Barone seeks to build road, homes

by Joshua Maloni
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, July 14, 2007

After failing to secure permission from the Village of Lewiston Planning Board to build seven, and then six, patio homes on his 1.67-acre, vacant Mohawk Street lot, developer Sonny Barone presented a plan Monday to extend North Seventh Street across the east side of that land and build six regular homes alongside the road. The board, which turned down Barone’s previous request citing violation of the zoning schedule, has planned a public hearing on the new proposal, a major subdivision request, for Monday, Aug. 13, at 6:30 p.m. It will be held at the Red Brick Municipal Building.

The tract size for each of the six homes would be 8,057 square feet, which is much larger than the required 6,500 square feet. However, the width of each parcel, 61.46 feet, would fall a little more than four feet short of the zoning requirement. As such, a variance would be required.

Planning Board Chairman Vic Eydt said he had received favorable comments on the proposal from the fire and sewer departments, as well as from Mike Marino, the village’s engineer. He indicated all parties were satisfied with Barone’s plan to build a 66-foot-long, 28-foot-wide, T-shaped road, which would end prior to Oxbow Lane resident John Grannis’ back yard property line. Eydt said fire trucks and snowplows would have no trouble navigating the road.

Homes would go in a straight line from Mohawk Street to Oxbow Lane. The first piece of property would be 20 feet from the road. Each home would be 20 feet from the next, with a 20-foot buffer between the property line and the road.