Zoning change approved

By DAVID HULSE

NARROWSBURG — After three public hearings, one prior approval and one nullification, the Tusten Town Board finally approved an amendment to local zoning on July 8 that would allow eating and drinking establishments in the predominant R-1 district.

Supervisor Richard Crandall has said that it was only an oversight in the original zoning approval that had absented the use in past, but many property owners had become accustomed to the situation and fought the change, which had originally included other retail businesses.

They feared that traffic drawn from Pennsylvania to new casinos and the Bethel performing arts center would encourage fast-food and convenience-store franchisers to locate in the town.

Crandall argued that required site plan review would allow the town to select among the kinds of businesses it wanted to see.

A compromise, following a recommendation from Sullivan County Planning Commissioner Alan Sorensen, dropped the additional retail businesses. Other conditions would require off street, screened parking, at least a 1,500-foot separation between establishments, new construction conforming to existing architectural styles in the area, exclusion of stand-alone drinking establishments and an 11:00 p.m. closing time.

In other business, the town board:

• got good grades from its auditor Anna Niemann in her report on the annual audit;
• heard Crandall read aloud a letter from Town Engineer Bob Meyer, chronicling ongoing negotiations between Tusten and the Sullivan West School District regarding costs needed for improvements to storm drains serving the Narrowsburg school building;
• heard Crandall report that Tusten Assessor Ken Baim’s assessment rolls have again been graded at a perfect 100 percent for state equalization;
• heard Crandall report that the Department of Health has accepted two town plans to relieve the salt problem at the town well sites.
• approved an August 4, 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. closure of Main Street for a Narrowsburg Chamber of Commerce sponsored bluegrass concert.
• approved plans, with adequate traffic safety measures, to install the street stage for Riverfest on the evening of July 27, prior to the July 28 festivities.
• heard Crandall report that repairs to the Little Lake Erie spillway are needed and will be addressed upon the return of vacationing Highway Superintendent Skip Feagles;
• recessed into closed, executive session to discuss “zoning litigation.”