Clarence Town Board·June 24, 2026
Food Trucks on Main · Two In-Law Suites Approved · Topsoil to Planning · 94 Units on Transit
In an 85-minute morning meeting, the Clarence Town Board granted one-year temporary conditional permits for food-truck parking at four Main Street properties—capped at one truck per site, noon to 9:30 p.m.—after three neighbors raised traffic, parking, garbage, and child-safety concerns and one councilman recused himself; approved two separate special-exception permits for attached in-law suites, on Conner Road and on fire-damaged Bank Street, each carrying an eight-condition deed restriction barring conversion to a rental; referred a 34.7-acre unpermitted topsoil operation off Goodrich Road to the Planning Board after an enforcement standoff; referred a request to add 10 housing units (to 94) at the long-stalled PB Investors[*] mixed-use project on Transit Road; authorized a community-garden agreement and a $20,000 land buy for the town bike path; and approved $957,309.87 in bills.
The morning's longest hearing was also one of its smallest uses: whether food trucks may park and sell on four Main Street properties. The applicant, Stephen Development, sought temporary conditional permits to run mobile food vendors out of its commissary kitchen at 8825 Main Street (a Traditional Neighborhood District lot, a former car wash), 9500 Main Street (Commercial, "Willow Square"), 9735 Main Street (Commercial), and 10440 Main Street (Hollow Traditional Neighborhood District, "Park Slope"). A representative for the applicant[*] told the board the firm runs roughly eight trucks on an online scheduling system and had piloted the idea last year at the Clarence driving range. Director of Community Development Jonathan Bleuer[*] framed the limits plainly: one truck at a time per property, operating anywhere between noon and 9:30 p.m., "but far less and more sporadic than that."
Three neighbors came to the microphone, and none was reassured by the modest scale. Brian Eckard[*] of 4333 Roxbury Drive, who said his home is closest to the corner site, asked the board to drop one of two possible truck locations—the corner of Roxbury and Main—citing "noise, volume of traffic, smell." Jeff and Cindy Schneider[*], at 10428 Main near Hillcrest Drive, worried about cars parking illegally along their property line, roadside garbage, and speeding drivers near a cluster of homes with small children: "It is a huge safety issue," Cindy Schneider said. The board steered the applicant toward keeping the Hollow truck on the building's west side, where the structure screens the street, and Highway Superintendent James Dussing[*] was, the supervisor noted mid-hearing, already texting back a no-parking-sign plan—"we're designing it while you're standing there."
One resident spoke in favor, calling it "a great spot." The board debated whether to grant a short trial—30 days, or three months—but Bleuer pushed back: "If you do a short window like three months, we're not going to get a sense of normal operations." The permits passed for a full year. Councilman Daniel Michnik[*] recused himself from the item.
A resident asked whether approval meant trucks "365 days a year." It does not. A temporary conditional permit is time-limited—here, one year—and provisional, not permanent. It must be renewed at a public hearing each spring, and the board can revoke it if the use "becomes a nuisance." As one member put it, neighbors "can petition you to revoke the permit." The yearly renewal is itself the recourse: an operator who creates problems "comes in a year from now to get it renewed, [and] it's not going to happen."
The board held two public hearings on attached secondary living units and approved both. At 6571 Conner Road, in the Agricultural Rural Residential zone, applicant Karthigan Thavanesan won a special exception use permit for a roughly 691-square-foot in-law suite attached to a new home, which he said would house an elderly parent. (The house will separately need a Zoning Board variance for a 39-foot roof ridgeline.) At 4995 Bank Street, in the Residential Single-Family zone, John and Frances Melinda Nowak won the same permit for an existing in-law suite in a 1976 home; a 2025 house fire and the rehab that followed surfaced that the 1994 addition's kitchen had never been permitted, forcing the after-the-fact approval. Neighbor Susan Damon[*], across the street for 38 years, urged the board to approve: "All they want to do is come home." Both passed by roll call.
Each approval carries the same eight conditions, and their whole point is to keep an in-law apartment from quietly becoming a second rental. Occupancy is limited to family, paid help, or guests and capped at two people; a deed restriction, recorded in perpetuity, bars conversion to a rental; and the owner must certify yearly to the town that the unit still complies. The board's stated worry, repeated across both hearings, was that such units "don't look like duplexes and don't become duplexes." One applicant was reassured they are "nowhere near as onerous as they sound."
The board referred to the Planning Board a request from Goodrich Thompson, LLC (SBL 71.14-1-26) for a temporary conditional permit to keep running a topsoil and stone operation on 34.7 vacant acres east of Thompson Road and west of Goodrich, north of Main, in the Commercial and Residential Single-Family zones. By Bleuer's account it is an enforcement matter as much as an application: the planning office logged an October 2025 complaint of machinery noise and vibration, traced it to the applicant, received a joint resident complaint that November, and in April issued a notice to cease the unpermitted activity within 30 days before the operator applied. Engineer Michael Metzger[*], appearing for client Lou Vasone[*], described an intermittent operation—"maybe one or two days a week" in summer—tied to Vasone's construction business, and offered 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekday hours. The use, Bleuer noted, "is not allowed in either zone." The board, calling a three-month window "awfully aggressive," referred the matter to the Planning Board for a recommendation. Carried.
The board referred to the Planning Board a proposed density increase at the long-approved mixed-use project at 5695 & 5731 Transit Road (east of Transit, south of Highland Farms Drive), a 10-acre site in the Commercial and Restricted Business zones. The previously approved plan held 22,810 square feet of commercial space and 84 multifamily units; applicant PB Investors, LLC[*] now wants 94 units, with the commercial space unchanged. Three new four-unit townhome buildings would replace previously approved detached garages, and two units would come out of the mixed-use building—for a net of 10. Attorney Sean Hopkins[*], appearing with Paul Bliss[*], argued the revision is "a better layout": removing the garages doubles the rear setback from the Highland Farms Drive homes from 45 feet to nearly 85 feet. The project carries a 2023 SEQR negative declaration and a 2024 Phase 1 development-plan approval but has stalled awaiting a parallel sanitary sewer line; the added density will also need a Zoning Board area variance. Councilman Michnik[*] recused himself. Referred by voice vote.
As with the topsoil matter, the Town Board did not approve or deny here—it referred the request to the Planning Board, which runs the detailed site-plan review and sends back a recommendation. Because the extra units exceed what the parcel's zoning allows, the project must also seek a density (area) variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals before it can return for final action.
The board authorized a memorandum of understanding with Harvest Brigade[*] for a roughly 200-by-400-foot community garden at 6223 Goodrich Road, where a group of 11 to 12 residents will grow produce for their own use and donate any surplus to town food pantries, with master gardener Cheryl Canton[*] advising. It approved a $20,000 purchase of about 1.07 acres at 9815 Clarence Center Road to extend the town bike path, and a special-event permit for St. Mary's annual parish picnic and cruise night, July 17–19. On routine business it authorized NYSEG to activate six LED streetlights in Woodland Hills Subdivision Phase 3, accepted a leaf-compost bid from Attica Package Company[*] (3,072 cubic yards at $1.62 each, or $4,976.64), set bid dates for a utility crane (July 21) and Clarence Hollow decorative street lighting (July 28), surplused four Dell monitors, appointed Grace Kinnon[*] a part-time seasonal recreation attendant at $17.79 an hour, approved the Legion Hall and Clubhouse facility applications, and approved $957,309.87 in June 18 bills. Councilmen noted 10 single-family building permits in May at a $1.2 million average price, a Clarence Rotary pickleball tournament, the season's first "Music in the Center," and fireworks in the park Monday. The meeting closed in memory of a councilman's father-in-law and the late son of a former town paralegal.
Five members seated: Supervisor Patrick Casilio[*] and Councilmen Altieri[*], Michnik[*], Shear, and DiCostanzo[*]. Most motions passed by voice vote ("all in favor / aye"); property and public-hearing items were taken by roll call. Councilman Michnik recused himself from the Stephen Development food-truck permits (Item 13) and the PB Investors[*] density referral (Item 15).
Approved temporary conditional permits for food-truck parking and operation at 8825, 9500, 9735, and 10440 Main Street. Conditions: initial term no greater than one year; operation per the site/business plan submitted to the planning office March 10, 2026; all trucks licensed per town local law Chapter 147 and properly insured and inspected; compliance with planning, engineering, and building requirements. One truck per site at a time; noon–9:30 p.m.
Approved a special exception use permit for an attached ~691 sq ft secondary living unit as part of new home construction at 6571 Conner Road (Agricultural Rural Residential zone), subject to eight conditions including a perpetual deed restriction barring conversion to a rental. (A separate ZBA variance is needed for a 39-foot roof ridgeline.)
Approved a special exception use permit for an existing attached secondary living unit at 4995 Bank Street (Residential Single-Family zone), subject to the same eight conditions. The approval resolves a permitting gap on the 1994 addition's kitchen surfaced during rehab after a 2025 fire.
Referred to the Planning Board the request of Goodrich Thompson, LLC (SBL 71.14-1-26) for a temporary conditional permit for a topsoil operation on 34.7 acres in the Commercial and Residential Single-Family zones, for review and recommendation. The use is currently unpermitted and not allowed in either zone.
Referred to the Planning Board the request of PB Investors, LLC[*] for a proposed residential density increase (84 to 94 units) within the previously approved mixed-use project at 5695 & 5731 Transit Road (Commercial and Restricted Business zones). The added density requires a ZBA area variance.
Authorized the supervisor to sign a memorandum of understanding with Harvest Brigade[*] for public-purpose gardening at 6223 Goodrich Road, Clarence Center—a ~200-by-400-foot garden for 11–12 residents, with surplus produce going to food pantries. Taken by roll call as a use of town property.
Approved the purchase of roughly 1.07 acres at 9815 Clarence Center Road for an amount not to exceed $20,000 plus closing costs, subject to the conditional contract and an acceptable environmental site assessment if required—to help continue the town bike path.
Authorized NYSEG to activate six LED streetlights in Woodland Hills Subdivision Phase 3; accepted Attica Package Company's[*] bid for 3,072 cubic yards of leaf compost at $1.62/cu. yd. ($4,976.64); set a July 21 bid date for a 132-inch steel utility crane and body; set a July 28 bid date for Clarence Hollow decorative post-top street lighting; and declared four 24-inch Dell monitors surplus.
On the recreation director's recommendation, appointed Grace Kinnon[*] as a part-time seasonal recreation attendant for the 2026 summer season at $17.7862/hour, effective June 24, subject to pre-employment requirements.
Approved a special-event permit for the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church annual parish picnic weekend and cruise night, July 17–19, 2026, subject to the special-event permit and operating-permit conditions.
Approved the Legion Hall applications (Richard Slisz, Aug. 8; Aaron Aisen, Dec. 4) and Clubhouse applications (Clarence Senior Center, Oct. 22; Clarence Concert Association, Nov. 6; Clarence Historical Society, Dec. 13).
Approved bills for June 18, 2026: general $348,023.78; highway $184,951.58; fire protection $2,436.66; drainage $2,116.96; lighting $744.10; sewer $210,380.79; capital $208,656.00 — total $957,309.87.
Approved the minutes of the work session and Town Board meeting held June 10, 2026.
This brief was compiled from the live-streamed 10:00 a.m. Town Board meeting of June 24, 2026; the 8:30 a.m. work session that precedes it is not live-streamed, so the preliminary discussion of these same items there is not captured. Proper nouns were cross-checked against the official meeting agenda, which is authoritative for applicant entities—Stephen Development, Karthigan Thavanesan, John & Frances Melinda Nowak, Goodrich Thompson, LLC, and PB Investors, LLC (the audio rendered the last as "TB Investors"). The Town Board roster was verified against the Town of Clarence's official Public Officials listing and 2026 minutes. Names marked [*] are drawn from audio only and should be verified against the official minutes before being quoted—in particular the representative for Stephen Development (whose name the audio garbled), engineer Michael Metzger and his client Lou Vasone, attorney Sean Hopkins and Paul Bliss, the residents who spoke (Eckard, the Schneiders, Damon), and the names Harvest Brigade, Cheryl Canton, Grace Kinnon, and Attica Package Company. One street note: "Canterford Trail" (cited for the Woodland Hills streetlights) does not appear on the town's 2024 street index and is most likely a newer-subdivision road, not a transcription error.