Maryland Planning Board rejects Yellow Rose application
Oct. 5—The Maryland Planning Board rejected the special use permit application for the Yellow Rose during a special board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Planning Board Chairman Joel Fox said the meeting started with the approval of minutes from the last meeting. "Eleanor Stromberg read her letter of support and I read my resignation letter," he said.
Fox, who has been a member of the planning board for 12 years, said he resigned after members of the town board asked him to. He said he also resigned after he was "treated so shabbily by the board" members at September's town board meeting.
After the two letters were read, "We then went right to the vote," Fox said.
He said a motion was made to deny the approval of the special use permit because the "applicant did not submit a revised application requested by the board."
Fox said the planning board asked the applicant, Christine Alvarado, to provide more information about the Yellow Rose Barn project on Smokey Avenue. Alvarado is the wife of Town Supervisor Ronald Wheeler.
"Things had to be cleared up on the application," Fox said.
One of the major items that was not included in the application was a site plan of the property drawn by an architect or engineer.
The board also had questions about the application during its Sept. 12 meeting that were not clarified before Tuesday night's meeting, he said.
During the meeting in September, there was confusion amongst the board, as the environmental impact application and the special use permit application for the Yellow Rose Barn stated different uses.
"It is confusing because one thing is said on the environmental form and another thing is said on the permit application. We should clarify those things. However, no one needs a permit for a winery because it is for agricultural use," Fox said last month.
Fox said Wednesday, the questions were not addressed during Tuesday night's meeting, and the attorney for Alvarado and Wheeler, owners of the property, did not attend the meeting.
Fox said the vote was 5-0-1 and Ron Mickle was absent.
He said Timothy Jester, who joined the planning board a month ago, abstained because he didn't know enough about the project.
Voting to deny the permit were board members Fox, Stromberg, Gloria Krokos, Matthew Gregory and Stephanie McMullen, he said.
According to Otsego County Code Enforcement, the county has no record of any building permits being issued to the Yellow Rose and a "stop work" order was given to Wheeler and Alvarado.
Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.
