Sylvester Manor action delayed: Applicant’s new information needs further exploration

Two successive delays are affecting the Sylvester Manor site plan.

The latest came this week at Tuesday’s Town Board work session — a request from environmental consultant Katelyn Kaim for documents from Manor officials and the Town for materials she needs to complete her assessment of the environmental impact of the site plan.

That resulted in a decision to reopen the public hearing, allowing time for submission and review of the information she receives.

At an earlier work session, the Town Board had determined that before it could review conditions that could be stated in a decision allowing the site plan to be complete, still more information was needed.

That involved two significant additions Manor officials wanted included in the application. The first pertains to alternative parking areas, Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said. Parking has been discussed in relation to safety concerns, particularly a grassy area where parking has been allowed for major events. Particular concerns have focused on whether a walk from that parking area to events complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Another parking issue was use of the gate entrance into Sylvester Manor at the corner of Route 114 and Manwaring Road. An inquiry from the Town to the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) raised a question whether it might require an alternative means of accessing the property. The entrance is near the IGA and the Stars Cafe & Store, which might be affected by traffic entering the property for major events.

Ms. Brach-Williams said she doesn’t know when or if the DOT will respond. One condition discussed by the Town Board was adding a requirement that if the DOT expresses concerns of entry and egress at that site and requests changes, it would be necessary to comply.  

The second change from the Sylvester Manor’s application is to use a second structure on the property currently earmarked for housing, which instead could be designated for commercial use. Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen asked if that request might be related to using the second structure for office space during renovations of the Manor House.

“I think so,” Ms. Brach-Williams said. But she didn’t have certainty. She would like to schedule a meeting in which she, Town Attorney Thomas Crouch and Principal Building Inspector Reed Karen could meet with Sylvester Manor representatives to discuss the requested changes. It was Mr. Karen who first brought the requested changes to the supervisor.

Ms. Brach-Williams said at the April 21 Town Board work session that she plans to quickly set up a meeting. She would like to put a resolution on an agenda calling for reopening the public hearing on May 18.

Another concern was “segmentation,” which refers to whether additions to a plan might result in evading appropriate review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). By separating out new requests from the original, would an applicant with a plan that consultants have determined is a Type 2 action requiring no extensive study, more appropriately require a Type 1 needing a thorough environmental review? 

That legal question is one Mr. Crouch was asked to consider on behalf of the Town Board.

That resulted in this week’s decision to supply more environmental information, forcing the need to reopen the public hearing.

Consultants serving the Town have advised the original site plan proposal is a Type 2 action under SEQRA, requiring no extensive environmental review. Resident Pam Demarest has argued that parking volume should be considered in determining whether the original application should have been identified as a Type 1 action since the Town Code calls for that action when there are 20 or more spaces involved. She said it may not require a lengthy review, but simply a more in-depth look.