Without any issues raised by attendees during Upstate Taco’s public hearing, the Marbletown Planning Board listed the site plan specifics they needed applicants Michael and Concetta Spinard to gather before signing off on their proposal. The Spinards are looking to open a Mexican restaurant in a vacant building at 4293 Route 209 in Stone Ridge. They plan to work primarily with a take-out model, which would be open seven days a week from 12 to 8 p.m.

The exterior of the building will mostly remain the same, except for a fresh coat of paint and the replacement of old, rotted wood, the Spinards explained. The board asked the applicants to choose a paint color, which the Spinards said would likely be white or off-white, from the historical palette, to ensure it adheres to the aesthetic of the hamlet. The board also asked the applicants to submit the design of the one window they are replacing at the front of the building for the same reason. Since the roof needs to be replaced, Perry noted that its slope needs to meet the town’s code requirements.

Aside from the building itself, the board asked for dumpster locations to be marked on the site map and required them to be enclosed to keep local critters from digging through the trash. The board still needed to see the design of the restaurant’s new sign, which will need downward lighting. Perry also asked the applicants to paste the “9-1-1” emergency number on the sign as an added safety feature. The board is still waiting on guidance from the Department of Transportation to inspect the entrance to the parking lot, which has some nasty dips. One board member said that they might just need to add a fresh layer of asphalt to level it out. Perry added that if the applicants plan to create another outdoor seating area around the back of the building, they may need to revisit the board to see if more parking spaces are needed to serve the extra customer space. The town code requires one space for every 50 square feet of commercial space: the building currently has 500 square feet of commercial space, 10 parking spots and one handicapped spot, so it’s good for now.

If all goes well at the next public hearing in August, renovations at the restaurant could begin soon after.

Hasbrouck House

Plans to expand facilities at the Hasbrouck House, in Stone Ridge, inched closer to completion after the Marbletown Planning Board set a public hearing for the proposal next month.

The hotel company, located at 3805 Main Street, is looking to reconfigure its large, existing gravel parking area and tack on overflow parking spaces as well. Applicant Stephanie Bassler, of North River Architecture & Planning in Stone Ridge, is also looking to remove an old storage shed and replace it with a fresh one. Additionally, the applicant needs to relocate the current septic systems to allow access to a proposed six-lot subdivision, which is also under review with the board.

Currently, the Hasbrouck House parking lot is one giant gray square of gravel, consisting of 60 slots for vehicles, three of which are reserved for handicapped drivers. The applicant wishes to reconfigure the space to a more rectangular, longitudinal shape, and expand the southern boundary of the area to allow for 25 overflow parking spaces. Board member Max Stratton said he would like to see more gravel added to enhance the road quality and suggested that the applicant install some sort of hard, stone surface to protect the stormwater systems below from passing cars.

Board members also urged the applicant to screen the parking area with appropriate landscaping features to shield the area from the proposed subdivision next door. Bassler said she would provide the location, quantity, and species of the proposed screening plants and mark them on the site map.

Additionally, the board asked the applicant to mark the 100-foot setback between the proposed shed and subdivision. Bassler was also asked to provide the design specifics of the shed (e.g. color, construction materials, and window designs) to make sure it fits the aesthetic of the surrounding area.

Planning Board Chair Paris Perry then introduced four zoning-related questions that Bassler would have to answer before moving forward. The board needs to know that the project will not have a negative impact on other uses of the district. Town code requires the project to work in harmony with the zoning district, and won’t discourage appropriate development in the adjacent lands. The project must follow the district’s code regarding maximum heights of structures, off-street parking requirements, and sign regulations, to name a few. And as always, the project must not inhibit access to emergency vehicles.

The board then designated the special use permit proposal as a “type one” action through the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), meaning it posed a significant impact on the surrounding environment. In August, the first public hearing for both the special use permit and the subdivision will be heard. While both projects are separate applications, one “Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan” will be completed for both applications. Regarding the subdivision proposal, Perry asked Bassel to provide a road maintenance agreement for the access road, to ensure it will be cared for properly, as well as the locations of utilities and an official breakdown of how much land will be preserved from development. The board sent the applicant away with a request for a $5,000 escrow payment to fund necessary town inspections.

Reagan Minor Subdivision

Applicant Zachary Gumpel of Hudson River Homes, a residential development firm based in the Catskills, is looking to create a three-lot subdivision at 1084 Ashokan Road. The 18-acre land, owned by Theresa and Rick Reagan, will be divided into two 4.5-acre parcels and one 9.6-acre plot, which the Reagans currently live at. The two smaller lots will be developed in the future as single-family rentals, and Gumpel said he intended to build net-zero homes, which use environmentally friendly energy systems to replace traditional, fossil fuel-powered utilities.

Although one of the new lots runs through federal wetlands, Gumpel claimed that it wouldn’t have any effect on the subdivision itself. To make sure this isn’t an issue, the board asked Gumpel to note the proposed septic system locations and mark buffer zones between the home sites and the wetlands. While Gumpel waited for Board of Health approval for the septic plan, the board asked him to refer his plans to the Department of Environmental Conservation for their opinion on possible wetlands concerns.

The board then classified the project as type two action through SEQRA and set a public hearing for the proposal in August.