NEW SCOTLAND – Development has been a steady pressure for the northeast corner of town, and may now be looming on the horizon for the southwestern part of town as well.

Peter Schaming lives on Gulf Hill Road in Berne, bordering the town of New Scotland. He has submitted an application to the town for a subdivision of a 90-acre land-locked parcel in New Scotland owned by Katherine Barber.

The subdivision would create two lots – one 35 acres and the other 55 acres.

Schaming hopes to purchase the 35-acre piece, and combine it with the 5.6 acres that he currently owns and lives on, creating a buffer between his property and a possible development on Barber’s land.

Barber owns about 320 acres among four parcels in New Scotland.

She plans to combine the parcels, along with adjacent parcels owned by other members of her family into one large piece, and then sell it to a developer, Schaming said.

He doesn’t believe that any offers have been made, but he has been in contact with Barber, and her intentions are to sell the land to a developer as one large property, he told The Enterprise.

Barber, who lives in Washington State, could not be reached for comment.

Schaming said Barber’s family owns around 600 acres between the towns of Berne and New Scotland. The land was purchased by Barber’s grandfather during the Depression, he said.

The 90-acre parcel which Schaming wants to subdivide is assessed at $116,700. It is classified as abandoned agricultural land, meaning that, at one time, the property was used for farming, said Julie Nooney, the town’s assessor.

Schaming hopes to plant a small orchard on the land he wants to buy, and leave the rest of the land undeveloped woodland, he said.

The planning board passed along a favorable recommendation to the zoning board; a public hearing is scheduled for the zoning board’s Feb. 27 meeting.

Other business

In other business, at recent planning and zoning board meetings:

– The boards heard an application for a three-lot subdivision proposed by Karen Spinelli for her property located on Krum Kill Road. One of the lots would contain a pre-existing barn, which is not allowed.

The property lies within the residential conservation (R2) and medium-density residential (MDR) districts, where a secondary structure – which the barn is considered to be – is not permitted without a primary structure. Spinelli plans to restore the barn and transform it into a residential dwelling.

The planning board passed a favorable recommendation for the application on to the zoning board, which will hold a public hearing at its Feb. 27 meeting;

– The boards heard an application submitted by Stephen and Rada Jones for an area variance to subdivide their property on Indian Fields Road into four lots. The property falls in the residential agricultural (RA) district, where a minimum front setback of 70 feet on a state road is required.

One lot would have a pre-existing dwelling with a front setback of 66 feet, and another lot would have a pre-existing accessory structure with a front setback of 50 feet.

The planning board passed along a favorable recommendation to the zoning board, but asked that the Joneses provide a more detailed map at the Feb. 27 meeting, when a public hearing is also scheduled;

– The zoning board adjourned a public hearing for two variance applications submitted by Sterling Lawrence on behalf of the First Assembly Church of God located on Krum Kill Road, in a medium-density residential (MDR) district. One variance would allow a detached sign, and the other would allow the sign to be illuminated. The zoning allows for not more than two signs with a total sign area of not more than 12 square feet each, and does not allow signs to be illuminated.

The board recommended that Lawrence get a photo-metrics analysis to determine the amount of illumination the sign would generate, and bring it to the board for the Feb. 27 meeting;

– The planning board heard an application for a two-lot subdivision submitted by David Moreau for his 33.8-acre property on Youmans Road. The property is located within a commercial district, and therefore, subdivision applications must go before the planning board.

Moreau was told by the town’s engineer, Keith Menia, that he would need to file an ammended master plan for his property with the county, since he has subdivided his property numerous times since the storm-water management regulations were stiffened in 2003.

It was also recommended that Moreau request a storm-water management report from his engineer, because a stream on his property is a tributary of a classified stream. The board also requested that Moreau be sure he is in compliance with regulations set by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, and authorized Vollmer Associates, the town’s engineering firm, to issue an estimate of engineering costs, so that an escrow can be set up with the town;

– The planning board granted a special-use permit to John Jeffers, owner of J.J. Maddens on New Scotland Road. The permit allows Jeffers to illuminate a detached sign. The sign, located in front of his restaurant, will be lit by two 100-watt bulbs shining from behind, and two 300-watt bulbs shining from the front. The board added the stipulation that the 300-watt bulbs be elevated to the bottom of the sign to minimize glare onto the roadway.
Board chairman Robert Stapf noted that he would like to be able to have a beer at J.J. Maddens "without feeling guilty." Jeffers performed a dance for the board, before exiting town hall, in appreciation of being granted the permit; and

– The planning board adjourned until next month a public hearing on a pond proposed by Frank DelGallo and James Bradshaw for their property on Ryder Lane. Neighbors had some concerns, and the board asked that the applicants provide a grading plan, and an erosion-sediment plan. They also requested that the applicants check with the DEC as to when is the best time of year for digging the pond.