Some near townhome project say construction ruining the neighborhood
Neighbors of an under-construction Delmar townhome development are saying the project is negatively impacting their way of life and have turned in a petition to the Town of Bethlehem.
The Gables at Delmar development off of Delaware Avenue has been under construction for about three months, and in that time some nearby residents say drifting dust has become pervasive, construction noise wakes them early in the morning and mature trees near their homes have been unnecessarily cleared.
The builder said it will be working to address some of the concerns, but when it comes down to it, living next to a construction project like this is bound to be an inconvenience.
The best that we can do is just ask for a little patience from people, said Steve Bolduc, owner of Gables developer and builder Keystone Builders. `I know it’s uncomfortable for them, but it’s an approved process.`
Stephen Piorkowski, whose back yard is right against the project site, said he has no issue with townhomes being built on the 5-acre lot, but he wasn’t expecting the level of dust he and his neighbors have experienced since the project started.
`My whole kitchen was covered with dust, all over our floor and tabletops,` he said.
Piorkowski and others in his neighborhood described having to choose between vacuuming and cleaning their homes almost constantly or shutting the house up completely to escape the dust. Some do not have air conditioning. A few complained that the dust is causing respiratory issues like persistent coughins.
`When it blows, there are dust clouds,` said resident Laura Bowen, who has lived in her home for 12 years. `You can’t see through it. You have to shut the windows. I haven’t bothered to wash my windows because there’s no sense in it.`
Bolduc acknowledged that dust is an issue at the site. The soil that’s been excavated there is `almost like talcum powder,` he said, and it blows about in windy conditions.
`Common sense right now is going to say, don’t leave your windows open when this is going on,` Bolduc said. `I think that’s what they should be doing.`
Some residents have said a fence or berm should be erected, but Bolduc argued dust would get over even a high fence. He said Keystone will make better efforts to wet down the site in windy conditions to reduce dust, but this can also turn the ground to mud and hamper work.
Bethlehem Supervisor Sam Messina and other town officials recently met with Bolduc after fielding complaints from residents, and the supervisor said they discussed dust control and the removal of trees.
`We’re trying to be as sensitive as we can to the neighbors’ concerns,` Messina said. `It’s a big project and it’s going to go on for a while. We emphasized with the developer it’s important to keep these communications going.`
For Mondonna Yazdi, who has lived in an Adams Place home with her husband, Reza, for about six years, the dust is a nuisance but she said the construction noise also rouses her from bed at about 6:30 a.m. most days, sometimes on Saturdays, too.
`We’re still in bed and they start making all sorts of noise,` she said. `It’s like an earthquake, the whole building starts shaking.`
She also complained of construction workers swearing and arguing near her open windows, a stone’s throw from the construction site.
The construction permits allow work to start at 7 a.m. and run to 6 p.m. weekday, with work starting at 8 on Saturdays. There’s no work allowed on Sundays.
Bolduc said that the dust and noise problems should be considerably reduced once a road is installed, so trucks don’t have to drive over the dirt.
The site has been almost entirely cleared out, with dozens of tress felled. Some neighbors saw this as an issue that goes beyond an inconvenience.
`They told us they would try to keep the trees, that has just not happened,` said one longtime resident who did not want to be named.
Bolduc said the extensive work needed to install sewers and water service necessitated a lot of trees being taken down. The approved project includes a landscaping plan.
`We haven’t taken down anything that we didn’t need to take down, which is pretty much everything that was there, unfortunately,` Bolduc said.
He added that Keystone is seeking to move one notable maple tree off of the site and plant it elsewhere.
When work at The Gables will be completed is hard to say. Bolduc estimated the road will be paved in the fall, and construction of a model unit is moving along quickly. A full buildout will be dependent on sales, though, and without that model people aren’t committing.
`We need to get sales, and then we will continue to move forward,` Bolduc said. `People want to see the model, they want to go in to it, touch it, feel it.`
The Gables at Delmar has had a long and storied planning process. First announced in February of 2008, the intent had originally been to build 40 condominiums. Keystone even had the town’s approval to build the condos. The site is the former location of Verstandig’s Florist.
The plans were changed over to a layout of 27 townhomes in 13 buildings. Keystone (like many other developers) found that the condo market is especially slow now, and was having trouble financing and filling the units.
The site is in a fairly attractive location, within walking distance of the Four Corners and nestled against the picturesque streets of Delmar neighborhoods, where many homes are over 100 years old. Though most residents spoken to by The Spotlight said they don’t object to the project itself, there have been opponents who feel The Gables represents a clash of New Delmar with Old Delmar.
`I moved to this neighborhood because it was a neighborhood,` said Bowen. `I hope they put up trees, a berm and fences to shut it off.`
The plans call for a sidewalk to cut through the project to connect Adams Place with Delaware Avenue. The town library and Town Hall are right across the street from The Gables. Bolduc asked that people refrain from cutting through the construction site until that corridor is established.“