Zoning Board of Appeals

The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meets on the second Monday of each month, starting at 6:00 PM (as of October 2021). All meetings are held at the Town of Clay, Town Hall, 4401 State Route 31, Clay, NY. Agendas and legal notices are published on this website in the Post-Standard, the official newspaper of the Town of Clay.

The powers of the ZBA are established by state law, which establish the ZBA as an appellate board who can review the application of a person who has applied to the Code Enforcement Officer for a building permit and such permit was denied. An "aggrieved" citizen can also appeal the decision of the Code Enforcement Officer where a permit was granted. In both instances, the ZBA is the first level of appeal from the decision of the Code Enforcement Officer.

There are three types of matters that come before the ZBA. They are variances, special permits, and interpretations. There are two types of variances: area variances dealing with dimensional issues such as setbacks from property lines, and building heights; and use variances, that allow a use not otherwise permitted on the property by the Zoning Ordinance. The applicant must provide proof of their case to the ZBA to receive a variance.

• ZBA Chairman: Edward Wisnowski

• Deputy Chair:  Vivian Mason

• ZBA Members: Karen Liebi, Ryan Frantzis, David Porter

• Attorney: Robert M. Germain

• Secretary: Chelsea L. Clark