Ideal Burial Vault seeks 25-foot rear setback variance in Pembroke; board delays decision pending survey

The Town of Pembroke Zoning Board of Appeals on March 19 heard a request from Ideal Burial Vault Co. for a 25-foot rear-area variance to construct a 50-foot indoor storage addition at 1166 Vision Parkway, Tax Map #15.-1-30, in the Interchange zoning district. Chairman Terrance Daniel opened the public hearing at 7:04 p.m. and recorded that a town posting and a March 12 notice in the Batavia Daily were published; one mailed response from a nearby resident raised no objection.

Applicant representative Greg Tilley told the board the third-generation family business has outgrown its present building and needs additional indoor storage so trailers and equipment can be loaded and stored inside during cold weather. He said existing doors, parking and the production area limit expansion options, and that a 30- or 40-foot addition would not provide sufficient space for the company’s operations. Tilley said the company operates 16 trailers, about 10 of which are active on a given day, and that the proposed addition would allow forklifts to bring product inside for loading.

Board members noted Schedule A requires a 35-foot rear setback for the site and that the applicant was seeking a 25-foot rear-area variance. Chairman Daniel and Zoning Enforcement Officer Jim Wolbert expressed concern that a 5-foot clearance at the rear of the addition could be insufficient for maintenance tasks such as servicing exterior lighting or accessing ladders. Daniel also cautioned that current brush between the Ideal Burial Vault property and the nearby Amazon building might not remain and could reduce clearance in the future; the board noted that Pictometry aerial photos from 2023 provided to the board do not show the new Amazon building.

Members discussed alternatives, including expanding east or west, but the applicant said those options are constrained by doors, loading docks and adjacent operations and that moving elements such as a concrete plant or docks would be costly. Wolbert recommended obtaining a property survey or locating county survey records and, as a practical alternative, suggested locating pins and stringing measurements to confirm rear-yard dimensions.

On a motion by Donald Showler, seconded by Cherie Uebelhoer, the board voted to keep the public hearing open and continue deliberation at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on April 16 to allow the applicant to provide more accurate measurements or a survey. No formal variance decision was made on March 19. The board recorded no Old Business, New Business or general discussion beyond the hearing and adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

What happens next: The board will revisit the application at its April 16 meeting after the applicant provides a survey or other precise measurements; if the applicant requests the variance again, the board may then consider findings on hardship, impact and alternatives before voting.