PINE PLAINS — Plans for a grocery store, ice cream shop and cannabis dispensary on a large downtown property moved a step closer to reality after the Zoning Board of Appeals signaled support for the project at a meeting Tuesday, May 26.
However, no final approval can be given until an environmental review is complete.
The proposal involves a property at 7723 South Main St., where owners are seeking to redevelop the site with three retail uses: a grocery store, an ice cream shop and a cannabis dispensary. The plans also call for the renovation of a historic weigh station already located on the property.
The project originally centered on the cannabis dispensary. However, architect Kristina Dousharm appeared before the Planning Board on April 8 with revised plans that added two new structures housing a grocery store and ice cream shop.
While the property owners had discussed those uses in earlier conceptual plans, the new proposal significantly expanded the scope of the project.
At the time, Dousharm argued their previously existing environmental approval — which covers the cannabis shop — was sufficient. But the board disagreed, with Town Attorney Warren Replansky claiming the changes were significant enough to require another review.
The grocery store would span 8,989 square feet. Anything over 6,000 square feet requires an area variance, and on May 26, representatives from the property appeared before the board to gauge whether to proceed with the full environmental review before proceeding with a variance application. “We didn’t want the applicant to waste their time if the variance was not a possibility,” said ZBA chairman Scott Chase.
No major opposition emerged. Some residential neighbors expressed concern about the noise and lighting of construction, but residents and board members alike expressed support of moving the project forward.
The public was reassured, Chase said, by the fact that the new structures will actually be smaller than those currently on the property. The current buildings cover upwards of 12,000 square feet, and date back to the early 1900’s — well before Pine Plains enacted zoning laws in 2009. The property is adjacent to former railroad tracks, and was first developed in the 1870s.
The next step will be completion of the SEQR review, which will be conducted by the Planning Board. The review will evaluate the project’s potential environmental, social and economic impacts.
If the review is completed successfully, the applicants could then seek final approval for the required area variance before construction begins.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback 
