Planning Board meeting
August 1, 2018 Minutes

Chairman Kozakiewicz called the meeting to order at 7:02pm.

Roll call:

Al Kozakiewicz — present
Kim Hart — present
Fred Franko — present
Mike Voght — absent
Peter Kiernan — absent
Lynne Delesky — present
Rick Gilmour — present

Members of the public in attendance: Bonnie Baswell, David Baswell

Agenda for the meeting: Work session to discuss a possible subdivision of parcels related to the Lakeside Motel.

The following are the salient excerpts from that discussion.

Bonnie Baswell: We’re part of the LLC that owns the Lakeside Motel and the cottages on Kasson Drive.

Bonnie Baswell: We’re looking to subdivide another piece of this, so that we can have the cottage under our personal control and separate it from the Motel and the commercial regulations and restrictions that we would encounter with the Lakeside Motel — it is still a viable operating motel.

Bonnie Baswell: There’s a total of at least 10 acres left.

Bonnie Baswell: My other three siblings have received a segment of it over the last ten to twenty years.

Bonnie Baswell: We want to try to separate out a parcel to the east of the Motel — a section where there used to be seven cottages and now there’s basically the new one we constructed with the help of Scott Horton and then one old one that’s a storage unit that needs to be taken down.

Bonnie Baswell: Over the last ten years we've removed most of the old cottages.

Bonnie Baswell: Mr. Ackerbauer looked at it and we’re proposing dividing it into one segment around the hotel.

Bonnie Baswell: He thought there would be room for another three partitions.

Bonnie Baswell: Still gives us 2.5 acres for each parcel.

Al Kozakiewicz: When you say cottage — I know you said that Scott Horton built something that you’re living in now. But, by any chance are you talking about structures that were or are part of the Motel?

Bonnie Baswell: No.

Lynne Delesky: There would be a cottage for someone to live in, as opposed to rented out?

Bonnie Baswell: I don’t foresee anybody renting — it would be for family. But, that does raise a question because I know right now it’s not really officially commercial but it’s legally a nonconforming type of situation where we’re allowed to have a commercial business: The Lakeside Motel. But the three parcels — if we could subdivide those up — we really don’t care whether they would be nonconforming —

Al Kozakiewicz: Well, we do — we would care.

Bonnie Baswell: That’s where I have questions: What are your concerns? Would it preferable to have them residential or would it be preferable to have them commercial?

Al Kozakiewicz: They’re already residential. I mean the fact that it’s a lakefront — and, just so you know — on the website that James [Long Deputy Supervisor, acting as Planning Board Secretary] gave you — go check that out because it has the existing zoning regulations on it — ordinance — which will look like this on the front and it will also have the proposed update [ordinance] which, if I were a betting man, is probably less than a year away. As far as subdivisions go, there’s more clarification in here. You can see the direction that we’re going. But the one that’s in effect right now is the older one that was initially adopted in 1979.

Al Kozakiewicz: Let’s not get too far yet down into details. Maybe what we should do is: we’ll take turns talking. I’ll start off. I can tell you the concerns that I would have. First of all LF2.5 is by implication, a residential area. So it’s one principal structure per 2.5 acres.

Al Kozakiewicz: Anytime we approve a subdivision, it also goes to the APA. They have veto on that.

Al Kozakiewicz: Their overriding concern is density.

Chairman Al Kozakiewicz described zoning and the process to Bonnie Baswell. He said one of his big concerns in a subdivision is, if the Motel is to remain a commercial business, does the subdivide impact that in any way? Water, parking, traffic, sharing of infrastructure: wells, septic systems. Once you do a subdivision: the title is separated from everything else.

Bonnie Baswell discussed the existing infrastructure, including shared well.

Bonnie Baswell said separating that area into three parcels and giving everybody some beachfront property limits that to fifty feet [frontage].

The Planning Board discussed the specific proposal presented by Bonnie and David Baswell. They reviewed the drawings.

Al Kozakiewicz suggested severing the shoreline into a separate parcel, shared by the other new parcels.

The board discussed potential setback and coverage issues due to steep grade away from the road.

Al Kozakiewicz had concerns about setback and conforming structures. LF2.5 required lot width is 125 feet.

Al Kozakiewicz said if you remove the Motel, subdividing would be easy.

The Planning Board realized there was an access road for the adjacent Cross property that traverses the Motel area.

Fred Franko said he thought it would be hard to get three individual lots.

The Motel is owned by the four siblings.

One or more members of the Planning Board suggested the owners consider making it all residential or else sell it all as a grandfathered commercial motel.

David Baswell broached the idea of condominiums.

The secretary advised the Planning Board that there were already several separate lots in existence.

Al Kozakiewicz expressed his concerns about subdivision that would require a variance for any development.

Al Kozakiewicz advised that Bonnie Baswell work with Charlie Ackerbauer and John Duesler, Code Enforcement Officer to come up with a viable plan.

Meeting adjourned at 8:07pm.

Respectfully submitted
James McMartin Long
Town of Caroga Deputy Supervisor,
acting as Planning Board Secretary

Copyright © James McMartin Long 2017–2024