A proposed new home on State Route 21 was put on hold Tuesday after questions surfaced about activity associated with an existing accessory building on the property, prompting the Canandaigua Town Planning Board to wait for additional legal and enforcement information before acting.
The Sept. 8 meeting also brought approval of a substantial lakefront home replacement on County Road 16, a new house on Goff Road and a renewed site plan for an event venue on State Route 332. Another long-running residential project on State Route 21 South was pushed into November while the town awaits action from the Zoning Board of Appeals and additional review involving the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Route 21 home tabled as town works through separate property issues
The board spent considerable time on a proposal to build a single-family home at 2865 State Route 21, where the property already contains an accessory building.
The residential proposal itself included a new driveway extending from an existing curb cut, an emergency turnaround, stormwater controls and a septic system designed for a five-bedroom home. The project would disturb more than an acre, requiring a stormwater pollution prevention plan.
Discussion shifted, however, to the existing accessory structure and questions about whether business-related activity was taking place on the property.
Board members questioned how they should evaluate the residential application while another potential use remained unresolved. Town staff repeatedly cautioned the board against concluding that an unauthorized commercial use existed, saying the Planning Board did not have all of the facts and that the matter was being handled separately.
Staff said corrective actions were being requested and that, even if the Planning Board approved the home, the applicant would not be able to move ahead with a building permit or other work until those outstanding matters were addressed.
The board initially considered continuing with the residential review, but town staff later reported that the town attorney recommended tabling the application until the Planning Board’s first meeting in October because related legal proceedings were expected to be concluded by then.
The board agreed to table the matter.
County Road 16 lakefront rebuild approved with extensive conditions
The board approved a single-stage site plan for 4939 County Road 16 involving demolition of an existing single-family home and construction of a new residence on Canandaigua Lake.
The project is tied to a lot merger combining a 1.7-acre parcel with a 1-acre parcel, creating an approximately 2.7-acre property. The design team said an earlier plan to renovate and expand the existing house was abandoned after discussions involving floodplain requirements showed the existing floor elevation was too low.
Mark Bayer of Bayer Landscape Architecture told the board the replacement house was designed as several connected building components rather than one large mass. The plan includes a three-car garage, living areas, bedroom space, terraces, landscaping and a pool.
The property is within the lakefront residential district, but Bayer said the project was designed without the need for zoning variances and would remain within applicable setbacks, building-height limits and lot-coverage requirements.
Much of the board’s review centered on stormwater, septic infrastructure and protection of Canandaigua Lake.
The project team described a system using an infiltration basin, rain garden and several dry basins intended to slow runoff, collect sediment and control discharge before water reaches the lake. A full stormwater pollution prevention plan is also being prepared.
The septic system will use property across the road, where an existing system would be expanded. Board members questioned how construction would affect existing wastewater lines and easements serving neighboring properties.
Those concerns became more significant after a neighboring property owner described past problems involving septic infrastructure, drainage and uncertainty over the location of existing lines.
The board responded by building additional requirements into its approval.
Among the conditions, existing wastewater infrastructure serving the property to the north must be located and mapped, with revised easements prepared and filed before the plans are signed. An easement must also protect continued use of an existing wastewater treatment system by the property to the south.
The board required protection of the wastewater transmission line during construction and directed that existing direct discharges to the lake be investigated and, where appropriate, abandoned.
Plans must also state that the proposed pool, spa and cold plunge will not drain into Canandaigua Lake. The landscaping plan must replace a proposed Kousa dogwood, and additional historic-resource review was also discussed before demolition.
Altogether, the approval carried 25 conditions.
New Goff Road home moves forward
The Planning Board also approved a new single-family home at 6235 Goff Road.
The vacant parcel is unusually shaped, with only about 60 feet of width at the road before widening farther into the property. The proposed house was positioned to meet setbacks while limiting the length of the driveway and utilities.
The plan calls for a conventional septic system, private well and a rain garden below the proposed septic area for stormwater management.
Board members reviewed driveway width, site slopes, soil conditions, septic details and emergency access. The applicant’s representative agreed the driveway could be reduced from the 16 feet shown on part of the plan to the town’s 12-foot standard where appropriate.
Additional plan information will address soil investigations, percolation testing and septic system details. The board also added language concerning driveway sight distance and approved the site plan with five listed conditions.
State Route 332 event venue approved again
A proposed event venue at 1880 State Route 332 returned to the Planning Board because an earlier conditional approval expired before all requirements were completed.
The project itself remains largely unchanged.
The previous application had received conditional Planning Board approval, but the agenda notes that it expired before the required conditions were satisfied.
The applicant’s representative said one outstanding item involved the site-lighting plan and that the deadline for an extension was missed, requiring a new application.
The plan still calls for development of the event center and associated site improvements. Updated work includes changes responding to fire-code comments, final landscaping details and inspection of a stormwater pond.
The board was also told that a fence would not be required along one portion of the property. Instead, the proposal uses a three-row staggered evergreen buffer.
After completing its environmental review, the board determined the project would result in no or only small environmental impacts and approved the single-stage site plan with 11 conditions.
Route 21 South barn conversion pushed to November
The board took no final action on another residential proposal at 4243 State Route 21 South, where the applicant wants to convert an existing agricultural barn into a single-family home.
The application was already listed as a continued site-plan review.
Planning Board members were told they are still waiting for the Zoning Board of Appeals to act on variances needed for the project.
Town staff also said additional information has raised questions being reviewed with DEC, making it unlikely that the Zoning Board process would be completed quickly enough for the Planning Board to resume its review in October.
The Planning Board ultimately continued the application to Nov. 10, giving the Zoning Board and town staff additional time to complete their work.
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