County planners back firearms sales business in Yates, Verizon tower in Clarendon

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board supported several projects on Thursday evening including a home business in Yates selling firearms, and a new monopole in Clarendon for Verizon.

In Yates, Steve Boring Jr. wants to open “Patriot Arms” at his home 12177 Platten Road in Agricultural- Residential Zone. Boring, in his application to the Planning Board, said he wants to sell firearms and ammunition to hunters and target shooters.

Boring will need a federal firearms license to open the business. Before he gets that license, he needs the local approval from the Yates town officials for a permit to operate the business and site plan approval.

The County Planning Board makes recommendations on referrals from towns and villages. The county suggested Yates approve the site plan and issue a permit, as long as Boring has adequate security measures in place and has a turnaround on the driveway.

• In Clarendon, county planners recommended the town give Verizon a permit and approve the site plan for a 149-foot-high telecommunications tower at 4514 Holley-Byron Rd. in a Rural Agricultural Zone.

The monopole for Verizon will be built on land owned by Albert Schnabel Jr.

• County planners also recommended the Town of Barre approve the site plan and issue a permit for Marissa and Patrick Olles, who want to open automotive repair shop at 13299 West Lee Road, west of Eagle Harbor Rd. This is the site of the former Jordan River Logging business.

Patrick Olles opened Pat’s Long Bridge Repair in 2015 on Long Bridge Road in Albion, doing car and light truck repairs.

Request for a Site Plan Review and Special Use Permit for an Automotive Repair Facility at 13299 West Lee Road in Agricultural-Residential (AR) Zone. They are in the process of acquiring the site from Virginia Van Apeldoorn.

• In Shelby, county planners supported amendments to the town’s zoning amendments for regulating solar energy systems.

Michelle Billington, an environmental attorney for Bond, Schoeneck & King, discussed the changes with the County Planning Board on Thursday.

The amendments will require utility-scale solar systems to have a decommissioning plan with site restoration. The solar energy companies also need to provide a cost estimate with an annual review for decommissioning and removing a non-operational or abandoned systems.

The zoning amendments also allow utility-scale projects to do a host community agreement with the town.