Clay Board Hears Three Separate Bank Drive-Thru Applications in a Single Meeting
The Clay Town Board opened public hearings on three unrelated bank or credit union drive-thru proposals at its April 21, 2025 meeting, including one where neighbors pushed back over cumulative traffic from apartments, a bank, a credit union and a McDonald's all clustering nearby, while also approving a senior-housing zone change and reshuffling road-paving priorities.
Lock CS4 on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal at Fayette, part of the central NY canal system — photo:
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▶Key Actions & Decisions
●• Approved SEQR findings and adoption of the Laurel Springs zone change (Highway Commercial to Senior Residential) for a senior housing project on +/-4.74 acres at W. Taft Road. Ayes 6, Noes 0 (both votes).
●• Adjourned the Sonbyrne Sales, Inc./Clay-Dolshire Byrne Dairy special permit hearing to May 5 at the applicant's request. Ayes 6, Noes 0.
●• Opened the Seneca Savings Financial Facility special permit hearing for a bank with drive-thru at 5332 State Route 31, referred it to the Planning Board, and adjourned to May 5; the minutes do not record a vote tally on the adjournment itself.
●• Opened the Justin's Canine Campus special permit hearing for a dog daycare at 4112 State Route 31 (Marketfair North Plaza) and learned the site had been advertised at +/-15.06 acres when the actual tax parcel is 0.345 acres; board did not require re-advertising since the real footprint is smaller. Adjourned to May 5. Ayes 6, Noes 0.
●• Held a public hearing on 2025 Community Development Block Grant funding and shifted urgent paving priority to Woodward Way and Winchester Drive, pushing Steelway Blvd. South to 2027.
●• Held a public hearing on 2026 CDBG funding covering Maltage Drive and Goguen Drive; Deputy Supervisor Bick said eligibility is based on residential mean income.
●• Heard renewed neighbor objections on the Northern Credit Union zone change (W. Taft Road) over traffic and privacy; applicant had already revised the plan to an O-2 Office District request with a larger buffer. Adjourned to May 5. Ayes 6, Noes 0.
●• Called a May 5 public hearing on a Canandaigua National Bank special permit for a drive-in bank on +/-74.82 acres of Oswego Road land. Ayes 6, Noes 0.
●• Approved a $656,184.00 transfer from the Capital Reserve Account to buy two 2025 Western Star plow trucks for the Highway Department. Ayes 6, Noes 0.
●• Approved a drainage easement agreement with 3567 RT 31 TT, LLC and an easement/stormwater maintenance agreement with KRSM, LLC on Buckley Road. Ayes 6, Noes 0 (both).
Three separate developers wanted the Clay Town Board's permission this spring to build a bank or credit union with drive-thru service — and all three showed up on the same night. At the board's April 21, 2025 meeting, members opened or scheduled public hearings on drive-thru proposals from Seneca Savings, Northern Credit Union and Canandaigua National Bank, a cluster that put variations of the same question to the board three times over.
The clearest test came from Northern Credit Union's request to rezone 5004-5008 West Taft Road from Planned Development District and Residential District to Neighborhood Commercial District, to allow a bank with drive-in service. Attorney Brody Smith of Bond, Schoeneck and King told the board the applicant had already revised its plans once in response to an earlier hearing, moving the proposed building closer to Taft Road and widening the berm and buffer facing homes to the south. Smith said the applicant had also switched its zoning request to the more limited O-2 Office District, at Deputy Supervisor Joseph Bick's suggestion. Bick described the change as a significant concession, saying it made the project less intrusive and more agreeable to residents.
Neighbors weren't fully satisfied. Daniel Corbet, who lives on Wintersweet, said he was concerned about losing privacy given how much traffic already comes through from Metropolitan Drive, and asked why a bank with a drive-thru needed 45 parking spaces; Bick said the number is set by code. Colleen Dillenbeck of Astilbe Path asked about the one-way in, one-way out driveway design and was told ATM customers' headlights would shine north toward Taft Road. Sandy Laurente told the board she was already seeing more traffic off Metropolitan Drive and asked what would happen to Wintersweet once the apartments, a bank, a credit union and the McDonald's are all built nearby. The board referred the application to the Planning Board and adjourned the hearing to May 5.
The other two banking applications drew less discussion. Jesse Plumley described Seneca Savings' plan for a single driveway onto Route 31 near Stearns and Burnet roads, with hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. The board referred it to the Planning Board and adjourned the hearing to May 5 — one of the few motions all night for which the minutes do not record an ayes-noes tally. The board also scheduled, without recorded discussion, a May 5 hearing on Canandaigua National Bank's application for a drive-in bank on nearly 75 acres of Oswego Road land.
A fourth hearing turned up a paperwork wrinkle rather than a banking question. Justin's Canine Campus, a proposed dog daycare for the former Firestone space in Marketfair North Plaza on Route 31, had been publicly advertised as sitting on +/-15.06 acres — roughly the footprint of the whole shopping plaza — when the actual tax parcel is 0.345 acres. Representative Tim Coyer of Ianuzi and Romans told the board the error didn't require re-advertising the hearing, since the real site is far smaller, and therefore less intense, than what neighbors had been told to expect. Coyer said the operator, currently on Route 57, expects around 100 dogs a day, no more than 25 in the outdoor fenced area at once, and would close its existing location if the move is approved. That hearing was also adjourned to May 5.
Elsewhere, the board unanimously adopted a zone change from Highway Commercial to Senior Residential district, clearing the way for the Laurel Springs senior housing project on 4.74 acres of West Taft Road land. It also reworked its paving priorities: a hearing on 2025 Community Development Block Grant funding shifted urgent repaving to Woodward Way and Winchester Drive, which the Highway Superintendent found in worse condition, pushing Steelway Blvd. South back to 2027. A separate hearing opened the 2026 CDBG application for Maltage Drive and Goguen Drive; resident Janet Rathburn asked how the funding criteria applied to commercial areas, and Bick said eligibility is based on residential mean income.
The board also approved a $656,184.00 transfer from its Capital Reserve Account to buy two new plow trucks for the Highway Department, and signed off on a drainage easement with 3567 RT 31 TT, LLC and a separate stormwater maintenance easement with KRSM, LLC on Buckley Road. Every recorded vote of the night passed 6-0, with Damian Ulatowski and David Tessier absent.
All three bank hearings, along with the Northern Credit Union rezoning and the Justin's Canine Campus permit, return to the board on May 5 — this time with Planning Board recommendations in hand.
This article was drafted by AI (claude-sonnet-agent) from the official meeting transcript and reviewed by a human editor.
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Related Town Board Meetings
Clay Board Weighs Two Bank Drive-Thrus, Sets Hearing on a Third After Credit Union Withdraws and Refiles
●• Northern Credit Union's zone-change application (Case #1223) was withdrawn by the applicant; the board voted 7-0 to schedule a May 19 public hearing on a new application (Case #1229) to rezone 5004-5008 West Taft Road from PDD/R-10 to O-2 for a bank/credit union with drive-in service.
●• Public hearing closed, no vote taken: Canandaigua National Bank (Case #1227) special permit for a drive-in bank on Oswego Road, including two teller lanes, an ATM lane and a bail-out lane.
●• Public hearing closed, no vote taken: Seneca Savings Financial Facility (Case #1225) special permit for a bank with drive-thru on Route 31; Councilor Pleskach said it was a good use of the O-2 parcel and could set a precedent for the Route 31 corridor.
●• Public hearing closed, no vote taken: Justin's Canine Campus (Case #1226) special permit for an 80-100 dog daycare in the former Firestone building at Marketfair North Plaza.
●• Board voted 7-0 to adjourn hearings at applicants' request: Goguen Drive Realty (Case #1220) to June 16, McDonald's USA (Case #1224) to June 2, and Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy (Case #1222) to May 19.
●• Board approved (7-0) the 2025 CDBG road-repair application prioritizing Woodward Way and Winchester Drive this year, pushing Steelway Blvd. South to 2027; separately approved (7-0) a 2026 CDBG application for Maltage Drive and Goguen Drive.
●• Board adopted (7-0) an amended Workplace Violence Prevention Program required under state labor law, and authorized (7-0) bid advertising for Phase II contracting on the Green Education Center, with bids due June 4.
●• Board awarded (7-0 each) two NYSERDA-grant-funded contracts: $11,300.00 to Isaac HVACAR for a tankless water heater, and $77,661.00 to Huen Electric for LED lighting at Town Hall.
●• Board approved (7-0 each) release of subdivision securities to developers for Riverwalk Sections 4 and 5 and Farmstead Section 5, reducing each withheld amount to $0.00.
Accident Count Climbs From 4 to 25 as Clay Board Adjourns Two West Taft Road Hearings
●• Adjourned the Northern Credit Union zone change hearing (Case #1223, 5004-5008 West Taft Road) to April 21 at 7:44 p.m., after residents raised property-value and traffic concerns and the applicant agreed to explore O-2 office zoning instead of NC-1. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Adjourned the McDonald's USA special permit hearing (Case #1224, 4979 W. Taft Road) to May 5 at 7:41 p.m., after the applicant's initial count of four accidents on the stretch was corrected to 25 total accidents in three years. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Adjourned the Goguen Drive Realty special permit hearing (Case #1220) to May 5 at 7:38 p.m., at the applicant's request. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Closed the public hearing on the Laurel Springs zone change (Case #1221) — previously denied under Case #1205 in August 2024 — after the applicant reduced the proposal to 12 units per building and received a positive Planning Board recommendation; no vote recorded.
●• Called an April 21 public hearing on the Seneca Savings Financial Facility special permit (Case #1225) for a bank/credit union with drive-thru on Route 31. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Called an April 21 public hearing on the Justin's Canine Campus special permit (Case #1226) for a dog daycare at Marketfair North Plaza on Route 31. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Renewed the Adult Crossing Guard Services contract with All City Management Services for one year at $33.59/hour per guard, based on 1,980 hours, not to exceed $66,508.20/year. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Called an April 21 public hearing on 2025 Community Development Block Grant funding, after a Highway Superintendent reassessment prioritized repairs to Woodward Way and Winchester Drive over Steelway Blvd. South, now pushed to 2027. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Called an April 21 public hearing on 2026 Community Development Block Grant funding for Maltage Drive and Goguen Drive, application due April 11, 2025. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Approved the Town's 2025 funding application and five-year plan with Onondaga County Community Development, and a joint application renewing Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation's permit to hand-pull water chestnuts from the Seneca River in 2026. Ayes 7, Noes 0 (both).
Clay Board Closes Long-Delayed Byrne Dairy Hearing, but County's Own Road Timeline Leaves Buckley Road Project in Limbo
●• Approved the minutes of the May 5, 2025 meeting, Ayes 6, Noes 0
●• Adopted a SEQR finding (Ayes 6, Noes 0) then approved a Special Permit for Canandaigua National Bank's drive-thru branch at 7515 & 7519 Oswego Road on a Roll Count Vote of Ayes 4, Noes 2 (Magaro-Dolan and Capria voting no)
●• Adopted a SEQR finding and approved a Special Permit for Seneca Savings Financial Facility's bank/credit union at 5332 State Route 31, both votes Ayes 6, Noes 0
●• Adopted a SEQR finding and approved a Special Permit for Justin's Canine Campus dog daycare at 4112 State Route 31 (Marketfair North Plaza), both votes Ayes 6, Noes 0
●• Closed the public hearing on Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy's proposed convenience store and gas station at 7190 Buckley Road, an application already adjourned three previous times (March 7, April 21, May 5); the minutes record no vote following the closed hearing
●• Closed the public hearing on Northern Credit Union's zone change at 5004-5008 West Taft Road, then adopted a SEQR finding and approved the zone change from PDD Planned Development District and R-10 One-Family Residential District to O-2 Office District, both votes Ayes 6, Noes 0
●• Authorized the Supervisor to execute a Participating Agency Response with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for Onondaga County's Transportation Improvements Project, PIN 3807.95, Ayes 6, Noes 0
●• Adjourned the meeting at 8:24 P.M., Ayes 6, Noes 0
On the Same Route 31 Parcel, Clay's Board Splits 6-1 Twice — With a Different Dissenter Each Time
●• Case #1212 — Mirabito Energy Projects/Kelly-Tobin Development Corp., drive-thru coffee shop, Route 31 at Lawton Road (Tax Map 077.-34-17.1, +/-9.57 acres): environmental determination passed 7-0; special permit approved 6-1, Councilor Pleskach voting no.
●• Case #1213 — same applicant, same 9.57-acre parcel, drive-thru bank: environmental determination passed 7-0; special permit approved 6-1, Supervisor Ulatowski voting no (Pleskach voted yes on this one).
●• Opened a public hearing on Case #1222, Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy's proposed convenience store and 10-position gasoline station at 7190 Buckley Road (+/-2.47 acres); after residents raised traffic, retention-pond, trash and privacy concerns, the board adjourned the hearing to April 21 at 7:35 p.m.
●• Closed a public hearing on Onondaga County Community Development Funds with no public comment beyond a question about where the allocation would be posted; Supervisor Ulatowski said past awards to the Town have run between 50 and 200 thousand dollars.
●• Voted 7-0 to schedule an April 7 public hearing (7:35 p.m.) on Case #1223, Northern Credit Union's request to rezone 5004-5008 West Taft Road from PDD/R-10 to NC-1 for a bank/credit union with drive-in service.
●• Voted 7-0 to schedule an April 7 public hearing (7:38 p.m.) on Case #1224, McDonald's USA LLC's special permit for a drive-thru restaurant at 4979 W. Taft Road.
●• Adopted the Standard Work Day Reporting resolution for elected and appointed officials in the state retirement system, 7-0.
●• Approved a sewer lateral connection for Empire Management of CNY/Brew Team NY at 3906 Brewerton Road into the Fay Road Sewer District, at no cost to the Town, contingent on a $700 fee; passed 7-0.
●• Approved settlement of the Ranalli Generations LLC tax certiorari action, reducing the assessment on the 4155 State Route 31 out-parcel (Great Northern) from $294,261 to $83,500 for the 2022 tax year, with the Town's refund liability capped at $15,000; passed 7-0.
●• Meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m., 6-0.
Clay Board Pushes McDonald's Hearing to July, Books Two New Hearings for June 16
●• Approved the minutes of the May 19 Regular Town Board Meeting. Ayes 6, Noes 0; Councilor Pleskach abstained due to his absence from that meeting.
●• No members of the public came forward when Supervisor Ulatowski asked if anyone wished to address the Board on items not on the agenda.
●• Adjourned the public hearing on McDonald's USA, LLC's special permit application (Case #1224) to July 21, 2025, at 7:35 p.m., at the applicant's request. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Called a public hearing for June 16, 2025, at 7:38 p.m. on Cheryl D. White's special permit application (Case #1228) for an animal care/training and boarding/breeding facility and a two-family dwelling, to allow construction of a horse barn with a two-family dwelling on +/-87.89 acres on Black Creek Road, Tax Map No. 036.-02-04.1, in the RA-100 Residential Agricultural district. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Called a public hearing for June 16, 2025, at 7:41 p.m. on EquipmentShare.com Inc.'s special permit application (Case #1230) for an onsite fuel island for bulk storage of liquid or gaseous hazardous materials, for private fuel distribution to construction equipment and fleet vehicles, on +/-8.9 acres on Henry Clay Blvd, Tax Map No. 105.-02-02.1, in the I-1 Industrial district. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Adopted a Sexual Harassment and Prevention Policy issued by the New York State Department of Labor and the New York State Division of Human Rights, to be incorporated into town policy and issued to all employees along with required annual training. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
●• Adjourned the meeting at 7:36 p.m. Ayes 7, Noes 0.
Clay Board Closes Hearing on Twin Mirabito Drive-Thrus After Planning Board Called Two Too Much for the Parcel
●• Closed, after hearings adjourned from October 21, November 18, December 16, 2024 and February 3, 2025, the public hearings on Mirabito Energy Projects/Kelly-Tobin Development Corp.'s special permits for a drive-thru Dunkin' Donuts (Case #1212) and drive-thru NBT Bank (Case #1213) at Route 31 and Lawton Road; no vote on the merits was taken.
●• Approved 6-0 the SEQR determination and zone change from RA-100 to O-2 Office with Highway Overlay for Seneca Savings' proposed financial facility at 5332 State Route 31 (Case #1218).
●• Approved 6-0 the SEQR determination and zone change from RA-100 to R-15 for Marc Lebiedzinski's 7985 Morgan Road property (Case #1219).
●• Adjourned 6-0 the Laurel Springs zone-change public hearing (senior housing scaled down from 71 to 60 units) to April 7, pending Town research into how the 55-plus age restriction applies to a resident's spouse or child under 55.
●• Adjourned 6-0 the Goguen Drive Realty special-permit hearing to April 7.
●• Adopted 6-0 a resolution scheduling a March 17 public hearing on Sonbyrne Sales/Clay-Dolshire Byrne Dairy's proposed gas station and convenience store at 7190 Buckley Road (Case #1222).
●• Approved 6-0 reauthorizing the Town's Public Employer Mandatory Health Emergency Plan.
●• Approved 6-0 a contract with C&S Engineers, Inc. not to exceed $25,500.00 for the landfill post-closure environmental monitoring program, and a separate $16,000.00 agreement with the same firm for groundwater sampling and inspection at the Maider Road Waterfront site.
●• Approved 6-0 participation in the CNY Regional Planning & Development Board's stormwater compliance assistance program at a flat fee of $3,600.00 per municipality.
●• Heard, with no vote taken, MCFD's Mark Goettel raise a LOSAP benefit-increase request — to $30 per qualifying year of service, with the eligibility age dropped from 62 to 60 — that he said has gone unanswered by the Town since he first raised it in 2021.
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