The Clay Planning Board opened public hearings on a proposed Amazon warehouse, listed in the minutes at 234,300 (the record omits the unit), on Morgan Road and a National Grid gas line expansion serving Micron's Caughdenoy Road campus at its July 22, 2026 meeting. Chairwoman Michelle Borton disputed the warehouse applicant's traffic-impact conclusions on the record and disclosed that the board's own attorney also represents the gas line applicant; both cases, and every other case on the agenda, were adjourned to August 12 without a vote.
Typeset from the official record — motions and recorded votes are detected automatically. The official copy governs.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
The Regular Meeting of the Planning Board of the Town of Clay, County of Onondaga held at Town Hall located at 4401 State Route 31, Clay, New York on the 22nd day of July 2026. The meeting was called to order by Chairwoman Borton at 7:30 p.m. All joined in the Pledge of Allegiance and upon roll being called the following were:
PRESENT:
Michelle Borton Chairwoman Russ Mitchell Deputy Chair
Karen Guinup Member
Paul Graves
Member
Al McMahon Member
Jim Palumbo Member
Hal Henty
Member
Marie Giannone Secretary to Planning Board Brian Bender Commissioner of Planning & Development Amber Dillon Planner II – Planning & Development Department Kathleen Bennett Planning Board Attorney
Caitlin Choberka C & S Engineer
ABSENT:
Ron DeTota Planning Board Engineer
Motion made by Mr. Graves to approve the minutes of the July 8, 2026 meeting. Seconded by
Mr. McMahon.
Motion Carried: 6-0. Mr. McMahon abstained due to his absence at the July 8th meeting. Chairwoman Borton said the applicant for Case #2025-054 Black Creek Equestrian Center – Site Plan asked to be heard at the planning board meeting on August 12, 2026 (scheduled for September 16, 2026 meeting).
Motion made by Mr. Henty to move Case #2025-054 to this agenda. Seconded by Mr. Mitchell.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
Adj. 2 The applicant has requested an adjournment to September 16, 2026 as they are looking into the SEQR implementations for the project.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
Motion made by Mr. Graves to adjourn case #2026-051 to September 16, 2026. Seconded by
Mr. McMahon.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
Development Company LLC, Site Plan Mr. Patrick Sheedy, Acquest Development, is present to address the board on behalf of the
applicant. The applicant is proposing to construct a 234,300 warehouse, 42 ft tall, 32 ft hgt. and exterior parking on a 37-acre parcel owned by P. Drescher Co. Inc. This would be subdivided from the overall 76.74-acre property. Two curb cut access are proposed on Morgan Road, one to the North primarily for employee parking and the other to the South for delivery and bus driver vehicles. All stormwater management will be designed in accordance with NYS DEC and the Town of Clay water department.
Chairwoman Borton said the delineation report submitted showed work to be done regarding impacts. Mr. Sheedy said a report will be submitted to the DEC and also provided to the town. This is needed for the SEQR process. Also, if we deemed to be lead agency a list is needed for the involved agencies for Part I of the EAF.
Chairwoman Borton discussed the EAF:
• On the Description of Action the Chairwoman asked if any drones will be used. Mr. Sheedy said no.
• On Government Approvals, the board will have to know if DEC and Army Corp of Engineers will be involved.
• Chairwoman asked if these parcels will be combined, subdivision, or lot line adjustment as it states “to be determined”. Mr. Sheedy said it is a lot line adjustment as there currently are two parcels being reproportioned.
• On page 4 there is a question if this proposed action includes any ponds. Stormwater should be listed if being proposed. Mr. Sheedy said just standard conventional. • At the end of page 4 it states” would the proposed action cause a result in alteration of increase/decrease in size of water bodies or adjacent areas “. This is checked “no” but the board needs to know if this is correct. Mr. Sheedy will address this for clarification. • Chairwoman Borton said the traffic study that been completed and the conclusion is that there are no significant adverse impacts but the question in the EAF page 7j is saying “is there substantial increase in traffic above present levels or generate new demand for transportation facilities or services?” The chairwoman said this would be “yes” on the EAF. Mr. Sheedy will address this.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
• On page 8m “will the proposed action produce noise that will exceed existing ambient noise levels during construction, operations or both?” Chairwoman Borton said to define the hours of construction and working hours.
• On page 11 Surface water features are related to wetlands as you referred to the wetland delineation letter – yes or no should be checked.
• There were no comments from the board members relating to the EAF.
• Chairwoman Borton moved on to the Onondaga County Planning Board (OCPB) comments received. Mr. Sheedy said he has received and reviewed them.
• The checklist had two modifications that will be required by the applicant: • Onondaga County DOT requires the applicant to continue to coordinate Morgan Road access with the Department. The applicant must submit a copy of SWPPP for review. The municipality must ensure any mitigation as may be determined by the Department is reflected on the project plans prior to or as a condition of municipal approval. Chairwoman Borton said the board always makes sure those are reflected on the project plans as we do not do conditional approvals.
• County asked the applicant to reach out to Centro to discuss potential bus service to the site. The applicant is encouraged to install internal sidewalks and pedestrian amenities safely connecting the proposed facility to the public right of way. Mr. Sheedy said this is being done as they have reached out to Centro as bus service right now ends at Steelway Dr.
• Confirm that there are no NYS jurisdictional wetlands or buffers on the site. Mr. Sheedy will confirm this.
• A sign off is needed for capacity assurance due to anticipated change in use. • A sign off is needed as the site may contain Indiana bat or its associated habitat. Chairwoman Borton asked if they were planning to obtain a PILOT. Mr. Sheedy said no. The chairman opened up to the board for questions.
Mr. Henty – no comments at this time.
Ms. Guinup asked for a clarification on the parcels. Is this going to be a subdivision – creating a lot line or removing a lot line. Mr. Sheedy said it will be adjusting a lot line as it was an administrative application. Chairwoman Borton asked Ms. Dillon and Mr. Bender to explain this. Ms. Dillon said it is a legal process that allows property owners to modify the boundaries of their adjacent parcels without creating new lots. Mr. Henty asked if there would be two tax maps. Ms. Dillon said yes but this has not gone to Onondaga County as nothing has been filed to date.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
Mr. Palumbo said in looking at the drawing it appears that it will be a consolidation and asked what is the adjustment. Mr. Sheedy showed on the map where it will be expanded to the shaded area. Ms. Dillon explained this: As shown on the drawing, the building at the top of the aerial is the lot right now. It is one giant lot with a rectangular lot which use to be a residence. Mr. Henty asked Mr. Sheedy why is this being done. Mr. Sheedy said because it is being purchased.
Among the board members and attorney more explanation is needed as to the process in the lot line adjustment. This will be addressed with our attorney and the planning department as there were many questions unanswered to how this is done.
Chairwoman Borton said this is a public hearing and asked if there are any questions. None.
Motion made by Mr. Mitchell to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Mr. Graves.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
National Grid GRS/Micron GLM Expansion Site Plan Chairwoman Borton said for the record our attorney Bond Schoeneck and King is also representing the applicant so there is a conflict. We have the option to reach out to the town’s attorney or hire our own if necessary.
Mr. Nolan Kokkoris is present to address the board on behalf of the applicant. The applicant is proposing expansion of a National Grid gas line from NYS Rt 31 and running service to Caughdenoy Road. This involves changes to two locations. NYS Rt 31 site is a .61-acre parcel containing an existing National Grid regulator station. The existing station is a gravel area containing gas infrastructure, surrounded by fencing. This parcel is surrounded by Town of Clay property including the town hall to the West and highway department to the East and Clay Park to the north rear. The Caughdenoy Road site is a 99.05-acre parcel in the Micron campus. This portion of the Micron campus is a contiguous area bound by NYS Rt 31, Caughdenoy Road and Burnet Road. The subject parcel is located along Caughdenoy Road south of National Grid power lines. The subject area is located in the northwest corner of the parcel adjacent to Caughdenoy Road, immediately south of the intersection of Caughdenoy Road and CSX railroad tracks.
At the NYS Rt 31 site installation of additional equipment and gas mains, removal of existing fencing and installation of 8 ft fencing around the expanded gravel area.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
At the Caughdenoy Road site installation of aa Micron Gas Metering Station (GLM) which will have a fenced in gravel area, housing concrete pads and gas infrastructure. A 16” gas main will enter the subject area from the sough along Caughdenoy Road frontage.
Chairwoman Borton mentioned the connection action Micron project, OCIDA, and US Dept of Commerce acting as joint lead agencies for the purposes of coordinated environmental issued a final EIS in satisfaction of SEQRA. Mr. Kokkoris said in the connection action a number of projects were listed including the natural gas project installation.
County comments received said the OCPB has determined that this referral will have no significant adverse inter-community or county-wide implications and may consequently be acted on solely by the referring board.
County comments said existing wetlands are located adjacent to the western site boundary and on site along the northern and eastern boundaries. Wetland regulations required the applicant to obtain appropriate permits from NYS DEC. The applicant will meet with our planning department to be sure they have the proper documentation. Mr. Bender verified that the planning department has the documentation.
Chairwoman Borton asked the board members if there are any questions.
Mr. Henty (inaudible) Ms. Guinup (inaudible) Mr. Graves – good Mr. Mahon – good Mr. Palumbo asked about the proposed dwarf evergreen trees on the landscape plan. This area will be cleared for planting of trees. Mr. Palumbo suggested 8 ft trees not dwarf. The planting schedule needs to be more documented on the plan for now and future reference. This will be provided to the board. Mr. Palumbo asked about the established trees along the parking lot and if they have to be taken down due to construction. The applicant said these could possibly be taken down and at that point Mr. Palumbo said this plan needs to be more defined before approval on the landscaping. This would be replaced in kind with 3” caliber maple tree. Both agreed trees would be taken down only if necessary. Also, the easements are in place and documents have been provided.
Mr. Mitchell asked how deep is the 16” pipe. Road minimum is approximately 3 ft. Ms. Choberka said C&S has received and reviewed SWPPP comments. Mr. Bender concurred. Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
Chairwoman Borton said this is a public hearing and asked if there are any comments/questions. None
Motion made by Mr. Graves to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Mr.
McMahon.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
The applicant requested an adjournment to August 12, 2026.
Motion made by Mr. Mitchell to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Ms. Guinup.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
Plan (Adj. 2) Ms. Wennberg, Keplinger Freeman Assoc., is present to address the board on behalf of the
applicant. Ms. Wennberg said all the items have been addressed from the previous meeting and has been provided. Chairwoman said there is a question on parking count and asked the planning department to address the parking issue. After discussion the correct count will be documented on the site plan. Chairwoman Borton said SWPPP and OCWA (easement description and survey) are still being reviewed at this time.
Chairwoman Borton said a correction needs to be made that she was not present at the July 1st meeting and should be noted for the record.
Chairwoman Borton asked if lane markings on the exit of the drive thru could be added to state “fire lane”. This will be addressed.
Mr. Henty asked the height of the light poles. The light poles are the same as existing lights which is 20 ft.
Ms. Guinup said a number needs to be added on the cover sheet. Also, to show on the plan the 18 parking spaces which include the 2 ADA spaces which will be helpful for future reference. Mr. Graves – good Mr. McMahon – good Mr. Palumbo said there is a concern with the perimeter drive with the fire truck. This is shown on the plan to the applicant. This was brought up at the last meeting. In looking at this plan the lines shown come across as a wide driveway but it pinches down to 14 ft which is not doable Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
(this is shown to the applicant). This is the concern and is critical to the ring road. Mr. Palumbo asked if the curb could be modified to facilitate traffic moving around. Ms. Wennberg said the eastern curb is at the edge of the variance. Ms. Dillon spoke with the fire department and they were in agreement. Mr. Palumbo asked if the building has to be in that exact location – can it be shifted. Mr. Trevor Edkin, Director of Leasing and Acquisitions for R&F, said the eastern curb is against the existing curb cut as there are easements. Mr. Edkin said there were conversations with the fire department to alleviate any concerns they had. Mr. Palumbo asked to have this in writing from the fire department. Mr. Edkin will provide this. Further discussions followed on the shifting of the building approximately two feet to the west. There are easements to consider, loss of parking area, and the 30 ft drainage easement with the town. This will further be discussed with the town’s engineer to see what can be done for this project. Ms. Wennberg said shifting the building can create the loss of sidewalks, parking and access to the building. This also will be taken into consideration as further discussions continue. Mr. Edkins also said widening the drive thru entices people to drive in the wrong direction. Mr. Palumbo said we can do the best we can to avoid a potential conflict.
Brief discussion with Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Bender on the drawings in the site plan and what is needed. No floor plans are needed. This will be addressed in the planning department. Mr. Palumbo agreed what is being discussed but when the ADA spaces are being discussed during site plan review, we need to know that this meets town code where they are located in the front of the building. It would be helpful if the site plan said “Main Entrance”.
Ms. Choberka said signed and stamped drawings are needed for approval. Additional comments will be sent to the applicant via email.
Chairwoman Borton said this is a public hearing and asked if there are any questions/comments. None.
Motion made by Mr. Henty to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Mr. Mitchell.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
Mr. Tim Coyer, Ianuzi & Romans, is present to address the board on behalf of the applicant. Mr. Coyer apologized as the incorrect set of plans were sent. Mr. Coyer said all the changes were made as requested from the last meeting.
The board members had no comments.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
Chairwoman Borton said pavement directional arrows are needed for the drive thru and a sign pointing to the drive thru. This will be addressed.
Chairwoman Borton said this is a public hearing and asked if there are any questions/comments. None.
Motion made by Mr. Graves to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Mr. Palumbo.
Motion Carried: 7-0
Case 2026-031 - West Herr Automotive Group Expansion, 3687 State Route 31, Amended Site Plan (Adj. 2) Mr. Joe Durand, TDK Engineering, is present to address the board on behalf of the applicant. Mr. Durand said the changes were made as requested at the previous meeting.
Ms. Choberka will email their comments to the applicant.
Chairwoman Borton asked for the original date, revision and revision date to be put on the title sheet of the drawing. This will be addressed.
Ms. Guinup needs clarification of the parking spaces – how many plus ADA spaces equals the total.
Chairwoman Borton said this is a public hearing and asked if there are any questions/comments. None.
Motion made by Mr. Graves to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Mr. Palumbo.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
Plan – (Adj. 1) Mr. Ben Harrell, CHA, is present to address the board on behalf of the applicant. Mr. Harrell said the changes made were:
✓ Updated Architectural elevation ✓ Updated Zoning table box ✓ Snow storage ✓ Coordinated with Moyers Fire Dept. Access – received via email ✓ Updated Trees proposed along the front of property ✓ SHPO letter received ✓ Square footage of the building updated ✓ DOT – received letter with no issues – gave to Planning Dept.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
✓ SWPPP approval ✓ Comments responded to C&S
Ms. Choberka said more discussion is needed on the inverts that don’t line up on the southwest portion of the site. Mr. Harrell showed why the inverts are lower as shown on the plan. Mr. Henty asked if this is new technology. Mr. Harrell said this has been around for years but not in this area due to cost factors.
Chairwoman Borton asked to remove “these drawings are for communication of design intent only” on the E sheets.
Mr. Henty – good Ms. Guinup suggested to have signage for “showroom parking” for customers on the site plan. Mr. Palumbo – good Mr. Graves – good Mr. McMahon – good Mr. Mitchell – good
Chairwoman Borton said this is a public hearing and asked if there are any questions/comments. None.
Motion made by Mr. Henty to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Mr. Henty.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
The applicant has asked for an adjournment to August 12, 2026 – previously had the
adjournment to September 16, 2026. The applicant is ready for the August 12, 2026 meeting.
Motion made by Mr. Graves to adjourn this case to August 12, 2026. Seconded by Mr.
McMahon.
Motion Carried: 7-0.
Planning Board Regular Meeting July 22, 2026
Motion made by Mr. Graves to adjourn this meeting at 9:00 p.m. Next meeting is August 12,
2026. Seconded by Mr. Palumbo.
Motion Carried: 7-0
Respectfully submitted, Marie Giannone Marie Giannone Planning Board Secretary