The Community Development Director (the "Director"), or his designee, is empowered to administer and enforce this code. Specifically, the Director shall have the following powers and duties:
A. 
Administer procedures of this code;
B. 
Initial review and processing of all applications submitted under this code;
C. 
Issue administrative determinations and certificates of compliance pursuant to this code;
D. 
Enforce the conditions of any variance, site plan review or special use permit issued pursuant to this code;
E. 
Enforce all provisions of this code; and
F. 
Determine the completeness of all applications submitted under this code.
A. 
After reviewing a proposal for a development or land disturbance the Director shall make one of the following formal determinations:
(1) 
The development is subject to administrative review or approval from the Director; or
(2) 
The development is subject to site plan review and approval pursuant to Part 2, Article XI, of this code; or
(3) 
The development requires issuance of a special use permit pursuant to Part 2, Article XII, of this code; or
(4) 
The development is prohibited; or
(5) 
The development does not meet the dimensional standards of this code; or
(6) 
Such other determination as may be consistent with this code.
[Note: The change of land use or new land use or development may require approvals or permits from other state or federal agencies or departments not under the jurisdiction of this code, including but not limited to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Health (DOH), and Transportation (DOT) and the Adirondack Park Agency (APA).]
B. 
Procedure for determinations:
(1) 
Any person intending to engage in an activity that may be subject to this code should meet with the Director as early as possible to determine which, if any, permits or approvals may be required and which review procedures, if any, apply;
(2) 
A person seeking a formal determination from the Director shall file a request with the Village Department of Community Development (the "Department"), together with the appropriate fee. The request for the determination shall be submitted on forms provided for such purpose by the Village, and shall include a plan drawn to scale showing the actual dimensions of the land to be built on or otherwise used, the size and location of all buildings or other structures or other uses to be built or undertaken, and such other information as may be necessary in the evaluation of the request and the administration of this code. Within 10 business days following the receipt of a request for determination, the Director shall notify the applicant of any additional information required for completion of the review. If no such notice is given within the specified time frame, then the request shall be deemed complete as filed. When all additional information is received, the Director shall acknowledge the same in writing;
(3) 
The Director shall issue a written determination not later than 20 business days after receiving a completed request for determination;
(4) 
An appeal from a determination made by the Director shall be made to the Development Board pursuant to Part 2, § 106-113, of this code within 60 days of such determination; and
(5) 
A determination from the Director shall lapse one year following the date it was granted if the project has not been substantially commenced or the use has not been commenced. The Director may renew the determination once for a period of one year from the date it would have originally lapsed, provided that the facts upon which the original determination was granted have not changed.
A. 
Description. Administrative review provides relief from carrying out a requirement of this code that may cause a minor practical difficulty.
B. 
Initiation. The property owner, or person expressly authorized by the property owner in writing, may initiate an administrative review.
C. 
Eligibility. The applicant is eligible to apply for an administrative review for up to a ten-percent adjustment from any dimensional or physical requirement of this code.
D. 
Authority. The Director must review and take action on requests for an adjustment.
E. 
Procedure.
(1) 
An administrative review application must be filed with the Director.
(2) 
The Director shall review the application for completeness based on the following list of information:
(a) 
The name and address of the applicant making the request;
(b) 
A description of the adjustment, including a quantification by percentage requested; and
(c) 
A scaled drawing with dimensions shown illustrating buildings and/or structures involved with the adjustment.
(3) 
Once all necessary information is received the Director shall determine the application to be complete.
(4) 
Upon receipt of the determination of application completeness, the applicant shall provide written notice to each adjoining property owner that an application for administrative review is being requested from the Director. The notice shall include a description of the project for which adjustment sought, the level of adjustment sought, the address where written objection to the project may be written, and the date by which the written objection must be received. Within five days after provision of the notice to adjoining property owners, the applicant shall provide to the Director a copy of the notice sent, a list of the adjoining property owners receiving the notice, and written evidence (i.e., mail certification receipts) that the notice has been properly made to each adjoining property owner.
(5) 
If a written objection to an administrative review is received by the Director prior to the date of the Director's determination, the application must be resubmitted as a zoning variance to the Development Board. No additional fees shall apply.
(6) 
Within 30 days of the determination of application completeness, the Director must approve, approve with modifications, or disapprove the application. The failure of the Director to act within 30 days of receipt of a complete application will be deemed a disapproval of the application, except where this thirty-day period is extended by mutual consent of the applicant and the Director.
(7) 
The Director may, at his/her discretion, determine that, because of its nature, a proposed administrative adjustment must be resubmitted as a zoning variance to the Development Board. No additional fees shall apply.
F. 
Approval standards. The Director must make written findings of fact on the following standards:
(1) 
The benefits to the applicant of the approval of the adjustment outweigh any detriments to the public health, safety, and welfare; and
(2) 
The benefit sought by the applicant cannot be achieved by some method feasible for the applicant to pursue, other than through the administrative review.
G. 
Expiration.
(1) 
The adjustment approved as a result of the administrative review expires within one year from the date of approval, if a building permit or certificate of occupancy has not been issued and no request for a time extension is sought within the original period of validity.
(2) 
The Director may extend the time for expiration of an approved adjustment for one year, upon a showing of good cause by the applicant. A request for extension must be made in writing to the Director within the original period of validity.
H. 
Appeals. An aggrieved party may appeal the adjustment decision of the Director to the Development Board in accordance with Part 2, § 106-113, of this code. The appeal must be filed with the Director within 30 days after the date of the adjustment decision.
A. 
Permit application. Applications for administrative approval shall be made in writing on a form provided by or otherwise acceptable to the Director. The application shall be signed by the owner of the property where the work is to be performed or by an authorized agent of the owner. The application shall include such information as the Director deems sufficient to permit a determination by the Director that the intended land use or development complies with all applicable standards of this chapter. The Director shall issue an administrative approval upon such a finding.
B. 
Applicability. Administrative approval from the Director shall be required for:
[Amended 11-8-2021 by L.L. No. 3-2021]
(1) 
All land use or development as set forth in Schedule 1, Allowed Uses,[1] requiring administrative approval;
[1]
Editor's Note: Schedule 1, Allowed Uses, is included as Attachment 1 of this chapter.
(2) 
All land use or development as set forth in Article XIII, Design Standards, and Article XIV, Supplemental Standards, of this chapter that does not otherwise require site plan review or a special use permit pursuant to this chapter; and
(3) 
Changes of use determined by the Director pursuant to Development Code § 106-12 to be nonmaterial that would otherwise require site plan approval pursuant to Development Code § 106-58.
A. 
A notice of decision shall be issued by the Director after any approval, disapproval, approval with conditions, or granting or denial of a variance is made by the Director or the Development Board. The notice of decision shall describe the action taken and any associated conditions. The notice of decision shall be issued in duplicate with one copy provided to the applicant and the second kept on file in the Village offices. When issuing a notice of decision for an approval or approval with conditions, the Director shall sign, date, and return one copy of the approved plans bearing the notation "Approved." No person shall perform any construction or otherwise undertake a project requiring a permit unless a notice of decision for such project is issued as set forth in the manner as specified above, nor shall any person perform such activities after revocation of a notice of approval;
B. 
If the Director determines that an application or accompanying plans are false or misleading, or that work being done upon the premises differs from what is allowed by the approval as issued, the Director may forthwith revoke the notice of approval. Examples of differences between permitted plans and work being done include, but are not limited to, quantifiable change or expansion in the use of land and/or a building, physical alteration of the natural landscape or alteration/expansion of a building or structure (principal or accessory) in a manner that is different from the plans as filed with the permit. The permittee and/or the owner of the property shall upon revocation of approval from the Director cease the use, activity, or construction associated with the proposed development; and,
C. 
A notice of decision for an approval, approval with conditions, or a variance issued pursuant to this code shall lapse one year following the date it was issued if the project has not been commenced or the use has not been commenced. Upon a request filed prior to lapsing of the notice of decision the board granting the approval may renew the notice of decision for a period of one year from the date it would have originally lapsed, provided that the facts upon which the original determination was granted have not changed. The Development Board may provide for a subsequent renewal, upon request made before lapsing of the notice of decision, provided that the facts upon which the original determination was made have not changed.
[Amended 11-8-2021 by L.L. No. 3-2021]
When a structure, building or parcel changes in use, the owner shall be responsible for submitting the proposed change to the Director for a determination pursuant to § 106-8 whether the proposed change is material. (See the definition of "material change" of use in § 106-6.)
Any determination or notice of decision issued under this code shall be void if it is based upon or is granted in reliance upon any material misrepresentation or failure to make a material fact or circumstance known.
The submission of a request for a determination, or submission of an application for any other approval, variance or matter covered by this code, shall constitute consent to the Director, Village employees, and to members or designees of Village boards with jurisdictional authority over such review and approval procedures to conduct such inspections, tests and examinations of the site as the Director or board having jurisdiction deems necessary and appropriate for fulfilling the purposes of this code.
No use for which a permit or approval was issued shall be occupied or maintained except pursuant to a certificate of compliance issued by the Director. The Director, within 10 working days after receipt of a request for inspection of a project or operation of a use for which a permit or approval has been issued, shall inspect and issue a certificate of compliance if the project has been completed or the use is being operated in compliance with all terms of the permit or approval and with all applicable provisions of this code and other laws and regulations. Such certificate shall constitute a permit to occupy and/or conduct the use. If the project involves the construction of a building or structure, a building permit and associated certificate of occupancy must also be issued before the building or structure can be occupied.
The original or a certified copy of all decisions, approvals, rulings and findings of any board under this code, and of all permits and certificates issued under this code, shall be maintained by the Director and retained as a permanent Village public record. Audio recordings of any board proceedings shall be kept by the Village Clerk for a period of not less than three years from the date of such meeting.
[Amended 11-8-2021 by L.L. No. 3-2021]
Unless otherwise stated, all petitions, applications and appeals provided for in this code shall be made on forms prescribed by the Director or the board with jurisdiction over the particular matter. Completed forms shall be accompanied by whatever further information, plans or specifications may be required by such forms and/or this code. Petitions, applications and appeals containing sufficient information for Development Board review as determined by the Director shall be submitted at least 15 days prior to a scheduled Development Board meeting in order to be included on the agenda for the meeting absent good cause shown as found by the Director in consultation with the Chair of the Development Board.
A. 
Fees provided for by this code shall be paid upon the submission of petitions, applications and appeals, in such amount or amounts as shall be established by the Board of Trustees from time to time by resolution. Said fees will be posted on the official Schedule of Fees for the Village of Saranac Lake. Actions that require fees include, but are not limited to:
(1) 
Permit application;
(2) 
Application for site plan review to the Development Board;
(3) 
Application for special use permit;
(4) 
Application for Planned Unit Development District;
(5) 
Appeals for variance (use and area) application to Development Board;
(6) 
Petition for interpretation to the Development Board;
(7) 
Subdivision application to the Development Board;
(8) 
Certificate of compliance;
(9) 
Certificate of occupancy;
(10) 
Petition for amendment of this code and/or the Zoning Map to the Board of Trustees; and
(11) 
Signs.
B. 
In the review of any application under this code by the Development Board or the Director, the applicant may be required to pay for professional services deemed necessary for the review of such application. As part of the application fee, a deposit in an amount sufficient to reimburse the Village for reasonably estimated costs of such professional services may be required. Said amount shall be based on the specific fee schedule of the particular professional retained as well as the scope of services to be provided. The Village shall hold such deposit in escrow for the sole purpose of paying the costs and fees of the professional(s) retained for review of the application. The professional(s) retained shall provide the Village with detailed invoices showing the services rendered for the time period billed, and the Village shall provide the applicant with an opportunity to review said invoices prior to payment. Initial or additional deposits may be required as the review process continues. Any deposit amounts that remain at the end of the process shall be returned to the applicant. Any outstanding fees due to the Village must be paid in full prior to the issuance of a permit and/or building permit.
C. 
Payment of fees.
(1) 
All fees shall be paid, at the time of application, to the Department. No application shall be deemed complete unless required fees have been paid.
(2) 
No fee shall be allowed to be substituted for any other required fee.
A. 
The Director is hereby authorized and empowered to issue an order requiring any person to cease and desist from any violation of this code or of any permit, order or other approval issued hereunder. Notice of the order and the reason or reasons therefor shall be made in writing and served by the Director upon the holder of the permit, order or other approval, either in person or by mailing the same by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address given in the application, and upon the last known owner of the premises involved as shown on the assessment roll of the Village, and by filing a copy of said notice immediately in the office of the Village Clerk. The cease-and-desist order shall be in effect until the Village confirms that the land development activity is in compliance and the violation has been satisfactorily remedied.
B. 
Any permit, order or other approval issued under this code may be suspended or revoked by the issuing authority upon the failure of the holder thereof to comply with any provision of this code or of such permit, order or other approval issued hereunder. Notice of revocation and the reason or reasons therefor shall be made in writing and served by the Director upon the holder of the permit, either in person or by mailing the same by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address given in the application, and upon the last known owner of the premises as shown on the assessment roll of the Village, and by filing a copy of said notice immediately in the office of the Village Clerk.
C. 
If any building or land development activity is installed or conducted in violation of this code, or in violation of any permit, order or other approval issued hereunder, the Director may prevent the occupancy of said building or land by withholding a certificate of occupancy until such violation is satisfactorily remedied.
D. 
Any person responsible for a violation may be required to restore land to its undisturbed condition. In the event that restoration is not undertaken within 90 days or such other reasonable time after notice that the Director may specify, the Village may take necessary corrective action, the cost of which shall become a lien upon the property involved until paid.
E. 
Penalties and other relief for violations.
(1) 
Any neglect, failure or refusal to comply with any provision of this code or any permit, order or other approval issued hereunder shall be deemed a violation thereof, and any person who shall commit such a violation, in addition to being required to abate the violation and any other penalties prescribed by law, shall, upon conviction thereof by a court of local criminal jurisdiction, be punished by a fine of not more than $500 for each offense. Each and every day such violation shall continue will constitute a separate offense;
(2) 
In addition to the foregoing, the Board of Trustees may, in the case of a violation of this code or any permit, order or other approval issued hereunder, commence an action in a court of competent jurisdiction which seeks:
(a) 
The imposition of a civil penalty of not more than $500 a day that the violation continues, with the owner and other persons who are responsible for such violation to be jointly and severally liable; and/or
(b) 
Injunctive relief to prevent or abate the violation.
(3) 
Persons found to be in violation of the provisions of this code or any permit, order or other approval issued hereunder pursuant to such civil actions or proceedings shall be liable for damages, including the legal and other costs and fees resulting from or attendant to such actions or proceedings, as well as the costs and fees incurred by the Village and/or its officers, employees, servants and agents.
F. 
Prior to any action being commenced pursuant to § 106-19E, the Director shall serve a notice to remedy, by certified mail, upon the person violating the provisions of this code or any permit, order or other approval issued hereunder. The period of said notice to remedy shall be prima facie evidence of noncompliance with the provisions of this code or of any permit order or other approval issued hereunder. Upon noncompliance with the notice to remedy, the Director may commence an action pursuant to § 106-19E, by the issuance of an appearance ticket for a violation brought pursuant to § 106-19E(1) or by appropriate filings for an action commenced pursuant to § 106-19E(2).
[Amended 11-8-2021 by L.L. No. 3-2021]
Notices of public hearings required by this code shall be provided by Village publication in a newspaper of general circulation within the Village at least 10 days prior to the hearing. Within the same time frame, a copy of the notice shall also be provided by the applicant by certified mail to all owners within 200 feet of the Tax Map parcel on which the applicant's project is proposed. Proof of certified mailing upon such individual property owners shall be provided to the Director before the public hearing is held. The applicant shall also post a conspicuous, waterproof copy of the notice at the site of the proposed project at least 10 days prior to the date of the hearing.
A. 
For proposed planning and zoning actions within the Essex County portion of the Village, referrals shall be made to the Essex County Planning Board in accordance with the provisions of General Municipal Law § 239.
B. 
For proposed planning and zoning applications within the Franklin County portion of the Village, no referral is required because, as of the date of adoption of this code, Franklin County does not have a county planning agency and is not within the jurisdiction of a regional planning council.
A. 
An applicant may be required by the Development Board or the Director to provide adequate security to guarantee the faithful performance and proper completion of any approved work and compliance with conditions of approval imposed by the review authority. The provisions of this section apply to performance guarantees for any of the approvals required by this code.
B. 
The required security shall be in a form (e.g., cash bond, certificate of deposit, surety bond, etc.) approved by the Director, upon recommendation of the Village Attorney. The amount of security shall be as determined by the Development Board or the Director to be necessary to ensure proper completion of the work and compliance with conditions of approval.
C. 
In addition to any improvement security required to guarantee proper completion of work, the Development Board or the Director may require security for maintenance of the work in an amount determined to be sufficient to ensure the proper maintenance and functioning of improvements.
D. 
Required improvement security shall remain in effect until final inspections have been made and all work has been accepted by the Director or until any warranty period required by the Director has elapsed. Maintenance security shall remain in effect for 12 months after the date of final inspection.
E. 
Upon satisfactory completion of work and the approval of a final inspection (or after the end of the required time for maintenance security), the improvement and/or maintenance deposits or bonds shall be released.
F. 
Upon failure to complete the work, failure to comply with all of the terms of any applicable approval, or failure of the completed improvements to function properly, the Village may do the required work, or cause it to be done, and collect from the applicant or surety all the costs incurred by the Village, including the costs of the work and all related administrative and inspection costs.
G. 
Any unused portion of the security shall be refunded to the funding source after deduction of the cost of the work by the Village.