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Northern Bear seeks post‑hoc approval for front parking; hearing continued while county and planning comments arrive
Summary
Northern Bear (Gordon Enterprise) asked the board to regularize existing front-of-building parking and presented an engineer’s memo showing impervious coverage under local limits. The board kept the public hearing open and continued the matter to April 1 pending the county GML 239 referral and answers to outstanding site-plan conditions.
An owner seeking an area variance to formalize existing parking in front of a commercial building said the paved parking has existed for decades and that the site’s impervious coverage is below the maximum allowed in the zoning district.
The issue matters because the parking configuration differs from plans on file and the planning board, town engineer and New York State Department of Transportation have been asked to comment before the zoning board issues relief.
Vince (representative for Northern Bear) told the board the building has had front parking for more than 30 years and that earlier site plans pre-dating current zoning show the same arrangement. He presented a March 4, 2025 memorandum from the town engineer summarizing impervious-surface calculations and said the existing total falls below the code maximum. The memo, read into the record, calculated paved parking and building impervious area at approximately 28,310 square feet and an existing concrete path at 33,660 square feet, yielding an impervious coverage figure the memo reported as within the permitted limit for the zone.
Town staff noted an earlier planning-board approval had conditions — including removal of stockpiled wood being processed for firewood — that appear not to have been completed. Vince confirmed the owner is cutting existing wood on site but said no more will be brought in. The board also noted a New York State Department of Transportation email acknowledging receipt and stating the DOT had no comments.
Because the county referral required under General Municipal Law 239 had not been returned to the town, the board could not close the public hearing or vote. The board moved, seconded and voted to continue the public hearing to April 1 at 7:30 p.m. so the town can obtain the county’s comments and so planning-board and staff questions can be resolved.
Northern Bear and other attendees were told the decision will be delayed until the GML 239 process and any outstanding site-plan conditions are addressed.
