TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY
PLANNING BOARD
TUESDAY, 12/8/2020, 7:00 PM
MEMBERS PRESENT: PAT RICE PHIL STRAND
GARY WINGER WALTER GEIST
RICHARD JOHNSON
Brad Lawson, Zoning CEO
OTHERS PRESENT: Stephanie Gibbs, Dick Sena, Dale Robbins/Kelly Johnson, Louis Ortman, Robert Yates, Helen & Clayton Emick, John & Beth Ward, Mike Pfeil, Sandy Thayer
- PAT RICE OPENED THE MEETING AT 7:00 PM.
- BRAD LAWSON, ZONING C.E.O GAVE ZONING REPORT
- TRANSIENT LAW
- Ward spoke about his concerns with the new transient law.
- Ward would like to see the law not passed. He feels it affects a lot of property owners.
- Ward agrees that the code enforcement officer cannot keep track of what all the rental properties are doing, and he understands the law is to try to put some control on rentals. Mr. Ward
- Ward said he would like to see the penalties listed in the law and would like to see the rights of the landowner if there is a penalty applied.
- ward thinks the owner should be responsible for trash removal.
- Pfeil questioned the reason for the law.
- Rice explained that at this point rentals are not allowed in the town, but they have been renting for many years. He said the board was just trying to pass an ordinance that would make it legal with some control. He said we were hoping to get people to register and by getting them to register it would supply us with information incase of any complaints we would know who to contact.
- Rice said we were concerned about overburdening the town with enforcement.
- Pfeil said he was concerned with the town being commercialized and feels that permitting the use will only encourage the use and permit the use.
- Rice said we just want to find out who is responsible for the rentals so if there is a problem, we can reach out to whoever is in charge.
- Yates asked if we could do this without changing the district?
- Pfeil said he is concerned by doing this the effects of it will do a lot more than just getting control over the existing rentals and that it will open the door for people to come in and buy property just to rent, and it concerns him that it will change the community.
- Emick said that the county is already collecting the information that we are looking for.
- Rice asked if we have access to the county information
- Lawson said he assumes we do.
- Rice said a lot of what we are trying to do is unenforceable. All we want to do is get people to register.
- Lawson said he came to the board because they had numerous ppl come to him and ask him if they can buy property fix it up and rent it and he tells them no, and they come back to him and say the properties around them are renting.
- Robbins said you can make special districts for rentals. He said other towns have done that.
- Yates said a lot of the complaints come from specific areas. He asked if those areas could create a homeowner’s association and let them make their own decision weather, they allow renting to happen or not.
- Lawson said the town still supersedes what happens there, he just works close with the associations when making decisions in that area.
- Strand said he does have a concern with making people register making it ok to rent.
- Ward said she has an issue when there are many people renting around her, they suck the well dry because they do not realize the limit of the well.
- Pfeil said if you have laws now that you cannot enforce now how are you going to enforce more complicated rules and laws.
- Pfeil said passing this law is just going to sanction this and create more problems.
- Ward said he feels its going to happen weather we pass the law or not and he is concerned that even if the law is passed weather people are going to register or not.
- Robbins said that Lakewood tried to pass a similar law and they could not pass it.
- yates said they are better to explore their options with the county and put it on them.
- MAINTENANCE DREDGING FOR THE STOW FERRY
- Yates reviewed the SEQR
- Rice went over part 1 and 2 of the SEQR questions.
- MOTION
- JOHNSON MOTIONED FOR A NEGATIVIE DECLARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THE SEQR FOR THE MAINTENACE DREDGING FOR THE STOW FERRY, SECONDED BY MR. WINGER. YES (5) NO (0)
Next regular meeting scheduled JANUARY 12, 2021 for at 7:00 P.M.
- MOTION
ON A MOTION MADE BY MR. RICE, SECONDED BY MR. WINGER AND NONE BEING APPOSED, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 8:30 PM
Stephanie Gibbs
Deputy Town Clerk
