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Pembroke Planning Board backs adding ‘continuous’ to frontage rules, sends amendment to Town Board
Summary
The Planning Board voted 7–0 to recommend that the Town Board adopt a zoning-law text amendment adding the word “continuous” to frontage measurement requirements after a ZBA denial of an 81-foot variance; county review is scheduled for May 7 and a Town Board public hearing for May 14 or May 28.
Chairman David Knupfer said the Planning Board voted unanimously on April 22 to recommend that the Town Board approve a text amendment to the Town of Pembroke Zoning Law that would require frontage measurements to be continuous.
The change stems from a March 18 Zoning Board of Appeals decision that denied an application for a frontage variance of 81 feet — leaving the parcel 19 feet short of the 200-foot frontage requirement. Board members raised concerns that a donor-created, horseshoe-shaped parcel could meet the numerical total of frontage by combining separated segments yet fail to provide continuous frontage for development.
Zoning Officer James Wolbert told the board he found four references to “frontage” in the town Zoning Law (pages 11 and 25 and Schedule A) and recommended inserting the word “continuous” into measurement language across all districts to prevent split or noncontinuous frontage from qualifying. Wolbert also noted the town has an existing horseshoe-shaped property on Gabbey Road that illustrated the issue.
A State Environmental Quality Review (Parts I and II) was completed for the proposed text amendment. Wolbert said the amendment will go to the county planning board on May 7 for review; the Town Board will hold a public hearing on either May 14 or May 28 before voting. On a motion by Chairman David Knupfer, seconded by Bruce Curtis, the Planning Board recommended a negative declaration under SEQR and approval of the text change. The roll-call vote recorded seven ayes and zero nays (Joseph Meacham, Kevin Reeves, Knupfer, Kyle Wruck, Bruce Curtis, Richard Kutter and Elizabeth Gabbey).
The recommendation does not itself change the zoning law; it forwards the draft amendment and the board’s negative SEQR finding to the Town Board for its public hearing and final action. The county review and the Town Board hearing are the next formal steps.
