Grocery plans delayed, timber harvest planned in Pine Plains

PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains Planning Board met last week to discuss the new grocery store at 7723 S. Main St., hear a request for timber harvest at 3228 Route 199, and review site plans to settle an easement dispute at 2775 Church St.

Only one of the three went as planned — the South Main street owners postponed their appearance, and site plans for the easement on Church Street were not submitted in time.

Plans for a timber harvest on Route 199 moved forward. Christopher Prentiss, representing Lower Hudson Forestry Company, detailed plans to harvest 42 of the property’s 78 acres. 426 trees will be removed, and 25 log trucks will complete the job in about six weeks.

The property has been managed by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation since 1988. No harvesting will occur within 800 feet of the wetland on the property’s eastern border.

A public hearing will be held on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Drainage dispute on 199

Elsewhere in the meeting, a property dispute between two properties adjacent to Stissing Mountain Jr./Sr. High School continues to drag on.

The property owners, Gallatin Barn Creations Inc., were represented last week by attorney Thomas Angell. They allow Ceen Properties, an industrial lot behind their property, an easement for their driveway. Gallatin Barn Creations is asking Ceen to widen and pave the driveway — and cover the maintenance for 10 years. After that, the cost will be split between the two owners. They’re also asking Ceen to improve the new drainage system, replacing the old with a new one, designed by a professional engineer.

Those plans have yet to materialize. At the Planning Board’s August meeting, Ceen representative Wesley Chase was apologetic. “The plan of attack was to bring the map with the amended application,” he said. “But after speaking with the board, I did not have time to get the application.”

Ceen is currently navigating another dispute. In April, they appeared before the Planning Board after propane tankers were sighted in their lot. When it was initially approved in 2022, the space was planned for campers and boats. The town issued a violation order for parking propane trucks at a site not approved for that use.

“I don’t know what the rules and regulations for these trucks are, but that would have been explored in a site plan and special permit review process,” Planning Board Attorney Warren Replansky said at the time.

In the months since, Ceen has been working on a full survey of the site with a detailed site plan. But the town will have to wait another month to see it. Gallatin’s representative claims the driveway is twice as wide as the allowed 10 foot easement. Additionally, they claim Ceen built a retention pond that drains from Ceen’s property into Gallatin’s.

“My client and Ceen’s ownership have been friends for decades,” Gallatin’s representative said. “He was trying to work something out for them, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable.”

“It pains me to see members of the community at each other’s throats,” said Planning Board Chair Michael Stabile.

Stissing Farms continues rental violations

The meeting closed with a discussion on the rental properties at 34 Town Centre Road. Known as Stissing Farms, the collection of condominiums was not initially approved as rental units. The Planning Board considered sending the owners a violation notice, and noticed that the original application had changed multiple times before landing on condominiums.

The board resolved to contact the property owners and ask them to meet with the board before progressing to a violation notice.