By Peter Calvert
In attendance: Planning Board: Chair Frank Winkler, Kristen Schneider, County Planning Board, John Reynolds, Alex Adelson, Art Reed, Jim Darling, and Bill Palmer. Joanne Boerner, Clerk. Excused: Joanne Callahan.
First, Robert Lidsky’s proposal to separate the 50 acres on his property on Dingle Hill Road into a 2.9 acres portion and a 47 acres portion has met the board requirements and will be discussed further during a public Planning Board hearing on January 13, 2020 at 7:30 pm. Mr. Lidsky plans to build a new home for himself on the 2.9 acres. The neighbors will be notified by certified mail by Mr. Lidsky and the Walton Reporter will be informed by the Planning Board.
Next, the Mary Fenton Estate on Perch Lake Road has inquired about subdivision of their 369 acres for the purpose of creating spec homes. There were few specifics discussed, as the representatives of the Estate were not present at this meeting to provide more details of the scope and scale of the proposed project. This subdivision proposal will be looked into in more depth at future meetings and will also involve the DEP, as the property is in the watershed area with views overlooking the Pepacton Reservoir. Soil displacement and other issues will be reviewed by DEP.
Final agenda item was a continuing discussion of the Airbnb status for the Town of Andes. A survey about Airbnb usage is being prepared by Kristen Schneider that will go to 434 homes in the Town as well as numerous places in the NY City Metro area. Airbnb usage is being examined in cooperation with Walton and with knowledge of the recent Airbnb requirements adopted by Margaretville. The Margaretville codes were not cited as a blueprint for Andes as certain parts of their requirements do not fit the Board’s view for an Andes model. The Board wants to help address issues of health and safety for the guests and the Town that include: fire prevention (smoke detectors and fire extinguishers), emergency exit egress, registry of ownership, local keyholders, liability insurance, and adequate septic capacity. The results of the survey will help inform future discussions about this complex issue.~