Members of Marlborough’s Planning Board got an update on last year’s proposal to build condominiums along Dock Road, near the Hudson River, and eyed a new application to construct a “solar farm” along Bingham Road. These projects were outlined at the Board’s Monday, March 4 meeting at Marlborough Town Hall.

The Dock Road project was last before the Planning Board in July, when board members changed the 25-acre site to residential: It had been classified as “industrial” and was once the site of a quarry. And while the Dock Road project is still preliminary and has yet to be given a formal name, the team behind it provided Planning Board members and attendees with a detailed map of their development – as well as artist’s renditions of what the different models in it will look like.

The developer, SDL Marlboro LLC, proposes to build 103 three-bedroom condominium units in three types. The 32 units that will be closest to Route 9W have been dubbed “cottages” and will encompass private roads, front yards, and garages accessible in the rear. The remainder will be more conventional townhomes in two slightly different styles. A clubhouse including a pool, fitness center, and event space will round out the complex.

Mark Blanchard, the Mamaroneck-based attorney who represents SDL Marlboro, noted that the developer was required to pay a sizable amount to the town’s water and sewer provider even before breaking ground. “We sit here as a team with skin in the game, after making a $200,000 payment to the infrastructure of the community,” said Blanchard.

The site is on a steep slope and members of the board raised concerns about the steepness of Dock Road itself. Others suggested that the developer needs to ensure the adequacy of parking for The Falcon, the live-music nightclub at the corner of Route 9W and Dock Road. Two Falcon patrons recently died crossing Route 9W.

“We understand the sensitivity to Falcon parking,” said Blanchard. “That is the one piece of the puzzle that we still have to make fit.”

Board members Cindy Lanzetta and James Garofalo suggested that the developer incorporate more walking trails on the site, particularly a way residents could walk to Route 9W. Pat Hines, the town’s consulting engineer, said some testing needs to be done concerning the site’s proximity to the town sewer plant, to ensure that future residents won’t have to contend with unwelcome odors.

One question was left unanswered: Whether to make allowances for school buses on the private road that will be inside the development. Blanchard noted that the new condos are being marketed as retirement and weekend homes, but several on the board noted that their size might attract small families as well.

The Bingham Road solar farm is being proposed by ELP Marlborough Solar LLC. The proposed project is a 5-megawatt solar array, mounted on a fixed tilt racking system. Less than one-fourth of the approximately 80-acre site will be used for solar equipment.

Among other business, the Planning Board aired a new application from David and Tracy Feeney of Newburgh; David Feeney is also the project engineer for the proposal. They seek to divide a 14.2- acre parcel on Plattekill Road into two lots. The smaller lot would be one acre and would be used for a future residential lot; the remaining acreage would continue as a working farm.

The Board also approved two short-term rental applications that had been the topic of both discussions and public hearings at previous meetings. Those included Stralow Farm, whose owners will operate a short-term rental cottage on their property at 551 Lattintown Road; and another at 79 Ridge Road in Marlboro, which is a more conventional home. The latter was approved unanimously whereas Board Member James Garofalo was the sole “no” vote on Stralow Farm.

The Planning Board also directed Meghan Clemente, the town’s attorney, to draft a letter of approval for a subdivision application by Deborah Jones of 98 Orange Street. Jones seeks to divide her two-acre property into a three-lot subdivision; this proposal was originally for five lots, but Jones trimmed her plans.

The Board continued its review of a proposal to build a series of two-level apartment buildings at the end of Summit Drive in Marlboro. Representing the property owner was its engineer for the project, Matt Towne of Willingham Engineering of New Paltz. The owner seeks to build four buildings consisting of six apartments each on the 7.32-acre site, which is at the dead end of a cul-de-sac.

A variety of revisions have been made to the project since it was first proposed at the Board’s October 2, 2023 meeting, including the location of the hookups for municipal water and sanitation service. More work needs to be done, Board Chairman Chris Brand noted, regarding plantings to screen the site from the road and lighting – particularly night lighting near the entrance to the complex.

Board member Fred Callo continued to express reservation about the location, expressing a fear that it would bring heavy traffic to an otherwise quite cul-de-sac. “That whole community will be at the dead-end of a small street with single-family, $400,000 houses,” Callo said.

Garofalo countered that census data show that such apartment units would average just one and one-half vehicles per unit, not two each. In addition, the hours when people depart for and return from their workplaces are more likely to be staggered than at two morning and evening “rush hours,” which should reduce neighbors’ fears over traffic.

A proposal by Vito Triolo, the owner of Pizza Town at 1326 Route 9W in Marlboro, will require further review and a public hearing. The Board passed a resolution referring the application first to the Ulster County Planning Board for its comments.