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Neighbors press for measurements, EMF info and notice checks as planning board tables NYSEG substation expansion
Summary
New York State Electric and Gas told the Village of Chatham Planning Board it plans to expand a substation footprint at 18 Fairview Avenue (parcel ~1.16 acres) by roughly 0.05 acres and add perimeter fencing; residents raised concerns about access, tree trimming, visual impact, EMF and missed mailed notices, and the board tabled the application until October to verify notifications and review submitted letters.
New York State Electric and Gas requested approval to expand and upgrade an existing electrical substation at 18 Fairview Avenue, but the Village of Chatham Planning Board on Sept. 22 tabled the application after neighbors pressed for measured plans, professional EMF information and confirmation that all required mailed notices were delivered.
Eric, the applicant representative, told the board the substation parcel is about 1.16 acres and the proposed expansion would add roughly 0.05 acres at the rear (south) and to the west, including two breakers and associated steel supports. “It’s proposing to uh expand the existing substation. It sits on a total parcel of 1.16 acres,” Eric said. He described a planned 6-foot chain-link fence with a 1-foot top (7 feet total) to enclose the expanded area and said the design avoids wholesale tree removal, though some limb trimming for access may be necessary.
Board members and neighbors asked technical questions about what equipment would be added (Eric described two breakers and an H-frame transmission support), the height of a new transmission structure compared with existing poles, and how vehicles would access the rear of the parcel once the fence is set 10 feet west and 20 feet to the south of the current fenced area.
Several neighbors asked for concrete measurements and a site visit; one asked the board to consider a gate so access could be provided without removing a line of vegetation. Others raised concerns about construction traffic on a narrow dead-end road, possible increases in audible switching noise and visual impacts from the taller fence. Multiple residents requested up-to-date scientific studies and, if possible, professional field readings for electromagnetic fields (EMF); the applicant said he would refer those technical questions to operations staff.
The chair read a county planning-board referral under New York State Municipal Law Section 239; the county recommended the proposal has no significant countywide or inter-community impact, allowing the village to act by simple majority. Residents, however, disputed whether they had received required mailed notice: a number of property owners said they did not receive the mailed notices the law requires. The board said it would check postal receipts and verify who received notices.
Given the outstanding notice questions, the volume of written submissions and requests for additional technical detail, a member moved to table the NYSEG application until the October meeting to permit verification of notices and further review of submitted materials; the motion carried. The board did not approve or deny the expansion at the Sept. 22 meeting.
The applicant provided a simplified site plan and a scope-of-work document; the board asked the applicant to provide clearer measurements, and residents were told the packet is available at the village office for review.
