THE PLANNING BOARD’S GRANT OF A SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND SITE PLAN APPROVAL FOR CONSTRUCTION OF A BARN TO BE USED TO HOST SEASONAL PARTIES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANNULLED; THE PLANNING BOARD CONSIDERED ALL THE FACTORS REQUIRED BY THE TOWN CODE AND FOUND THERE WOULD BE NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON TRAFFIC OR NOISE (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the planning board’s granting of a special use permit and approval of respondent’s site plan was not arbitrary and capricious and should not have been annulled:

Respondent Kenneth Bailey applied for a special use permit and site plan approval so that he could construct a barn on his property that would operate as a seasonal party venue. Following hearings, respondent Planning Board of the Town of Sand Lake (hereinafter the Board) issued resolutions adopting a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (see ECL art 8 [hereinafter SEQRA]) and granting Bailey’s application with conditions. Petitioners — a neighborhood association and individual members thereof — commenced this proceeding seeking to annul the Board’s resolutions. * * *

The Board’s resolutions reflect that it considered the relevant criteria as set forth in Town of Sand Lake Zoning Code § 250-80. The Board noted the various uses permitted as of right by the zoning code and found that these uses “may be more intense and affecting” than Bailey’s proposed party venue. The Board relied on the engineering report in concluding that there would be no significant impact to traffic or noise. The record also discloses that the Board entertained comments derived from multiple public hearings. In view of the foregoing, and taking into account that “[a] municipality ‘retains some discretion to evaluate each application for a special use permit, to determine whether applicable criteria have been met and to make commonsense judgments in deciding whether a particular application should be granted'” … . Matter of Barnes Rd. Area Neighborhood Assn. v Planning Bd. of the Town of Sand Lake, 2022 NY Slip Op 04205, Third Dept 6-30-22

Practice Point: Here the respondent requested a special use permit and a site plan approval for the construction of a barn to host seasonal parties. The planning board issued the special permit and the approval. Supreme Court annulled the planning board’s determination. The Third Department reversed, finding that the planning board had properly considered the environmental impact and the factors listed in the town code. Therefore the board’s decision was not arbitrary or capricious.