Monthly Report
Zoning/Codes Officer
March 14 to April 11, 2014
Essex Town Board
Essex Planning Board
The last four weeks have been fairly quiet as far as issuing new building permits.
There was a permit issued for the planned restoration and rehabilitation of the old
Hayward Farmhouse on the Essex Road north of Essex village. Mark Wilcox from Lake
Placid, who has already restored one historic farmhouse on Walker Road in Essex, is
undertaking this very extensive and important project. The Hayward House has. been
sitting empty for many years and now will have a new lease on life. After some basic
structural work to cellar floor joists and the sagging side porch, and repairs to the slate
roof, Wilcox plans to carefully go through the house and update it’s electrical , plumbing
and heating systems, replaster walls, repair and paint pine floors and reglaze the Civil
War era-window sash. If you are interested in the project, feel free to stop by and
introduce yourself and give Mark your encouragement. He should be working on the
house well into the fall of the year. The former Manin go house on Route 22, now
belonging to Billie Houghton, is having a new bedroom and bathroom put in on the back
addition of the first floor. Renovations are being made to the interior of the back kitchen
ell at Mike Olson’s house on the corner of Route 22 and Elm Street and at the former
Arnold Estus house on Elm Street. Three new wells were drilled in town during the last
week in March/first week in April. I conducted inspections on about 8 on-going projects
throughout the village and the town and did an inspection for a Certificate of Occupancy
at the Brody house on Jersey Street.
There were a number of projects processed for the March Planning Board meeting,
including two minor subdivisions and a site plan review for a storage barn by Gary
Heurich at the Sheldon Farm and Silver Birch properties on Albee Lane. Gert Thom,
new owner of the Nuthouse camp (former camp of Martha and Tom McGraw) property
on Lake Shore Road north of the Crater Club submitted a Site Plan Review application
for a new covered porch on the camp. There was also a Site Plan Review and Special
Use permit application by the Patakis for the former Hill House on the corner of Main
and School Street in the village and a Special Use Permit for the Adirondack Art
Association to move their m1 gallery to Jack and Joanne Halpin’s house by the LCT Ferry
landing in the village. Also a Site Plan Review application for some exterior changes to
the Frank Schmitt House on Beggs Road. These projects will come up for public hearing
at the April 17th regular Planning Board meeting.
Two applications were received requesting variances from the Zoning Board of Appea ls
in April .. . a subdivision of a farm property on Walker Road owned by Cordelia Sand into
two lots (78 acres in Agricultural zone) and a request to install a new Airstream Trailer
on a vacant lot in Essex village by Sally Johnson. A meeting to discuss the Sand
subdivi sion has been scheduled for April 2 1s1 at 3pm. Sally Johnson has withdrawn her
request and since found a village home to rent after selling her house on Bull Run this
past fall.
Building Permit Fees (March 2014): $296.00
3/10/14 – Walker, barn, $56.00
3/21/14 – Wilcox, restoration Hayward House, Essex Rd, $240.00
Zoning Permit Fees (March 2014): $175.00
3/3/14 – Thorn, Nuthouse camp porch, Site Plan Review $25.00
3/11114- Heurich, Barn, Site Plan Review, $25.00
3/11/14 – Heurich, Albee Lane, Minor Subdvision x 2 , $100.00
3/21/14 ~ Adirondack Art Assoc., SUP, Essex Rd, $25.00
Total Fees Collected in March 2014 = $471.00
