Nursery expansion approved despite transparency concerns

MILLBROOK —The Village of Millbrook Planning Board on Monday conditionally approved plans for two new buildings at a nursery on Franklin Avenue at the intersection with Route 44, despite a resident’s concerns about limited public access to application materials ahead of the hearing.

The property operates as a preexisting, nonconforming use — meaning it does not meet current zoning but is allowed to continue.

The proposal calls for two new structures at the former Orangerie Garden and Home site, located at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Route 44. According to the property owners, the buildings will be used for equipment storage and to display garden statuary. An existing greenhouse on the property will also be renovated, though its footprint will remain unchanged.

The approval is contingent on review by Dutchess County Planning & Development, as well as variances from the Village Zoning Board of Appeals. Applicants must also address comments from Planning Board consultant Pete Sander of Rennia Engineering, including providing additional site plan detail and clarifying parking requirement calculations.

Before the vote, Millbrook resident Elizabeth Logan-Baravalle raised concerns about the Planning Board’s procedures, saying the public notice for Monday night’s meeting did not clearly indicate that two public hearings would be held. She also said application materials were not publicly available in advance and that the Village Clerk had not received them when she visited Village Hall on Merritt Avenue earlier that afternoon.

“The only information I could find on the project before this afternoon was in the 12/8/25 board meeting minutes, which were difficult to decipher,” Logan-Baravalle said. “And there was no site plan attached that could be referenced.”

Logan-Baravalle also pointed to earlier discussions referenced in those minutes about a proposed food service component at the nursery — a use she said would not be permitted in the Residential Low-Density zoning district.

“If a willful disregard for Millbrook zoning occurs, then what meaning does our zoning have?” she said.

Nursery representatives said the food service proposal had been removed from the plans due to zoning restrictions. They added that the proposed structures would bring the site’s total building footprint to just under the allowable limit, meaning the expansion would likely mark the end of new construction on the property.

Logan-Baravalle asked the board to keep the public hearing open to allow residents more time to review the plans and provide comment. Planning Board Chair Frank Redl acknowledged the concern.

“You’re absolutely right,” Redl said. “And there’s something we have to look into. Your comment is well taken.”

However, the board declined to extend the hearing and proceeded with the conditional approval.

In other business, the Planning Board accepted an application to convert an existing home at 4 Merritt Ave. into a duplex-style multifamily residence. The application will now begin the formal Planning Board process, with site plan approval expected in the coming months.

The existing building — located behind and on the same parcel as Reardon-Briggs hardware store — would be demolished and replaced with a 39-by-36-foot two-story structure positioned closer to the street to create additional parking behind it.

The proposed duplex would sit approximately seven feet from a neighboring home to the east. Planning Board members cautioned the applicant to expect potential opposition from adjacent property owners.

Under Millbrook’s zoning code, properties in the high-density village business district are not subject to side yard setback requirements, allowing structures to be built up to the property line.