SOUTH FALLSBURG — The Fallsburg Town Board approved a zoning map amendment last week changing two parcels on Glenwild Road and Old Glenwild Road in Woodridge from agricultural to industrial to help expand an existing business on a nearby lot.

Before the public hearing, Town Attorney Richard Baum said Sullivan County had reviewed the proposal and left the final decision to Fallsburg. However, the county raised traffic concerns, which the board said would be addressed later during the Fallsburg Planning Board’s site plan review.

Attorney Jacob Billig, representing the applicant, agreed that the project’s primary access would remain on Glenwild Road. He told the board that access from Old Glenwild Road would be reserved for emergency vehicles if required by the Fallsburg Planning Board and emergency responders.

Supervisor Nathan Steingart said he was amenable to the proposed zoning change, noting the surrounding area already contains several industrial uses. His primary concern, he said, was minimizing impacts on nearby residences.

“I’m very comfortable with this zone change,” Steingart said. “The only concern I have is there are still some residential houses close to it.”

Steingart said residents had expressed concerns about truck traffic using Old Glenwild Road and favored keeping the primary entrance on Glenwild Road while maintaining as much of a buffer as possible between the project and nearby homes.

Billig added that details including traffic circulation, drainage, landscaping, screening, lighting and other site design elements would all be addressed during the Planning Board’s site plan review.

Applicant’s engineer Joseph Pfau of Pietrzak & Pfau Engineering & Surveying PLLC also answered questions regarding roadway access, grading and drainage during the hearing.

Fallsburg Councilmember Michael Bensimon noted the county’s review also raised concerns about traffic on Glenwild Road and said he expects a traffic study will be required before the project moves forward.

“I drive down Glenwild. I get stuck behind those tractor trailers all the time,” Bensimon said. “I’m almost positive the Planning Board is going to require a traffic study.”

Fallsburg Code Enforcement Officer Thomas “TJ” Brawley noted that any changes to the property’s entrance on Glenwild Road would also require review by Sullivan County because it is a county highway. He added that traffic generated by nearby development in the area would likely be considered during the Planning Board’s review of the project.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing. The Town Board closed the public hearing and later adopted the zoning change request by a 4-1 vote. Bensimon cast the only vote against the measure.