Credit: Patrick Grego
A new bookstore café, Sky and Celery, is on track to occupy the historic Grange Hall at 3007 Church Street after receiving strong support from the Pine Plains Planning Board. In an unofficial, nonbinding straw vote on Wednesday, the board voted 5-1 in favor of the project.
Board member Ethan DiMaria cast the sole dissenting vote, expressing concerns about the addition of porches, which he argued diverged too significantly from the building’s historic appearance. The board’s discussion marked the latest step in a project that was first introduced in October and revisited after a sparsely attended public hearing in December.
Brooklyn-based architectural designer Naomi Steinhagen represented the applicants at the meeting. All that remains for the applicant to complete is a New York State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) form and a 239 Planning and Zoning Referral form, that must be submitted to Dutchess County. The Planning Board will cast an official vote on the application next month.
In other business, the board raised concerns over lighting that was installed last month in the parking lot behind the Stissing House, a popular restaurant at 7801 South Main Street, after a patron fell. The restaurant did not receive prior approval from the Planning Board and the lighting does not meet Dark Sky standards, designed to minimize light pollution.
Nathan Rawlinson, the restaurant’s general manager, assured board members that his team would develop alternative lighting plans to meet the board’s expectations. He said he would present proposals at the board’s next meeting, at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12.