A block in the town of Lysander may be eligible for up to $50,000 in homebuyer assistance grants for low-income populations, town engineer Al Yager announced at the Feb. 9 meeting of the Lysander Town Board.

The Onondaga County Community Development Division is partnering with the Empire Housing and Development Corporation to apply for a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Should the county receive the grant, it will be distributed in amounts up to $50,000 per municipality to help low-income people purchase homes. Onondaga County has deemed the northwest region of the town of Lysander, which includes the proposed Lamson Road water district, as eligible for this funding.

“These funds will allow the Community Development Division to continue a successful collaboration with Empire Housing to create homeownership opportunities for first-time eligible home owners and extend the useful life of their homes,” reads a letter from the Community Development Division to Supervisor John Salisbury, dated Jan. 21.

The county is asking municipalities to conduct an income survey to confirm eligibility for a grant. In order to qualify, 90 percent of the residents in a selected block must complete the survey, and at least 51 percent of respondents must fall below HUD’s standards of low income.

Yager said the income survey for Lamson Road area residents will be posted on the town’s website. He suggested the town mail the survey to target residents, and Councilor Roman Diamond suggested submitting a letter and the survey to local media outlets.

Yager said a 2009 income survey for the proposed Lamson Road water district showed that 41 percent of residents fell below the poverty line.

Salisbury said it would be a “futile effort” to try to get 90 percent of the target residents to respond.

“It’s no easy task to get 90 percent of people to respond to anything, especially if it’s asking for personal information,” Yager said.

The town must submit income data and a five-year plan for community development projects to the county by March 23, a deadline that could change depending on how long it takes for Lamson Road area residents to respond to the survey.

Public comments on CLUP

In other Lysander development news, Comprehensive Land Use Plan Committee Chair Bill Lester presented the finished CLUP at a public hearing during the Feb. 9 meeting. The town board cannot vote on the CLUP until after the Onondaga County Planning Board approves the plan.

A handful of Lysander residents commented on the CLUP, which eliminates the 2007 Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program in favor of incentivized zoning. This allows developers to build higher-density residential lots as long as they provide conservation easements to protect agricultural land and help improve sewage management for their developments.

Warren Abbott, CEO and CFO of Abbott Farms, shared his concerns about the proposed easements. He said the plan may not take into account what will happen to farmland in the future when much more of the town is developed.

“I’m not sure I would want to be farming a hundred acres in the middle of Manhattan,” he said.

Vince Kearney, assistant chief of the Belgium-Cold Springs Fire Department, said the increase of private roads within housing developments causes maintenance problems that make dealing with emergencies difficult. If these roads are not plowed in the winter, emergency personnel have trouble navigating them.

Another resident, Dennis Stimson, expressed concern about straining public utilities, namely the sewers and roads. He also asked about the impact on the Baldwinsville Central School District.

Lester said the CLUP committee has consulted with the school district and has determined that increased development opportunities will lead to increased enrollment for B’ville schools.

“[Assistant Superintendent for Management Services] Jamie Rodems has indicated that they need more students,” Lester said.

Salisbury also assured Stimson that certain limits are already in place to prevent straining these public resources. He said the state Department of Transportation has capped the number of homes that can be built in the Timber Banks development until a new traffic study can be conducted.

Salisbury also said allowing higher-density lots will be a boon to the housing market. The smallest lots available will be 12,500 square feet.

“People want to live in Lysander, but they don’t want to live on postage-[stamp]-sized lots,” he said.