Planning board closes hearing and conditions Minor Subdivision approval on Verizon confirmation

The Town of Lansing Planning Board closed the public hearing on the 204 Wilson Road minor subdivision and read the short environmental assessment, which found no likely significant adverse impacts under the listed SEAF questions.

The board’s chair said the engineer’s letter had been circulated and asked if any members of the public wished to speak; no substantive public comment was recorded during the hearing. A board member moved to close the hearing; the motion was seconded and approved.

At the board’s request, a member read aloud the short environmental assessment questions and the document’s answers, with the board recording “No” to each of the listed potential impacts in the short EAF.

Staff flagged one unresolved legal issue before final sign-off: the applicant’s lease for the parcel at 6 Verizon Lane does not clearly specify whether Verizon’s grant covers only a fenced portion or the entire address, and the applicant currently holds only a right of way over the land proposed for public dedication. Staff said that without written confirmation from Verizon that the company has no objection to dedicating the parcel as public road, the town’s approval could be voided if Verizon either says no or fails to respond within the statutory 62-day window, potentially forcing the applicant to repeat the subdivision process.

The applicant said he had contacted a Verizon representative and was waiting for written confirmation; staff said they would not sign the final maps until that confirmation arrived, although the board could approve the resolution now and withhold signatures until the required documentation was in hand. Board members discussed the trade-off between moving forward to save time and waiting to avoid a nullified approval if Verizon objects or delays beyond the 62-day statutory clock. The board indicated consensus to wait for confirmation and to consider final signature at the next meeting if staff can circulate the necessary written confirmations beforehand.

The planner said he would prepare the final map and that, once all materials including the signed short environmental assessment and Verizon confirmation were provided, the chair would sign the maps and the applicant could record them.

What happens next: the board agreed to leave the record open until written confirmation from Verizon is received; if the confirmation arrives quickly, staff will circulate the documents and the chair will sign the maps. If it does not arrive within the statutory window, the applicant may need to restart the minor-subdivision process.