NEW SCOTLAND — New businesses may open soon, but new housing developments are mired in red tape as water issues between New Scotland and Bethlehem continue delays.

Scotch Hill Acres returns

Cynthia Elliott, a local surveyor, wants to replant her mother’s tree farm on property she now owns in Feura Bush. She and her family applied, as Triple S Farm, for a special-use permit to allow her to sell wreaths, boughs, and trees at the farm’s existing pavilion in the winter.

“I hope to rebuild the trees my mother had had for 37 years,” Elliott told the board about the previous Scotch Hill Acres, off Route 308.

Elliott wants to use the enclosed pavilion, which has kitchen and bathroom facilities and water, as an outdoor banquet facility during the tree farm’s off season. She told the board that she got the idea after hosting family weddings there.

The area can accommodate 100 cars, she said.

Elliott said that she had taken planning board member Thomas Hart’s previous advice to install a drilled well if she hoped to open to the public.

She said that she has no plans to install signs.

The planning board scheduled a public hearing on the application for Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

Water for subdivisions

The board heard Frank Burnett’s continued application to subdivide his 11.8-acre property on Toby Lane into three parcels, and scheduled a public hearing for January, but warned Burnett that water issues could complicate his application.

Like the Creekside housing development with 20 water taps off Bethlehem-supplied water on Miller Road, Burnett’s subdivision has been delayed because of negotiations for water.

“I’m trying,” said Stantec engineer R. Mark Dempf, who works for the town, noting that he is hoping to settle the two developments’ requests at the same time.

“We don’t have an answer back yet from the town of Bethlehem,” Davies told Burnett.

Bruce Boswell, the owner of Creekside who was seated in the audience for his own final plat subdivision application, told Dempf he had waited 14 years.

Dempf corrected him, saying that Boswell’s latest request was “at least three years.”

Boswell’s project came before the town in the fall of 2009.

“They want one inter-municipal agreement for water, and one inter-municipal agreement for sewer” for all properties in that area, Dempf said.

“We asked for your stuff a long time ago,” he told Burnett. “We have no inter-municipal agreement with Bethlehem for water. We have a decree from New York State to provide water to Heldervale,” he said of a development near Creekside. Dempf said that New Scotland is waiting on Bethlehem.

A call to Bethlehem Commissioner of Public Works George Kansas was not returned before press time.

“They are supplying, and receiving, the water and sewer,” Dempf said. “The water line is there, but the tap is not available.”

Davies advised Burnett to submit a short environmental assessment form to New Scotland, to be sent to the Albany County Planning Board, seeking lead-agency status for New Scotland and Bethlehem. The board continued Burnett’s application to a public hearing on Jan. 5.

Boswell and the planning board disagreed about the width of Miller Road that Creekside had agreed to upgrade; the board said that the plan calls for a 50-foot road in an area with an old bridge, and Boswell said that the widening was agreed on past the bridge.

“Quite frankly, we can’t afford to do it,” Boswell said.

The board advised Boswell to come back on Dec. 1, after easement and road issues are resolved.

Other business

In other business, the New Scotland planning board:

— Approved a site plan application by Hudson Valley Italian Restaurant Inc. to add onto and renovate the existing Pixie’s Pub in Feura Bush next to Stewart’s Shop on Route 32.

“Being a resident of the area, it sounds like an improvement,” said acting Chairwoman Jo Ann Davies.

The company, which owns Paul’s Pizza in West Coxsackie and Pomodoro’s in Catskill, must provide to the town a letter from the state Department of Transportation about allowed curb cuts; an easement agreement for stormwater; and a lighting plan for the west side of the new addition, which will be an employee entrance;

—  Scheduled a public hearing on Jan. 5 for a site-plan application for Michael Tuzzolo to use a section of his barn at Martin Road to sell auto parts;

— Approved, with one abstention, Charles Shufelt’s use variance application to continue to operate a public garage from his home at 173 North Road, the site of the former Kleen Resources environmental petroleum equipment repair company.

Davies, and planning board members Robert Stapf, Laura Ten Eyck, and Justin Perry voted in favor of Shufelt’s application.

“I’ll abstain on this one,” Hart said.

“So, it’ll be going to the zoning board,” Davies said; and

— Approved a subdivision application by Amedore Homes to modify its phase plan for its already approved 40-lot cluster subdivision Colonie Country Club Estates. The application also included a request for five model homes permitted in each building phase, which was increased from two phases to three.