Guilderland planner seeks more information on Route 146 contractor yard.

Guilderland's Town Planner has recommended further review before the Planning Board makes a recommendation on a proposed contractor yard at 634 NYS Route 146. A September 3 memorandum identifies unresolved questions about wetlands, outdoor storage, stormwater, and historic resources. The proposal appeared on the Planning Board's September 9 agenda; the records reviewed for this article do not establish the Board's action that evening.

Three buildings and outdoor storage

The proposal calls for three one-story buildings of 12,000 square feet each on approximately 7.3 acres in the Town's Rural Agricultural district. The buildings would provide space for multiple contractor tenants, with parking and outdoor areas for materials, equipment, and vehicles.

The applicant's August 6 project narrative describes potential tenants such as landscapers, masons, roofers, and builders. It estimates approximately six acres of ground disturbance and proposes a water connection from Weaver Road and an on-site septic system. The narrative anticipates no adverse traffic effects and describes stormwater treatment using green infrastructure and detention.

According to the Town Planner's memorandum, the Zoning Board of Appeals is the lead agency for environmental review and would consider the special use permit. The Planning Board's role is to review the site plan and report to the ZBA. The memorandum also identifies a rear-setback variance needed for one building.

Wetland boundaries and outdoor storage need closer review

Black Creek runs along the eastern part of the property and drains toward the Watervliet Reservoir. The planner states that the proposed buildings are outside the depicted stream setback and flood zones. The concerns identified in the memorandum extend to the drive aisle, storage areas, and runoff from the site.

A prior plan showed federally regulated wetlands, according to the planner, but the current drawings omit that delineation. The memorandum calls for wetland boundaries to be shown on a grading plan, a calculation of the area that would be disturbed, and review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It also recommends evaluating an alternative layout to reduce potential wetland impacts.

The outdoor-storage proposal needs more detail as well. The planner asks the applicant to identify the materials, vehicles, and equipment that tenants would keep outside. That information would help the Town assess whether measures such as covered storage, containment, or oil-water separators should be incorporated into the plans. The memorandum also calls for a full stormwater pollution prevention plan.

Historic-resource concerns are part of the record

The memorandum discusses correspondence from Albany County Legislator Jeff Perlee concerning a reported Revolutionary-era farm and possible burial site. Those concerns led the planner to recommend consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office and an update to the environmental assessment form.

The materials reviewed do not include a preservation-office determination confirming the presence or location of a burial site. The planner recommends investigating the concern before the application advances.

What remains pending

The planner recommends that the Planning Board table further site-plan review and defer its recommendation to the ZBA until the identified items are addressed. That is a staff recommendation. As of September 16, the official September 9 meeting page contained the agenda and supporting materials but no posted minutes or written Planning Board report establishing the outcome.

The next useful records will be the Board's report, any revised plans, agency responses, and the ZBA's environmental and permit determinations. For now, the application illustrates how the proposed operation of a contractor yard can affect review of the site layout: the materials stored outdoors, the drainage design, and the boundaries of sensitive areas all bear on what the boards need to evaluate.