Planning board conditions Philip Carroll site plan: frosted double doors and awning windows required for office

The Town of Rhinebeck Planning Board reviewed Philip Carroll’s site-plan application for work at 132 River Road and agreed to condition approval on specific window and door details.

Carroll told the board that a 1,250-gallon tank is on-site and that his intent is to maintain the property as a three‑bedroom residence while using a separate office for telehealth. Board members worried that double doors and an operable window could render the room a bedroom under the town code. Carroll said he needs doors for patient privacy to comply with HIPAA for telehealth appointments.

To resolve the conflict, the board asked that the final plans show two double doors with frosted glass and convert the two office windows to awning-style windows that open only modestly (limiting egress). Planning staff and consultants said this combination would allow ventilation while reducing the chance the room would be considered a legally defined bedroom. The board authorized the chair to stamp and sign the site-plan upon satisfaction of listed conditions. The public hearing on Carroll’s application remains conditioned on the submission of final engineering details and any outstanding jurisdictional determinations.