Board questions overlay and comprehensive‑plan implications for Route 31 zone‑change request

The Cicero Planning Board reviewed a request to recommend rezoning two adjacent parcels (about one acre each) at 6668 and 6674 State Route 31 from agricultural to general commercial. The applicants (identified in the record as Mr. and Mrs. Burke) told the board they intend to build an enclosed storage/warehouse to support their existing shipping/storage operation; they said the facility would not be open to the public and would be used only by employees.

Board members spent the bulk of the discussion clarifying whether the town’s residential mixed‑use overlay district would still apply to parcels that receive a zone change. Staff and board members differed on whether design standards in the overlay (architectural treatments, landscaping and setbacks) would remain applicable or whether a rezoned parcel would be governed only by the underlying general‑commercial standards. One board member noted that the overlay was intended to advance the comprehensive plan and that the comprehensive plan should factor into recommendations sent to the town board.

The applicant acknowledged the overlay’s presence and said they will research the overlay requirements and revise their application if needed; the board emphasized that the town board makes the final zoning decision and that a site plan would return to the planning board if the rezoning is approved. No formal vote to recommend the rezoning was recorded in the transcript; the applicant indicated they may revise the application to clarify whether a different commercial classification (e.g., general commercial plus) is required.