Southpointe: Developer reiterates points about project

By Larry Austin

Island Dispatch Editor

In a letter to the Island Dispatch this week, the owner and developer of the Southpointe project reiterated key points his management team made at an introductory informational meeting held at Town Hall last Monday.

Harold Schertz of SRI, LLC, real estate asset managers, said he wrote “to clarify some of the points made at a recent Town board informational meeting regarding our proposed Southpointe development project.”

The project, a scaled back plan compared to the Southpointe project approved in 1998, is planned for an area near Staley, Love, Baseline roads, the South State Parkway, and Glen Avon Road, a dead end road off Love Road.

“Of the total 284 acres that comprise the project site, almost 90 percent will be open space and natural woodlands,” Schertz wrote. “Approximately one acre of wetlands will be disrupted, which is remarkable given that 79 state and federal wetlands are located on the site.

“Our proposal to make upgrades to the sewer district would significantly mitigate overflows into the Niagara River. The claim otherwise is simply not accurate.

“Our plan includes developing assisted living opportunities which will allow elderly residents who live on Grand Island to stay on Grand Island. Such housing options for the elderly simply are in extremely short supply. It should be noted that the traffic patterns of these individuals make it less likely they will be driving on and off the Island during peak times.

“We are confident that our private sector investment will have a number of other positive impacts for Grand Island while maintaining the high quality of life that residents expect and enjoy.

“Regardless, we look forward to having a dialogue with the community about our project in the coming weeks and months.”