By Denise Richardson Staff Writer

The Oneonta Town Planning Board on Monday night completed a review that took almost a year to approve plans for the newly named Oneonta Business Park, officials said.

The approvals mean the site may be marketed as “shovel-ready” for development, officials said.

Town planners completed the mandated State Environmental Quality Review Act process for the project presented by the Otsego County Industrial Development Agency, officials said.

The site, formerly known as Pony Farm Industrial Park, is owned by the Otsego County IDA, and received approval for up to 400,000 square feet of mixed-use development, according to a media release from Otsego Now, an economic development group that includes the IDA.

The conceptual site plan provides for up to three buildings, 170 parking spaces and a mixture of uses, including warehousing, distribution and light manufacturing, the release said. Several conditions to specific projects and site design also were adopted by planners and will be addressed in the course of design.

“We are thrilled to reach this milestone of approvals, which will greatly enhance the site’s marketability,” Robert Hanft, IDA chairman, said in the release. “The approval of our maximum build-out plan will provide confidence in the marketplace as the the predictability of final site approval and ultimately getting a shovel in the ground.”

In the SEQR process, planners considered archaeological findings, a traffic study and other issues, which took almost a year, said Joseph Camarata, chairman of the Planning Board.

“It’s a huge step,” Camarata said. The site has access to electricity, water and sewer, and natural gas, he said, and everyone worked hard on the review process and approval, which is a positive result for the town, the IDA and the Oneonta community.

“It will be great for us,” Camarata said Monday night by telephone.

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