Goshen planning board approves multiple extensions and site plans; discusses floodplain concerns for truck-repair site

The Town of Goshen Planning Board on Feb. 20 approved a set of extensions and development approvals while reserving further review of a proposed truck-repair and vehicle-storage site that the board and staff said sits largely in the mapped floodplain.

The board voted to extend the conditional preliminary major-subdivision approval for the Youngs Grove (also called Reager) project and to grant a six-month extension of site-plan approval and a matching extension for the special permit for the IWS Goshen transfer station upgrades on Hartley Road. The board also approved conditional or amended site-plan resolutions for the Gerda minor subdivision, Lunar Realty LLC (operating as Great Dane), and Unipline (conversion of a warehouse to light industry), each subject to the conditions read into the record.

Why it matters: several of the approvals include conditions tied to compliance with town-engineer memoranda, deed and driveway recording, removing outdoor storage from regulated floodplain areas, and other documentation the board required before signing plats or issuing final approvals. The truck-repair proposal on 6-and-a-half Station Road prompted a lengthy board and staff discussion about whether the site can be shown to be "safe from flooding or ponding" under the town's floodplain-overlay rules and whether the extensive outdoor vehicle storage on the site is a preexisting nonconforming use that requires additional planning-board or ZBA review.

Most important facts

- Youngs Grove/Reager: The planning board received a letter from an engineering firm requesting two 90-day extensions of conditional preliminary approval (the applicant asserted preliminary approval would expire on or about Feb. 20). The board moved and approved an extension date of Aug. 21, 2025 for the conditional approval. The extension request and the applicant's summary of activities were entered into the record. (Applicant correspondence from Steve Esposito, Engineering and Surveying Properties.)

- IWS Goshen transfer station (Hartley Road): Cornerstone Engineering and Geology on behalf of IWS Transfer Systems requested a six-month extension for the site plan and for the special permit that would have otherwise expired Feb. 20. The planning board approved a six-month extension, tying site-plan and special-permit timelines to Aug. 21, 2025. (Letter from Kristen Thordahl, Cornerstone Engineering and Geology.)

- Gerda minor subdivision (Maple Avenue / Gerda Lane): The board opened the public hearing, heard one public comment in support from resident Chris Taylor and adopted a resolution of conditional preliminary and final approval for a two-lot minor subdivision. Conditions include: revising the plat per the town engineer's 12/13/2024 memorandum; placing a deed restriction to provide legal and practical access to Gerda Lane and utilities (to be recorded with the Orange County Clerk prior to plat signing); demonstrating compliance with town code section 97-19(f)(1)-(7); and recording a common-driveway maintenance agreement for Lot 1. The board made findings under the Scenic Road Corridor Overlay and waived certain street-tree requirements based on the project's particulars.

- Lunar Realty LLC (Great Dane) amended site plan: The board approved an amended resolution of conditional approval for the major site plan, incorporating prior 1998 site-plan conditions and several updated conditions. Key conditions read into the record include: requirement for a floodplain-development permit under Chapter 61A (Flood Damage Prevention) if encroachments are present; removal of outdoor trailer storage and parking from the mapped floodplain to the satisfaction of the town engineer; gravel surfacing for parking and storage areas unless the building inspector directs paving; and lighting limits of 0.1 foot-candles at property lines with IDA-compliant fixtures and full-cutoff shielding.

- Unipline (site plan and special permit for conversion to light industry, Route 17M): The board approved a conditional site-plan resolution with a special-permit finding. Conditions include: compliance with the town-engineer memorandum dated 11/27/2024; if required, locating any fire-suppression water storage tanks inside the building or returning to the board if external tanks are proposed; no outdoor storage of materials or storage containers; no overnight tractor-trailers; removal of an existing wall-mounted European Outdoors sign to the satisfaction of the building inspector and incorporation of a sign detail on the site plan; architectural plans that provide restroom facilities for all uses on the site; and a visual inspection and certification of the septic tank by a New York State-licensed engineer prior to signing the plan.

Discussion and unresolved items: Choke Wheel LLC truck-repair and storage proposal. The applicant presented an initial concept for an expanded truck-repair facility and large outdoor vehicle-storage area on approximately 22.6 acres along 6-and-a-half Station Road in a CO zone with floodplain, ponding, stream-corridor and watershed overlays. Staff and board members raised several technical and policy issues:

- Floodplain and floodway: board and staff noted the site is largely within the mapped floodplain and includes a floodway in places. The town code allows the planning board to permit development within the FP (floodplain) Overlay District only after a finding that the area "is safe from flooding or ponding," and requires evidence that vehicular access from an existing street is safe from flooding, adequacy of sewage disposal, water supply and drainage, and engineering surveys and modelling showing no increase to flood levels. Planning staff and the town building inspector said the town typically requires hydraulic modelling demonstrating the proposed work would not increase flood elevations in the stream or floodway.

- Inventory parking and nonconforming use: staff read a prior determination that vehicle-storage/inventory parking is a distinct principal use not permitted in the CO district and that vehicle-storage that predates current code provisions may be a legally preexisting nonconforming use. If the applicant seeks to expand that nonconforming use, the board or ZBA may need to consider a special permit or an expansion limited to the percentages allowed by the code. The applicant was told it must demonstrate when the storage became legally preexisting and how any expansion would comply with setback and nonconformity limits.

- Engineering and regulatory permits: the board and staff noted potential additional permits or reviews might be required from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (wetlands), FEMA or DEC for wetland/floodplain impacts, and the town building inspector for floodplain-development permits. The applicant said it will pursue further engineering work but asked the board for guidance before investing in a full floodplain study.

Public comment: At the Gerda subdivision hearing, resident Chris Taylor spoke in support, saying the subdivision "doesn't change anything in the characteristic of the surrounding neighborhood" and urging a prompt approval. No other public speakers spoke on the other actions during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to extend Youngs Grove (Reager) conditional preliminary approval to Aug. 21, 2025 — Approved (voice vote; board recorded ayes and no opposition when called). Source: applicant request letter; board motion and voice vote.

- Motion to grant six-month extension (site plan and special permit) for IWS Goshen transfer station upgrades (Hartley Road) to Aug. 21, 2025 — Approved (voice vote).

- Resolution of conditional preliminary and final approval, Gerda minor subdivision (Maple Ave./Gerda Lane) — Approved (voice vote); conditions include engineer memorandum revisions, deed restriction and recorded common-driveway maintenance agreement.

- Amended resolution of conditional approval, Lunar Realty LLC (Great Dane) major site plan — Approved (voice vote); conditions include floodplain permit, moving outdoor trailer storage out of the floodplain and lighting/surfacing restrictions.

- Resolution of conditional approval and special permit, Unipline (conversion to light industry) — Approved (voice vote); conditions include no outdoor storage, septic inspection certification by NYS engineer, restroom accommodations, sign removal, and building-code compliance.

What happens next: Applicants with approved conditional resolutions must satisfy the conditions read into the record (town-engineer memos, deed and driveway documentation, DEC/FEMA/other agency approvals where required) before plats are signed or final approvals issued. The truck-repair proposal will return only after the applicant provides the floodplain and nonconformity evidence the board and town staff described. The board's next meeting was set for March 6, and staff indicated the IWS solid-waste management permit and a Liberty Solar application may appear on future agendas.

Quotes

"With this letter, we're requesting a spot on the 02/20/2025 planning board agenda to request 2 90 day extensions of the conditional preliminary major subdivision approval," said Steve Esposito of Engineering and Surveying Properties in a submitted letter regarding Youngs Grove. (Steve Esposito, Engineering & Surveying Properties.)

"I think that the project is a project unto itself. It doesn't change anything in the characteristic of the surrounding neighborhood...I would wholly support a very quick approval and let them build," said Chris Taylor, a resident who spoke in support of the Gerda subdivision during public hearing.

"In order for the applicant to get...the ability because of the overlay to build in compliance...they have to meet the floodplain requirement," said a town staff member summing the board's standard requirements for floodplain findings and the evidence typically needed.

Ending

Board members and staff said they expect several of the approved items to return for final administrative checks (recording proof, engineering sign-offs and plan corrections) and that the Choke Wheel/6-and-a-half Station Road project will require more detailed floodplain and nonconformity evidence before the board can advance it. The board set its next regular session for March 6, 2025.