Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Capital Region Independent Media that a new site plan and building height variance request were submitted for the downtown Coxsackie hotel project that began building above the promised height. And the Coxsackie Village Board has announced a public forum with the village attorney and engineers to outline any violations that may have occurred and what the next steps will be moving forward. A date and location for the public forum has not yet been set. The village board meeting April 11, drew about 50 village residents, both in person and on Zoom, most looking to discuss the Empire Riverfront Ventures project. Developer Aaron Flach is building a boutique hotel, The Newbury, and an event center known as The Wire, at 60 South River Street. A stop-work order on the hotel was issued in late March due to questions of whether the project conforms to the site plan that was approved by the village planning board, including the height of the hotel. According to the variance request submitted April 11 by Mark Millspaugh, president of Sterling Environmental Engineering, the developer is seeking approval to make the building 14 feet taller than what is currently permitted. “Existing structures in the district exceed the 50-feet maximum building height,” according to the variance application. “Therefore, the proposed Newbury will not affect the character within the village center.” The stop-work order remains in effect. Mayor Mark Evans said at the meeting, “The planning board’s normally scheduled next meeting is April 21. We have made arrangements for them to use the auditorium at the high school. Part of our job tonight is to appoint people to the zoning board of appeals so they are a full complement and are ready to act when parts of the project may be sent to them. ..." The village board is also planning to appoint alternate members to the ZBA, but will first have to hold a public hearing May 9 before adopting a new local law to make that possible. Read the full story at TheUpStater [dot] com.