Planning board approves Lemania lot-line adjustment to reduce nonconformity for a 2-acre roadside lot

The Town of Clinton Planning Board voted Aug. 4 to approve a lot-line adjustment involving two adjacent parcels on Schulz Hill Road. The application, submitted by Dalamania LLC, enlarges a 2.03-acre roadside parcel (Lot A) by approximately 1.52 acres taken from an adjoining larger parcel (Lot B), increasing Lot A's size to about 3.55 acres and reducing but not eliminating its nonconforming status in the AR-5 zoning district.

Applicant Michael Dalbo, the project surveyor, said the small roadside lot was created in the 1950s and is functionally undersized under current AR-5 rules. He explained the proposed boundary shift would allow the buyer to site a new home at a more suitable setback and avoid placing a future house uncomfortably close to the road. The applicant provided a survey map and requested waivers of certain subdivision-plat submission elements that the planning board determined were appropriate for a lot-line adjustment.

The board found the proposed lot-line adjustment to be a SEQRA Type II action, requiring no further environmental-review documentation. By resolution the planning board granted the requested preliminary/final plat waivers, determined the proposal complied with town code for lot-line adjustments (Town Code §206-13) and concluded that Lot B would remain conforming while Lot A would be rendered less nonconforming. The board's approval is conditioned on payment of applicable fees and complying with any recording requirements.

Why this matters: The lot-line change is a common planning remedy to make a preexisting nonconforming lot more workable for housing while preserving the larger parcel's uses. The board's action does not create a new nonconforming lot; instead, it reduced the degree of nonconformity for the roadside parcel.

Vote: The board voted to approve the lot-line adjustment and to grant the waiver requests on the record.