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Rhinebeck ZBA approves awning-and-sign variance for Honey Bee Child Care with conditions
Summary
At its Nov. 19 meeting the Town of Rhinebeck Zoning Board of Appeals approved an area variance allowing Honey Bee Child Care to install an awning with a larger attached sign to identify its entrance, contingent on permits, fees and construction begun within 12 months.
The Town of Rhinebeck Zoning Board of Appeals voted Nov. 19 to grant area variances that will allow Honey Bee Child Care, at 2133 Primwood Drive, to install an awning above its entrance with a 32-square-foot attached sign in a residential district ordinarily limited to a single 8-square-foot sign. The resolution, read into the record by the board, found that the benefits to the applicant outweigh any detriment to the neighborhood and imposed conditions on the grant.
The board’s resolution says the proposed awning “will clearly identify the Honey Bee Child Care entrance and distinguish it from the adjacent nursing home,” a factor the board cited in support of the variance. The grant is expressly contingent on construction conforming to the plans submitted to the board, payment of any outstanding fees and escrow deposits, and commencement of construction within 12 months of the resolution’s adoption; the resolution also allows the board to consider written requests for time extensions.
During the public hearing resident Bob O’Connor asked whether the sign signaled an intent to expand Honey Bee beyond the limited, accessory childcare use originally contemplated. The applicant’s representative, from Scully Construction, responded that the awning and sign are intended solely to identify the facility entrance and not to signal a change of use: “It’s just an identification for people to know where to go, rather than walking into the nursing home,” the representative said.
The board moved to adopt the resolution as read; the motion carried with board assent. The resolution instructs the applicant to secure all required local permits and pay any fees before the variances are deemed granted. The board noted comments from the Rhinebeck planning board and from the Dutchess County Planning Board, which were considered during its deliberations.
Next steps: the applicant will need to submit final construction plans to the building department and pay required fees before permits are issued; the variances lapse if construction has not commenced within 12 months unless the board grants a written extension.
