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Planning board grants conditional approval for 1239 Erie Boulevard parking plan, requires 20-foot access easement
Summary
After hearing from applicant Jarrett Williams and a local broker, the City of Rome Planning Board conditionally approved a site plan to formalize a roughly 37-space parking lot at 1239 Erie Boulevard West, requiring a lease or easement to provide a 20-foot bidirectional access lane to meet city code.
The City of Rome Planning Board on July 14 conditionally approved a site-review application for 1239 Erie Boulevard West after the applicant agreed to secure a lease or easement that would provide a 20-foot bidirectional access lane.
Jarrett Williams, who said he is trying to purchase the property and operates the trading-card shop RedCard Utopia, described a rear gravel area used informally for parking and said paving and striping it would let the business handle weekend events of “upwards of 30 to 40 people.” He told the board he wants to pave and paint the lot “to make it easier for everybody” and reduce chaotic parking.
Fred Maysha, a commercial broker who said he sold the property, testified that the gravel parking area has existed for decades and has been used for deliveries and overflow parking. “This has been there for the last 40 years,” Maysha said, urging the board not to delay the project.
A planning staff summary said the parcel is approximately 60 feet wide and the proposed access lane is labeled at 11 feet 3 inches on the plan, below the City of Rome code minimum of 20 feet for bidirectional travel (12 feet for single-direction travel). Staff recommended either revising the plan to provide an access lane meeting the minimum width or tabling the application to allow the applicant to obtain a cross‑access easement or shared driveway with an adjacent owner.
Board members debated whether formalizing and paving the area would constitute an intensification of use that must meet current code standards; staff said the code enforcement officer had determined the proposal would be an intensification and therefore must comply with present regulations. The applicant said he is “currently in talks with one of the adjacent property owners” about an easement.
Committee member (S3) moved to grant conditional approval dependent on the applicant obtaining a lease or easement (right or left) that demonstrates at least a 20-foot access for bidirectional travel and revising the site plan accordingly; the motion was seconded by Fred Maysha (S4) and carried on a voice vote. Staff said it will email the approval letter and confirm that the condition is included so the applicant can proceed with permits once the condition is met.
