The Highbridge project cleared a major hurdle Monday when Schoharie’s Zoning Board of Appeals approved a 10-foot height variance for the proposed warehouse, 3-2.
Coming after two hours—and months—of discussions, the decision was “akin to a straw vote,” said attorney Dave Brennan.
A formal vote will come when the ZBA meets again on the 19th after Mr. Brennan’s pulled together the reasoning behind the vote--both for and against--in a document that will hold up to a legal challenge—should it come.
ZBA members Ben Cooper, Jenna Risse, and chair Don Masse voted in favor of the variance; Fred Lawyer and Cody Robinson-Bullock voted against it.
Highbridge’s John Roth didn’t say no variance would mean no project, but he did say if they went ahead at 35 feet, it would impact the quality of potential tenants.
“Ten feet, that’s what we’re deciding on, right?” asked Mr. Cooper—repeatedly before casting his vote, “The only thing we’re voting on is 10 feet? So I can wrap my head around it…”
Yes, Mr. Brennan said.
Under the Zoning Code, warehouses are permitted at I-88 and Route 30A but require a special use permit from the Planning Board, which its members discussed in depth in a similar session Tuesday. (See related story.)
In their request for the variance, developers argued it’s necessary to market the site; industry changes since the Zoning Code was last updated make the 35 foot height limited outdated, they said.
Except, Mr. Cooper pointed out, Schoharie already has a building that’s 57 feet tall: the County Office Building.
“I’ve lived here 50 years,” he said. “Never once did someone say that’s too high.”
Same for the Parrot House, he said—42 feet high at its peak—and the hotel at the Business Park—almost 60 feet high if you count the spire.
Engineer Steve Boisvert of McFarland Johnson ran through the latest updates to the project before the ZBA vote.
Extensive additional landscaping along I-88 and around the building will address screening concerns, he said.
Additionally, DOT has approved their traffic study and is requiring a traffic signal at the I-88 off-ramp as well as a second traffic signal and left turning lane on 30A at the employee’s entrance.
Voting against the variance, Mr. Lawyer said he doesn’t believe either the projected jobs or sales tax figures and he’s afraid what will happen if the project “takes off.”
“I just see a mess coming in.” he said.
Also a “no” vote, Mr. Robinson-Bullock argued “bigger is not always better.”
“Even with all the screening, it’s a no for me. I think it’s an important view,” he said.
A yes, Mr. Masse said he believes developers adequately made their case and called growth vs. community a “balancing act”; Ms. Risse, the last to cast a vote, said she has faith in the Planning Board.
Like Mr. Cooper, she also said she was voting on “just the 10 feet” and doesn’t see how that would negatively impact the neighborhood anymore than 35 feet would.