For high-end homes
Water found, lots reconfigured



NEW SCOTLAND — After drilling hole after hole in the old Foreman Farm for almost a year, looking for water, developers returned to the planning board this month claiming to have found a viable underground water supply in the southwest corner of a 14-acre parcel at the corner of Font Grove and Krumkill roads. But, to accommodate 6 houses on mostly dry lots, project engineer Francis Bossolini is now proposing an unusual lot configuration for subdivision approval.

The proposed homes which are expected to sell for a-half to three-quarters of a million dollars, are spread out over two- to three-acre parcels. Each of the initially box-shaped lots now have additional tail-like slivers of land, about 15 feet in width extending to a common well site.

The slivers from all six lots meet up in the middle of the 14 acres at a common well field against the neighboring Greenberg property line. There are 6 separate wells clustered together, drawing from the same source, but located on separately-owned narrow slivers of property.
The long strips to the wells are not attractive, planning board member Cynthia Elliot said. "But I understand why you did it," she added. She went on to recommend designating one area to be transversed by future homeowners who will at times have to access their wells by vehicles.

Also there is the potential for ugliness, Elliott said. For example if there is a feud, the owners could construct fences following their strips, which would result in rows of fences clumped together. The current landowners could restrict by deed what can be done within the narrow strips, she said.

The land for this development used to be owned by Jeremiah Manning and is now owned by C.W. Custom Builders.

Bossolini was last at the planning board in July, when he received preliminary approval pending the finding of water. That preliminary approval has since expired, so he has reapplied. Additionally, he has to start the approval process again because the lot configuration and subsequent subdivision request have been modified.

Water concerns

A heated public hearing on the six lot subdivision for these high-end homes was held last June, when a large number of neighbors spoke about the scarcity of water in the area. A new public hearing for the latest land plan is now scheduled for next month’s planning board meeting. The board anticipates voting then on both the preliminary and final plat approval, if the applicant has met all the board’s conditions.
"We are very concerned about the quality of water there," said Robert Stapf, the board’s chairman.
"You were lucky to find water," he told Bossolini, who simply shrugged.

Stapf said the board is waiting on more information on the pump test. The Albany County Health Department has been collecting its own samples at the site and the planning board has stipulated that the town’s engineers have to review the wells as well.

Keith Menia, of the town’s engineering firm, Vollmer Associates, said he would like to do some simultaneous pumping of all the wells. Also, Menia said he needs the developer’s well logs. Menia and the board discussed with Bossolini closing all the abandoned well holes.

The casings are 40 to 50 feet in depth, Bossolini said; he plans to pump grout into them, which the planning board said it would require.
"It’s important to keep the groundwater uncontaminated," Stapf said.

The viable wells are 300 feet deep, Bossolini said. Each of the houses will also have a 1,000-gallon tank inside the house, to hold a few days’ supply of water, in case of an emergency, Bossolini said.

Stephanie Martin’s neighboring well has been tested by the developers with her permission to monitor any potential impact, Bossolini said.

She has expressed to public officials in the past the extensive difficulties she has had maintaining a quality water supply for drinking; she has had to use expensive filtering systems.

Stapf said, besides water, the board is also concerned about the location of the private septic system. One of the septic systems is to be located 200 feet from a well — the minimal distance required by law. Still to be worked out is the well-head projection and if additional fill is needed, Stapf said.

Three houses are to have driveways coming out onto Krumkill Road and the other three houses will be accessed from Front Grove Road. Two houses are behind and to the west of Stephanie Martin’s house on Front Grove Road, so two driveways are to run alongside the southern border of her property, with a third nearby. The other four proposed houses are south of the Martin property. The Greenberg property borders the vacant land to the west, and the Kenny’s own the land directly to the north.

Other business

In other business: The planning board:

— Renewed the Dunston Brothers, Inc junkyard license and lauded the owner for doing such a nice job of cleaning up the property;

— Set a public hearing for next month on permitting Julie Nooney to receive a special-use permit to keep six chickens on her residential property in Feura Bush;

— Received a variance application from Jeffrey Rosenberger on behalf of Theodore Pogoda, forwarded from the zoning board. He wants to remodel and expand an existing nonconforming three-family dwelling located near the intersection of Route 85 and Thacher Park Road. He lives in one part of the house and rents out the rest. Rosenberger told the zoning board he thinks it will be easier to find tenants if there are additional bedrooms for families with children. He plans to do the renovations himself. The new building will occupy twice as much space as it does now.