Sennett officials will hear from the public next week and could vote to approve a zoning change for a developer seeking to build a 60-unit apartment building.
Rochester's Cornerstone Group Ltd. is proposing a senior housing complex called Sennett Meadows at 3365 E. Genesee St. Road, vacant land that's between the Quincy Hill subdivision and Sleepy Hollow Country Inn Motel. It's across from the Auburn Church of the Nazarene.
The land is currently zoned residential with a limit on apartment buildings to eight units per structure. The developer, which has a portfolio of commercial and residential properties valued at $385 million in upstate New York, is proposing a planned development district to allow the project to go forward.
The Sennett Town Board was first presented the proposal at its October meeting, referred the matter to its planning board for a recommendation that came in December, and then voted at its Dec. 17 meeting to schedule a public hearing in January.
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An artist's rendering of the proposed Sennett Meadows apartments in the town of Sennett is included with the developer's application.
That public hearing will take place virtually via teleconference at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. Sennett Supervisor Tom Gray said it will be up to the board whether to vote on the zoning change next week, but he said the board wants to hear from the public, noting documents on the proposal are now posted on the town website. He also noted that it's likely the board would continue the hearing until its February meeting given the timing of another related meeting.
That meeting is a review by the Cayuga County Planning and Economic Development Department's General Municipal Law 239 l, m & n Review Committee, which is set for the morning of Jan. 21. That committee can issue a recommendation for the town to consider.
The project developers notified nearby property owners with a brief project description and information about the Jan. 21 public hearing in a letter dated Dec. 22, but some did not receive the correspondence until the first full week in January. Detailed information on the project, including the 108-page planned development district application with the town, was not posted on Sennett's website until this week.
One of the residents who received the letter last week, Jason Lesch, said he's been trying to gather as much information as he can in order to provide the town with his comments, but he's worried the project review is being rushed. He said he's not necessarily against the proposal, but believes it needs a careful review.
An overhead picture shows the vacant property where the Sennett Meadows apartment complex is proposed.
"My concern is that the community is not aware of the project," he said, noting that many property owners in the vicinity of the site are seasonal residents who may not have seen the letter yet.
According to the zoning change application, Rochester's Cornerstone Group Ltd. has a purchase contract on a 32-acre parcel of land owned by Kasper Construction Co. Inc., which developed Quincy Hill.
The 60-unit building, shown in drawings as having an L-shaped footprint, would be on a 10-acre parcel that would subdivided from the larger piece of land.
The developers note that the larger parcel could be used for expansion. While there are no formal plans submitted for that property, the application notes that it could include either 16 single-family homes or 34 units of mixed-use multi-unit dwellings.
The larger site has been on the market for several years, and has even been approved four eight-unit apartment structures. But because the Sennett Meadows complex seeks a 60-unit facility, the new planned development district is needed.
In the 60-unit facility, apartments would include one- and two-bedroom units, and would be marketed to people ages 55 and up from a "variety of income ranges." Monthly rents would range from $400 to $,1280.
Included with the application were several letters in support from local and regional officials. Leaders from the Cayuga County and Onondaga County offices for the aging, ARISE, the Skaneateles Chamber of Commerce and the Cayuga Economic Development Agency all said there is a need for senior housing in the area.
The developers hope to begin construction in October and be finished by September 2022, with leases starting in January 2023.
Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer.