Pine Plains examines Carvel's NND pre-application

PINE PLAINS — A much anticipated joint meeting with the Town Board, Planning Board, its consultants and representatives of the Durst Organization, Inc. (the applicant behind the Carvel Property Development),   was held last Tuesday, March 16. There was a strong turnout at the community room in the library, where the meeting was held.

The purpose of the meeting was for the boards to discuss the pre-application for New Neighborhood Development (NND) consideration, and to make non-binding comments that the applicant can use to shape its project as it moves forward. So far 18 criteria have been set forth for the applicant to meet.

As town planning consultant Bonnie Franson explained, an NND is a floating zone, and is unmapped.

“It is not applied to any parcels in Pine Plains,� she said. “It has to approve a zoning petition to be approved by the Town Board.�

The applicant will decide if it’s submitting a zone petition, and if so, that must meet certain requirements. There must also be a SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) determination with it. Franson said what’s unusual is the Carvel application is already in that process. A zone petition also requires a public hearing; after the SEQRA process ends, the Planning Board must report to the Town Board on its findings.

The NND is defined as a Type 1 action under SEQRA, and as such requires a full review and environmental impact statement (EIS). The Planning Board leads that type of review (it is also the lead agency for the application and is expected to continue in that role).

Town Board member Sandra David asked if the NND should be considered a new application, as it’s a new regulation.

“That can be discussed at the appropriate time, and tonight is not the appropriate time,� Attorney to the Town Warren Replansky said.

The question was raised again at the March 18 Town Board meeting; the consensus was that the application should not be viewed as new.

Franson next confirmed that the NND application is deemed complete when a negative declaration or when the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is deemed complete, not at the end of the process. Replansky added it’s when the Planning Board gives its recommendation on the NND to the county.

Before moving on to review the 18 criteria, Town Planner Nan Stolzenburg explained that the joint meeting was to provide an opportunity for the town and planning boards to have a discussion of to what extent and how consistent they feel the NND is with the town’s zoning.

“If you have a comment, this is the opportunity to hear what they have to say,� she said. “Focus on each criteria individually. I hope this will be a discussion of the Planning Board and Town Board. My goal is to keep the conversation moving.�

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