If at first you don’t succeed … work with county and town planning boards to find a way to succeed.
That’s what West Seneca residents and business partners Glenn Laben and Kelsey Dellaneve did and, on Thursday, they’ll be back in front of the Genesee County Planning Board to seek a special use permit to erect a country-themed event venue at 388 Broadway Road, Darien.
Denied in August 2018 on their request for a use variance (which is difficult to acquire), the duo took the advice of County Planning Director Felipe Oltramari and asked Darien Town planners to make zoning amendments to allow gathering halls in Low Density Residential districts. The duo’s property on the south side of Broadway Road (Route 20) between County Line Road and Harlow Road is designated as LDR.
“Two years ago, the applicants were seeking a use variance, which almost always are denied,” Oltramari said today. “The state has a strict criteria for those, such as having to prove that there would be no reasonable return for the land.”
Now, since the Town of Darien’s action, the path seems to be clear for a special use permit.
“It’s the way the process is supposed to work,” Oltramari added.
According to submitted documents, the couple is proposing The Barn at Flower Creek, a 3,120-square-foot gambrel roof barn to accommodate up to 220 guests. The estimated $500,000 project also will include an access driveway, parking lot for 85 vehicles, and an on-site wastewater treatment system meeting health department requirements.
Preparation of food at the site is not planned.
The applicants hope to place the 60- by 52-foot gathering hall, driveway and parking lot on 2.2 acres of a 22-acre parcel consisting of rolling hills and tall grass.
“Finally,” said Dellaneve, anticipating a better outcome this time around. “The building, which can be used for weddings, graduations, retirements and corporate events, is based off a barn that previously was on the property.”
Laben, on the application, wrote that his company “respects the rural atmosphere of the neighborhood and plans to strictly enforce any noise ordinance and curfew as required” and that the set maximum capacity would not hamper the flow of vehicles to and from attractions such as Six Flags Darien Lake and Chestnut Hill Country Club.
The building will be approximately 700 feet from the right of way on Broadway.
County planners will make a recommendation on the request, and from there the special use permit will the subject of a public hearing at 7:45 p.m. Sept. 21 conducted by the Town of Darien Planning Board at Darien Town Hall, 10569 Alleghany Road.
Other referrals on the Genesee County Planning Board agenda include:
- A site plan review for a 2,800-square-foot addition to the rear of the Imagination Station child care center at 5079 Clinton Street Road, Batavia.
Owners Kelly and Eric Kronbeck of Alden are proposing a $250,000 project to add classroom space to the facility, which is located on the north side of the road. The addition’s dimensions are 78 feet wide by 36 feet deep.
- A site plan review for Holland Resources of East Bethany to put up a 45- by 100-foot addition to the north side of an existing self-service recreational vehicle storage building at 5545 Route 5, Stafford.
The applicant is looking to add six more bays for RV storage in a Commercial District.
- A site plan review for a 7,200-square-foot commercial cooler addition to the existing structure at HP Hood, Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, East Main Street Road, Batavia.
A telephone call to HP Hood officials for more information was not returned at the time of the posting of this story.
