DELMAR—Developers of an approved nine-lot development in the North Street and Wright Lane neighborhood are asking the Bethlehem Planning Board to rescind its demand for them to bury power lines, arguing it would make the project “economically unfeasible.”
The Bethlehem Planning Board was to meet on Tuesday, Jan. 7 to discuss the request. The meeting was scheduled for after this edition went to print. column plywood formwork
Slingerlands Hollow Co. seeks to amend a subdivision approval condition for McCormacks Hollow Phase 2. The subdivision, approved in 2021, stipulates that all utilities must be buried underground in compliance with the town’s zoning regulations.
According to the applicant, meeting this requirement would cost approximately $1.35 million due to National Grid’s mandate to upgrade existing single-phase power lines to three-phase lines for underground service. This cost, they claim, exceeds the financial viability of the project, which involves eight residential lots and one conservation area along North Street.
Eugene M. Sneeringer, Jr. representing Slingerlands Hollow Co., said that the projected per-lot cost would far exceed reasonable market value. The $1.9 million cost he quoted last December would exceed the $150,000 value for each lot.
“The costs to relocate the utilities underground renders the 8 lots as approved economically unfeasible,” Sneeringer stated.
Town planners noted the potential visual and neighborhood impacts of above-ground three-phase power lines. Concerns include the need for larger poles and additional transformers, which could alter the character of the area.
The board’s discussion was to also address the precedent set by McCormacks Hollow Phase 1, where all utilities were buried. The applicant argues that the higher costs associated with Phase 2 stem from increased National Grid requirements and are unrelated to the subdivision size.
Currently, Phase 2 remains in its pre-construction phase. The Planning Board’s decision was to determine whether the developer may proceed with the amendment or comply with the original underground utility requirement.
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