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Cohoes ZBA tables 54 Jefferson Avenue garage variance so applicant can shrink building
Summary
The board tabled a side‑setback variance for a proposed accessory garage at 54 Jefferson Avenue after the applicant agreed to consider narrowing the structure to avoid a variance.
The Cohoes Zoning Board of Appeals on June 24 tabled an application from a 54 Jefferson Avenue property owner who sought a 5‑foot relief from the R‑1 district’s 10‑foot side‑setback for a proposed garage.
Applicant Mr. Fredette described a 24‑by‑40‑foot metal garage but told the board he could reduce the width to 20 feet or as narrow as 19 feet to eliminate or reduce the side‑setback request. ‘‘I could do 20 by 40,’’ he told the board when asked if he could narrow the structure.
Neighbor Della Retzlaff, who said she owns a 20‑foot strip adjacent to the property, voiced concern about prior vehicle accumulation on the parcel and the appearance and potential devaluation of nearby property if vehicles reappeared. Staff confirmed the application before the board was for a single accessory structure (the garage).
Board members suggested the applicant try to revise the plan to avoid the variance. Chair Mollnow moved, and Member Duncan seconded, to table the application to give the applicant time to modify the proposal; the motion carried. Chair Mollnow and the board noted that if the applicant cannot avoid the variance, he may return but a denial would impose a one‑year waiting period before reapplication.
The board did not take a final vote on the variance; tabling gives the applicant an opportunity to submit revised plans that could comply with the R‑1 side‑setback requirement.
