Zoning Board Approves Pottery Class Permit on Caughdenoy Road, With One Condition: No Parking on the Road
The Town of Clay Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously granted a Special Permit on March 10 letting a Caughdenoy Road homeowner teach pottery classes in his pole barn, adding a condition that no students park on the road after a neighbor raised safety concerns about a blind curve there.
Syracuse skyline seen across Onondaga Lake from Willow Bay — photo:
Andre Carrotflower
(BY-SA 4.0)
▶Key Actions & Decisions
●• Chairperson Vivian Mason called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.; Karen Liebi, Ryan Frantzis and David Porter were present, Alternate Member David Hess was absent.
●• Adopted the 2025 Scheduling Calendar, confirmed Karen Liebi as Deputy Chairperson, and acknowledged Chelsea Clark's Town Board appointment as Secretary and Robert Germain's (Germain & Germain) appointment as Attorney. Unanimously carried.
●• Accepted the December 14, 2024 minutes as submitted; noted the January 13 and February 10, 2025 meetings were cancelled for lack of business. Unanimously carried.
●• Adopted a blanket SEQR Type II negative declaration for all new actions taken at the meeting, unless the attorney advised otherwise. Unanimously carried.
●• Case #1966 — Timothy R. See, 8380 Caughdenoy Road: heard a request for a Special Permit under Section 230-13 A.(2)(d)[1] and Section 230-27 I.(2)(a) to hold pottery classes in a pole barn on his RA-100 Residential Agricultural District property.
●• Board members questioned the applicant on class size (about one student per week), septic and permit status, and the absence of a kiln; Mr. See described the classes as "build and destroy" based, with students not taking pottery home.
●• Chris Close, 5160 Lyle Drive, raised concern in public comment about students parking on Caughdenoy Road near a sharp, cattail-lined curve where he said many accidents occur.
●• Attorney Robert Germain noted Caughdenoy Road is county-owned and parking on it is prohibited; he also found the action Unlisted with a filed short-form EAF, no other permitting authorities involved, and no significant environmental effect requiring a DEIS.
●• Approved the Special Permit for Case #1966 with the condition of no parking on Caughdenoy Road. Roll call: Frantzis, Porter, Liebi and Mason all in favor. Unanimously carried.
●• Adjourned at 6:13 p.m.
The Town of Clay Zoning Board of Appeals held its first business of 2025 on March 10 — after January and February meetings were both cancelled for lack of anything to decide — and closed it out in 13 minutes with a single case: a Caughdenoy Road man's request to teach pottery classes out of his pole barn.
Timothy R. See, of 8380 Caughdenoy Road, asked the board for a Special Permit under the town's home-occupation rules to hold classes on his property, which sits in the RA-100 Residential Agricultural District. Mr. See told the board he is a potter who travels to workshops elsewhere and wanted to bring students to his own pole barn instead. Board members pressed him on the practical details: whether the barn and pottery wheels were finished, whether the septic system and a bathroom were approved, and how many students he expected. Mr. See said the septic has been approved and a bathroom designed, with permits still pending, and that he anticipated roughly one student per week. Asked whether there would be a kiln and whether students would take their work home, he said no — his classes are "build and destroy" based, meant to push students to try something new rather than produce finished pieces.
The only public comment came from Chris Close of 5160 Lyle Drive, who told the board he was worried about students parking on Caughdenoy Road itself. He described a sharp curve near the property lined with cattails where he said accidents happen frequently. Mr. See responded that no students would park on the road — his property has ample parking for the one student expected at a time. The board's attorney, Robert Germain, added a legal backstop to that assurance: Caughdenoy Road is owned by Onondaga County, he noted, and parking on county roads is already prohibited.
Germain also walked through the environmental review, finding the request an Unlisted Action under a filed short-form EAF, with no other permitting authorities involved and no effect significant enough to require further environmental review. With no one speaking in opposition, the board closed the hearing and approved the permit, formally writing Close's concern into the approval as a condition: no parking on Caughdenoy Road. The vote was unanimous, with Ryan Frantzis, David Porter, Deputy Chairperson Karen Liebi and Chairperson Vivian Mason all voting in favor.
The meeting also handled the board's annual organizational business, adopting its 2025 meeting calendar, reconfirming Liebi as Deputy Chairperson and acknowledging the Town Board's appointments of Chelsea Clark as Secretary and Germain, of Germain & Germain, as Attorney. The board adjourned at 6:13 p.m., its entire slate of 2025 business to that point consisting of the one case.
This article was drafted by AI (claude-sonnet-agent) from the official meeting transcript and reviewed by a human editor.
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●• Case #1967 (Northern Credit Union, 3584 State Route 31): adjourned to the May 12, 2025 meeting at the applicant's request, pending revisions based on Onondaga County Planning Board recommendations.
●• Case #1968 (Sign Pro Inc./Community Bank, 7379 Oswego Road): Area Variance to increase allowable wall signs from two to four approved 3-0 (Frantzis, Liebi, Mason in favor), conditioned on substantial compliance with Exhibit A.
●• Case #1969 (Donald Shay/Crossroads Park Lot 1, 4611 Crossroads Park Drive): Area Variances reducing front yard setback from 25 to 10 feet and raising allowable front-yard fence height from 2 1/2 to 7 feet approved 3-0, conditioned on compliance with Exhibit A and the fence being chain link.
●• Case #1970 (Donald Shay/Crossroads Park Lot 2, 4615 Crossroads Park Drive): identical variances approved 3-0 on the same conditions.
●• In both Crossroads Park cases, the applicant's representative told the board the need for the variances was self-created and, unlike in the other cases heard that night, affirmatively stated the variances were substantial.
●• Chairperson Mason told a member of the audience that the Onondaga County Planning Board had not provided comment on the Crossroads Park applications.
●• Deputy Chairperson Liebi asked whether the proposed fence would be electric (no) and about material stored on-site; Interim Planning Commissioner Tessier confirmed the fence type as chain link.
●• The meeting opened at 6:00 P.M. and adjourned at 6:19 P.M.; Member David Porter was absent.
●• Case #1971 (Alexa Dickson, 7783 Tirrell Hill Circle): sought an area variance to keep chickens as pets on a 0.30-acre lot, well under the 5 acres the code requires for farm animals; eight residents spoke, five in favor and three opposed, and written comments were also mixed; Chairperson Mason closed the hearing but deferred a decision to a future meeting — no vote taken.
●• Case #1972 (Andrew Selesky, 4014 Maider Road): sought an area variance to raise the maximum height of a detached accessory structure from 25 to 27 feet to build a barn; no one spoke for or against it; approved unanimously (Porter, Frantzis, Mason all in favor) on a motion by Mr. Porter, seconded by Mr. Frantzis, conditioned on substantial compliance with Exhibit "A."
●• Case #1967 (Northern Credit Union, 5004-5008 Taft Road): the applicant withdrew the application; no vote taken.
●• The board voted unanimously, on a motion by Chairperson Mason seconded by Mr. Frantzis, to classify all of the night's new actions as Type II under the New York State Environmental Quality Review process (SEQR) and issue negative declarations unless the board's attorney advised otherwise.
●• Approval of the April 14 minutes was postponed to the board's June 9 meeting because of pending corrections.
●• Members Karen Liebi and Chelsea Clark were absent; the meeting, called to order at 6:00 p.m., adjourned at 6:49 p.m.
Every Applicant Called the Hardship Self-Created. Only the Chickens Got Denied.
●• Case #1971 (Alexa Dickson, 7783 Tirrell Hill Circle): area variance to keep chickens as pets on a 0.30-acre lot, denied 3-0 (Porter, Frantzis, Mason in favor of denial); board found the request substantial and cited potential odor and noise in a "thickly settled" residential area
●• Case #1973 (Jennifer M. Dunbar, 7392 Henry Clay Blvd.): front yard setback cut from 75 to 65 feet and both side yard setbacks cut from 25 to 15 feet for a house and garage addition, approved unanimously; Code Enforcement Commissioner Grispino noted the addition is intended as an in-law suite
●• Case #1974 (Deborah A. Magaro-Dolan, 207 Riverdale Road): side yard setback cut from 7.5 to 3 feet and rear yard setback cut from 10 to 3 feet to replace an 8-by-10 shed with a 10-by-16 shed in the same spot, approved unanimously
●• Case #1976 (Robert Seniecle, 8867 Canter Drive): front yard setback cut from 25 to 7.5 feet for a new 16-by-26 attached garage, approved unanimously
●• Case #1978 (Neil Warner, 11 Mallard Path): rear yard setback cut from 10 to 3 feet for a new 10-by-14 storage shed, approved unanimously; two audience members raised their hands in favor during the hearing, the only public comment recorded at the meeting
●• Board accepted the April 14 and May 12 minutes as submitted
●• Board classified all new actions as Type II under SEQRA, exempting them from further environmental review
●• Meeting opened at 6:00 p.m. and adjourned at 6:20 p.m.; member Karen Liebi and attorney Robert Germain were absent, with Neil Germain appearing as attorney
Clay Zoning Board Hears Contested Mirabito Gas Station Question, Closes Hearing Without a Ruling
●• Minutes of the June 9, 2025 meeting accepted unanimously
●• Routine SEQR motion: all new actions classified Type II with a negative declaration, unanimously carried
●• Case #1975 (Rotem Evron/Pinecrest Apartments, 7300 Cedar Post Road): area variance to reduce required land area and add four dwelling units — approved unanimously, 3-0
●• Case #1977 (Marc Lebiedzinski, 7985 Morgan Road): area variances reducing lot area and lot width to allow a two-lot subdivision — approved unanimously, 3-0, conditioned on compliance with Exhibit "A"
●• Case #1979 (Planning Board Chairman Russ Mitchell, on behalf of the Planning Board): requested interpretation of whether gasoline service stations/pumps are an allowed use within a "shopping center" in the HC-1 Highway Commercial zone, in connection with a Mirabito project; Mirabito's attorney argued the request was untimely under the 60-day statute of limitations and that gas pumps are permitted as of right; no vote was recorded — Chairperson Mason closed the hearing
●• Case #1980 (Nicholas R. Grevelding, III, 9141 Riverside Road): motion to approve a front-yard setback reduction (75 to 40 feet) and deny a side-yard setback reduction (25 to 10 feet) failed 2-1 on roll call (Mr. Porter and Chairperson Mason in favor, Mr. Frantzis opposed); a second motion to approve both setback reductions as requested was not seconded and also failed — no variance was granted
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