Clay Planning Board Approves Buckley Road Warehouse After 13 Adjournments, Pushes Most of Its Docket to July
The Clay Planning Board approved a Buckley Road warehouse site plan that had been adjourned 13 times since 2023 and denied a Gaskin Road subdivision because it would rely on septic in a zone that requires public sewer, but adjourned most of its June 11 agenda — including a new bank and an EV-charging case — to July and August.
Lock CS4 on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal at Fayette, part of the central NY canal system — photo:
Photo by Joe Mabel
(BY-SA 4.0)
▶Key Actions & Decisions
●• Approved the Buckley Warehouse site plan (Case #2023-052, Mike Tormey, 4583 Buckley Road), a case marked "Adj. 13" in the board's own files; SEQR negative declaration and site plan approval each carried 7-0.
●• Denied the Gaskin Reef preliminary plat (Case #2025-029, Patricia L. Peters, 8515 Gaskin Road), a proposed two-lot subdivision, because the R-10 zoning district requires public water and sewer and the plan proposed a septic system; SEQR negative declaration and the denial resolution each carried 7-0.
●• Approved an amended site plan for Henry Clay Warehouse (Case #2025-020, 7189 Henry Clay Blvd.); SEQR and site plan votes each carried 7-0.
●• Approved a site plan for Justin's Canine Campus (Case #2025-024, 4112 State Route 31) to relocate a dumpster and add temporary carports over four dog play yards; SEQR and site plan votes each carried 7-0.
●• Adjourned a new site plan for a Canandaigua National Bank branch in the Wegmans Plaza on Oswego Road (Case #2025-019) to July 9, 7-0, after extensive comments on sanitary sewer connections, lighting, dumpster screening and fire department access.
●• Adjourned an amended site plan adding EV chargers at the Barnes & Noble plaza on State Route 31 (Case #2025-030, EVgo/Rocklyn Clay, LLC) to July 9, 7-0, after the board noted the town's zoning code does not count EV charging stalls in its required-parking formula.
●• Adjourned Equipment Share Syracuse (Case #2023-047, 7481 Henry Clay Blvd.), already marked "Adj. 11", to July 9, 7-0, with no discussion recorded.
●• Adjourned Goguen Drive Realty's special permit referral (Case #2024-068) and the Charge Smart EV/Townplace Suites amended site plan (Case #2024-069) to July 9, and Scott Merle Builders' two Gaskin Road plats (Cases #2025-006/007) to July 23, all 7-0.
●• Adjourned Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy (Case #2025-009, 7190 Buckley Road) to July 23, 7-0, pending Onondaga County's planned changes to that stretch of Buckley Road.
●• Adjourned Windsor Property Group's two Morgan Road plats (Cases #2025-021/022) to August 13, 7-0; also approved the May 28 meeting minutes, 6-0 (Mr. Graves abstained due to absence).
The Town of Clay Planning Board closed the book on one of its longest-running site plans on June 11, approving a warehouse project on Buckley Road that first came before the board in 2023 and had been adjourned 13 times — the case is marked "Adj. 13" in the board's own files — before Wednesday's vote.
Alex Samoray of Keplinger Freeman, representing applicant Mike Tormey, told the board that all required work had been completed on the project at 4583 Buckley Road, according to the minutes. No board members had questions, and no one spoke at the public hearing. Chairman Russ Mitchell closed the hearing, and the board adopted a negative declaration under SEQR, the state environmental review process, and then approved the site plan, both by 7-0 votes, based on a map dated December 20, 2023 and revised June 3, 2025.
The approval came the same night the board sent a second 2023 warehouse case further down the road. Equipment Share Syracuse, a proposed site plan at 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., is listed in the board's files as "Adj. 11" — already adjourned 11 times before this meeting. It drew no discussion at all Wednesday: just a motion by Mr. Graves, seconded by Mr. McMahon, to adjourn it again, to July 9.
Not everything on the agenda was a matter of waiting. The board also delivered one of its more decisive rulings of the night, denying a two-lot subdivision proposed under the name Gaskin Reef for owner Patricia L. Peters at 8515 Gaskin Road. Chairman Mitchell read from the Town of Clay code's description of the R-10 zoning district, which is intended for sites "served by both public water and sewer", and said septic systems are not permitted there; the existing house on the property is grandfathered in, but a new lot would not be. When Karen Guinup noted the applicant could withdraw rather than be denied, Thomas Oot of Real Property Development, LLC, the applicant's representative, said to proceed with denial instead. The board adopted a negative declaration and then formally denied preliminary plat approval, both by 7-0 votes, citing the code's public water and sewer requirement.
Two other projects reached approval Wednesday. An amended site plan for Henry Clay Warehouse at 7189 Henry Clay Blvd. passed after Samoray told the board the requested changes had been made. And the board approved a site plan for Justin's Canine Campus, a dog daycare at 4112 State Route 31, where owners Justin and Carrie Bonn are relocating a dumpster and adding temporary aluminum carports over four fenced play yards that each hold roughly 20 to 25 dogs. Commissioner of Code Enforcement Joe Grispino noted that any structure left in place longer than six months is considered permanent under town rules, addressing the temporary carports. Both the SEQR review and the site plan for the dog daycare carried 7-0.
The rest of the June 11 agenda went the way of Equipment Share Syracuse. A proposed Canandaigua National Bank branch in the Wegmans Plaza on Oswego Road drew an extended round of comments — on dumpster screening, building lighting, a sanitary sewer line that cannot connect to a private line, and the need for a fire department sign-off — before the board adjourned it to July 9. An amended site plan to add EV chargers at the Barnes & Noble plaza on State Route 31, filed jointly by EVgo and Rocklyn Clay, LLC, ran into a gap in the town's own zoning: Chairman Mitchell said Clay's code does not factor EV charging stalls into its required-parking formula at all. Board members and the site plan itself did not agree on how many spaces the project would cost — the plan showed a loss of three regular stalls and one ADA stall, while Mr. Henty said the number was six — and Ms. Guinup said a variance may be needed if the parking count can't be resolved. That case was also adjourned to July 9.
Four more cases were pushed further down the calendar, all by 7-0 votes: Goguen Drive Realty's special permit referral on Goguen Drive and the Charge Smart EV/Townplace Suites amended site plan on Carling Road, both to July 9; Scott Merle Builders' two subdivision plats on Gaskin Road, to July 23; and Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy's site plan on Buckley Road, also to July 23, which Chairman Mitchell said is on hold in part because Onondaga County is still planning changes to that stretch of road. A two-lot subdivision for Windsor Property Group on Morgan Road was adjourned to August 13.
The board's next regular meeting is July 9, when Equipment Share Syracuse, the Canandaigua National Bank site plan and the EVgo charging proposal are all due back before it.
This article was drafted by AI (claude-sonnet-agent) from the official meeting transcript and reviewed by a human editor.
Quotes link to source video timestamps for verification.
Read our editorial policy.
Community Discussion
0 comments
Be the first to comment on this story.
🔍Ask Clay
Have a question about this story? Search across meeting transcripts, town history, and municipal code.
Related Planning Board Meetings
Clay Planning Board Approves Just One of 13 Cases, Sends Gas Station Zoning Question to ZBA
●• Approved the site plan and a SEQR negative declaration for Packaging Corp. of America's building addition at 4471 Steelway Blvd. -- the only case decided outright (6-0 on both motions)
●• Approved a 16-square-foot freestanding sign and an 81-square-foot wall sign for a T-Mobile retailer at 3881 State Route 31 (6-0)
●• Referred to the Zoning Board of Appeals the question of whether the Mirabito Shopping Center site plan (5560 State Route 31) can include a gas station, since the town code's HC-1 use list omits "Gasoline Service Station" even though the code's separate "shopping center" definition names gas stations as a common use; adjourned the case to July 23 (6-0)
●• Declined to refer the McDonald's USA rebuild at 4979 West Taft Road to the Town Board pending results of a town-ordered traffic study, after residents said the project would add to traffic already backing up near Wegmans Plaza; adjourned to July 9 (6-0)
●• Denied without prejudice the Inverness Gardens site plan at 4938 West Taft Road after the applicant asked to adjourn far into the future; Chairman Mitchell said he told them "absolutely not" (6-0)
●• Continued the proposed hotel at the former Wegmans Great Northern site (3955 State Route 31) after a board member said he lacked confidence in a wetlands letter from LaBella Associates and members objected to the absence of dedicated parking for oversized vehicles; adjourned to July 23 (6-0)
●• Adjourned the Justin's Canine Campus site plan at 4112 State Route 31 to June 11, pending drawings showing portable canopies, utility lines and a relocated air conditioning unit (6-0)
●• Adjourned five more matters -- the Buckley Road warehouse tied to Mike Tormey, Goguen Drive Realty, Scott Merle Builders' Gaskin Road preliminary and final plats, Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy (where the chairman noted a county plan to widen Buckley Road near Dolshire), and Seneca Savings' proposed bank -- to June 11 or July 9, pending revisions, septic approval or further engineering review (all 6-0)
●• Adjourned the Henry Clay Warehouse amended site plan at 7189 Henry Clay Blvd. to June 11 pending stormwater review by the town engineer (6-0)
Clay Planning Board Refers McDonald's Plaza Redesign to Town Board, Bracing for Traffic on Cedarpost Road
●• Approved the June 11, 2025 meeting minutes, 6-0
●• Case #2023-042 (Amerco Real Estate, 8015 Oswego Road): amended site plan adjourned to October 22, 2025, 6-0
●• Case #2023-047 (Equipment Share Syracuse, 7481 Henry Clay Blvd.): site plan for a construction-rental facility on Dey Road adjourned to July 23, 2025, 6-0; Onondaga County Planning Board had flagged possible Indiana Bat habitat on the site
●• Case #2024-068 (Goguen Drive Realty, LLC, 7835 Goguen Drive): special permit recommendation for fuel storage tanks sent to Town Board, 6-0, after members said the applicant has "a reputation for nonconforming"; enforcement was left to the Codes Department
●• Case #2024-069 (Charge Smart EV/Townplace Suites, 8505 Carling Road): amended site plan adjourned to July 23, 2025, 6-0
●• Cases #2025-003 and #2025-004 (John Fisher Construction Co., 4593 Wetzel Road): site plan and special permit adjourned to October 8, 2025, 6-0
●• Case #2025-011 (McDonald's USA LLC, 4979 West Taft Road): special permit referral forwarded to Town Board with individual board members' comments, 6-0, pending a C&S Companies traffic study; board members and residents raised concerns about traffic overflow onto Cedarpost Road
●• Case #2025-015 (Seneca Savings, 5332 State Route 31): site plan adjourned to July 23, 2025, 6-0, pending Onondaga County septic approval
●• Case #2025-019 (Canandaigua National Bank, 7515 & 7519 Oswego Road) and Case #2025-030 (EVgo/Rocklyn Clay LLC at Barnes & Noble, 3956 State Route 31): site plans adjourned to July 23, 2025, 6-0 each
●• Approved a 40-square-foot illuminated LED wall sign for Kassis Superior Signs (Smoothy Food Massa) at 8223 Oswego Road, permit #55,110, where 83.6 square feet is allowed, 6-0
●• Meeting adjourned at 9:31 p.m.
Clay Planning Board Picks Trees Over Fence at Pack Rat Storage, but Can't Get a Straight Answer on What's Actually Stored There
●• Case #2024-050, Pack Rat Storage (4717 Wetzel Road): Chairman Mitchell polled board members individually on trees versus a vinyl fence along the property; six members (Henty, Borton, Graves, Palumbo, McMahon, Mitchell) favored trees, one (Guinup) favored the fence, calling the black mesh option "abominable." Resident Janet Rathburn said she has seen pallets, construction trailers and a backhoe stored on site, contradicting the applicant's answer that RVs and boats would be stored there; Commissioner Tessier noted the I1 zoning is for indoor storage and a special permit is needed for outdoor storage. Adjourned to July 23, 2025, 7-0.
●• Cases #2024-065/#2024-066, Sears Property (9417 Horseshoe Island Road): Board adopted a SEQR negative declaration and granted final plat approval, both 7-0, conditioned on legal/engineering sign-off and recording of an access easement before any building permit issues.
●• Case #2024-068, Goguen Drive Realty (7835 Goguen Drive): At a public hearing on a special-permit referral for six empty fuel tanks tagged "DO NOT FILL," Mr. Henty said the property's history shows the applicant "cannot be trusted and truthful" and that he does not trust the site; Mr. Graves and Mr. Palumbo separately raised concern that a proposed 1000-gallon refueling station could block trucks entering the site. Adjourned to May 28, 2025, 7-0.
●• Case #2024-069, Charge Smart EV/Towneplace Suites (8505 Carling Road): Ms. Borton said the site plan had been altered and read into the record the state requirement that an altered engineered document be re-stamped and marked "altered by" the responsible engineer; the applicant's representative said she would address the seal and other drawing corrections. Adjourned to June 11, 2025, 7-0.
●• Cases #2025-021/#2025-022, Windsor Property Group (7985 Morgan Road): A February zone change to R15 created a septic-system conflict; Chairman Mitchell suggested reverting to R40 to resolve it, while board attorney Bennett said a use variance would require a showing of economic hardship. Adjourned to June 11, 2025, 7-0.
●• Case #2025-001, Inverness Gardens (4938 West Taft Road): Chairman Mitchell said the developer is seeking other financing; the board voted 7-0 to notify the applicant the case will be denied without prejudice if no response is received by the May 28, 2025 meeting.
●• Three sign permits approved, each 7-0: a freestanding and canopy sign for Empower Parkinson/Engage Therapy & Wellness (4886-4888 West Taft Road); a wall sign for Excellus Resource Center (7421 Oswego Road); and a wall sign for Marcel's Ice Cream (4599 State Route 31).
●• Roughly a dozen other cases, including Seneca Savings, Henry Clay Warehouse, Emerald Lawn Care, Amerco Real Estate, Equipment Share Syracuse, Buckley Warehouse and Scott Merle Builders, were adjourned without substantive discussion to dates ranging from May 28 through July 23, all by 7-0 votes.
Wetland Study's March Timing Questioned, Great Northern Site Hotel Adjourned Again by Clay Planning Board
●• Approved minutes of the July 9 meeting, 6-0 (Palumbo abstained, having been absent July 9)
●• Adjourned the proposed hotel at the former Wegmans Great Northern Site (3955 State Route 31) to August 13, 7-0, after Palumbo said wetland-delineation photos were taken in March before vegetation had grown in and asked for backup data; the fire department has not yet confirmed the site's turn radius, and access easements have not been filed with the town
●• Adopted a SEQR negative declaration and approved the site plan for Equipment Share Syracuse's fueling station on Henry Clay Boulevard, both 7-0, after the applicant secured a special permit from the Town Board
●• Adopted a SEQR negative declaration and approved the amended site plan for Charge Smart EV/TownePlace Suites on Carling Road, both 7-0
●• Adopted a SEQR negative declaration for the Scott Merle Builders subdivision on Gaskin Road, 7-0; moved to final plat, 7-0; granted final plat, 7-0, conditioned on health-department-reviewed septic plans for its two lots
●• Adopted a SEQR negative declaration and approved the amended site plan for an EVgo charging station at the former Barnes & Noble site on State Route 31, both 7-0, on condition the EV parking spaces not be restricted to electric vehicles only
●• Approved four sign permits, 7-0 each, for a T-Mobile retailer on West Taft Road, an Edward Jones branch on State Route 31, a freestanding Honda/Logo sign on Henry Clay Boulevard, and Zaman Coffee House's drive-through signage on West Taft Road
●• Adjourned seven other cases without action, to August 13 or September 10, including the United Auto Supply renovation of the former Pep Boys on Oswego Road, Emerald Lawn Care, Pack Rat Storage, Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy, Seneca Savings, Mirabito Shopping Center, and the Canandaigua National Bank site plan, for which no one appeared
●• Meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m.; next meeting set for August 13, 2025
●• Tully’s Tenders (Case #2024-070), 3567 State Route 31: site plan approved 5-2, with Mr. Henty and Mr. Graves voting no over Route 31 traffic safety; a SEQR negative declaration was adopted 7-0; conditions exclude wall signage from the approval and bar a building permit until the drainage easement is filed.
●• Northern Credit Union (Case #2025-010), 5004-5008 West Taft Road: board voted 6-1 to recommend the Town Board deny the requested NC-1 zone change, favoring the applicant’s own less-intense O-2 proposal; residents Sandy Laurenti and Anna Markopolsky raised traffic and landscaping concerns.
●• Chairman Mitchell announced that, citing a rising caseload tied to Micron’s arrival — with some applications dating to 2023 — adjournments will no longer be granted meeting-to-meeting but must be pushed out at least two meetings.
●• Equipment Share Syracuse (Case #2023-047), 7481 Henry Clay Blvd.: adjourned to May 14, its ninth adjournment; the code enforcement commissioner noted a special use permit is still needed for the site’s fuel storage tanks.
●• Mike Tormey’s Buckley Road warehouse (Case #2023-052), 4583 Buckley Road: adjourned to May 14, its twelfth adjournment, after the town engineer required drawing corrections.
●• Proposed hotel at the former Wegmans Great Northern site (Case #2023-053), 3955 State Route 31: adjourned to May 28 at the applicant’s request, its fifth adjournment.
●• Seneca Savings (Case #2025-014), 5332 State Route 31: special permit referral for a bank with a two-lane drive-thru recommended to the Town Board 7-0.
●• Justin’s Canine Campus (Case #2025-017), Market Fair North on Route 31: special permit for an 80-to-100-dog daycare recommended 7-0.
●• Extra Space Storage, 7711 Henry Clay Blvd.: one wall sign and one freestanding LED sign approved 7-0.
Clay Planning Board Balks at 17-Acre Morgan Road Industrial Park Over Parking, Wetlands and a School Traffic Study
●• Morgan Road Business Park (Case #2025-041, 3): applicant proposed one 60,000 sq. ft. and eight 4,800 sq. ft. light industrial buildings on 17.39 acres, with no named tenant yet for the large building; the plan showed 394 parking spaces where town code requires 411. Adjourned to Sept. 24, 2025 (7-0).
●• Onondaga County Planning Board comments, read into the record by Town Engineer Ron DeTota, flagged that the vacant, wooded site sits near significant wetlands and called for a negative jurisdictional determination from the DEC or coordination on a wetland permit.
●• Chairman Russ Mitchell said the project's ingress/egress on Morgan Road could be a problem given a nearby school and that a traffic study will be needed.
●• Pack Rat Storage special permit (Case #2025-039, 4717 Wetzel Road) denied 7-0; Chairman Mitchell said the board expects to take up an amended site plan for the same land, which already has a site-plan precedent for outside storage, in two weeks.
●• Board approved a SEQR negative declaration and site plan for the Proposed Hotel at the Wegmans Great Northern Site (Case #2023-053, 3955 State Route 31), 7-0 on each motion, after fire district and wetland documents were received.
●• Board approved a SEQR negative declaration and amended site plan for United Auto Supply Renovation (Case #2025-036, 8091 Oswego Road), 7-0 on each motion.
●• Board voted 7-0 to recommend zone-change referrals to the Town Board for McDonald's USA LLC (4979 West Taft Road, LuC-1 to RC-1, within Wegmans Plaza) and for Marc Lebiedzinski (7985 Morgan Road, to R40 to accommodate septic).
●• Six other cases were adjourned without a vote on their merits: COR Route 31 Company/Price Chopper amended site plan (to Sept. 10); Sonbyrne Sales/Byrne Dairy site plan, where resident Denise Murray asked about a traffic study at the Buckley Road site (to Sept. 10); Seneca Savings site plan (to Sept. 10); Canandaigua National Bank site plan (to Sept. 24); and Windsor Property Group's preliminary and final plat for 7985 Morgan Road, for which no one appeared on the applicant's behalf (to Sept. 10).
Community Discussion
0 commentsBe the first to comment on this story.