The Town of Clay Planning Board took up 13 cases at its May 28, 2025 meeting, and by the time Chairman Russ Mitchell closed the session at 9:52 p.m. -- two hours and 22 minutes after it opened -- the board had granted final approval to exactly one of them. That approval went to Packaging Corp. of America, whose building addition project at 4471 Steelway Blvd. drew no questions from the board or the public. Members adopted a SEQR negative declaration and approved the site plan, both by 6-0 votes. The board also approved a freestanding sign and a wall sign for a T-Mobile retailer at 3881 State Route 31, also 6-0. Every other case on the agenda was adjourned, denied without prejudice, or sent to another board for a ruling. One case turned on a specific gap in the town code. Mirabito Shopping Center's proposal for 5560 State Route 31 sits in an HC-1 zone, and Mitchell read the board through the code's list of permitted uses there -- retail stores, offices, banks, day care centers and more -- noting that a gasoline service station is not on it. But the code's separate definition of "shopping center" describes gasoline service stations as one of the uses commonly found in such developments. Mitchell said the board needs the Zoning Board of Appeals to determine which provision controls before site plan review can proceed. The board voted 6-0 to refer the question to the ZBA and adjourned the case to July 23. The board also held off on referring the McDonald's USA rebuild at 4979 West Taft Road to the Town Board, the step the applicant needs before that board can act on a requested zone change. Engineer Randy Bebout described a revised layout that shifts the building east, cuts the disturbed area from 1.2 to 0.88 acres, and reworks the drive-through queue. Residents were not reassured: Erika Gallucci, of Astilbe Path, said the combined traffic from Summit Credit Union, Northern Credit Union and a new McDonald's would total 1,000 vehicles a day and said it is currently a nightmare just getting out of the Wegmans parking lot. Bebout responded that much of that figure reflects pass-by traffic already on West Taft Road, not new trips. Colleen Dillenbeck said neighbors had submitted petitions against the project. Mitchell said the board wants results from a traffic study the town requested for West Taft Road before deciding; the case was adjourned to July 9. The proposed hotel at the former Wegmans Great Northern site, 3955 State Route 31, met similar caution. Board member Jim Palumbo said he lacked confidence in a wetlands letter from LaBella Associates that found no wetlands on the site, arguing that a proper delineation should have examined the area beyond the property line and questioning whether an April 2 site walk -- done before vegetation had grown in for the season -- came early enough to be reliable. Engineer Mike Ritchie agreed to expand the study and provide soil samples. Separately, board member Karen Guinup told the applicant's team that because they would not provide dedicated parking for oversized vehicles such as RVs and trailers, the project could no longer defer any of its required parking to a future phase -- all of it would have to be built now. The case was adjourned to July 23. The Inverness Gardens site plan at 4938 West Taft Road was the one case resolved by denial rather than delay. Mitchell said the applicant had asked the board to adjourn the case far into the future; the chairman said he told them "absolutely not" and warned it would be denied without prejudice if the board did not hear back before this meeting. It didn't, and the board voted 6-0 to deny the application without prejudice, leaving the applicant free to reapply later. Seven more cases -- Justin's Canine Campus, the Buckley Road warehouse project tied to Mike Tormey, Goguen Drive Realty, Scott Merle Builders' Gaskin Road subdivision, Sonbyrne Sales' Byrne Dairy project, Seneca Savings' proposed bank, and the Henry Clay Boulevard warehouse -- were adjourned to June 11 or July 9, most awaiting revised drawings, septic approval or further engineering review. Discussing the dairy project, Mitchell noted that Onondaga County is planning to widen Buckley Road near Dolshire with a dedicated turn lane, work he said could begin by the end of this year or in 2026.