Village of Colonie VILLAGE HALL PLANNING COMMISSION 2 THUNDER ROAD COLONIE, NY 12205 ALBANY COUNTY (518) 869-7562 NEW YORK FAX (518) 464-0389 e-mail: ahart@colonievillage.org MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2018 6:30 P.M. The regularly scheduled meeting of the Village of Colonie Planning Commission was held on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 ROLL CALL: Chairman Chris Dennis Commissioners: John Martin (Absent) Ann Krause Mike Tommaney Peter Chudzinski (Absent) Kenny Hart Dan Judge Village Attorney: Victor Caponera Village Engineer: R.J. Laberge Chairman Dennis opened the meeting at 6:30. Commissioner Hart led the Pledge of Allegiance and asked that all phones and pagers be silenced. The Commission reviewed the minutes from June 5, 2018. Commissioner Tommaney made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Commissioner Krause seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve from the June 5, 2018 regular meeting minutes as amended. APPLICANT: 124 LINCOLN AVE MARCACO, LLC Mrs. Mary Clark of Marcaco, LLC and Mr. Nick Costa from Advanced Engineering were present before the Commission to present an updated site plan. Mr. Costa stated that the site plan has been updated to reflect Engineer Laberge’s last comment letter. Engineer Laberge stated that there were two “major” items to address on the site plan; the emergency access along the railroad side of the property and approval from Albany County Board of Health. Mr. Costa stated that the fence material in the back has been changed to chain link and will separate lot three from lot one. This will be a different material from the fence along the front entrance. Mr. Costa continued that landscaping has been added and moved on the site. Trees have been added also. Chairman Dennis stated that this site plan is different from the last submission and that some vegetation overshadows others. 1 PLANNING COMMISISON June 19, 2018 Engineer Laberge stated that the applicant still has to get health department approval, change easements on the parcels and get EAF approval from the Commission. Chairman Dennis stated that he would like the Commission members to walk the site to check the landscaping in detail. Mr. Costa stated that there are stakes out on lot #1 that will give a good reference to where the proposed landscaping is. Mrs. Clark stated that if needed she will walk the site with the Commission members. Chairman Dennis stated that he is having a hard time with the new proposed roadway and the need for a guardrail because the building is too close to the roadway. Mr. Costa stated that the roadway has been realigned and the building has been moved further from Petra Lane. Engineer Laberge stated that since the applicant does not know all the future tenants there needs to be some auxiliary parking. Engineer Laberge stated that if any future tenants require tractor trailer deliveries, spaces will be taken away by deliveries. The tenant may be denied for not meeting the parking requirements. This can be accommodated through lot #1 if there is an easement through lot #3. Mr. Costa stated that the loading docks can be relocated to only the end of the buildings. Engineer Laberge stated that one building can be moved and add some square footage to the other building. Chairman Dennis stated that he would like an updated plan with the new proposed vegetation. Mrs. Clark stated that the Commission members can come and walk the site at any time. APPLICANT: 146 RAILROAD AVE AT&T (Telecommunications) Mr. Paul Reed from AT&T came before the Commission to present an application to modify cell installations on existing towers at 146 Railroad Ave. Mr. Reed stated that he is proposing to swap out antennas and ancillary wires. Mr. Reed stated that there will be no changes to the height of the towers and antennas. Commissioner Hart made a motion to approve the amended site plan for AT&T located at 146 Railroad Ave. Commissioner Tommaney seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve the application as presented. APPLICANT: 80 WOLF ROAD AT&T (Telecommunications) Mr. Paul Reed from AT&T also represented the application before the Commission to modify cell towers at 80 Wolf Rd. Mr. Reed stated that this will be a similar project as 146 Railroad Ave. All modifications are on the roof of the building on the “penthouse center.” Mr. Reed stated that this is in the middle of the roof of the building and cannot be seen from the street level. There will be some additional equipment installed. Mr. Reed stated that remote radio units will be installed behind the antennas. This is hardware and small equipment. Attorney Caponera asked about the 2 PLANNING COMMISISON June 19, 2018 size of the equipment. Mr. Reed stated that there are approximately 10 antennas, three antennas will be 2 feet wide, compared to the existing 1 foot wide antennas. The antennas are about 8 feet tall which is about 1 to 2 feet above the penthouse. Commissioner Judge asked if this equipment upgrade is for faster service. Mr. Reed stated yes, this is for LTE high speed internet capability which allows quicker access and more efficiency. As there are more continuous upgrades, more boxes are needed. Commissioner Hart made a motion to approve the site plan as amended. Commissioner Judge seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve this application as presented. APPLICANT: 12A WOLF ROAD VERIZON (Telecommunications) Mr. Allen Hinkley from Verizon came before the Commission to present modifications to existing cell towers located at 12A Wolf Rd. Mr. Hinkley stated that Verizon is looking to install additional radio equipment such change out 9 new antennas. The application proposes replacing 3 radio heads and adding 3 new radio heads and combiners. The combiners sit behind the antennas. Mr. Hinkley stated that there are some there already. Mr. Hinkely added that as the capacity changes in the cell towers the need to upgrade the equipment increases. Chairman Dennis asked if the proposed equipment is the same height as the existing. Mr. Hinkley stated yes, everything will be the same height as the existing. Commissioner Hart made a motion to approve the amended site plan at 12A Wolf Road. Commissioner Tommaney seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve the application as presented. APPLICANT: 1557 CENTRAL AVE SMOKEY BONES (Exterior façade changes) Mr. Don Nagel, general manager for Smokey Bones came before the Commission to propose exterior façade changes at 1557 Central Ave. Mr. Nagel stated that Smokey Bones needs a much needed enhancement which would include painting the roof shingles red, painting the siding “Alexandria beige,” paint the trim black and paint the canopies black and add decorative light fixtures. The applicant provided paint samples and renderings with their submission. Engineer Laberge stated that there was no site plan submitted, however the applicant is not proposing any structural changes. The last time this applicant came before the Commission was to propose a gas fireplace. Mr. Nagel stated that the Smokey Bones chain has decided against gas fireplaces as they have had issues in windy locations. 3 PLANNING COMMISISON June 19, 2018 Commissioner Judge asked about the proposed lighting and asked if it was to change the lighting on the site. Mr. Nagel stated that the proposed lamps are strictly decorative and will not change the lighting on site. Commissioner Hart made a motion to approve the proposed façade changes to 1557 Central Ave. Commissioner Tommaney seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve this application as presented. APPLICANT: 1814 CENTRAL AVE FLY TO FIT BUNGEE FITNESS, LLC (Tenant Change) Ms. Tina Murphy, owner of Fly to Fit Bungee Fitness, came before the Commission to present a tenant change application at 1814 Central Ave, suite 10. Ms. Murphy stated that she is looking to open a bungee fitness studio. This is a type of exercise where an individual is attached to the bungee harness and it acts as a resistance workout. Chairman Dennis asked how many people per class would there be. Ms. Murphy stated there will be a max of 10 people per class. There will be 9 classes per day. Attorney Caponera asked if there are any other locations like this studio. Ms. Murphy stated that there is another studio in the area, however this will be her first studio. Chairman Dennis stated that there will be no issues with parking on site. Commissioner Judge asked how people will sign up for these classes. Ms. Murphy stated that there will be individual and bundle memberships. Attorney Caponera asked how the bungee systems will be hooked up. Ms. Murphy stated that the bungees are on an adjustable I beam, similar to other gyms. Code Enforcement Officer Randy Rivera asked if the beams are existing or will be installed. Ms. Murphy stated that she will be using the existing beams that hold up to 2,000 pounds. Mr. Rivera stated that he would like to see a load calculation for the beams and would like an engineer to sign off on it. Ms. Murphy also stated that each bungee holds up to 250 pounds. Chairman Dennis asked how the bungees will be set up. Ms. Murphy stated that the 10 bungees will be staggered. There will be more than one bungee per beam. Commissioner Hart asked who the building owners are. Ms. Murphy stated that the building is owned by Heidenberg. Commissioner Hart made a motion to approve Fly to Fit Bungee Fitness, LLC at 1814 Central Ave with the condition that a licensed engineer signs off on the load calculation for the beams. Commissioner Krause seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve this application as presented. APPLICANT: 1540 CENTRAL AVE PINTO THAI KITCHEN (Tenant Change) Ms. Jamaree Rajrawiwong, owner of Pinto Thai Kitchen, came before the Commission to present a tenant change at 1540 Central Ave. Ms. Rajrawiwong is proposing to open a restaurant at the 4 PLANNING COMMISISON June 19, 2018 current Diamond Deli location. Chairman Dennis asked if she will be changing the seating. Ms. Rajrawiwong stated no, the only thing they will be changing is adding a door and a grab bar in the bathroom to bring it up to code. There will be a service counter as well as utilizing the outdoor seating, which was previously approved through the last tenant. Code Enforcement Officer Randy Rivera stated that there is a 100 pound grease trap under the kitchen sink. Chairman Dennis asked if there will be a difference in volume in food from the previous tenant to the proposed. Ms. Rajrawiwong stated that there will be one fryer and one wok. Ms. Rajrawiwong also stated that they are looking to put the existing grease trap in the basement to make more room in the kitchen. There is a full basement located under the deli. Engineer Laberge stated that the grease traps would need to be reviewed by the Department of Public Works. Village Code requires two 1,000 gallon grease traps. Ms. Rajrawiwong stated that she will also be changing out the exhaust and replacing it in kind. Commissioner Judge asked if there will be takeout available. Ms. Rajrawiwong stated that the restaurant will be take out or eat in. The take out will be delivered by a third party like GrubHub. Attorney Caponera stated that it has to be determined if the existing set up can handle the proposed business and relocation of the grease trap. Attorney Caponera asked the applicant to submit a menu to the Department of Public Work to be reviewed. Commissioner Hart made a motion to approve this application with the condition that the Department of Public Works reviews the grease trap and location. Commissioner Krause seconded the motion. VOTE: Unanimous to approve the application as presented. APPLICANT: 1529 CENTRAL AVE SHI PROPERTY LLC (Site Plan Amendment) Mr. Bo Sze, owner of Shi Property LLC, came before the Commission to propose a site plan amendment for 1529 Central Ave. Mr. Sze is proposing to add a loading dock behind the furniture store. Commissioner Hart asked if this building already has a loading dock. Mr. Sze stated yes, there is an existing loading dock, the proposed one would be located closer to the Cole’s Collision side. Chairman Dennis asked if the ramp shown on the site plan is also additional. Mr. Sze stated yes. Chairman Dennis asked if the proposed loading dock would eliminate parking. Mr. Sze stated that the parking is not counted on the back of the building. Engineer Laberge stated that there should be green space against the back of the building and any reduction of green space would need a variance through the Zoning Board of Appeals. Code Enforcement Officer Randy Rivera stated that the storage units that are currently in the back of the building are for sale and will be removed soon. Commissioner Hart asked what kind of truck will be making deliveries. Mr. Sze stated that they will be 26 foot trucks and will be entering the site from the back. Commissioner Hart stated that the truck would have to drive over the parking spaced in order to maneuver into the proposed loading dock. Commissioner Hart asked what business this loading dock is for. Mr. Sze stated that this would be for the beauty supply shop. Commissioner Hart stated that as shown on the submitted site plan, there is only an overhead egress door for that store. Mr. Sze stated that there is a front door to the building that all tenants use to access their stores. 5 PLANNING COMMISISON June 19, 2018 Attorney Caponera asked about the storage units. Mr. Sze stated that the storage units were there to store construction equipment. Mr. Sze stated that the storage units are about the same size as the trailers making deliveries. Commissioner Tommaney asked what was under construction. Mr. Sze stated that the beauty shop is still under construction. Mr. Rivera stated that no one parks in the back of the building but there should be parking designations. The parking lot is never full according to Mr. Rivera and Mr. Sze agreed. Engineer Laberge stated that the site is losing parking and a variance would be needed, as well as a variance for the green space. Engineer Laberge reminded the applicant that the trucks cannot back out onto a residential road in order to maneuver into the parking lot and loading dock. Chairman Dennis asked if deliveries can be made to the existing loading dock. Attorney Caponera asked if the applicant drew the submitted site plan himself. Mr. Sze stated that his business partner did. Attorney Caponera stated that in order to go forward a site plan stamped by a licensed engineer would need to be submitted. Attorney Caponera added that on the submitted site plan, there are striped parking spaces shown. On the site currently there are no striped parking spaces and therefore it is not a true reflection of the existing site. Attorney Caponera stated that he would like to review past approvals for this site. Attorney Caponera suggested that the Commission table this application until further review can be done. Mr. Sze stated that he is having trouble finding tenants to fill his spaces with the current layout and state of his building. Chairman Dennis stated that the grade is 5 feet higher on the existing loading dock side. There are also wood stairs. Mr. Sze stated that they have been there forever. Mr. Rivera stated that the parking is not defined and will need all new paving. Chairman Dennis asked what size deliveries are made to the beauty supply shop. Mr. Sze stated that it is typically small boxes and are lifted from the delivery truck and wheeled up the ramp. Mr. Sze said there are occasionally pallets and they go to the front of the building for delivery. Attorney Caponera stated that this application will be tabled for further review. DISCUSSION: The Committee discussed the next meeting which is scheduled for July 3rd. The Commission decided that with no pending applications and the July 4th holiday, the July 3rd meeting would be cancelled. The next scheduled meeting is July 17th at 6:30 p.m. Commissioner Hart made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Krause seconded the meeting. VOTE: Unanimous to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Alexandra M. Hart Planning Coordinator Village of Colonie 6