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BZA approves replacement lakeside tram at 1587 Toganic Boulevard, requires removal of old tram and stairs
Summary
The Ulysses Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously granted area variances Sept. 17 for a replacement tram at 1587 Toganic Boulevard, reducing front-yard and lake-buffer setbacks to accommodate the track, and included a condition that the existing metal tram and attached stair be removed and replaced by the new system.
The Town of Ulysses Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved two area variances Sept. 17 to permit a replacement tram and short supporting platform for a shoreline property at 1587 Toganic Boulevard.
Applicant Shawn Richie, representing owner Victoria Wilson, asked the board to authorize a tram replacement and minor extension of the tram footprint to reach the shoreline; the application requested relief from front-yard setback requirements and from the 75-foot lake-buffer rule so the tram could land near the water. Richie said the proposal would replace an older, nonfunctional tram, and that the replacement would use anodized aluminum track and an aluminum cabin to resist corrosion. “The track is anodized aluminum…so it won’t ever rust or chip,” Richie said when describing proposed materials and longevity.
Board members asked about high-water exposure, maintenance, egress and safety. Richie said the tram’s moving components and motor are sited at the top of the track above anticipated high-water levels and that the bottom track and platform are planned to remain above the applicable high-water mark. He also described design choices to minimize corrosion, and the board discussed optional egress stairs — several members encouraged adding stairs as an egress backup although the applicant said the property already includes a short stair that is being replaced.
The board’s resolution grants relief to decrease the front-yard setback (from 40 feet to 5 feet) and to decrease the lakefront buffer (from 75 feet to 5 feet) to accommodate the replacement tram, and it includes language clarifying that the new tram replaces the existing tram and that the existing metal tram and attached stair will be removed as part of the project. The board described construction as expected to be minimally disruptive and asked for redlined/corrected site-plan documentation to be filed with planning staff for the planning-board review.
The motion passed unanimously. No public speakers addressed the tram at the Sept. 17 hearing; staff reported there were no public comments posted for this item at the meeting.
