DANBY — A local businessman is looking to get the go-ahead for an initiative in Danby after years of trying to get approval.
David Hall, owner of National Book Auctions and Bid Club in Danby has been looking to spearhead the development of a clinic for autistic children called the Blue Sky Center for Learning. Traffic has been a public concern however, as residents were concerned that congestion issues from the building’s prior tenant would re-emerge with the clinic. Danby Town Planner CJ Randall says that while Hall’s proposal has resolved some fears, there are still more hurdles to come.
“He reduced the number of uses he was asking for”, she said. “The proposal was a bit more coherent this time around. But we are still in the process of reviewing it, it’s still under environmental review right now”.
Randall added that the special license required for this type of clinic could make this approval even harder to receive.
“Essentially an applicant submits an application including a site plan and various submittals supporting that particular application”, she said. “They then submit it to the planning board for their review. So, there’s seven members of the planning board and he would need four votes in favor of this for it to move forward. That means that that use then would be permitted on this property”.
Public comment on the project was held last night, where it was decided that only a supermajority of town leaders could approve the Blue Sky project. It will be voted on at a meeting next month.
