Maura Mottolese, a lawyer representing the owners of the former Bender Melon Farm, has confirmed that the contract between the Sphere Development LLC and the owners has been terminated some time last week.
Sphere has said, though, they are interested in a parcel with in the same market, on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Discussions to buy the property and develop the land, located near the corner of Route 85 and 85A, began in January in 2008, Mottolese said.
Sphere, a developer based near Syracuse, had never made an official proposal to the town, but had discussed a building a 137,000 square foot Target to anchor a shopping plaza on the former Bendor Melon Farm.
Last month Greg Widrick, a managing partner at Sphere, said New Scotland is no longer listed as an area of economic opportunity on Sphere’s Web site, however, he indicated that if the town’s zoning code was conducive to development, Sphere would continue to look at the possibility.
Sphere’s managing partners told The Spotlight that it is under contract negotiations for another parcel in the same market, but could not confirm if it was in New Scotland.
{Q}`Sphere refuses to discuss anything to do with the contract of the Bender Melon Land owners,` Widrick said.{Q}
Kurt Wendler, another managing partner with Sphere along with Widrick noted that eventually property owners can begin to make infringement claims, especially if the town does not show it has a feasible end to its commercial building moratorium.
`It just can’t go on indefinitely,` Widrick said.“