Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Depew zoning board approves variances for parking, screening at 4685 Broadway
Loading...
Summary
The Village of Depew Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-0 to grant three variances to Strickland Holdings LLC to reconfigure parking and add screening at 4685 Broadway; neighbors raised concerns about security lighting, and the applicant and code enforcement described a plan to redirect fixtures onto the new fence to reduce glare.
The Village of Depew Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to grant three area variances that will allow Strickland Holdings LLC to reconfigure parking and install screening at 4685 Broadway.
Joshua King, the applicant, told the board the initial plan that had been approved in January did not match field conditions. "The variances you see before you today are to allow for parking along River Street ... and the variance for the landscaping buffer is just to be able to fit the fence, the parking lot, within that constraint right away," King said. He described the plan as the result of work with engineers, village officials and neighbors.
The approval covers: (1) permitting parking within the required side-yard setback, (2) eliminating a landscape requirement for the River Street frontage, and (3) allowing an 8-foot screening fence rather than the current 6-foot height required by the ordinance. The presiding officer read the six New York State area-variance criteria on the record and found the applicant's written responses persuasive.
Neighbor Paul Cummings, speaking for United Humboldt, urged the board to address lights from the building that he said shine into his windows. "The biggest problem we have are the lights ... They shine right in my ... windows. I have cardboard on my windows," Cummings said. The applicant and the village code representative said Strickland has agreed to remove the rear-mounted lights and "install lights on the fence facing towards the parking lot, away from his structure, which should alleviate the situation," according to the code enforcement representative.
Board members also discussed sight-triangle requirements and the depth of parking stalls; the applicant said the plan places the fence and parking just shy of 30 feet from the right-of-way so parked cars should not extend into the street. Members noted that larger towing trucks may not fit in the new spaces once the screening fence is installed, which the applicant said is intentional to prevent overflow parking in the public right-of-way.
Member Menard moved to grant all three variances as presented; Member Galvin seconded. A roll-call vote recorded yes votes from Member Galvin, Member Overholt, Member Menard, Member Yarborough and Acting Chairman Patrick Delaney. The motion carried 5-0.
The hearing record indicates the board sought to balance operational needs with neighbor concerns; the applicant said the revised plan reflects that balance. The hearing was closed and the meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
