February 2016 Special Meeting
SPECIAL MEETING – VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
The Village Board met Tuesday, February 2, 2016 at 7:00 PM at the village offices.
Present: John Spaeth, Mayor
Patrick Barnett, Trustee via Video Conferencing
Debra Ellsworth, Trustee
Matthew Ginter, Trustee
John Markiewicz, Trustee
Wendy Reu, Village Clerk, Recording Secretary
Mayor Spaeth called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Mayor Spaeth opened the meeting by addressing the need for a Special Meeting. He informed the Board and the public present that the purpose of the meeting was to act on a resolution to support a grant application being submitted by Fulton County Community Heritage Corporation (FCCHC) for pre development activities for senior housing on the South First Street property owned by the STFSL. He explained that the reason for the Special meeting was because the FCCHC became aware of the grant opportunity after the Village’s last regular meeting and the deadline to apply was before the next meeting.
Jim Conkling, representing the STFSL, addressed the Board and indicated that the group was not aware of the Smart Growth Grant opportunity until very recently. He indicated that the group needed a sponsor to proceed to apply for funds for the next phase of the Senior Housing project. He stated that FCCHC would be doing the grant work along with the management of any funds received for predevelopment activities of the parcel owned by STSFSL on South First Street. Mr. Conkling indicated he thought the project would be for a 10-14 unit complex but did state that it would have to be in compliance with the Village Code. Mayor Spaeth indicated that he had met with Dave Henderson, of FCCHC, earlier in the day and was told that the engineering and environmental studies that would be covered under this grant would help them determine how many units they could build based on the septic and building codes. He indicated it could be as few as eight units but assured the Board that it would be only what the code permits.
Mayor Spaeth presented Resolution # 1 of 2016 as follows:
Support for Grant Application by Fulton County Community Heritage Corporation for Senior Housing
Whereas, the Fulton County Community Heritage Corporation (FCCHC) has expressed an interest in seeking financial assistance from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Adirondack Park Smart Growth Implementation Grants Program for funds to be used for predevelopment activities and investigations for the purpose of gathering information for a future application for funding for the construction of senior citizen housing on property currently owned by the Sacandaga Task Force for Senior Living on South First Street, and
Whereas, the Village of Northville wishes to encourage and support the creation of housing opportunities for Senior Citizens within the Village, and
Whereas, the Park Smart Growth Implementation Grants Program requires not-for-profit applicants such as FCCHC to partner with an eligible municipality and be designated as the “Lead” applicant in order to apply for program assistance,
Now, Therefore, be it
Resolved, that the Village Board of the Village of Northville hereby agrees to partner with the Fulton County Community Heritage Corporation in the submission of an application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Adirondack Park Smart Growth Implementation Grants Program, and be it further,
Resolved, that the Village of Northville designates the Fulton County Community Heritage Corporation as Lead applicant, grantee and administrator of said application and any subsequent funding award and agrees to provide such non-financial support and information as may be generally available from Village resources, such as from the Village Clerk, Code Enforcement Officer, and Assessor, in support of FCCHC’s efforts to further senior housing in the Village.
After reading the Resolution, Mayor Spaeth asked for each member of the Board to offer their thoughts.
Trustee Barnett started by indicating that he was in favor of Senior Housing. He stated that he was not in favor of the First Street location. He asked if inclusion of the First Street site is mandatory in the Resolution. He asked if anyone had polled the neighbors regarding the placement of a Senior Housing facility there. He stated there are no plans and that no one knows if it will be single units or a large, multi-story complex. He voiced concern about the need for a special meeting at the “11th hour”, wondering when the grant information was made available and who was first notified of the grant opportunity. Trustee Barnett indicated that he has spoken with two other members of STFSL and they both are against the First Street location. Trustee Barnett indicated he would vote in favor of the Resolution if the First Street address could be eliminated. He asked how we could support a project if we don’t know what we are voting for. He stated a large complex could change the heart of the residential neighborhood.
Mayor Spaeth responded to Trustee Barnett’s comments. He indicated that there was a bit of confusion as to whether we could leave out the First Street designation on the Resolution. After talking with Mr. Henderson, it was clear that since the grant is for pre development activities which include surveys and archeological studies that the Resolution would have to be site specific. Mayor Spaeth stated he was not sure when the Smart Growth grant cycle opened up but he did relate that Village and School applied for one last year for the proposed picnic/beach area and dock project and they had a relatively very short window.
Trustee Ellsworth asked if the grant was applied for and funding was received, could FCCHC decide to look into another piece of property and use those funds for that project. She indicated there seems to be reservations about this particular site and would hate to see grant money given if they weren’t firm on the project site. She stated that she is in favor of Senior Housing but feels that the First Street site is an issue. She stated she would hate to see a three story building in the residential neighborhood. She said it would be helpful to know what type of project they were proposing.
Mayor Spaeth responded to Trustee Ellsworth’s comments. He indicated that the predevelopment phase of the project is where they will be getting their package ready to apply for development grants. He stated that this grant is tied to the property and not transferrable, meaning that if they are awarded funds, they will have to spend it on the property. They will be able to find out what size building they could put on the property to conform to the required codes. He stated the reason FCCHC is coming to the Village at all is because they need municipal support to move to the next phase of the project, which is determining what can be put on the property. Mayor Spaeth indicated that Mr. Henderson felt that because of the size of the parcel, the location and cost involved with construction, FCCHC is looking to spend as little as possible to control the rent for the seniors. He stated because of that, the group cannot afford an elevator and therefore the plan is for single story units right now.
Trustee Ginter stated he is in favor of Senior Housing. He continued by stating that in 2010, the Village specifically amended their Zoning Code to allow Senior Housing projects in the residential areas. Trustee Ginter stated that prior to the amendment of the Code, the Office of the Aging specifically identified South First Street as a prime location for Senior Housing. He stated he didn’t feel it was a bad site and that it was walkable to the commercial district. Trustee Ginter stated that he felt we needed to take this step to get to the next one, which would be a site plan review by the Planning Board. He stated that our opportunity will present itself to make the project fit our Village. Trustee Ginter stated that he was in favor of passing the Resolution to get the process started.
Mayor Spaeth responded to Trustee Ginter’s comments. He stated that the Senior Housing project would require a Special Permit which requires full Planning Board approval of a site plan. He continued by stating that approving the Resolution tonight does not say that they can build anything they want. It only says that we support you exploring the project and taking the next step.
Trustee Markiewicz asked about a 36 unit project that was being discussed with a group called Pathstone for potential development in the Village at the Third Street location.
Mayor Spaeth responded to Trustee Markiewicz’s comment. He stated that Pathstone is a group out of Rochester that builds larger facilities. He indicated that they would need outside resources, such as a joint project with Lexington as there was a concern about sustainability for such a large unit facility and the ability to keep it occupied. He stated that STFSL, Pathstone, and Lexington have been in discussion and if further information becomes available he will bring it to the Board.
Trustee Ginter asked what the value of the grant was and the probability of the grant being awarded. Mayor Spaeth stated the grant was for $ 25,000.00 and he had no idea of the probability the application would be successful.
Mayor Spaeth stated that the STFSL has talked to several developers and the majority of them need larger projects than what the group is currently looking at. FCCHC seems to be the only organization that would build and sustain a smaller facility locally. Mayor Spaeth voiced concern that getting someone else interested in the project isn’t good. He felt if the Board didn’t act on the proposed resolution, it would jeopardize senior housing if the group couldn’t get the funds to explore the next step.
Trustee Barnett asked who initially indicated that the Board didn’t have to specify the First Street location on the resolution. Mayor Spaeth indicated that in discussion with Mr. Conkling he was told that the resolution didn’t have to be site specific but, as previously stated, in further research it was determined that the resolution did have to be site specific.
Trustee Ginter asked if the project would move forward if the grant was denied. Mayor Spaeth indicated that FCCHC would not move forward with the project if the grant was denied.
Trustee Ellsworth questioned if FCCHC would walk away from the project if the grant was awarded yet the studies showed the site to be inadequate. Mayor Spaeth stated that if they did an environmental study and found the site less than desirable for 6-8 units, the group may walk away from the project. He continued by stating that they need to look at the infrastructure first to determine what they could put on the lot. It was mentioned that STFSL would still like to see 10-12 units on the site. Trustee Ellsworth questioned why STFSL had entered into discussion with abutting property owners to assist with septic placement on their property if the First Street lot could sustain a 10-12 unit building. She continued by stating that any proposed project should be able to sustain itself on within the borders of its own parcel. Mayor Spaeth stated that no plans have been presented to neighbors because no designs have been made yet. He indicated that because the project would require a Special Permit, public hearings and meetings would be conducted and the public would absolutely have the opportunity for input on the project. Mayor Spaeth stated that tonight we are looking at whether or not to sponsor the grant application to allow the FCCHC to do their homework to determine what can be done on the property. Trustee Ellsworth agreed and stated that it needed to be done to determine what, if anything can be put on the parcel. Trustee Ginter stated that the Planning Board would be reviewing a site plan, if it got to that point, and would dictate design, façade, parking, etc., all elements that would be of interest to the surrounding neighbors.
After continued discussion, Trustee Ginter made a motion to approve Resolution # 1 of 2016 –Support for Grant Application by Fulton County Community Heritage Corporation for Senior Housing. The motion was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and approved by voice vote as follows:
Trustee Ellsworth – Aye Trustee Barnett – Nay
Trustee Ginter – Aye
Trustee Markiewicz – Aye
Mayor Spaeth – Aye
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business before the Board, motion was made to adjourn by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Barnett and passed by voice vote with no one dissenting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy Reu, Clerk
