Town of Huron Planning Board Minutes - subject to approval.
Regular meeting - June 7, 2010
Call to Order: Joe Snyder called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m.
Members present: Joe Snyder, Chris Kenyon, and Jack McGuire. Charles Boogaard arrived at 7:40 and Larry Lockwood arrived at 7:55.
Other Officials present: Laurie Crane - Town Supervisor, Lois Buckalew, Dave Buisch and Alan Traister - Town Council members, Roger Gallant -Building Inspector and Dave Scudder - Zoning Board Member.
Guests: George Frantz, Frank LaValley, Chuck King and Gale Anthony
Approval of Minutes: Jack McGuire moved, seconded by Chris Kenyon to accept the minutes of May 3, 2010 as submitted.
Correspondence
There was none.
(The agenda was modified since the Master Plan discussion would be lengthy)
New Business
1. Frank LaValley - North Rose/Huron Fire District
Mr. LaValley introduced himself, Mr. King and Mr. Anthony as members of the North Rose-Huron Fire District. He stated that Huron buys their fire services from three districts: North Rose-Huron, Alton and Wolcott. Some of the residents of the area covered by the North Rose-Huron Dept. are more than 5 miles away from the fire department which means the ISO rating is lower and raises their insurance rates. The North Rose-Huron Dept. would like to put another fire hall in the Town of Huron and wanted to present the idea to the board. Mr. LaValley said that it would probably be a 2-3 bay hall that would house a pumper, the fire boat and possibly a tanker in the future. He said there is grant money available which they will apply for. They are also hoping that this may attract more volunteers from the Huron area. If that doesn't happen, response time may not be affected, but East Bay would benefit if there was a mutual aid call. Mr. LaValley stated that there should be no extra costs to the town since they are a volunteer organization. The Fire Dept. is not tax exempt so that would be a gain for the Town. Mr. LaValley said that the next step would be to look at sites and there was discussion about some possible sites if landowners would be willing to donate or sell the land. After discussion, Joe stated that he thought the Town would be supportive of the idea.
Old Business
1. Master Plan - Plan Inventory
Referring to the previous agenda item, Mr. Frantz stated that coincidentally in the 1992 Master Plan, there was reference to increasing fire services. He said that in reviewing the 1992 plan, he sees this and other issues that can be expanded on in the current exercise.
Mr. Frantz reviewed parts of the Plan Inventory with the board. Some points of the discussion were:
regarding population, the Town has really not grown much in the last century
the town has preserved its agricultural sector and there is a lot of high quality soil
Mr. Frantz estimated that seasonal residents number between 1650 and 1705
the concern in 1992 that there is a lack of public access to water may still be a concern (Dave Scudder commented that some improvements have been made)
there are no public parks or playgrounds in the town
In discussing the embayments with Dave Scudder, Mr. Frantz said that he could include them in the Open Space & Environmental Resource section
9.5% of the town's labor force is employed in agriculture
Huron does not have any major population centers or major employers outside of agriculture
"bedroom community" - many residents are commuting long distances
possible future development on the east end of the town near the Village of Wolcott
Mr. Frantz also reviewed the Town's Zoning Laws. Some points from this discussion were:
R15000 District stood out as being designated for a particular use; others have mixed uses
he recommends trying to localize the various uses; businesses tend to do better when in closer proximity rather than spread out; mixed use works well in some areas
he is concerned that there are not a lot of standards in terms of design and of businesses mitigating their impacts on surrounding residential areas
he recommends eliminating many of the commercial and industrial uses now permitted in agricultural districts and setting up more discreet locations for these uses
there may be some parts of the zoning regulations that would not be supported by New York State Agriculture & Markets law and the New York State Agricultural Districts program; these could be fixed with some minor "tweaking"
new trend - fixed ratio zoning - preserves larger portions of agricultural land as open space
Charles thinks that encouraging development in the area of communication (broadband, etc.) should be an important part of the plan
Next steps: Mr. Frantz will finish the narrative and add the maps. He said that the board could email him with any thoughts about the Plan. They should let him know if there are any holes in the data provided. He needs the thoughts of the board members as to the strengths of the Town of Huron, the weaknesses, any gaps in services, etc. and what they see as opportunities for the future.
In discussing the proposed Community Forum, either the beginning or end of August would work for him. Some suggestions for location were the Town Hall, American Legion and Wolcott Elks.
Joe wondered if we should start publicizing the Plan. Mr. Frantz said that he could write a press release and send it to Dave Buisch.
2. Recreational Trails- Chris Kenyon
Chris was going to meet with Jim Eckler the next evening so he had nothing new to report. Mr. Frantz is going to provide him with information about work done in Dryden.
3. D& L Disposal - Joe Snyder
Joe said that there was a Special Permit granted and in his opinion, the owner is not complying with the stipulations of the permit. He thinks that the Town should address the issue. Joe said that he is not interested in citing the owner; he suggested that maybe the owner needs to revise his plan.
Larry Lockwood wondered if this was an issue for the Planning Board. He said that it was his understanding that the recommendations of the Planning Board had been followed by the Zoning Board in issuing the permit.
Dave Buisch said that this issue had come before the Town board and they had decided to leave it in Roger Gallant's hands since he has to enforce the permit. He thought that some progress has been made.
Roger stated that there are some things the owner has not complied with but he keeps it mowed and has painted the buildings.
Joe asked that the board members be given copies of the Special Permit that was granted. He suggested that the owner request a modification to the permit.
After further discussion, Dave Buisch said that he would put it on the agenda for the Town Board. Lois Buckalew suggested that it might be a workshop for the board instead of a formal meeting and they could have the owner come in.
Dave Buisch stated that it was important that this Board and the Zoning Board be consistent and make sure that other recommendations of theirs are being complied with. Joe responded that this is the only one that he is currently aware of.
4. Changes in Zoning Law
Dave Scudder was present to explain the changes that they are recommending. He explained that using a loose interpretation of the current law could allow someone to build up 35ft and block the view of a neighbor. He said that people pay premium prices for properties and then proceed to remodel or rebuild. He stated that part (b) of section 46.90 allows people a loop hole.
Jack McGuire asked if the attorney had an opinion on the matter and the clerk told him that they were still waiting for a response.
The clerk will email the board copies of the section of the minutes from the meeting at which the Zoning Board discussed the issue and made their recommendations. She will also send a copy of the letter being sent to the Town Board.
New Business
1. Frank LaValley (see above)
2. County Planning Board Monthly Report
Larry reported that there was nothing of interest to report from the meeting.
Other
Jack, Joe and Dave Scudder had attended the Training Seminar at the Burgundy Basin Inn.
Jack said that it was informative but somewhat redundant. Joe said the morning sessions that dealt with Wetland definitions and Wetland determination were very good. Jack said the Clean Waters Act information was also good. Joe said that the Wind Energy session was very well attended which showed there is a high level of interest but the presenters were not prepared and Dave said that the material was outdated.
Adjournment: Chris Kenyon moved, seconded by Joe Snyder to adjourn the meeting at 10:00PM
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Grandjean, clerk
Email communications
During the month of May, the following emails were received:
5/26/10 - from Charles regarding wind turbines with a link to the Wind Tamer site
5/26/10 - from Joe Snyder regarding D&L which includes pictures from the Wolcott location and suggested actions
5/30/10 - from Joe Snyder regarding zoning changes, containing a previous proposal
