Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper the Shaker Museum presented plans to the Chatham Village Planning Board for the museum’s new site on Austerlitz Street in the village, at an online meeting on January 25. “If I had to vote right now, I’d vote yes,” said Planning Board Chair Dan Herrick following the presentation. Other board members also voiced their support and voted to hold a public hearing on the project at their next meeting in February. Planning Board Member Francis Iaconetti said the project was “a positive for the village” and the museum’s thoroughness was appreciated. The board already approved the general site plan review in September 2019. In February 2020, museum officials announced the building's purchase and received a $1,569,000 grant from Empire State Development through the REDC initiative to support a project “that will transform the building into a museum and community cultural center,” according to a press release. In August 2020, Selldorf Architects were hired and the museum announced its intention to break ground on the $15-million project in 2021. The site plans were presented to the village planning board in November. According to the meeting minutes, architect Annabelle Selldorf told the board the museum planned to keep the original building intact and that “there will be one single addition that is connected to the main structure with the most minimal connection via a small bridge.” The plan calls for parking on Austerlitz Street, River Street and on the property. There is a separate plan for a parking lot on a site across the street in the spot that was until recently the Chatham Pizza Den. The planning board will hold a public hearing on the project at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 22 online. Information on how to attend the meeting is available at villageofchatham [dot] com. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.