PLANNING BOARD AGENDA

Common Council Chambers

September 19, 2024 – 4:30 PM

PUBLIC HEARING

PB Case No.:   13-24                                                   Zone:               Neighborhood Mixed Use

Address:          708 Mohawk Street                              Requested Action:       Site Plan Review

Applicant:        Shihab Alguhaim                                                                     Special Use Permit

Owner:            Ei Sout & Skina Bee                                       

Pursuant to City of Utica Zoning Code Section 2-29-125(a) and (b), the applicant is seeking approval of a Special Use Permit and Site Plan approval for a proposal to re-establish a neighborhood convenience store at the above-noted location.

The applicant is seeking approval to re-open the business with the same license as he had previously.  He indicates that he had to close his business in order to bring his family from oversees.  When he returned, the business remained closed while he made improvements to the building, not realizing that the business may need approvals in order to re-open.

At the August meeting, the Planning Board tabled further review of the request; the applicant was not in attendance at the meeting.  The Board members reviewed copies of filings of sales tax receipts with the State for the second and third quarter of 2023 (June 1, 2023 – August 31, 2023 & September 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023), which only raised further questions including whether the applicant could provide copies of the canceled checks to the State.  The Board also asked that the required public hearing be scheduled for the September meeting and that the neighboring property owners be provided appropriate notice of the public hearing.

PB Case No.:   14-24                                                   Zone:               Neighborhood Mixed Use

Address:          2209 Genesee Street                            Requested Action:       Sketch Plan Review

Applicant:        MVHS

Owner:            MVHS                                    

Pursuant to City of Utica Zoning Code Section 2-29-312(c), the applicant is seeking Sketch Plan review of several proposed re-use scenarios for the former St. Elizabeth Medical Center.  Pursuant to Section 2-29-317(a), the Planning Board was asked to initiate the SEQRA process by designating itself as lead agent, which the Board did at their August 2024 meeting.  As a result, notices were sent to all Involved Agencies and Interested Agencies, informing them of the Board’s intent to act as Lead Agency for the purposes of SEQRA and giving them an opportunity to take issue with said intent.  To date, the only agency to respond is the Mohawk Valley Water Authority, which had no issue with the Board’s intent; they did state that an evaluation of water demands and existing water system capacities to serve the redevelopment will be needed.

The Board will consider the potential for significant environmental impacts from any of the four proposed re-use scenarios.  Should the Board choose to issue a ‘Positive Declaration’, the Board will also consider a draft Scope for a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS).