The Creekside area redevelopment project along Riverside Drive in the village is moving forward, with area plans and designs taking shape and discussions underway with a developer interested in potentially building a senior living center on the property, the village board announced at its Sept. 8 meeting.
While giving an update on the project, Mayor Kurt Wheeler said the land along Chittenango Creek behind the library that was prepared by community volunteers three weeks ago has been seeded with grass and is growing well. He said the comprehensive survey of the entire Creekside area has finally been received by the village, so now the property boundaries of the area are officially known. Some of the boundaries are strangely structured in the way public and private ownership is designed, and the village will be consulting with landowners to see if there is a way to change the property lines in a way that is mutually beneficial, Wheeler said.
The board also agreed to put some moveable items on the future park land, such as benches or wooden play structures, that can be used by residents right away but easily moved or removed once the final park plans are completed. There is also the potential for students in a SUNY ESF design class to design an interactive play area for the planned park as a class project – which would then not cost the village any money.
Finally, Wheeler said the village is waiting for Armory Development Company to submit a proposal for building a senior living center on the ground behind the library. He said Armory submitted a proposal last year, but village officials deemed it had “no upside for the village,” and so they suggested Armory “try again.” If the company returns with a more attractive plan, then the village would consider moving forward with the public approval process for such a development, he said.
Also at the meeting, the board:
—Held a public hearing about and then voted to approve a new local law reducing the speed on the length of Riverside Drive to 25 miles per hour from 30 miles per hour. The law is part of the Creekside corridor development plan, and is intended to add a measure of safety to the area behind the library where the village plans to build a new park and playground, and where talks are underway to potentially build a senior housing development, said Mayor Kurt Wheeler.
—Approved a request from the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce to hold the second annual Cazenovia Fall Festival in the downtown village during the weekend of Oct. 23 and 24. The approval included permission for Seminary Street to be closed to traffic from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, to allow events to take place there. The board also approved a GCACC request to hold its annual Couple’s Night Out event downtown on Friday, Oct. 2.
—Heard from CACDA Executive Director Lauren Lines that the hitching rails for horses and buggies for local Amish residents are now up and available for use at Buyea’s True Value and behind Tops in the Town and Country Plaza.
—Agreed to authorize the village to be a co-applicant with another local organization to apply for the new round of Common Grounds Challenge Grants, currently being accepted. Wheeler suggested the village consider applying and use the funds, if awarded a grant, towards the building of a village park, playground and potential walking trails in the Creekside corridor development.
—Authorized permissive referendums to be held to allow the village to spend $18,000 to pay for village water structure upgrades that were completed this summer and to pay up to $5,600 for the final costs of the new village police department vehicle. These are planned expenditures in year’s village budget, but since they are coming out of a capital account they are subject to the permissive referendum, Wheeler said. A permissive referendum allows citizens to contest and stop the sale or lease of municipal property and to directly challenge and overturn the decision of a municipal board.
