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Copake car storage law moves forward
Law lays out aesthetic regulations
By Jamie Larson
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
COPAKE — The Copake Town Board narrowly passed a vote Thursday night to move forward on the much-discussed motor vehicle storage regulations law. Once again, the vote broke down party along lines, with the three Republicans voting to consider the law as written and the two Democrats voting against.
Both Planning Board Chairperson Marcia Becker and Zoning Board of Appeals Chairperson Jeff Nayer said at the board meeting that the law had issues and needed to be further revised and commented on by their boards before it should be considered.
The law lays out aesthetic regulations for unregistered and registered vehicle storage at auto-body shops, junk yards and private homes. It dictates that areas with unregistered cars need to be surrounded by eight foot fencing or evergreen trees, and only a certain number of registered automobiles can be stored on the road side and they must be in a straight line.
Republican Supervisor Reginald Crowley and council members, Daniel Tompkins and Walter Kiernan, argued that while the law is not perfect, the reapplication period for vehicle storage permits is approaching at the turn of the year and incomplete guidelines are better than none at all. They said at least the current proposed law treats all businesses equally.
Tompkins made the motion to move forward on the law, with the caveat that he expects it to be amended in the future.
Democratic council members Robert Sacks and Linda Gabaccia said that it didn’t seem like good practice to go against the advice of two board chairs.
“We’re passing a law we know we’ll rescind in a few months,” Sacks argued. “It makes no governmental sense.”
Deputy Supervisor and head of the Motor Vehicle Storage Subcommittee Joe LaPorta said the board has been discussing the issue for years and needed to finally create some regulations that apply to everyone equally.
The proposed law must now sit on the board members’ desks for a month and be subject to a public hearing before it can be voted on a final time and become official.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
Both Planning Board Chairperson Marcia Becker and Zoning Board of Appeals Chairperson Jeff Nayer said at the board meeting that the law had issues and needed to be further revised and commented on by their boards before it should be considered.
The law lays out aesthetic regulations for unregistered and registered vehicle storage at auto-body shops, junk yards and private homes. It dictates that areas with unregistered cars need to be surrounded by eight foot fencing or evergreen trees, and only a certain number of registered automobiles can be stored on the road side and they must be in a straight line.
Republican Supervisor Reginald Crowley and council members, Daniel Tompkins and Walter Kiernan, argued that while the law is not perfect, the reapplication period for vehicle storage permits is approaching at the turn of the year and incomplete guidelines are better than none at all. They said at least the current proposed law treats all businesses equally.
Tompkins made the motion to move forward on the law, with the caveat that he expects it to be amended in the future.
Democratic council members Robert Sacks and Linda Gabaccia said that it didn’t seem like good practice to go against the advice of two board chairs.
“We’re passing a law we know we’ll rescind in a few months,” Sacks argued. “It makes no governmental sense.”
Deputy Supervisor and head of the Motor Vehicle Storage Subcommittee Joe LaPorta said the board has been discussing the issue for years and needed to finally create some regulations that apply to everyone equally.
The proposed law must now sit on the board members’ desks for a month and be subject to a public hearing before it can be voted on a final time and become official.
To reach reporter Jamie Larson, call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com. To comment directly on this story, go to www.registerstar.com.
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