Battery storage project at 114 Hartley Road seeks multiple variances; planners flag precedent risk

An application for a battery energy storage system at 114 Hartley Road is advancing through zoning review and requires several variances, meeting participants said. The developer proposes subdividing land into separate parcels for project components; planners described the requested relief as four variances including reduced side/rear setbacks and road-frontage waivers.

Speakers said the parcels as proposed would not meet local road-frontage rules that require 200 feet of frontage per buildable lot and that the applicant asked to waive or reduce that requirement for multiple parcels. Board members said the applicant presented the request in order to enable financing or regulatory limits tied to parcel size and that similar parcel-splitting has been used in other solar projects.

The transcript records concern about precedent: one participant said that reducing road-frontage standards without a unique hardship could encourage other applicants to request the same flexibility. The project team asked for a joint public hearing with planning and zoning and expected to complete SEQR/CEQR review by October, according to the meeting notes.

Speakers discussed alternative approaches such as creating a private roadway easement or a shared access arrangement that would preserve the town’s frontage and subdivision standards; planning members asked the applicant to demonstrate the uniqueness of the property and to show whether reasonable alternatives exist.

No decision is recorded in the transcript. The board signaled a desire for more specific justification for the variances and for an explanation of why subdivision and frontage requirements could not be met through other means.