by Judith Radford
Monday night’s regular meeting of the Grafton Planning Board was focused specifically on the proposed 37 lot major subdivision by Stonybrook Land, LLC, now known as The Lake at Sylvan Way, and what progress had been made to address many of the issues raised at the Public Hearing in October 2008. In that meeting David Lipinski, developer of the project, presented a revised map of the relocation of “Sylvan Way” with added acreage for lake frontage. In early 2008, Lipinski had made application for the 37 lot major subdivision. Later he informed the Planning Board of improvements and progress and asked for the Board to attend a special on site visit which occurred on September of 2008.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, the roll call, which found Board Member Arthur Surprise absent, and the approval of minutes from previous meetings, Chairman Owen “Skip” Grandjean called the first speaker of the evening, Nadine Shadlock, lawyer for Stonybrook Land, LLC.
Shadlock said that Supplements 1 and 2 to the Environmental Impact Statement she felt, “addressed all of the issues raised by residents, the Planning Board, Highway Superintendent Herb Hasbrouck, Grafton Town Engineer Russ Reeves, Code Enforcement Officer Tom Withcuskey and Planning Board Member and Grafton’s Attorney, Sal Ferlazzo.
David Lipinski then addressed those assembled by showing the first map for the project which asked for 37 lots and then the second and third and final map showing that they are asking for 22 lots. He said this reduction in lots all came about because of the concerns of Grafton’s residents, Planning Board, etc., and that he had met with Rensselaer County, Russ Reeves and many others to address the specific issues of density in residential homes on bodies of water. He went on to state that he believes the Environmental Impact Statement is complete to this point and that all of the concerns have been met with environmental mitigations.
Lipinski explained many of the mitigations, including the fact that the project will begin at the end of South Long Pond Road. The road will get 5 inches of gravel along the entire width and length, and working hours will be coordinated with the Grafton Highway Department. He said they are also providing Grafton with a spray tank to help keep dust down during construction. He said they will install a culvert and put up a Stop sign at South Long Pond Road and the beginning of Lake Sylvan Way. He said they have created a storm water management plan and changed the location of water drainage from the north to the south. He said water will go through 12 culverts for 1,600 feet of road. He stated water would dissipate slowly into space provided and will then go into dams and not go into the environment harming either lake.
Lipinski said he and the Gundrums, prior owners of the land, had specifically asked that a portion of land be set aside for land preservation and 27 acres of this land will become a land preservation area. Also, in coordination with Friends of Dyken Pond, another 23 acres of land will also be set aside for land preservation. He went on to say that there will be a 100 foot buffer along the entire length of the lake front and all of this will be contiguous with a protection covenant included in deeds to 12 lakefront dock owners. He said there will also be a 100 foot and a 50 foot green buffer along a neighbor’s land and Dyken Pond.
As for density, Lipinski said that the Rensselaer County Health Department examined the area for septic systems. He said they reduced the number of lots on the water by five and relocated septic systems farther from the lake. To prevent too much land clearing at one time, a covenant will be agreed to with Rensselaer County to insure back to back lots are not cleared at the same time. He said the project will actually become Phase 1 (12 lots) and Phase 2 (10 lots). Because there are so many boulders to be removed, they will come back after one is removed and refill with gravel.
For extra safety and to minimize environmental impact, traffic will go one way around the project and out as in a cul de sac. The road will be considered a private road created for one car at a time about 12 feet wide with two foot wide shoulders. For lots not located on the water, there will be a boat access for residents only.
Herbert Hasbrouck, Grafton Highway Superintendent, said he has been working with Lipinski, Reeves, Withcuskey and others on this project and he believes the concerns of everyone have been met. He went on to talk specifically about the road work and the dams and drainage issues and discussed how many of these issues have been resolved. Hasbrouck addressed the concern of the intersection at Banker School Way and South Long Pond Road. He said the property owner, Boise, has agreed to sell off a small portion of his land to the Town so that the developer and the Town can improve the current line of sight and alleviate a dangerous situation.
Russ Reeves said that he also believes this project has proven how a town can work in close coordination with developers to address the concerns of residents and to mitigate any environmental impacts while increasing the town’s tax base.
Sal Ferlazzo read a potential resolution the Board could adopt at this meeting which would state that the Environmental Impact Statement is “complete.” He said the wording is part of the SEQR process and does not in any way mean that the project is approved. He said, in fact, that approval of this resolution basically means taking a step back. He said that January 27 to February 27 will be a time for public comment. He said on February 23 at 6 pm at the Town Hall there will be a “workshop” to get down to more work on the “Statement,” having everyone involved attend including the public.
There was much discussion regarding the meaning of “complete,” and Ferlazzo reiterated that the Environmental Impact Statement with its supplements is by no means complete and there is no approval for the project yet. Much more work has to be done and much more comment from residents and experts provided, he said.
Following more discussion the Planning Board voted to approve the resolution with a 4/0 roll call vote. There was no further public comment and the meeting was adjourned at 8 pm.