2 new town planners are chosen

Planned Development District proposed

by Karen Keefe
Grand Island Dispatch, December 9, 2005

The Grand Island Town Board named Robert Starzynski and Frank Sturniolo to the Planning Board at its Monday night meeting.

Councilman Gary Roesch said making the selection from a field of nine candidates was “a difficult decision.”

“Every one of them were extremely well-qualified.”

Starzynski’s term will expire at the end of 2006, and Sturniolo’s term expires at the end of 2007. The two new appointees fill vacancies created by the resignations of Jean Greinert and Robert Westfall.

Starzynski is an associate broker with CB Richard Ellis, and Sturniolo is architect with Cannon Design.

Starzynski told the Dispatch on Thursday, “I’m happy to participate – it’s a community service.” He said he is looking forward to helping “to promote positive development on the Island.” Starzynski has lived on Grand Island for more than two decades.

Gun Creek Subdivision

Most of the Town Board’s work session, prior to the regular meeting, was taken up with a closed-door session to interview four prospective Planning Board members and to discuss an offer to purchase town property.

In the public portion of the workshop, the Town Board discussed a proposed subdivision known as Gun Creek Estates. Patrick Homes is proposing a mixed-use residential development of approximately 200 homes on a 98.5-acre parcel south of Tracey Lane, and along Whitehaven Road east of Stony Point Road.

Town Attorney Dan Spitzer, presenting the initial plan to board members, said the prospective developers want to know if the Town Board is comfortable with a Planned Development District as a concept.

Mixed Use Proposal

“The Planning Board is to be commended for pushing for a PPD,” Spitzer said. He explained that the concept would be to create a mix of estate homes, patio homes and single-family homes.

The area is currently zoned R-1D, which is a district of medium population density, single-family homes.

In order to put in a Planned Development District, the developers would have to request a zoning change.

One Current PDD

The only PDD currently on the map is the as-yet-undeveloped Southpointe, an area on the south end of the Island, near Grandyle Village. It is bounded by Staley Road on the north, Baseline Road on the west, Beaver Island Parkway on the east and Love and Carl roads on the south.

Spitzer said if the project developers are seeking a negative declaration on a State Environmental Quality Review, they would be well advised to come in prepared with a traffic study, as well as a jurisdictional determination from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Informal Meeting Suggested

Councilwoman Mary Cooke suggested that before the developers put any more money into the project, they set up an informational meeting with the Town Board. At such a meeting, Cooke said, representatives from the town Engineering Department and town advisory boards could exchange information with the developers about the project’s concept. Items to be considered could range from environmental to plowing to recreation concerns.

A PDD needs to have 25 percent green space as part of the plan, and Spitzer said the concept for the proposed Gun Creek subdivision is already at about 23 percent or more.

Planning Board member Frank Greco told the Dispatch the proposal could give Island residents another route to travel in a north-south direction between Whitehaven and Ransom roads, other than Baseline and East River roads. “If you have that, maybe you don’t need a loop road,” he said.

Town board members said if a thoroughfare within the development were private, it would have “traffic-calming” aspects.

Project ‘Has Potential’

Cooke’s view of the proposal: “At this very early stage, I think it has potential.” She said a PDD “can offer a large tract of land to be developed in interesting ways.”

In action at the regular meeting, the Town Board:

•Set water and sewer rents for 2006 as follows: water, $2.70 per 1,000 gallons; sewer, $4.40 per thousand gallons.

•Approved a memorandum of agreement with the Western New York Stormwater Coalition to formalize participation in the coalition’s meetings.

•Approved a resolution supporting the current effort by the Town of Tonawanda to obtain funding from the Quality Communities Grand Program on behalf of the Niagara River Greenway Commission. A portion of the grant would be used to pay for a consultant for the commission, which is intended to help all communities along the river, including Grand Island.

Cingular Lease

•Referred to the town attorney an amendment to Cingular’s cell tower lease at 80 Carl Road. As a result of a merger, Cingular said it no longer needs use of the tower. The company is proposing a rent abatement for up to 24 months and the right to sublease the tower without town approval. If Cingular is successful in the sale of the lease, they’ll guarantee a 10 percent increase over the current lease pricing.

Truck Bid Awarded

•Awarded a $58,973 bid to Fleet Maintenance Inc. for a new 2006 L-8511 Sterling Heavy Duty Cab and Chassis Single Axle Plow Truck.

In a memo to the Town Board, Highway Superintendent Raymond Dlugokinski said the bid was in line with the department’s estimated cost for the vehicle. He said it is common to receive only one bid for such a vehicle, since there are fewer and fewer distributors of heavy truck chassis in this class.

•Authorized the supervisor to sign the state reimbursement forms for recreation expenditures for 2004 in the amount of $5,888.

•Authorized the hiring of four part-time Recreation Department workers and two lifeguards.

‘Enola,’ ’Stony Point’ Names

•Received a letter from Fire Chief Greg Butcher expressing concern over the naming of roads in the proposed new subdivision of Waterford Park.

Butcher said Enola and Stony Point continue into the proposed subdivision with their street names being changed.

“I truly believe that this would pose certain difficulties for emergency responders,” Butcher said. He said “changing road names and addresses midway could cause unneeded delays in emergency response and in turn affect the safety of the public.”