑way and not visible from the sidewalk; parking/loading not in the side‑yard setback and not on adjacent parcel 152 Livingston Avenue. Motion was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote.
- Conditional use permit — 110 North Pearl Street (First Church Albany): Approved with condition limiting operation to November–April in accordance with New York State Code Blue protocol (see separate article).
- SEQR negative declaration — 126 State Street (Capital Center expansion): Adopted; DPR and CUP deferred to May pending submission of revised plans and responses to outstanding departmental comments (see separate article).
- Zoning map amendment — 540 Myrtle Avenue (project 00616): Public hearing and initial presentation occurred; board adjourned the item to the next regular meeting for additional materials (photos, floor plans, updated application) and for referral to the Albany County Planning Board once documents are complete.
- Large residential conversion (former school / multiunit conversion): Applicant presented concept for conversion to ~32 units; board and staff outlined numerous required plan updates including SEAF (Short Environmental Assessment Form) corrections, County referral (30‑day review), HRC certificate of appropriateness, street tree and streetscape requirements, and parking/amenity standards. Staff noted off‑street parking is not required because the proposed dwelling use does not increase required off‑street parking by more than 50% compared to the prior school use; applicant to resubmit detailed plans and elevation drawings.
Procedural notes: Several items were deferred, placed on a future agenda, or required additional written submissions before substantive action (e.g., referral to county planning board, HRC review, engineering reports). For votes recorded as voice votes in the transcript, the record notes approval without roll‑call tallies.
