Schoharie village residents will get a chance later this month to get more information about and give their opinion on a controversial proposal to build a 72-unit senior housing complex on Main Street.
The Schoharie village planning board has scheduled an informational meeting on the proposed Birches housing project on Wednesday, June 12 starting at 7:15pm in the Presbyterian Church Hall at 314 Main Street.
Officials will give out information about the proposed project and residents will have time to give their comments and ask questions, according to Mayor John Borst.
Notices about the meeting have been mailed to surrounding landowners.
Plans call for a proposed three-building complex that would include 72 rental units for low and moderate-income seniors on the property just south of the old Great American. Birchez Associates of Kingston, which would be receiving $3.9 million in low-interest loans and tax credits from the state, is planning to build two cottage style buildings with eight units each and a two-story main building with 56 units.
The main concerns and questions about the location are about possible flooding and drainage, the Mayor added.
"The one thing that comes up in that area is flood and drainage."
The foundation of the buildings would be built up four feet, the developers have reported.
Planning board members have much more analysis to do before final approval is given.
The planning board would have to approve a site plan review which would include the location, setbacks, lighting, landscaping, view shed and other aspects of the proposed project, according to the Mayor. A special use permit is also required.
The analysis on the project will include a planning consultant, an engineer, a flood plain specialist, a drainage specialist, all of whom will be paid for by the developer, Mayor Borst added.
The Mayor does not expect a decision soon on the project.
"I think there's a long way to go on this."
The developers are "optimistic" about the project, Mayor Borst said.
A public hearing will also be held on the project before there is a vote, he added.
If built, the project would mean more tax base and water customers for the village, he explained. It is unlikely that any other developer would be interested in the location.
"That's a low spot and it's always been wet."
Nearby property owner Arlene Vrooman is very concerned about the drainage and flooding issues on the proposed site.
If the buildings are built up by at least four feet it will cause worse flooding for the other low-lying properties on the road, she argued.
"It's the wrong place to put it because of the water situation. I have many, many pictures of it flooding every year."
Ms. Vrooman is also concerned about whether the village's sewer treatment plant can handle the extra capacity from so many apartments and the effects on water pressure in the area. Tanks from an old garage could also be in the ground.
She noted that a similar proposal for a senior home was turned down about 18 years ago. The project was later built on Spring Street.
The project first came to light in January, the Mayor added, and the village board agreed to change the zoning from multi-family residential to a planned development district for two years.
The proposed development would house people 62 and older with 15 percent of the space reserved for the frail elderly as a nursing home alternative, officials reported.