VILLAGE HALL Village of Colonie 2 THUNDER ROAD PLANNING COMMISSION COLONIE, NY 12205 ALBANY COUNTY (518) 869-7562 NEW YORK FAX (518) 464-0389 email: ahart@colonievillage.org MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021 6:30 P.M. VIA ZOOM TELECONFERENCE The regularly scheduled meeting of the Village of Colonie Planning Commission was held on Tuesday, March 2 2021. ROLL CALL: Chairman Chris Dennis Commissioners: John Martin Peter Chudzinski Kenny Hart Dan Judge Jim Splonskowski Mark Keegan Village Attorney: Victor Caponera Village Engineer: R.J. Laberge Code Enforcement: Steve Meservey Chairman Dennis opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Commissioner Hart led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Commission reviewed the regular meeting minutes from February 16, 2021. Commissioner Martin made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Commissioner Hart seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve the February 16, 2021 meeting minutes as amended. APPLICANT: 1586 CENTRAL AVE DEPAULA CAR DEALERSHIP – MAZDA (SITE PLAN) Mr. Frank Palumbo and Mr. Nick Lobosco from CT Male and Ms. Susan DePaula, owner were present to update the Commission on the site plan improvements at 1586 Central Ave. Mr. Palumbo stated that he had made the requested changes per the Commissions comments at the last meeting which included: landscaping and lighting, colors of the exterior elevation, five labeled customer parking spaces, added dimension for setback from the customer parking to the Central Avenue property line, added site plan note stating test drives will not be on residential streets. Mr. Palumbo added that the Commission also requested that the name of the dealership be revealed prior to approval and explained that he received an ok from Ms. DePaula. Mr. Palumbo stated that the dealership will be a Mazda dealership. VILLAGE OF COLONIE MARCH 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION Commissioner Martin stated that he requested that the landscaping legend, that had been provided separately be added to the set of plans to be stamped to better track and reference the approved plantings. Chairman Dennis requested that the last approved DePaula landscaping and lighting plan be added to this site plan set for stamping. Mr. Palumbo agreed. Commissioner Hart asked about the lighting on the display vehicles. Mr. Palumbo stated that the vehicles will in a jewel box type of display inside the building and the halo lights shine directly on the car, minimal lighting will be dispersed onto the site. Commissioner Hart stated that the signage indicated on the site plan will not be a part of the approval and will need to be approved though the building department and Sign Review Board. Mr. Palumbo acknowledged Commissioner Hart’s comment. Chairman Dennis stated that there is no real change to the site and therefore does not require an Environmental Assessment review. Commissioner Martin made a motion to approve DePaula Mazda Car Dealership at 1586 Central Ave. Commissioner Hart seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve the application as submitted. APPLICANT: 14 JUPITER LANE SUN SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY (CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY) Mr. Elliot Feinman, property owner and Joe Newland from Sun Systems Technology were in front of the Commission to present a change of occupancy application for 14 Jupiter Lane unit 3. Mr. Newland stated that this business stores solar repair and maintenance parts for residential and commercial solar systems. Chairman Dennis asked which building out of the three on this site is the proposed business. Mr. Feinman stated the middle building. Commissioner Hart asked if there would be any outside storage. Mr. Newland stated no, all materials will be stored internally. Commissioner Hart stated that there are no weekend hours listed. Mr. Newland stated that the weekend hours are as needed. Commissioner Hart advised that the application be amended to reflect possible weekend hours. Mr. Newland stated that the weekend hours will be amended to 8 am to 5 pm. Chairman Dennis asked how many staff members will be working in the building. Mr. Newland stated that in normal circumstances, there will be 10 technicians that will come and go to grab parts. The employees will have company vehicles that they take home. Commissioner Martin made a motion to approve Sun Systems Technologies at 14 Jupiter Lane unit 3. Commissioner Hart seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve the application. Page 2 of 4 VILLAGE OF COLONIE MARCH 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION APPLICANT: 10 ALDERSHOOT RD ROBERT RANKIN (SPECIAL PERMIT – HOME OCCUPANCY) Mr. Robert Rankin, owner of 10 Aldershoot Road was before the Commission to present a special permit for a home occupancy at his residence. Mr. Rankin stated that he has been a mortgage broker in Latham for over 15 years. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he downsized from a leased office space to all employees working remotely. Mr. Rankin stated that there are no face to face meetings with clients and all business is conducted via phone calls or Zoom meetings. Mr. Rankin stated that all of his other employees are also working remotely and would not work out of his home. Mr. Rankin stated that when time allows, he would go back to leasing office space and return to pre-pandemic normal. Chairman Dennis stated that this application is for a special permit and requires a public hearing. Mr. Rankin stated that he was aware and understands. The landlord for Mr. Rankin’s commercial office space is requiring a letter written from the Village stating that he is allowed to work out of his home, which will permit Mr. Rankin to exit his current lease. Engineer Laberge stated that normally, individuals working remotely from their homes would not require a special permit, however since a letter is requesting a zoning compliance letter, a formal application and approval are necessary. Mr. Rankin stated that the next Planning Commission meeting is not for another month and asked if he could obtain a letter from the Village stating that his application is in process and pending approval after the public hearing. Attorney Caponera stated that he would contact Mr. Rankin and write a letter as requested. Chairman Dennis stated that the next Planning Commission meeting is on April 6, 2021 and stated that the public hearing will be scheduled for that night and the Commission can vote on the application once the public hearing is closed. All Commission members and the applicant agreed on the public hearing being set for April 6, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. APPLICANT: 1850 CENTRAL AVE LABCORP (CHANGE OF OCCUPANCY) Mr. Tim Theroux, representing LabCorp, was present before the Commission to seek approval for a change of occupancy within the existing Walgreen’s at 1850 Central Avenue. Mr. Theroux stated that LabCorp seeks to modify existing space within the Walgreen’s store and outfit it for a LabCorp location. Mr. Theroux stated that LabCorp plans to service 30 patients per day and would be open from 8 am to 4:30 pm. This location would be a full patient service on doctor’s orders for specimen collection. Commissioner Keegan asked if there would be any long-term testing at this site. Mr. Theroux stated no; testing would be prescription based, samples would be taken, and the patients would leave the site directly. Commissioner Keegan asked how the medical waste would be disposed. Mr. Theroux stated that medical waste would be removed once per week and waste is boxed and disposed of in a secure location. There will be no exposure to the public. Commissioner Keegan asked if LabCorp is joining with Walgreen’s at any other locations. Mr. Theroux explained that this is happening nationally. Page 3 of 4 VILLAGE OF COLONIE MARCH 2, 2021 PLANNING COMMISSION Commissioner Martin asked if the medical waste would be separate from Walgreen’s medical waste. Mr. Theroux stated yes. Commissioner Hart stated that the bathroom construction will require a building permit and asked what will be in the bathroom: showers, toilet, sink etc. Mr. Theroux stated that only a toilet and sink will be in the bathroom for collection purposes. Commissioner Judge asked if there will be any hours of operation on the weekend. Mr. Theroux stated that at some point there may be a half day of operation on either Saturday or Sunday from 8am to 12 pm. Commissioner Martin stated that new business was not selected on the change of occupancy application and stated he felt it should be selected as a new business. The Commission agreed. The applicant amended their application to reflect potential weekend hours and note a new business. Chairman Dennis asked if the medical waste will be picked up through a separate door. Mr. Theroux stated yes, the medical waste will go through the receiving desk. Commissioner Martin made a motion to approve LabCorp at 1850 Central Ave with the condition that weekend hours are 8am – 12 pm and the application reflects LabCorp as a new business. Commissioner Hart seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve as conditioned. DISCUSSION: Coordinator Hart stated that the applicant for 1757 Central Ave asked to be removed from this meeting agenda and be placed on the April 6th agenda. The Commission held a brief discussion reviewing the application materials. Engineer Laberge stated that he and Chairman Dennis met with the property owner and requested an updated site plan to reflect current conditions of the site. Engineer Laberge stated that the property owner, Hoffman’s were also discussing a potential zoning modification for the landlocked property in the rear. That potential re-zoning application will go before the Mayor and the Board of Trustees for a decision, but would be reviewed by the Commission for recommendations. The Commission discussed the potential application for the South Colonie School District who is looking to purchase 50 acres of land that lies between Walker Way and Petra Lane. Engineer Laberge stated that the SCSD is looking to develop the land for a new bus garage and relocation of district offices. Commissioner Chudzinski made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Hart seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to adjourn the meeting at 7:34 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Alexandra M. Hart Planning Coordinator Village of Colonie Page 4 of 4