Planners support Murray business expansion on Ridge Road
MURRAY – A company the creates and sells educational kits is doing a 9,225-square-foot warehouse expansion on Ridge Road in Murray.
Darren Coon, the company chief executive officer, founded the company in 2006. TeacherGeek currently works out of 6,500-square-foot facility at 16551 Ridge Rd. The company’s hands-on kits require students to use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday backed the site plan for the expansion, which also includes a parking lot with 31 spaces.
For more on TeacherGeek, click here.
In other action, the Planning Board:
• Approved the site plan for James Bitsas and Marc Massaro to operate a pizzeria in Medina at 11360 Maple Ridge Rd.
Cusimano’s Pizzeria will be in an existing 3,300-square-foot building that has been vacant for several years. It was formerly a K & K Food Mart and gas station.
• Approved a six-month moratorium for the Town of Carlton on freestanding or ground-mounted solar energy systems. (The moratorium does not include roof-mounted solar systems.)
The town’s zoning ordinance only briefly addresses solar energy systems. The six months will give Carlton time to update its zoning ordinance for siting solar energy systems, county planners said.
• Supported the updates in the Town of Albion’s zoning ordinance for solar energy systems. (Albion is the seventh municipality in the county to update its solar regulations since 2016.
Albion would allow large-scale solar (up to 15 kilowatts) in all zoning districts. However, a minimum lot size of 10 acres in residential areas might eliminate the systems in those areas.
Solar farms, which exceed 15 kilowatts, also require a minimum lot size of 10 acres. The solar farms need a decommissioning plan, mechanical equipment enclosed by fencing, screening with a vegetative buffer, warning signage and one parking space.
Roof-mounted systems do not need site plan approval from the town as long as the energy is used onsite.
• Opposed the special use permit request for a Kendall resident to store boats outdoors in a residential/hamlet district.
David Oschmann wants to have outdoor storage of boats at a boat maintenance and repair business at his residence, 1893 Kendall Rd. Oschmann wouldn’t sell materials, goods or services at the site.
Having boats outside is against the Kendall zoning ordinance which states, “no outdoor storage or display of materials, goods, supplies, or equipment related to the operation of the home business” shall be permitted.
Oschmann can seek a use variance with the Town of Kendall.
