Zoning Board of Appeals

Members


The City of Cohoes Zoning Board of Appeals is a seven-member citizen board appointed by the Mayor with five-year staggered terms.

  • Greg Mollnow, Chair
  • Mark Cotch 
  • Anthony Kusaywa
  • Carolyn Dion
  • Jacqueline DeChiaro 
  • Joseph Moloughney – Alternate Voting Member

Overview


The City of Cohoes Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) has the following independent authorities to review requests for waivers from any of the regulations in the zoning ordinances:

 Area Variances: the ZBA reviews requests for dimensional relief from existing regulation relating to building  setbacks, building heights, etc.

 Interpretations: the ZBA reviews requests for interpretation of the regulations in the zoning ordinance made by the  City’s Zoning Officer and/or Code Enforcement Officers.

 Use Variances: the ZBA reviews requests for relief from existing regulation for changes in density and uses not  permitted by current zoning.

The ZBA, is an administrative body that acts as a buffer between the property owner, or aggrieved applicant, and decisions made by the zoning enforcement officers (ZEO) and the State
Supreme Court. The ZBA is designed to interpret, to perfect, and to ensure the validity of zoning.

Zoning, itself, is a set of land use regulations as described in the local law, dividing a municipality into districts. For example, zoning code may regulate each district uniformly as residential, commercial, or agriculture, among others. The goal is to avoid incompatible land uses within districts and to regulate land use, density, and placement of structures on site.

Property owners may look at the City’s Zoning Map and determine how they may use their land, and also how their neighbors and other owners in the municipality may use their land. Problems arise because even though property may be near one another and subject to the same zoning code, the features and nuances of the land may differ which may possibly lead landowners to desire to use the land differently, or in a way not specified in the zoning code. The Zoning Officer is the administrative official charged with enforcing the zoning code set forth by the municipality. This official renders an initial decision with regard to conformity with zoning and may also cite violations of the zoning code. 

Please view the City’s Zoning Map and Schedule of Use Regulations to learn about what uses are permittable in different zones around the City, and then view the Schedule of Bulk and Area Regulations to learn about the site-specific requirements of each use in each district. 

Minutes, Agendas, and Future Meeting Dates


Visit the City’s agenda center to access past meeting agendas, power points, and minutes, as well as upcoming meeting material. All scheduled meeting dates and their submission deadlines are listed below. Contact the Office of Planning should you have any questions.

  
 Submission DatesMeeting Dates
 Wednesday, January 4, 2023Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Wednesday, February 1, 2023Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Wednesday, March 1, 2023Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Wednesday, April 5, 2023Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Wednesday, May 3, 2023Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Wednesday, June 7, 2023Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Wednesday, July 5, 2023Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Wednesday, August 2, 2023Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Wednesday, September 6, 2023Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Wednesday, October 4, 2023Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Wednesday, October 25, 2023****Wednesday, November 15, 2023****
Wednesday, December 6, 2023Wednesday, December 27, 2023

****submittal date and meeting date changed due to holiday****

*All deadlines and meeting dates are subject to change

Albany County Planning Board

New York State General Municipal Law (Article 12-B, §239-l, m, and n) requires that local communities refer certain development applications, proposed zoning changes, and comprehensive plans to the County Planning Board for review, comment, and recommendations before taking final action. 

Upon submission of an application, the City Planner of Cohoes will determine if an application will need to be reviewed by the Albany County Planning Board (ACPB). Please review ACPB’s meeting dates and submission schedules, and contact the Office of Planning should you have any questions. 

State Environmental Quality Review 


New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) requires all state and local government agencies to consider environmental impacts equally with social and economic factors during discretionary decision-making. This means these agencies must assess the environmental significance of all actions they have discretion to approve, fund or directly undertake. When considering an action that has been the subject of a Final EIS, SEQR requires the agencies to balance the environmental impacts with social and economic factors when deciding to approve or undertake an "Action".

For more information regarding the SEQR process visit New York State’s Introduction to SEQR which includes a helpful overview of the process and useful reference documents. Please contact the Office of Planning should you have any questions.