The Manlius Village Board is considering whether to allow homeowners in the village to construct accessory structures under 144 square feet, like gardening sheds and pools, without having to gain approval from the village planning board.

“This could knock about 60 days off of home projects,” said Trustee Nancy Pfeiffer, liaison to the codes office. “And with such a short building season in the area, that is a lot.”

During the Oct. 13 village board meeting, Richard James, village attorney, presented a draft amendment section 99-6 subdivision B of the village zoning code, stating structures up to 144 square feet would not be subject to be approved by the village planning board. Any structures over this size would still be subject to planning board review. Building permits would still be required for structures under 144 square feet so the codes officer can ensure any projects would still abide by village building codes, according to the proposal.

“The idea here is to say to residents, ‘If you’re going to put in a garden shed and you want to use it for storage of your personal belongs associated with your residential use, you still need to get a building permit so the code officer can look at what you’re doing and make sure you’re compliant with setback requirements and such. But we’re not going to require those people to formal planning board review,’” said James.

The village board approved the draft resolution and set a public hearing on the matter at 7:15 p.m. at the Nov. 10 village board meeting. The village board additionally voted to declare themselves lead agency on the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) resolution.

Mayor Paul Whorrall said the village board was considering this amendment to local law to make it easier for both residents and the village planning board.

“It’s more efficient for both sides,” said Whorrall. “Instead of going through all of those steps to put in a simple shed for storage, residents can get small projects done faster.”