Pam and Oren Robinson of 103 Marion Road, the duo who operate It’s All About the Animals, a nonprofit cat shelter, discussed their Site Plan Review application for the addition of a cat room and porch of 670 square-feet on August 9 with the Rochester Planning Board. The Robinsons had included several waivers in the review.
Mrs. Robinson, evidently frustrated by the different hoops required to receive approval, asked the board why she was required to follow commercial guidelines when the property was zoned as agricultural.
“Why didn’t you bring this up two months ago at the technical review?” Chairman Arnold Johnson asked her.
“We did. Everyone just skipped right over it,” Robinson replied.
“I don’t remember that,” Johnson said. “[Town Counsel] Blair Bailey has never indicated that your application is being processed in the incorrect manner, so he believes that it’s right.”
“I did ask Blair if there was an exception for you, due to being agricultural,” said Town Planner Mary Crain, “but he said no.”
Among the waivers the Robinsons applied for, one was an exemption to recording the plan and the ensuing decision with the town.
“I’ve already recorded the plan once, with the Zoning Board,” Robinson explained. “You’re telling me I have to do it again?”
“Well, you haven’t recorded it with the Planning Board yet,” explained Johnson.
Robinson, who was dismayed by the long process in front of her, asked if she would need to do any of the requirements for a commercial building had she instead been allowed to work under an agricultural identity.
The answer from Johnson was, “We don’t know. You might just be dragged back in front of us to do another site review. You might be told to just scratch everything and start all over. It will set you back at least two months and possibly cost you a lot more.”
“Can we put this together and make it right for the next meeting?” board member Gary Florindo asked. “Due to the fact that you’re a nonprofit, we can waive the recording of the plan, since you’ve done it already. My feeling is that you shouldn’t need to do it at all as a nonprofit. But, we need to record Mary’s decision so we have evidence that you did everything you needed to do and nobody can question it later on.”
“We need a waiver list, a full one,” Johnson declared. “I know that it’s frustrating, and that you’ve been working on this for a long time. But if we don’t approve all of the waivers we can now, you might be forced to do something you didn’t need to do later.” Johnson continued, “For example, if it wasn’t waived, you might’ve been required to do a traffic survey on 105, and that could cost you $20,000. So let’s get everything in order.”
The Robinsons agreed to submit a full and complete list of waivers, and the public meeting was continued until the next meeting.
Also during the meeting, the board was questioned on what the cleanup process was at the Zero Waste facility in North Rochester and if they were ever going to clean up after the disastrous fire in May.
“Great question!” Johnson replied enthusiastically. “We’re planning to ask them that on the 23rd. They’ve talked to a few boards, but we still have questions for them. Mainly when they’re going to move beyond day-to-day business and actually take steps for improvement. Last time they were here, they did a lot of talking but not a lot of answering.”
“Are there still piles of waste there from the fire?” Florindo asked.
“Yes,” Johnson confirmed. “They can’t recycle it because it’s partially burned, so it has to go somewhere special. The pile is also sitting on a drainage area,” he explained, shaking his head, “so that’s a whole different problem. We need to see measurable steps over there,” he concluded, “not just every-day business.”
In other matters, the board discussed an application submitted by Diana Murphy of Walnut Plain Road.
“I have a thirty-acre parcel on Walnut Plain Road, an inheritance from my father. Last year, I had an engineer split them into two fifteen-acre parcels,” said Murphy.
“Are you planning to sell the lots?” asked board member Lee Carr. Murphy said yes, she was.
“Well from what I see, you’re in good shape,” said Florindo.
The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board will be on August 23 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.
By Andrea Ray
