PAR for the course...

in the town of New Hartford.

Did anyone on the Planning Board or Town Board really read this letter of support for Larry Adler's zone amendment request from Ron Casciano, VP, CFO & Treasurer of PAR Technology. More importantly, did Mr. Casciano really know what it says and the impacts of his support for Mr. Adler's proposal?

We quote:

PAR understands the permitted uses written in the Planned Development Mixed Use [PDMU] Zone and we support the proposal. Adding light manufacturing to the permitted uses would be a potential improvement to the PDMU Zone, although at this time the prospects for additional manufacturing are not on the horizon. Nonetheless, PAR supports the zone change.

Wait a minute, Mr. Casciano, either PAR doesn't understand zoning; Mr. Casciano didn't write the letter; or we are misunderstanding Mr. Casciano's statement.

To the best of our knowledge, the town is not trying to improve the PDMU zone by ADDING current Planned Development Park [PDP] Zone permitted uses to the current uses permitted in the PDMU zone; they are REPLACING the current permitted uses in the business park with the current permitted uses in the PDMU.

If we are accurately reading Mr. Adler's colored map of the parcels he proposes to change from PDP to PDMU, that would put PAR's current facility in the new PDMU and the property they own within the business park would likewise be in the new PDMU zone.

According to the town's zoning code, light manufacturing is not a permitted use in PDMU.

Therefore, according to Town of New Hartford Zone Code, Article XI. Non-Conforming Uses, Structures, and Buildings, there are procedures that would need to be followed to expand or alter the current PAR structures once the zoning is changed to Planned Development Mixed Use [PDMU].

Further the vacant land owned by PAR within the business park would not be able to be used for light manufacturing without a use variance which is the most difficult variance to get particularly when you are on record cheering for the zone change in the first place.



Earlier this week, we were provided with more documents that were presented at the Planning Board meeting on March 12, 2012 to include the responses from each of the agencies [MVWA, D.E.C., Oneida County Planning, etc]. We are making them available for your review.

By the way, we were also provided a response from the Town of Whitestown Supervisor, Charles Gibbs, who wrote a letter against the zone change.

Strikeslip wrote a blog on the rezoning of the business park, Regional Obligations in New Hartford...

To be continued...