It’s all official now. Phil’s Tire Service, which has been operating out of a former factory at 24 Center Street in Pine Bush for about three years, has papers to prove it.

Phil’s, the d/b/a of Phillips Racing Inc., sells competition tires and wheels to hobbyist out of the old Mobile Media Inc. building at the corner of Center Street and Kelly Avenue.

Phil and Kim Phillips rented the place from the Mobile Media owners and moved in after MMI, a manufacturer of shelves, moved out. And there’s the rub.

The long, white, many-windowed, single-story building is in a residential neighborhood. MMI had operated there for years — with the proper permits. After a visit from a town building official, the Phillipses found out they needed a permit too. First they had to get a variance to operate in a residential zone. The Crawford Zoning Board of Appeals said that was fine. The building isn’t suited for housing anyway, according to the town planning department. Then it was on to the Crawford Planning Board, which was asked to approve a change of use for the property to the storage and sales of tires and wheels from light manufacturing. The approval was unanimous at the January 11 meeting of the board. Phil Phillips told board members that the company didn’t service retail customers. All the business at 24 Center was done via shipping. Phillips also said that he rented a parking lot on Kelly Avenue across from the building so that delivery trucks would not interrupt traffic on the roads around his business.

Phillips, a former racer himself, and his wife cater to circuit, or road, racers. Basically, the racers take a street car, install a roll cage, and see what they can do on a track, Kim Phillips said in a phone conversation. She called the whole enterprise “serious fun.”

The drivers are amateurs; many are members of clubs and the National Auto Sport Association, who race at such celebrated tracks as the former home of the U.S. Grand Prix, Watkins Glen International, upstate in the town of Dix, and Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. The Phillipses also offer trackside support, including the delivery, mounting, and balancing of tires.

There are no big paydays. At the end of a long day of racing, trophies are handed out and maybe some food, Kim Phillips said.

Apartment Project Advances

Warwick Properties Inc. was back before the board with updated site plans for a 42-unit apartment building at 65 Boniface Drive in Pine Bush. Vince Pietrzak, an engineer with Pietrzak & Pfau of Goshen, explained that details about lighting, landscaping, stormwater control, and sidewalk construction were now more developed.

As presented, the long and narrow building is positioned so the narrow side faces Boniface. Parking — there are spaces for 62 vehicles — is located on the Boniface side and to the left of the building when viewed from the street. Thirty-nine of the units will have one bedroom, and three units will have two bedrooms. The apartments would be open to anyone meeting income guidelines: members of the workforce, seniors, people with special needs, veterans.

Jonah Mendelbaum, the president of Warwick Properties, also attended the meeting. His company owns roughly 3,000 units of affordable housing in the Hudson Valley. The new project, called Ridgeview Apartments, will be next to Pinecrest, an affordable housing complex built by Mendelbaum in 2006.

Housing is in short supply in Crawford. When Ridgeview was first discussed in March 2022, Supervisor Charles Carnes said that just a single apartment was available to rent is town.

Board members agreed that the Ridgeview plans were far enough along to warrant sending them to both the town planner and engineer for review. The plans will also be referred to the Orange County Department of Planning.

Hearing Set for Tattoo Parlor

Tattoo artist Ashley Keefer and her husband, Brian Keefer, who modifies cars for a hobby, are asking for a change of use for the old Cartech building on Main Street. Last summer, they outlined their plans for the board during the informal review period that follows board meetings. At that time, the building and property needed cleaning up before the Keefers could proceed. Old vehicles, tires, and car parts littered the property.

The property has been cleaned and the Keefers are moving forward. They explained that the building would be divided, with her tattoo parlor, Phoenix Tattoo, taking up space that had been Caretech’s office space and customer waiting area. Brian Keefer would work in the space where Cartech serviced cars. There would not be any shared space.

About 10 tattoo artists would work at Phoenix, although no more than a few at any one time, Ashley Keefer said.

The board scheduled a public hearing on the change of use request for February 8.