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STOW – A property on Hadley Bay Road in Stow will have to wait a bit longer for a special use permit from the North Harmony Town Board.
The property is located just off of Route 394 before Interstate 86.
The North Harmony Town Board and town Planning Board have had discussions in recent weeks regarding the Leighton Properties proposal for the property. Existing basement apartments in the building will be removed to become dry storage only while showers will be removed from two apartments to be used as commercial spaces only. The Leightons also want to make the building state Fire Code compliant from the year it was built.
When completed the building will house four apartments and two commercial spaces. In the commercial space kitchen cabinets are being removed along with refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers and any other equipment while gas lines are to be capped.
There will be no parking on the Route 394 side of the building. If a dumpster is used it will be to the side of the building and screened off from public view by a fence. The project will comply with recommendations made by the county Planning Board, according to minutes of discussions during the June North Harmony Planning Board meeting.
Town Board members discussed the project during their July meeting. Dan and Jerry Leighton, the building’s owners, are asking for a special use permit for two additional apartments in the newer section of the building. Louise Ortman, acting town supervisor, said she was comfortable going back to what the building was originally permitted to house, while Dick Sena, board member, said in his opinion the building should be brought back to its original use, be inspected by the town’s code officer and then bring the special use permit request back to the board for the new apartments. Leighton said the newer part of the building is up to building code while the older section hasn’t changed much except for two downstairs apartments that shouldn’t require much work to revert back to its prior condition.
Up to five units are allowed in the TC-4 zoning district, according to Julie Conklin, town zoning and code officer.
Board members passed a motion requiring the Leightons to bring the old section of the building back to its originally permitted state, which included the two apartments and two office spaces, and then return to the board with the request for a special use permit to build two additional apartments in the new section of the building.