LeRay business proposal approved

EVANS MILLS — The town of LeRay Planning Board asked a developer to modify his plans for a self-storage, truck rental and auto repair business along Route 11 at a regular meeting Thursday.

The board conditionally approved the preliminary site plan for Guy Javarone's proposed White Pines II development along Route 11's northbound lanes south of Holbrook Road.

The board required the site's lighting plans be modified to comply with the town's zoning law. It also required a planned turnaround area and that parking spots for the auto center not intrude on a buffer area between the state right-of-way and the property line.

In requiring the modifications, the board was responding to questions raised about the development by Ronald J. Pope and Walter H. Van Tassel in letters submitted before the public hearing, which was also held Thursday. Mr. Pope owns Drum Self-Storage. Mr. Van Tassel owns U-Lock It and is developing another self-storage facility at the corner of Holbrook Road and Route 11.

In other business, the Planning Board agreed to submit to the Town Council its proposal for a new law that would allow small wind energy systems to be built in the town. According to the draft, the measure aims to accommodate "small wind energy conversion systems designed for on-site home, farm and small commercial use, and that are primarily used to reduce on-site consumption of utility power."

It would limit the generating capacity of such systems to 50 kilowatts, enough to power a small municipality, and any proposed unit would have to undergo the Planning Board's site plan review process.

The Town Council must hold a public hearing and vote in order for the proposal to become law.

Currently, small wind energy facilities are not permitted. Several town residents have expressed interest in possibly installing such systems, leading the board to work on a regulatory framework to accommodate them.