Blessings Corner to move to Town Board for rezone
The Bethlehem Planning Board Tuesday, April 6, tabled an application for an apartment development near the Jericho Drive-In in Selkirk but sent the developer away with generally positive comments.
Gordon Residential LLC is proposing the 53 units, which would be spread across seven buildings two to the north of Hague Boulevard and five to the south. Project engineer Dan Hershberg of Hershberg and Hershberg said the units would likely be around 1,400 square feet and priced around $1,600 per month, though those are rough estimates.
A small plot of land near the intersection of Hague and Route 9W would be left vacant for a possible future commercial use.
We think it’s a good use for this particular site,` he said. `The Gordons thought there was a need for apartments.`
Surrounding neighbors feel differently, however. A petition was submitted with about 180 signatures that called for a detailed review of the project’s impact on open space, traffic and the environment, and also asked that a public hearing be held.
As a straight site plan within the area’s approved zoning use, the Planning Board would not be compelled to hold a public hearing, but could call one if it wished.
Hershberg said he would be happy to meet with concerned neighbors.
Much of the land the project sits on is designated federal wetlands, which would leave a gap between the proposed apartments and existing homes to the west.
Hershberg said preliminary traffic studies show a peak p.m. travel impact of 33 trips, which he argued would be unlikely to snarl traffic on Hague Boulevard or Route 9W.
`Because the volumes are so small, we don’t feel there would be any impact on the intersections,` he said.
Apartments would theoretically provide a greater tax base for the town than a similar grouping of condominiums because condos enjoy property tax exemptions under state law. Hershberg estimated the assessed value of the apartments would be around $90,000 a piece.
`We thought we could do a benefit to the town with apartments because there are tax implications,` he said.
Apartments also tend to have fewer child occupants and thus a lesser impact on the school district, said town planners.
Planning Board member John Smolinsky said he’d like to see a more detailed financial analysis in the applicant’s next presentation.
Town planners indicated that a coordinated review process that would involve the Department of Transportation, Albany County and other agencies would be preferable for this project, but also said the site plan isn’t detailed enough to launch into that process. Hershberg said the plan will be worked on and be ready to come back in one or two months.
The board voted 6-0 to table the application. Board member Christine Motta was absent.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the Planning Board voted 6-0 to forward to the Town Board a positive recommendation on rezoning a North Bethlehem plot of land to accommodate the Blessings Corner condominium development.
The project was the subject of some controversy when the developer wanted to build a Stewart’s gas station at the corner of Russell and Krumkill roads. That element of the project was dropped in favor of two more condominium buildings after neighbors offered strong resistance to the idea.
The new design that the Town Board will consider calls for 52 condominium units on two plots, one at the corner and a larger grouping up Russell Road. If the Town Board approves the Planned Development District rezoning, the applicant will come back to the Planning Board for a more detailed site plan approval.
If approved, the developer wouldn’t be able to add a commercial element to the project unless the PDD is amended, said Director of Economic Development and Planning Michael Morelli.
`A planned development can always be amended, but it must go back through a lengthy, rigorous review process,` he said.
The Town Board will be required to hold a public hearing on the rezoning.
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