Accessory dwelling at 531 South Mill Road: ZBA continues hearing while planning board orders archaeology review
February 19, 2026 | Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York
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The Zoning Board of Appeals continued a public hearing Feb. 18 on an accessory dwelling proposal at 531 South Mill Road after the planning board requested further review, including an archaeological survey.
Project presenter Christine Wosman said the proposal would add about 1,118 square feet of habitable accessory space (two small bedrooms, kitchenette, living area and a roof deck) on a 14.5-acre lot. Because town rules limit habitable accessory space (the presenter cited a 900-square-foot limit), the applicants — identified in the record as Andrew Samuels and Hannah Gottlieb Graham — are seeking a variance to allow a larger habitable accessory structure. Wosman said the structure sits well back from Mill Road (more than 1,000 feet in the record) and that an existing foundation and septic from an earlier, unfinished project are on site.
The planning board, which reviewed the proposal Feb. 2, raised concerns about landmark-district impacts and the size of the structures. Wosman said the applicants had just learned they must complete an archaeological survey (to check for indigenous artifacts or features) before some planning-board actions can proceed; the team planned to hire an archaeologist once conditions permitted. Because of those outstanding planning-board processes and the archaeology requirement, the ZBA held the public hearing open and continued the matter to March 18 so the planning board could complete its review.
The board and applicant agreed to a site inspection on March 14 at 11 a.m.; the ZBA invited planning-board members to attend. The ZBA indicated it could issue a variance separately from the planning board’s special-use or site-plan approvals, and asked applicants to supply any additional materials while the hearing remained open.
What happens next: the planning board will pursue required archaeological work and special-use/site-plan review; the ZBA will revisit the variance request at its continued hearing on March 18.
Project presenter Christine Wosman said the proposal would add about 1,118 square feet of habitable accessory space (two small bedrooms, kitchenette, living area and a roof deck) on a 14.5-acre lot. Because town rules limit habitable accessory space (the presenter cited a 900-square-foot limit), the applicants — identified in the record as Andrew Samuels and Hannah Gottlieb Graham — are seeking a variance to allow a larger habitable accessory structure. Wosman said the structure sits well back from Mill Road (more than 1,000 feet in the record) and that an existing foundation and septic from an earlier, unfinished project are on site.
The planning board, which reviewed the proposal Feb. 2, raised concerns about landmark-district impacts and the size of the structures. Wosman said the applicants had just learned they must complete an archaeological survey (to check for indigenous artifacts or features) before some planning-board actions can proceed; the team planned to hire an archaeologist once conditions permitted. Because of those outstanding planning-board processes and the archaeology requirement, the ZBA held the public hearing open and continued the matter to March 18 so the planning board could complete its review.
The board and applicant agreed to a site inspection on March 14 at 11 a.m.; the ZBA invited planning-board members to attend. The ZBA indicated it could issue a variance separately from the planning board’s special-use or site-plan approvals, and asked applicants to supply any additional materials while the hearing remained open.
What happens next: the planning board will pursue required archaeological work and special-use/site-plan review; the ZBA will revisit the variance request at its continued hearing on March 18.
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