Planning board approves accessory storage building behind plaza with engineering and design conditions

The Grand Island Planning Board voted to approve a site plan for a new accessory storage building behind an existing plaza, with conditions requiring additional engineering and design details.

Board members approved the plan after hearing from the applicant and planning staff about site access, drainage and building details. The board required the applicant to supply a topo, finished floor elevation, a drainage and erosion- and sediment-control plan for construction, lighting and electrical plans (including whether service will be underground), and a specification for a different color metal band on three sides of the building.

The site will be used primarily by plaza tenants, the applicant said, and the building is intended for storage units rather than individual residential rental units. Board members and staff confirmed the structure will be unheated and will not have water or sewer connections. The applicant said electric will be provided to the building; the board discussed a plan for underground service with trenching from the plaza service point.

Planning staff noted the parcel’s existing drainage flows toward a low area/pond behind the plaza and that the project footprint is small — under the thresholds that would trigger fuller environmental review. Staff told the board the project is under 4,000 square feet and qualifies as a Type II action exempt from SEQRA review, but that a topo and contours are needed to show drainage patterns and finished-floor elevation. Staff also recommended erosion- and sediment-control measures for construction such as silt fence or coconut fiber logs to protect the pond and nearby properties.

Board members discussed exterior materials and asked that the applicant provide a band of a different metal color along the bottom of three sides (not the rear), and confirm dark-sky-directed exterior lighting and wall packs on building corners. The board also asked for dimensions and distances on the site drawing to show where the building will sit relative to property lines and existing parking; the applicant said the construction will be placed on an existing parking area just off the rear parking lot and that vehicles can currently access the rear via a roughly 15-foot drive area.

A board member moved to approve the site plan with the listed conditions; another member seconded the motion, and the board voted in favor. The approval is conditioned on submission of the permit and building drawings that satisfy the engineering and building departments (topography, finished-floor elevation, drainage plan, erosion and sediment control, electrical/lighting details, and the required exterior color band). The applicant was told the finalized materials will follow building-permit review and that the town will forward the plan to the county as appropriate for the 30-day review clock.

Meeting participants indicated the building permit drawings will contain required foundation, electrical and lighting details, and that any required engineering certification (PE stamp) will be provided as required for building permitting. The board said it will push architectural review on colors and materials during the building permit/ARB review process.

The board’s approval does not remove the applicant’s responsibility to supply the topo, elevations and the construction-period erosion-control measures before or with the building permit application.