Government

Greenport planning decisions could soon be subject to periodic review

JULIE LANE FILE PHOTO | The menu change at Sasuke has the Greenport Village Planning Board thinking about a change in procedure.

When is a decision not quite permanent?

When it’s subject to a second look.

Greenport Planning Board members are leaning toward issuing decisions subject to periodic reviews to assure that applicants stay true to their approved site plans.

Board member David Bauer floated the idea with chairwoman Lara McNeil suggesting that plans get reviewed about every six months.

The proposal came last Thursday on the heels of a discussion of what’s expected to be new signage at the former Sasuke sushi restaurant at 216 Main Street. The eatery, which opened earlier this year, is changing its menu to Italian food.

“If he has to reinvent himself to keep going, I have no problem with that,” board member Amy Martin said about restaurant owner Frank Purita. But Mr. Bauer said he wants to assure that months after the planners sign off on details of fencing and signage — likely to happen today, Nov. 3 — that Mr. Purita continues to adhere to the approved site plan. Mr. Bauer wants no signage outside of the approved fencing, no outdoor gelato sales and an assurance that garbage pickup is being carried out.

But while the discussion came in response to Mr. Purita’s application, it’s meant to cast a wider net.

Final approvals can clearly state that the building department is authorized to issue notices of violations to any business operators or residents who fail to comply with the terms of their site plans, village administrator David Abatelli said.

The Planning Board will submit a request from the ZBA to the Village Board to require on-site posting of public hearings pertaining to any property on which an owner seeks a variance. The ZBA isn’t authorized to submit the request directly, but Planning Board members agreed that on-site posting will provide wider notice to neighbors who may not be considered adjoining property owners and so are not currently entitled to written notices.

In other business, James Olinkiewicz, who won ZBA approval for a subdivision at 314 Center St., is expected to gain site approval today to create three new units on the land that currently contains a single house. He also submitted plans last Thursday for construction of an addition to a house he owns at 220 Center St.

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