ORCHARD PARK
Neighbors fight housing for elderly
In a spirited public hearing, Orchard Park residents split Wednesday night over whether to allow an apartment building for seniors, with opponents of the project sometimes tossing barbs at supporters.
“If you let this go, then rezone my property, too, so I can put up an apartment building,” said Eugene O’Hara, whose on Creekside Drive home abuts the proposed development on Weiss Avenue.
Calamar Senior Services, a developer with offices in Wheatfield, envisions a 90-unit, two-story apartment building called Eagle Crest. It seeks a zoning change to senior residential from residential, which the town Planning Board recommended last month on a 5-2 vote.
Most who spoke at the hearing opposed the zoning change, claiming increased runoff in an already boggy neighborhood, more traffic on nearby streets and a potential decline in the value of their single-family homes.
“This project is not consistent with our neighborhood,” said James Craw of Creekside Drive. He presented a petition that he said had been signed by 20 percent of neighboring property owners. That would require a supermajority vote— at least four of the five-member board — to approve the zoning change.
But the Town Board held off Wednesday night on a decision to absorb the many comments.
Some residents supported increasing housing for senior citizens in the town.
Real estate agent Sharon Zulinke said people downsizing from their family homes will move from the town, for lack of suitable alternatives.
“I get a phone call a week saying, . . . ‘We can’t stay in this house any longer, but there’s nowhere to go,’ ” she said.
In a weak housing market, demand for senior citizen apartments continues to boom as an aging population seeks downsized living quarters, developers say.
Calamar originally proposed 140 units but scaled back its plan after meetings with neighbors uncovered sharp opposition.
It also upgraded its drainage system and agreed to put green space — the majority of the 23-acre site — into protected status through deed restrictions.
“This is a low-impact project,” said Kenneth Franasiak, Calamar president and chief executive officer.
Most residents would be in their 70s, and many avoid driving, or drive during off-peak hours. The nonsubsidized apartments are aimed at people with incomes of $25,000 to $60,000.
Some neighbors reluctantly favored the project as the least objectionable option for the site.
“Calamar’s proposal is probably the best deal we’re ever going to get,” said Ron Stadelmaier, a neighbor.
