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Public hearing set on proposed amendment to the town code By Kate Hill Staff Writer
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On Oct. 8, 2023, Mad Tacos owner Jonathan Phillips opened Pearl’s Bar and Bistro in Cazenovia.
Mad Taco owner expands Caz’s casual dining options with Pearl’s Bar and Bistro By Kate Hill Staff Writer
This past fall, local restaurateur Jonathan Phillips opened Pearl’s Bar and Bistro at 126 Nelson St. in Cazenovia. The restaurant offers casual dining, familyfriendly food options, a laid-back atmosphere, and a full bar with cocktails, wine, and beer. The kitchen is led by Head Chef Pauline Drumm, who attended culinary school in Portland, Oregon, and has more than two decades of experience in fine dining. She recently cooked at The Century Club in Syracuse and the Cazenovia Club.
Phillips, who also owns Mad Tacos in Nelson, said his goal for Pearl’s was to create a unique, cozy environment where guests could enjoy a casual dining experience. “I wanted people to walk in and immediately catch a vibe that is fresh to the area,” he said. “There is a ‘Bistro’ essence with finer wines, cocktails, and menu items, but Pearl’s also offers ‘pubstyle’ items. So, you can come in for a date night, family night, or just a quick bite.” Phillips named his new restaurant in memory of his golden retriever, with whom he shared many major life moments. Pearl’s l Page 2
On Jan. 8, the Cazenovia Town Board introduced a local law to amend the town code regarding commercial mobile service facilities. Supervisor Kyle Reger stated that over the last nine months, he and Councilor Kelli Johnson have worked with several constituents and an industry expert to add language to the zoning regulations related to commercial mobile service facilities. According to the proposed local law, the purpose of the commercial mobile service facilities section of the town code is “to establish predictable and balanced regulations for the siting of telecommunication facilities in order to accommodate the growth of such facilities while protecting the public against any adverse impacts on aesthetic resources and the public safety and welfare. The Town of Cazenovia wants to accommodate the need for telecommunications facilities while regulating their location and number, minimizing adverse visual impacts through proper design, siting and screening, avoiding potential physical damage to adjacent properties, and encouraging joint use of tower structures.” The section is also intended to minimize the number of telecommunications towers in the community by encouraging the shared use of existing and future towers and the use of existing tall buildings and other high structures to further minimize adverse visual
effects from telecommunications towers. “This section is not intended to prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting the provision of personal wireless services, nor shall it be used to unreasonably discriminate among the providers of functionally equivalent services consistent with current federal regulations,” the proposed local law states. Reger announced that the proposed local law would be posted on the Town of Cazenovia website by the end of the business day on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Paper copies are also available at the town hall. The board will conduct a public hearing as to the enactment of the proposed local law on Feb. 12, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at the town hall.
In other news
Later in the meeting, the board made numerous appointments, reappointments, and designations. For example, all the town board members were appointed as liaisons for specific areas of oversight and interest. Councilor Patrick Race was appointed deputy town supervisor, and he will report to the board on the highway department, South Cemetery, the water pollution control facility, and the water districts. Councilor Jimmy Golub will report on the Cazenovia Lake Association, the Cazenovia Lake Watershed Council, renewable energy, the United Climate Action Network, the future of the town office, and the Anti-Racism Coalition of Town board l Page 2
Village residents weigh in on proposed zoning amendments By kate Hill Staff Writer
On Jan. 2, the Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees held a public hearing on a proposed local law to amend two sections of the zoning chapter of the village code. As proposed, the local law would revise the description of the allowed special uses in the B-1 General Business District, and it would revise the definition of the term “sign.” The village’s B-1 district borders Albany Street from Park Street to Allen Street on the south side and from the firehouse to Sullivan Street on the north side. The code currently states that in a B-1 zone, dwellings, owneroccupied transient occupancy lodging, non-owner-occupied transient occupancy lodging, and dormitories in upper stories of a building are specially permitted uses only in combination with permitted nonresidential use(s) on the first floor in the same building. “What it says now is that you are not allowed to have residen-
tial uses on the first floor in B-1,” said Mayor Kurt Wheeler, who explained that the regulation was put in place to preserve the storefronts on Albany Street. “What we don’t want to have is people taking over Caz Pizza, [for example], putting up a bedsheet in the window and having people sleeping in there. We don’t want to have residential use on the first floor; we want to reserve those for higher-impact, business-type uses.” The proposed local law creates an exception for corner lots that have frontage on both Albany Street and an intersecting street within the B-1 district. Within a mixed commercial/ residential use occupancy building at such a location, dwellings would be permitted on the ground floor within the portion of the building that fronts on the intersecting street and is situated more than 60 feet from the street line of Albany Street. In such instances, the residential dwelling space would require a dedicated primary entrance facing the intersecting street in question, the proposed local law states. “Everything that faces Albany
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During Jan. 2, the Village of Cazenovia Board of Trustees’ January meeting, the public weighed in on a proposed local law that would revise the description of the allowed special uses in the B-1 General Business District and would revise the definition of the term “sign.” The amended zoning could help pave the way for the redevelopment of the former Napa store at 103 Albany St. Street [would] still have to be a commercial use, but the things that face to the side street or behind could be residential,” said Wheeler. To provide some context for the proposed amendment, Wheeler explained that the village discovered “a flaw” in its current B-1 zoning as it began to look at an informal proposal for a new mixed-use commercial/resi-
dential building on the corner of Albany Street and Center Street. The project site is anticipated to include 99 Albany St., which is the former Napa store; 103 Albany St., which is a former gas station; and the blue house behind those buildings on Center Street. The properties, which are all in the B-1 district, are owned by Michael and Jacqueline Silberberg, of Berkley Properties, LLC.
Volume 214, Number 02 The Cazenovia Republican is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 35 Albany St., Second Floor, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Periodical Postage Paid at Cazenovia, NY 13035, USPS 095-260. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Cazenovia Republican, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
In sports: Caz girls indoor track reaches season best at Arcuir meet.
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Runner up: Caz hockey places second at holiday tourney
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Wheeler said that although there have only been informal discussions and requests for feedback on the project so far, the village anticipates receiving a formal application “any month now.” The expectation is that the developer will propose a first-floor commercial use facing Albany Street and a first-floor residential use for the back side of the buildZoning l Page 13
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PennySaver ���������������� 6 Puzzles........................ 6 Sports ����������������������� 12