Visiting With Harrison’s Planning Board

Ask Thomas Heaslip, chairman of the Harrison Planning Board, how he came to be chairman of the unpaid board and he laughs and says, “It’s sort of like the Marines, if you don’t back out fast enough, you’re it!”

Heaslip is one of seven members of the Harrison Planning Board. Members are appointed by the Town Board and stay on for an unspecified term at the town board’s discretion.

How residents first become involved with the board varies, but Heaslip said they are usually people who are already involved with local government through various avenues.

“Most board members were first exposed to the planning board as a resident coming before the board,” Heaslip explained. “We seek members who have had some past experience with either land use, planning, architectural review or even just as a volunteer in community organizations like the PTA.”

The planning board’s role is to review and approve subdivisions, site plans, special exception uses and wetland permits. The board also serves in an advisory role to the town board and provides comment and recommendations regarding amendments to the town's zoning ordinance, official map and subdivision regulations as well as other regulations pertaining to the development of land within the town.

The volunteer post is a major time commitment. The board meets publicly once a month in the Municipal Building, but board members are required to review and understand informational packets on each proposal prior to the meeting date. This can result in a substantial time commitment from these members who are unpaid and receive no town benefits.

“Apart from attending the meetings that usually run till 11:30 p.m. some meetings also require a lot of reading and preparation,” Heaslip said.

Pre-meeting reading can also be quite dense and usually requires a good amount of research.

“Many applications are complicated and have to be read a half dozen times," Heaslip explained. "We also spend time with a lot of town professionals to go over applications that make reference to architectural or engineering standards.” 

Board members also conduct site visits to understand the restrictions and layout in areas they will be hearing proposals on. To assist planning board members in their roles, members are also required to take educational updates on land use every few years. Heaslip said the seven board members must be responsible and committed.

Unlike the town board, which is allowed to use executive session meetings to discuss topics behind closed doors and away from the public, Heaslip says the planning board must always meet in public.

“If there are ever more than three planning board members together at any time, the conversation is required to be public. The only exception is if a town attorney wants to point out legalities in which case it can call a special executive session just for that purpose,” Heaslip said. “Otherwise what you see is what you get."

According to Heaslip, the most difficult part of the job is ensuring that the legal elements of the planning process are adhered to, while ensuring all parties are fairly heard.

“I am stopped in town by people, but I can only talk process not specifics and this is difficult. It’s hard to be impartial when it’s with your neighbors,” he said.

This becomes even more difficult when applicants at meetings become angry or combatant.

“It’s hard not to respond to residents who are berating you, who just don’t understand the process and know what we know about what can be done and what cannot be done and what the process has to be,” Heaslip said. “It is a constant educational process and it is never going to be over, which is why many decisions continue to be controversial.”

But, according to Heaslip, in the end the process works.

"I don’t know any way that the process could be improved. We need to uphold the law—understand and uphold SEQRA—which is complicated,” he said. "This process ensures that takes place."

When the board has a split vote the deciding vote falls to Heaslip in his role as chairman. Despite the time commitments and difficulties of the position, Heaslip said he enjoys his role.

“I’m a commercial realtor, so I really enjoy my work for the planning board and watching the process,” he said. “I’m fascinated when someone who perhaps has never had to speak in public before gets up and speaks before the board and I love to see the whole process in action. I’ve been on the other side as an applicant for change-of-use, so I understand what it feels like from both sides.”

Heaslip is excited about a few of the applications currently before the planning board, which he feels are positive news for the town.

“I am very excited about applications like Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the Lifetime gym, and applications for the reuse of old office buildings and what all these applications mean for our town,” he said. “These are vibrant new companies and are coming in at a great time for both the companies and for the town.”

Ask Heaslip—who has been Chairman of the board for seven years at this point—why he continues to put in so much time on the volunteer board and he laughs:

“I think," he says, “that we’re back to the Marines!”