Main street renovation continues

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

NARROWSBURG, NY — Studies will need to show that existing maintenance facilities at the former Kelly building and Lion’s Den can handle the retail, restaurant and office uses Nick and Laura Santana have in mind for Narrowsburg Mews, a renovation project that will integrate old buildings and add some 5,000 square feet of business space to Main Street.

“You need to be extra careful and make sure that the impacts of the proposed uses of the building will not be substantial,” Robert Meyer said to the Tusten Planning Board at its October 20 meeting. The board accepted the engineer’s recommendations, presented in a five-page letter, and instructed the Santana’s to obtain information about storm drains, water availability and sewer maintenance from their engineer, and to consult with Tusten’s highway, water and sewer officials.

Board members agreed that the renovation project should not be delayed, though Meyer advised that upcoming review of the site plan should consider impact on town traffic flow, parking availability, lighting, signage and other environmental matters set forth by the town’s comprehensive plan.

Current site plans show details of a first floor gourmet shop and café with indoor bistro-style seating and a second floor restaurant with outdoor patio seating on the building’s Bridge Street side.

Code Enforcement Officer Stephen Stuart said the former Kelly building and the Lion’s Den were both equipped with restaurant facilities and the Kelly building housed 21 beds, which should provide some indication of the building’s sewer treatment capacity.

Ground sign denied

In other business, the board voted to deny Kaz Zaniewski’s application to place a five-by-eight foot ground sign at the corner of Route 97 and County Road 25, an advertisement that would provide contact information for Zaniewski’s company, Modesta, Inc., which builds custom log homes in Tusten.

The proposed site of the sign is owned by Cortese Construction, a party that has a joint venture with Modesta, Zaniewski’s attorney Livius Ilasz said.

“I think we would give approval if you had a model home on the site, but we don’t approve off-premises signs,” Chairman Ed Jackson said.

“In the past, we clarified that Route 97 is not about signage. It’s about scenery,” board member Linda Slocum said.

Zoning law stipulates that all off-premises signs should be reviewed by the planning board as special uses in public hearings, but the board advised Zanieski and Ilasz to apply to the zoning board of appeals (ZBA).

“The ZBA might give you relief,” Jackson said.

As of Monday night, no public hearings were scheduled for next month’s meeting on November 17.