Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals meeting (July 13, 2022)

The Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals has approved a variance extension request related to the Gateway Lofts Project.

Southern Tier Environments for Living‘s Attorney, Charles Grieco, submitted the extension request for two variances; one regarding the number of proposed parking spaces and one regarding proposed automotive use setbacks on the parcels associated with the project on Water Street. Both variances had been granted back in 2020 and were granted an extension in 2021.

Grieco said the additional extension is needed as the Gateway Lofts Project is still working on getting financing together in order to start construction. He said all elements of the project were significantly impacted by the Pandemic, “The construction industry obviously has been severely impacted, to supply chain issues, inflation issues have been very significant and that has created some difficulties, delays I guess I should say, in finalizing the financing. The client is seeking and is in the process of obtaining a bridge loan for that purpose.”

The Jamestown Planning Commission approved the $31 million project in June 2020. The Gateway Lofts project calls for creating 110 total units, although 56 of them would be intended for homeless individuals who currently don’t have any other long-term housing options available. That means a total of 54 new units would be intended for renters, most of which would be on low or fixed income.

Grieco said he anticipates that all financing will be in place by December 2022 and that construction will be able to begin in 2023.

Jamestown Planning Commission reviews site plan for proposed Tim Horton’s on Washington Street (June 21, 2022)

The Jamestown Planning Commission has approved the site plans for a new Tim Horton’s store on Washington Street.

Franchise Owner Blake Tarana said the store, located at 1505 Washington Street, will be the first double drive-thru in Jamestown, “We’re building a few more of these outside of the city, but obviously with a double drive-thru it’ll help us with speed of service and getting the guests through and hopefully shortening the lines up around the city.”

The store also will include an outside pick-up window and outdoor patio space. There would be no indoor access to the restaurant for customers. Tarana added that the store would have a limited menu and be open 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. He said 15 to 20 employees would be at that location.

The Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals had approved a variance request at its June 9 meeting related to the parking lot set-back.

TAR Holdings LLC requested a five-foot set back versus the 10-feet required under zoning requirements. Consultants explained to the ZBA that the variance request is to provide an extra bypass lane for pedestrian customer safety, allowing them to bypass the drive thru if they decide to leave the site, while also providing “a means for trash pick up that does not impact any customer stacking or customer driving thru the restaurant pick up window area.”

Tarana said they hope to start construction in late July or early August with hopes to be open by mid-September or early October.

Rendering of proposed Tim Horton’s on Washington Street

The Jamestown Planning Commission reviewed an initial site plan for a new Tim Horton’s on Washington Street.

Franchise Owner Blake Tarana said the 880 square foot building at 1515 Washington Street will be the first of its kind in the United States as a drive-thru only store. The site will feature a double drive-thru, a walk-up window, and some outdoor patio seating.

The site plan requires a variance approval for parking set back. The required set back is 10-feet and the restaurant owners are requesting 5-feet to allow for a by-pass lane around the perimeter of the lot.

The variance request will appear before the Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals at its June 1st meeting.

The Planning Commission is then expected to approve the final site plan at its June meeting.

Comments from the Planning Commission included a suggestion by Commission member Mike Laurin that bike racks be added to the design due to its proximity to the bike path and Riverwalk.

Margaret Street resident Cathy Lumia said she is definitely in opposition to the project, “We live with the four houses on the block of Margaret Street and that’s where the majority, except Mrs. Heck’s house, is going to be affected. First of all, parking – where are the people who work on that project going to park? Margaret Street is a no parking street. And the construction vehicles, where will they be?”

Dwayne Carlson Jr., who is overseeing his parent’s estate on Margaret Street, said he had received calls from neighbors about the project, “The fact that a lot of people aren’t sure what this looks like. You can talk about plots and you can talk about variances and things like that but I think to ease their anxiety if there were pictures available.”

Ditonto said it would be up to the petitioner to provide pictures of the proposed project. There is not a known date for when the petition will appear on the Zoning Board of Appeals agenda again.

De La Cerda is a Southwestern graduate with a fine arts background. She got into tattooing around 1993 in New York City when she was a Yellow Taxi driver. De La Cerda said she used to spend downtime between calls drawing and another driver suggested she get into tattooing, “He started showing me tattoo magazines and things like this. And then I started getting tattooed and I really loved it. I just fell in love with it right away. And so I harassed the local tattoo parlor into teaching me. So a year later, I was not taxi driving anymore, I was tattooing.”

De La Cerda’s move back to Jamestown to open the tattoo shop wasn’t without some bumps. When she applied for a variance two years ago to locate on East Fourth Street, it was denied by the City’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the City then brought De La Cerda in to present her ideas to the Zoning Board to see what could be done, “We had some really good conversation and meaningful conversation, I think, about the zoning code as it was written. And then, Planning Commission talked about the relevance of the zoning code, or irrelevance of the zoning code as it was written, and the need to change with the times. And talk about what kind of business do we want to see in our downtown core.”

City Council passed a local ordinance in September 2020 updating the zoning code to allow for tattoo shops to operate in commercially zoned areas of the city. The Secret Undisclosed Location can reached at (716) 846-1398 or online at jamestowntattoo.com

The Jamestown Planning Commission will be meeting Tuesday and among the items on the agenda is the “Review of a Proposed Local Law Providing for Rezoning of Tattoo Parlors.”

The city’s current zoning code restricts locating tattoo parlors to designated manufacturing districts in the city – which means a tattoo shop can not open in the downtown or other commercially zoned areas of the city without first receiving a waiver from the Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals. Those have been hard to come by in recent years, with the zoning board turning down two such requests during the past three years.  But the change in zoning would allow a tattoo shop to open in a commercially zoned area of the city without need for a variance.  The request to update the zoning for tattoo shops comes from City Zoning Board chairperson Ellen DiTonto.

Also on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is a review of the site plans for an addition to the Lawson Boat & Motor marina on Fluvanna Avenue.

The commission will also review the Small Cell Design Guidelines for the placement and design of utility infrastructure within the City’s public right-of-way. The guidelines intend to accommodate the functional needs of the cellular infrastructure industry while recognizing the character and function of the City’s public space.

Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 3:30 pm and will be streamed via Zoom Video Conference on the city’s website.

The first request involves allowing a variance for parking at the proposed Dollar General Store at the southeast corner of Winsor and Crescent Streets. The project is required to have a minimum of 30 parking spaces but the current site plans only include 25 parking spaces. The developers will be asking the zoning board to include 5 on-street parking spaces as part of the 30-space minimum.

• READ THE ZBA MEETING AGENDA

The other involves a request for an area variance to construct a bank office for The Greater Chautauqua Federal Credit Union along sixth street. The developers are asking for a setback variance for both the front yard of the building as well as for parking.

All Jamestown ZBA meetings are open to the public.

According to a public notice from the city clerk’s office, Classic Brass Inc, based out of Lakewood, is filing for a special permit to convert an existing building at 326 Fluvanna Ave. in Jamestown into a light manufacturing facility. The building is owned by Dunkirk Fredonia Telephone and Classic Brass has an offer to purchase the property.

The building is located in an area of the city zoned as a C-M district. According to city code, Service and Highway Commercial District – Light Manufacturing is a permitted use in the C-M district, but a special use permit must first be obtained.

The public hearing on the special use permit begins at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the city council chambers at city hall.

The Jamestown Planning Commission met on Dec. 17, 2019 and reviewed updated plans for the Gateway Lofts project.

JAMESTOWN – The city of Jamestown will be the lead agency for the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) for the Gateway Lofts project.

The approval came after commission members met  with the attorney, architect and officials behind the project, which would involve converting the current Gateway Center (the former Chautauqua Hardware building) on Water St. into a 110 unit housing complex.

In 2018 officials with Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL), Community Helping Hands, and the Jamestown YWCA first came forward and proposed renovating much of the building in order to develop 79 apartment units on the second, third, and fourth floor of the building known as the Gateway Lofts Project. Those units would be used by a variety of tenants, including single parent families recommended by the YWCA, those with disabilities, and also those who would be referred from the county jail diversion program.

In October 2018 the planning commission initially voted to prevent the project from moving forward, based on the project not being fully in line with the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, along with several other environmental concerns that were raised about the project.

During Tuesday’s meeting, project representatives stated that they have altered some details of the plan. That included eliminating the jail diversion component that was initially proposed, adding additional and enhanced green space around the building, removing commercial space from the first floor to make room for additional housing units, and allowing the property to generate tax revenue for the city. Additionally, 30 more units were added to bring the total number of units up to 110.  The group also plans to acquire nearby property in order to ensure that any children living at the Gateway Lofts would have an appropriate playground area to use.

An environmental review of the property must take place before any final approval occurs. city Planner Crystal Surdyk said after the meeting the SEQR process could take several months to complete. The Gateway Lofts developers said they are hoping to get permission on the project prior to the summer of 2020, when they would ideally like to begin the renovation effort.

TATTOO PARLORS DISCUSSED

The commission also had a discussion on updating the city zoning laws to provide more options for prospective tattoo parlor business.
Right now they can only operating in a light manufacturing zone.

Zoning Board of Appeals chair Ellen DiTonto talked with the planning commission members about the repeated variance requests from prospective tattoo business that have been turned down. She suggested that maybe its time the city adjust its zoning to be more accommodating for tattoo shops.

Two members of the local tattoo community also were on hand to explain how the tattoo business has changed over the years and has become more of an artisan profession.

Planning commission member John LaMancuso seemed to be receptive to making a recommendation to the Jamestown City Council to adjust the city code and expand the areas where tattoo shops can open, saying the city shouldn’t be turning away people who want to open new businesses downtown.

The commission said it will look further into the issue in the next couple of months and could likely have a recommendation for the city council early next year.

Mayor elect Eddie Sundquist discusses his transition strategy during a press conference on Friday, Nov. 22.

[UPDATE (DEC 31, 2019 – 1:40 p.m.)] – The Jamestown City Council reorganization meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 1 at noon at Jamestown Community College’s Scharmann Theater. New Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist will be sworn into office, along with the new members of the Jamestown City Council.

JAMESTOWN – When Jamestown mayor-elect Eddie Sundquist is sworn into office on Jan. 1, his first official duty as mayor will be to fill several administrative positions as well as make appointments (or reappointments) to more than three dozen seats on various city boards and commissions (including three citizen representative seats and one city council representative seat on the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities).

As written in the city charter, the mayor is tasked with making appointments to a variety of director positions, along with various boards, commissions and city officers. However, the city council is given the power of consent, meaning any appointment by the mayor must be approved by at least a simple majority of the Jamestown City Council.

“Obviously there is a very limited amount of time for us to find everyone – again 38 spots along with department positions. So if we are able to and after we receive approval from the council – the council will receive the list about a week or two before the (appointment) vote – if we have approval to release it we will do so,” Sundquist said during his transition strategy announcement on Friday.

It should be noted that there is no requirement in the city charter that the mayor first provide a list his prospective appointees to the city council before making it public, let alone that the council must give the mayor persmission to provide the list prior to its review.

ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS UP FOR APPOINTMENT ON JAN. 1

Among the administrative appointments Sundquist must make are for the following positions:

• Director of Administrative Services/City Clerk (currently held by acting clerk Jim Olson through Dec. 31, 2019)
• City Comptroller (currently held by Joe Bellitto through Dec. 31, 2019)
• Director of Development (vacated Nov. 12 by Vince DeJoy)
• Director of Public Works (currently held by Jeff Lehman through Dec. 31, 2019)
• Corporation Counsel/HR Director (currently held by Peter Larson through Dec. 31, 2019)

Both current city clerk Jim Olson and current city comptroller Joe Bellitto plan to retire in the near future, though in Bellitto’s case he has stated he would be willing to stay on in 2020 to help transition a new comptroller.

In the case of the director of development, currently city principal planner Crystal Surdyk is coordinating the department through the remainder of this year.

Public works director Jeff Lehman is the longest-serving department head, having been in his position since 1994 and serving under two different mayors (Republican Richard Kimball and current mayor and Democrat Sam Teresi). Lehman has not indicated any plans to step down from his position and it will be up to Sundquist to determine if he should be reappointed for another four years or go with someone else.

Larson was appointed city attorney this past March to fill out the remainder of the term of former corporation counsel Marylin Fiore-Lehman, who announced her departure to take a position with the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office. He has also continued to work for the private practice of Bly, Sheffield, Bargar & Pillittieri since his appointment.

The position of Jamestown Public Safety Director / Police Chief is also an appointed position, which is currently held by chief Harry Snellings. However, the term of that position will not end until Dec. 31, 2021.

THREE BPU SEATS HIGHLIGHT BOARD AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS

According to information provided to WRFA by the city clerk’s office, there are 38 different city board and commission seats up for appointment or reappointment on Jan. 1.  Among them are four seats on the Jamestown BPU.

For the BPU, both citizen board members Martha Zenns and Terrance Horner are in the final year of their four-year term. In addition, citizen board member Ralph Wallace is in the final year of his two-year term on the board. Sundquist will also have to appoint a city council representative to the BPU. Currently Maria Jones is serving as the city council’s BPU member, but she lost reelection on Nov. 5 and as a result, another member of the new city council will have to be appointed to her seat. Rounding out the BPU citizen members are currently BPU chair Gregory Rabb  along with Jim Olson (both terms end on Dec. 31, 2021).  The remaining three BPU members will be Eddie Sundquist, who serves as board president by way of his position as mayor, along with the public works director (currently Jeff Lehman) and the president of the city council (currently Marie Carrubba).

(Note: Because Carrubba is a Democrat and the Republican party will take control of the council on Jan. 1, it’s expected a new city council president will be named and, as a result, that person will then assume that seat on the BPU. Speculation is that councilman Tony Dolce will be voted Council president on Jan. 1.)

– OTHER BOARDS/COMMISSIONS –

There are ten other board and commission seats and officer positions that will also need appointment are reappointment come Jan. 1. They include:

Jamestown Local Development Corporation  (4 year term)

• Two seats currently held by George Spitale and Mark Morton plus one city council representative seat, currently held by Kim Ecklund (2 year term)

Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency (4 year term)

• One seat currently held by Martha Zenns

Zonning Board of Appeals (3 year term)

• Three seats currently held by Ellen DiTonto (current chair), Sally Martinez, and Judith Sandson.

Planning Commission (5 year term)

• One seat currently held by Paul Whitford.

Property, Rehabilitation and Conservation Board of Appeals (3 year terms)

• Seven seats currently held by Nanzy Griswold, Mary Maxwell, Sharon McKotch, Gary Sorenson,  and three vacancies.

Parks, Recreation and Conseration Commission (5 year term)

• Two seats currently held by Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. and John Bauer

Riverfront Management Council (3 or 5 year terms)

• One Vacancy; Two designated Parks, Rec. and Con. Commission Member (Currently Russell Diethrick Jr. and John Bauer); One Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy Representative; One Roger Tory Peterson Institute Representative; One Jamestown Audubon Society representatives; One Jamestown High School represenative; and three JHS Student representatives (all 5 year terms).

Veterans Memorial Commission (3 year terms)

• Three seats currently held by Charles Telford (chair), Daniel Kell, and Theresa Baginski.

Board of Electrical Examiners (2 year term)

• Two seats currently held by James McTavish and Steve Nowel.

Constable (4 year term)

• Three positions  up for reappointment: Marie Hill (holdover), Camille Krawczyk (holdover), and Michael Berg.

Marriage officer (4 year term)

• Three officers up for reappoinment: Gregory Rabb, Paul Whitford, and Lillian Ney.

“These can be voted on collectively on January 1 or tabled until the next regularly scheduled meeting, probably January 27,” explained city clerk Jim Olson when providing the list to WRFA.