By Rob Sample
Two new proposals – one that would restart unfinished condo development, the other a two-lot subdivision proposal – were scrutinized by the Marlborough Planning Board at its Monday, May 6 meeting.
The condo proposal calls for continuing the build-out of the Marlboro-on-the-Hudson condominium complex at the corner of South Street and Highland Avenue. The original developer constructed 12 two- and three-bedroom condos on the 6.3-acre site but stopped because the 2008 recession had cooled the local real-estate market.
The original proposal called for a total of 36 condos as well as a clubhouse and pool. “Nothing has changed with respect to that original plan,” said Anthony Russo, principal of Highland Avenue Marlboro LLC, the project’s developer.
Russo said that the project had been reapproved in 2018. However, Pat Hines, the town’s consulting engineer, said that six-year-old approval had since expired and Russo would need to resubmit his application as a new proposal. That would include a new stormwater pollution prevention plan and environmental assessment because those guidelines have changed since 2018.
“The stormwater plan review is going to be your heaviest lift,” said Hines. In addition to town-level review, the plan for the project would require review by the Ulster County Planning Board. The project would also require a new public hearing.
The proposed two-lot subdivision, currently dubbed Ridgeview Giametta, would be located at 208-210 Western Avenue in Marlboro, at its intersection with Ridge Road. It calls for dividing an existing 4.5-acre lot into two lots, one two acres and the other 2.5 acres. An existing home will remain on the two-acre lot, while owner Charles Giametta seeks to build a new residence on the larger lot.
Hines pointed out two key issues in the site plan. “Topos [topography details] are only depicted on part of the plan,” said Hines, directing Giametta to provide them. The site also contains two accessory structures – a barn and a hayloft – that are questionable from a compliance perspective. Giametta stated his intention to use that parcel for agriculture.
“If it was a farm, I believe they’d be exempt,” said Hines. “But you can’t get an agricultural exemption for [a parcel] this size.”
Giametta said he obtained a building permit for a six-bedroom house, which would include an accessory apartment. This element would also require a zoning variance. Thus, Giametta was referred to the Zoning Board of Appeals to resolve these and other issues with the proposal.
The Planning Board also approved a site plan for apartments above a storefront on Route 9W and a subdivision proposal on Plattekill Road Under the storefront proposal, two apartments will be constructed above Pizza Town at 1326 Route 9W in Marlboro by the building’s owner, Vito Triolo. The work will take place on the third floor of that building, which is currently unoccupied.
The board also okayed a proposal by David and Tracy Feeney of Newburgh for a two-lot subdivision on Plattekill Road. With the green light from the Planning Board, they will 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 residence, while the remaining acreage would continue as a working farm.
Adding to its packed agenda, the Planning Board weighed in on the revised ridgeline protection law, introduced by the Marlborough Town Board in March. The board’s consulting attorney, Jim Nelson, will send an advisory letter to the Town Board expressing a variety of concerns about the proposed rules.
“I had the opportunity to go to the Ulster County Planning Board,” noted Board Chairman Chris Brand. That board met on May 1. Brand said that the county board saw the revised ridgeline rules as a significant improvement over what was proposed last November – but the rules still require alterations.
Of note, the Ulster board wants the Marlborough Planning Board to continue to play a review role in assessing development along the ridgeline. The Ulster board also views the 50-foot height buffer as necessary, which would call for a proposed building’s height not to be within 50 feet of the elevation of the nearest ridgeline. Both clauses were removed from the current proposed rule.
Among other business, the Planning Board engaged in a lengthy review with parties from the Buttermilk Falls resort complex in Milton, regarding its plans to build additional structures there. They include a 65-room hotel, 35 cabins, a 60-seat restaurant, and a 300-seat banquet facility. These would be built in phases.
Finally, the board also approved one-year construction extensions for the two corporate entities involved in building the Hudson West residential complex on Route 9W. They are Baxter Building, which handles the residential component, and Asher Sussman, who is responsible for the commercial end of the property.