By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
COEYMANS — After a contentious public hearing that drew substantial opposition to a moratorium that would have delayed the approval process for a new Long Energy truck terminal, the town board opted for a zoning amendment instead.
The amendment is expected to be voted on by the town board by the end of January.
The town had been considering a three-month moratorium on propane storage facilities to give the town an opportunity to finetune the law that is currently on the books, according to Town Supervisor George McHugh at the December public hearing.
But 243 town residents signed a petition to prevent the moratorium and the proposition drew heated opposition, and no support, from speakers at the Dec. 8 hearing, who voiced concerns that the moratorium would unfairly halt the approval process for a truck terminal proposed by Long Energy, which merged with longtime local business Persico Oil last year.
Long Energy has a project under review to build a propane trucking terminal on a vacant plot of land on Route 9W in the town’s commercial zoning district.
The town board acquiesced at the Dec. 22 meeting and instead proposed an amendment to the existing town code.
“To date, our zoning code does not define the term ‘trucking terminal.’ Additionally, ‘fuel storage terminals’ do not exist in our zoning code, which was brought to light when we received an application to site one in Coeymans,” McHugh said. “This has created questions and concerns for many within the town government as well as outside town government.”
Town council members are expected to vote in January on an amendment to the existing code that defines what is meant by “trucking terminal” and “fuel storage terminal.”
“This amendment to the zoning code would give the building department, as well as the planning and zoning board members, the definitions and guidance they need to address the current application pending, as well as any future applications,” McHugh said.
The town supervisor said that the day after the public hearing, he and Town Councilman Stephen Schmitt met with Long Energy president Bob Long to hash out a deal.
McHugh contended that the town board “was simply attempting to fix a broken zoning code to protect the residents and landowners of Coeymans” and that they were not trying to block Long Energy from expanding their business in the town.
Long agreed to the terms of the amendment. The approval process for Long Energy’s truck terminal project would not be delayed by the amendment.
McHugh withdrew the appeal he filed seeking to postpone the review process and the planning board has resumed its review of the project and site plan.
Long and town officials reviewed the proposed amendment to the zoning law. McHugh thanked him for his input and for agreeing to a resolution to the issue.
“I thank you, too,” Long responded.
The proposed three-month moratorium has been withdrawn from the county’s planning board, McHugh said.
“The moratorium is not going forward because we don’t need it,” he said.
The proposed zoning law amendment has been submitted to the Albany County Planning Board for review and the town board is expected to finalize it later this month.
