Minutes - October 14, 2005

REGULAR MEETING

Chairman Jonathan Bass called a special Town of Otsego Planning Board meeting to order at 7:05 PM. All members were present: Bass, Paul Lord (Vice-Chairman), John Stucin,
Wes Ciampo, Donna Borgstrom, Lin Vincent, and John Phillips. Also present were Town Attorney Margaret McGown, Zoning Enforcement Officer Sal Furnari, and Planning Board
clerk Bill Deane.

Chairman Bass reviewed correspondence received since the last meeting. There was a copy of a Zoning Board of Appeals notice (filed), granting area variances to Barbara
Petersen. Bill Deane distributed copies of the October 4, 2005 Planning Board meeting minutes to the attendees. The Board then moved on to the application.

APPLICATION

Joe Siracusa, Farmers' Museum - Site plan approval, Empire State Carousel - 800 Lake Road, Cooperstown (#115.00-1-4.00)

Paul Lord read aloud the minutes (not yet approved) of the October 4 meeting relevant to the application. Chairman Bass read a faxed letter (filed) from
the Otsego County Planning Board, stating that they had considered the application on October 6, and determined that the project had no significant impacts of concern to
them.

Bass raised the question of whether this was a Type I or II action. The Board had treated it as a Type I (by completing the Environmental Assessment Form,
or EAF, submitted by the applicant), but Bass thinks upon further reflection that it is actually a Type II, requiring no EAF. The consensus of the Board was that Bass was
correct, and that no further review was required in either case, but that the record should reflect the correct determination. Lord moved that, per New York State
Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) section 617.5(C)(8), this application constituted a Type II action. John Stucin seconded the motion and it was approved, 7-0.

John Phillips moved to approve the site plan. Wes Ciampo seconded the motion and it was approved, 7-0. Bass stamped the site plan "approved" and signed
it. Zoning Enforcement Officer Furnari signed the land use permit and referred Joe Siracusa to the County for a building permit.

OTHER BUSINESS

Chairman Bass announced that, during their October 12 meeting, the Town Board had approved a six-month moratorium on all major subdivisions in the
residential/agricultural (RA-1 and RA-2) districts. He said this ties in with the Pierstown community petition and the Town's proposed Comprehensive Plan. Town Attorney
McGown pointed out that the decision had not yet been filed, so the moratorium was not yet in place. The attendees engaged in considerable discussion about this issue.

Bass brought up the Randy Dean minor subdivision application, deemed complete by the Board at the October 4 meeting, and due for public hearing on November
1. Dean had done a short-form EAF, but Bass said that because Dean is in a historic district, the application probably should have been deemed a Type I action, requiring a
long-form EAF and coordinated review. Because the application was deemed complete on October 4, starting a 62-day deadline on the decision process, either the Board will
have to decide on it on November 1 (possibly denying it), or Dean will have to "stop the clock," allowing them time to correct the process. Bass said he would contact Dean
before November 1 to give him his options.

Bass also discussed whether the Board should look at Dean's deed to see if there are any covenants they should consider. Several members opined that deed
covenants are a civil matter, not a Planning Board issue. Town Attorney McGown agreed.

At 7:50 PM, Paul Lord moved to adjourn the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Deane

Planning Board Clerk