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Planning board approves ADA bathhouse at Camp Lincoln, directs cabins to Zoning Board of Adjustment
Summary
The Kingston Planning Board approved construction of a new ADA-accessible bathhouse at Southern District YMCA Camp Lincoln but denied approval for two new cabins and directed the applicant to seek a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment; the public hearing was continued to May 20.
Kingston Planning Board members on April 15 approved the Southern District YMCA’s request to build a new Americans with Disabilities Act–compliant bathhouse at Camp Lincoln but refused to approve two proposed cabins, saying the cabins constitute an expansion of a nonconforming use that must be decided by the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA).
The board voted unanimously to grant the waivers listed in the applicant’s March 14 waiver letter and to accept jurisdiction for consideration of the bathhouse. After deliberation the board approved the bathhouse portion of the plan and denied the two cabins, then continued the public hearing to May 20 so the applicant can pursue relief from the ZBA for the cabins.
Why it matters: Camp Lincoln sits in a single-family residential zone and is a preexisting nonconforming use. The board’s action permits the town to move forward on a health-and-safety upgrade the Y said is needed for summer operations while preserving the procedural protections for a change the town’s zoning ordinance assigns to the ZBA.
What the applicants said: Mike Sanchez of the Construction Operations Group, representing the YMCA, said the project includes two 14-by-24 “base camp” cabins and a slightly larger replacement bathhouse that will improve ADA access, hygiene and reduce restroom wait time. “It’s kind of a safety issue,” Sanchez said, describing the base-camp buildings as places where camper groups gather and staff can account for children during inclement weather.
Town planner Glenn Greenwood told the board the cabins amount to an expansion of a nonconforming use and, under the town’s zoning regulations, can only be authorized by a variance from the ZBA. Greenwood noted the town had sent earlier Camp Lincoln expansions to the ZBA in 2012 and 2017 and recommended the same procedure now. “This property is located in a single family residential zone, and as such, the proposed actions constitute an expansion of a nonconforming use. This can only be approved by a variance from the zoning board of adjustment,” Greenwood said.
Board action and next steps: The board granted the requested waivers (vote recorded as unanimous), accepted jurisdiction to consider the bathhouse, approved the bathhouse construction, and voted to deny approval of the two cabins (vote recorded as unanimous). The board continued the public hearing to the May 20 meeting to allow the applicant to present any ZBA action and to permit the bathhouse work to proceed earlier if the applicant chooses to bifurcate the application. The board’s minutes will explicitly record that the planning board’s approval applies only to the bathhouse and that ZBA action remains required for the cabins.
Background/constraints: The planning board and staff discussed bifurcating the application so the bathhouse — described by the applicants and some board members as primarily a health-and-safety and ADA compliance project — could proceed pending ZBA consideration of the cabins. The board and staff emphasized that occupancy permits or final approvals related to construction will be withheld until all required approvals and conditions are satisfied.
Ending note: The applicant said they want construction to proceed in time for the summer program; the board’s decision allows the bathhouse work to move forward while directing the cabins to the ZBA process and scheduling the matter for further review at the May 20 meeting.
