PITCAIRN – An 18-lot subdivision request on a property at 1535 State Highway 3 on Portaferry Lake was denied by the St. Lawrence County Planning Board at their meeting in November.

According to minutes from the meeting, the board voted unanimously to deny the request which they felt was incomplete.

The land, owned by Dr. and Mrs. Henry Paszko sits to the west of the location of the former Boys Scout camp there. The old Scout camp property nearby was sold in 2011 to Land First Inc. and is being marketed to vacation home purchasers and sold off in individual lots.

The minutes describe the 1535 State Highway 3 parcel as encompassing 36.8 acres on four existing parcels that would be combined before subdividing into 18 lots. Some land is suitable for development and some is wetlands and swamp, said board members at the meeting.

Planning board member Jason Pfotenhauer said that the owners were “pursuing a ‘theoretical’ 18-lot subdivision to secure a higher appraisal value before recording a conservation easement on the property.”

Some members questioned the pursuit of a “theoretical” subdivision, and the board determined that the application lacked information.

The county planning board said recommended conditions for approval of the application included the owners hiring a wetlands delineator to determine the extent of wetlands on the property prior to redrawing the proposed lot lines.