04-07-09 - The Taghkanic Zoning Board of Appeals will conduct a public hearing on April 21 on an appeal of a previous ruling that the paved racetrack being sought by Alan Wilzig is a recreational use.
The organization opposing Wilzig’s track proposal, The Granger Group, appealed the ruling by the Town’s Code Enforcement Officer, Dennis Callahan, that the track is considered a recreational use, ZBA member Bob Rochler told ccSCOOP.
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Photograph by Diane Rodriguez |
"There is nothing in our zoning ordinance that comes close to [a racetrack]. They mention a whole bunch of recreational opportunities, and this isn't one of them," said Diane Rodriguez, a neighbor of the Wilzig compound and a member of The Granger Group.
Wilzig, an avid motorcycle collector, initially submitted a proposal in 2007 to construct a paved one-mile, 40-foot-wide track on his 250-acre property located off Post Hill Road near the Taconic State Parkway. That proposal was rejected by the Town Zoning Board of Appeals, which ruled the paved track is not a standard accessory use on a residential property. That decision was upheld in state court.
Last year, calling the track a “recreational use,” Wilzig submitted the proposal again and received initial approval from Callahan. In addition to the decision being made by the ZBA, the proposal is also being vetted by the Planning Board, which must review the site plan.
The Planning Board at its March meeting declined to offer an opinion on the ZBA’s review. It moved forward with its own review, asking Planning Board attorney Lawrence Howard to craft for its April 13 meeting a negative declaration that would relieve Wilzig of the requirement of doing a DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Study). The attorney will also create a list of conditions already undertaken by Wilzig to mitigate the impact of the proposal.
“The thing that is a little ridiculous about the whole thing is that if the Planning Board rules he can have the racetrack and we say it doesn’t fit, [the Planning Board’s] ruling doesn’t mean anything,” Rochler said.
Rochler said he expects a similar scene at the ZBA’s April 21 as occurred at the Planning Board hearing in February, when approximately 100 residents turned out, most of whom were there to voice their opposition to the track. Attorneys for Wilzig and The Granger Group will also be given opportunities to state their cases.
“We will probably take a couple of days to make our decision,” Rochler said.
PREVIOUS ARTICLES ABOUT THE WILZIG PROPOSAL
"Wilzig Proposal May Be Decided on Next Month" - March 12, 2009
"Wilzig Paving Plan Revs Up Opposition" - February 10, 2009
"Wilzig Asphalt Track Resurfaces" - December 10, 2008
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