Planning Board

Members

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

 • Mark DeFruscio, Chair

 • Jack Carroll, Vice Chair

 • Robert Bucher

 • Stephanie Couture

 • Joe Nadeau

 • Kizzy Williams, Alternate Voting Member

Overview

The City of Cohoes Planning Board has the following independent authorities to review development activities within the City:

 Site Plan Review: The Planning Board has jurisdiction over the development of most new multi-family, commercial,  institutional, and industrial projects. Site plan review covers such items as parking, landscaping, lighting, drainage,  etc.

 Special Use Permits: The Planning Board has approval to allow certain types of land uses to be established within  existing zoning districts provided special standards and conditions / criteria are met.

 Subdivision Review: The creation of any new lot or lot-line adjustment within the City requires an approval from the  Planning Board.

 Change of Use/New Tennant Review: The Planning Board reviews applications for commercial and/or residential  properties where applicants propose changing the existing use of the property. As it pertains to tenants, the Planning  Board reviews applications for new businesses to determine whether the proposal is subject to the performance  standards of the City Code, and to advise the applicant of other issues or concerns. 

The Board’s mission is to ensure that development proposed within the City is compatible with the orderly development of the immediate neighborhood and surrounding areas, that the proposed development will be planned so as not to discourage the appropriate development or lessen the value of other parcels of land in the vicinity, and that development proposed for environmentally, aesthetically or ecologically sensitive areas of the City will reflect and consider the same.

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.

****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.