Canal Road truck-terminal and container-storage proposal fails to advance as board cites incomplete paperwork

A proposal to move a truck-terminal and container-storage operation to two Canal Road parcels did not advance at the Village of Valley View Planning Board meeting on June 18 after the board received no motions or seconds on multiple variances and the site plan.

Rafael Paulino and his daughter Yasmin described a plan to operate a site that would store empty shipping containers (stacked up to three high), use 27 container chassis and maintain a small office/warehouse footprint. Paulino said drivers typically retrieve loads in the morning and return later in the day; he told the board he has five employees and that some hazmat shipments may pass through the yard but would not remain onsite more than 24 hours.

Board members and staff raised several outstanding questions: whether a retention basin for stormwater is required, whether the proposed access route crosses parcels not owned by the applicant, the condition of the existing dirt lot and the need to pave it, whether an eight-foot fence is appropriate and whether automatic gate access could be provided to police and fire. Yasmin read aloud a handwritten site description stating, “We plan to have a paved lot. We are hidden and invisible to the public eye. The site is far away from Canal Road and we are good neighbors. We will have 24-hour surveillance and we have a big plan to grow.”

Because the application materials were incomplete and staff noted outstanding permit and topographic requirements, the board did not move forward on the requested variances (truck/trailer parking, truck terminal use, fence-height increase, gate variance, two-space parking variance) and recorded the items as failing to advance for lack of motion or second. The board directed staff to require full engineering and stormwater documentation if the applicant returns with a revised submission.