NEW SCOTLAND – David Moreau, a large landowner in town, complained to the town board last week about the fees he has to pay to divide his land.
"Because of my zone, I need to go before the planing board. Instead of $200, I pay $1,500," Moreau told the board.

Moreau owns about 85 acres in a commercial zone on Youmans Road.

Because of his zoning, Moreau is subject to higher lot fees when subdividing his land. The lot fees were raised on Dec. 8, 2004, Paul Cantlin, the town’s zoning administrator and chief building inspector told The Enterprise.
According to the current lot fees, Cantlin said, "Any subdivision that falls within a commercial or industrial zone that is five acres or more, or 500 feet of road frontage, must go before the planning board."

The current fees are, as Moreau said, $200 for minor subdivisions, and $1,500 if it goes before the planning board, Cantlin told The Enterprise.

All subdivisions, both minor and major, had a set $200 lot fee prior to the board’s 2004 decision to raise them, Cantlin said this week.

Currently, Moreau wants to divide a 36-acre plot that is already divided by Youmans Road. One side of the road would be about 33 acres, and the other side of the road would be about three acres.
Moreau’s main problem with the fees is that there is no distinction between subdivision types. "Some projects, no matter how trivial, go before the planning board," Moreau told The Enterprise "That is not a good gauge to measure intensity of a project."

His current subdivision project would fall under the category of a minor subdivision, he told the board.

A minor subdivision, by the town’s definition, is one that requires no town-run public utilities, creates or extends no town road, and has four or fewer lots. A major subdivison requires public utilities, extends or creates a town road, and has more than four lots.
"They should be called minor-impact subdivision and major-impact subdivision," Moreau told The Enterprise.

Supporting the parks
R. Mark Dempf, the town’s engineer, explained at last Wednesday’s meeting that "lot fees for this town are established to go to park funds."

The cost of maintaining the parks far exceeds money that is brought in from lot fees, Cantlin told The Enterprise, adding that there is a line item for the parks in the budget as well.
The money provided by lot fees must be used for the parks, Cantlin said. "It cannot go into the general fund," he said.

Douglas LaGrange, a board member who took office seven months ago, told The Enterprise, "Rules are the rules. We can’t cater to one individual."

Town supervisor Ed Clark told The Enterprise this week, "I think the lower fee should be raised instead of the higher fee being lowered."

Both LaGrange and Clark are Republicans; Democratic town-board members could not be reached for comment, or declined comment this week.

Moreau has never had to pay the $1,500 lot fee, and has 60 days to do so, Cantlin explained.

Moreau told The Enterprise that, in his opinion, "A minor subdivision should be treated with a lower rate, and a major subdivision with a higher rate."
Cantlin said it is unclear from last week’s meeting what action the board will take on this matter. "They can change this by resolution," he said.

Proposed developments

The board heard about two major development proposals that will require town board action to go forward.

Charles M. Carrow Sr., president and chief executive officer of Carrow Real Estate Services, spoke of plans for a senior housing community on New Scotland Road at the old Tee-Time Golf site. The plans are for 30 single-story units, each with a two-car garage that will sell for $250,000 to $300,000. The homes will be for people 55 years and older.

Carrow was requesting that the town adopt a senior overlay zoning regulation. An overlay zone is an additional zone that lays over the existing zone, and has additional requirements the development must satisfy.

Dean Devito of Maldel, LLc requested a Planned Unit Development for Krumkill Road. A PUD permits a mix of building types and land uses, clustered buildings and housing units. Twenty buildings of six units each are planned for west of Schoolhouse Road; each unit will sell for between $250,000 and $350,000. The town board will consider the proposal next month.

Other business

In other business at its August meeting, the board:

– Authorized issuing serial bonds for a Clarksville Water District extension;

– Renewed the bond anticipation notes for the water-district van;

– Amended the section on compensatory time in the town’s employee policy manual to conform to the Fair Labor Standards Act;

– Adopted a right-to-farm law;

– Adopted a noise-control law;

– Scheduled a public hearing regarding the suspension of large-scale development in medium-density residential and residential two-acre zones for Sept. 13, at 6 p.m.;

– Appointed Eileen Mulderry as dog warden;

– Renewed its contract with Affordable Waste for one year;

– Granted permission to sell two highway-department trucks;

– Heard from the town assessor, Julie Nooney, on the procedure for an inventory update over the next three years;

– Announced the town’s participation in a special program to commemorate the fifth anniversary of 9/11 initiated by the Voorheesville Public Library;

– Approved probationary membership for Amy Siegfried in the New Salem Fire Department;

– Announced that Clarksville will host Clarksville Heritage Day on Aug.26; and

– Announced that Feura Bush will be hosting this year’s Plumfest on Sept.16.