Planning Board of the Village of Aurora
Aurora, New York 13026

Minutes
Regular Monthly Meeting, March 10, 2010

Present:  Board Chair Nancy Gil, Pat Bianconi, Frank Zimdahl, and Alan Connors.
Also Present:  Village Clerk Dee Nance, Deborah Brooks, David Brooks, Cynthia Koepp, and John Place.

Gil opened the monthly meeting at 7:00 PM. 

New Business:  The board reviewed a continuation of application #06-07 from Cynthia Koepp and John Place to approve a site plan alteration.  Koepp and Place came before the board at the request of Code Enforcement Officer, Michael Piechuta.  In a letter dated January 28, 2010, Piechuta informed Koepp and Place that the turnaround on their driveway differed in size and location from the turnaround approved by the Planning Board on September 13, 2006.  Koepp and Place were given two options, to either alter the turnaround to match the approved design or submit their altered design to the Planning Board for approval.

Koepp and Place explained the reasons for the design change, which they undertook in consultation with the previous Code Enforcement Officer, Doug Staley.  Multiple factors were in play and the house move happened very quickly.  Place said they were trying very hard not to err to the south on setback rules and ended up setting the house further to the north than originally planned.  They discovered, after the fact, that survey pins they were working from, had been moved.  Place said the house moving firm, Dzuba, was using a transit, and everything down there was crooked.  If they had placed their house straight on the lot it would have appeared crooked in comparison to nearby structures.  Adjustments were made for appearance.

The turnaround was moved to more level ground so drivers would not be backing out onto a steep grade.  Place said there is an approximate 12 foot drop in grade from the turnaround to the garage level.  Design alterations were made to the stairway for safety and to create a stronger retaining wall.

Gil read aloud the January 28, 2010 letter from Michael Piechuta and noted that this letter had been pre-approved by Village Attorney Andrew Fusco.  Gil commented that she would be in favor of approving the altered design as long as it was made clear that approval was being given for a “turnaround” and not a “parking area.”

Zimdahl objected to the backwards handling of this matter and expressed skepticism that the Code Enforcement Officer’s decisions would be enforced.

Nance responded that this letter was an attempt by the Code Enforcement Officer to clean up unfinished business in the village and improve enforcement of the village’s zoning law.

After some discussion, Connors moved approval of the altered site plan, to include a 7 ft. extension to the south on the turnaround as shown on the original site plan that was approved by the Planning Board on September 13, 2006; seconded by Bianconi.  Motion carried 4:0.

After the vote, Bianconi commented that she did not understand why this alteration didn’t come back to the Planning Board when it was happening.  She suggested that perhaps it was an oversight by Mr. Staley.

Gil instructed the applicants to put up one or two small “no parking” signs within two weeks, at the turnaround, so drivers would know that the turnaround is not a parking area.  She advised them to keep the signs small so they would not need CPP approval.

Gil read the minutes from the October 14, 2009 meeting of the Planning Board.  A question was raised regarding the omission of Section 405.P9 from the zoning law.  The board reviewed notes from County Planner Dave Miller regarding the last round of zoning law changes in 2008.

Bianconi moved acceptance of the minutes; seconded by Connors.  Motion carried 4:0.  The meeting adjourned at 8 PM.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, Aril 14, 2010 at 7:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Dee Nance
Village Clerk