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Catskill Planning Board denies 21 Howell Street conversion, will forward recommendation to ZBA
Summary
The Planning Board voted to deny a site plan to convert 21 Howell Street from a three‑family to a four‑family building because it does not meet lot size and width requirements and needs additional egress and fire‑safety work; the board nonetheless voted to forward recommendations in favor of the proposal to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a special use permit.
Applicant Artyam Bouriak asked the Planning Board for approval to convert a three‑family building at 21 Howell Street into a four‑family residence. The board reviewed site details and concluded the property does not meet the village’s dimensional zoning requirements for four units and needs additional life‑safety improvements.
Bouriak said there are five on‑site parking spaces and that the proposed fourth unit would be accessed from an existing side deck; he described the existing attic as the location of the new unit. Chair Gilbert Bagnell and other board members said Building Code requires a sprinkler system connected to a means of egress and that a habitable attic requires a second egress; Bagnell also said the entire building must be equipped with a fire alarm.
Bagnell cited Zoning Code 4.4c1, noting four units require a minimum lot size of 8,000 square feet and a minimum lot width of 200 feet. Because the submitted site plan did not meet those dimensional thresholds the board voted to deny the site plan. The board then voted to submit recommendations in favor of the project to the Zoning Board of Appeals for consideration of a special use permit or variances.
Actions taken: the board declared lead agency for review, voted to deny the site plan and then voted to forward recommendations in favor to the ZBA. The minutes show the permit was denied at this meeting; the applicant will need to seek relief from the ZBA and address fire‑safety and egress requirements before the building‑permit process can proceed.
