By Russ Tarby

Contributing Writer

Eighteen people spoke at a Sept. 18 public hearing in Liverpool about the proposed Meyer Manor apartment complex at 1225 Tulip St., just north of the Thruway. The wide majority opposed the development, and just three of the 18 speakers favored it. More than 95 people attended the hearing.

Because the eight-acre property is within the village, the Liverpool Board of Trustees is considering a zone-change request from R-1 to R-3 for the development’s entryway.  Some 90 percent of the property owned by Marvin Meyer is already zoned R-3, allowing for multiple-family dwellings.

Local developer Cosimo Zavaglia plans to purchase Meyer’s property to construct a 108-apartment complex called Meyer Manor Apartments just south of the Johnson Tract neighborhood.

Before the public hearing began, village engineer Greg Sgromo reported on a recent traffic study, which suggested that the complex’s estimated 162 vehicles would have no significant impact along Tulip Street. Trustee Bradley Young disagreed, saying, “I foresee accidents happening.”

Mayor Gary White opened the public hearing, and the first speaker, Ashley Hicks, of 208 Sheridan Road, summarized the Johnson Tract neighbors’ opposition. Hicks cited increased noise and traffic, intrusive lighting, lack of privacy and destruction of greenspace as reasons to deny the zone change.

Peg Salvatore, president of the Johnson Tract Neighborhood Group, has lived at 211 Sheridan Road for nearly 40 years.

“We’re against this development which infringes on our right to the quiet enjoyment of our homes,” she told the trustees.

“The village, as good neighbors, should only approve plans which are compatible with the existing neighborhood,” Salvatore said. The apartments, she predicted, would attract “transient residents.”

Donald Place resident Stacey Johnson continued in that vein. “Apartment dwellers really don’t care that much,” Johnson said. “We don’t want transients walking through our neighborhood. We are not transient people.”

Her husband, Roy Johnson, expressed concern about emergency vehicle access to the proposed complex. “There’s a potential for bad things to happen,” he said.

Kim Allen, of 8 Donald Place, is the mother of a teenage son. “I moved here because I didn’t want to live in the city with the riff raff,” Allen said. “And I don’t want to deal with the bad things that 108 apartments would bring into the neighborhood with those type of people with those types of problems.”

Richard Swift, who has lived at 10 Donald Place for 52 years, appealed to the trustees to follow the village’s own Comprehensive Plan and Community Design Handbook. Those documents advise against introducing housing styles inconsistent with existing neighborhoods, Swift said. They also stress the need for “calming traffic” to make the village more pedestrian-friendly, he added.

Jan Quitzau, of 1002½ Tulip St., also cited the Community Design Handbook’s traffic warnings and said Liverpool Police Department statistics show a recent 40 percent increase in accidents and a 29 percent increase in speeding tickets issued in the area.

Town of Salina First Ward Councilor Colleen Gunnip asked the trustees to deny the zone change because of traffic, the tree buffer, lighting from the buildings, the density of the development, the height of the building and access into Donald Place.

Two of the three speakers who spoke in favor of the zone change were members of Meyers’ extended family and the third was his attorney.

Nancy Schmu Wildoner of Binghamton previously lived at 1233 Tulip St. Instead of addressing the trustees, Wildoner directed her comments to the complex opponents. “Live with it,” she exclaimed. “It’s progress.” The Meyer family has wanted to sell the property for six decades, she said. “It’s time to sell this property.”

Marvin Meyer’s son, Jeff Meyer of Madison County, said that opponents worried about transient apartment dwellers should consider the alternatives. “This is a deal you can’t afford to lose,” he said, a deal far favorable to the building of “factories or warehouse or section 8 housing. This is a high-end development. It’ll be better for everybody.”

A lengthy the State Environmental Quality Review has yet to be conducted, Mayor White said, explaining why no vote was taken Sept. 18. He welcomed continued written comments from concerned citizens.

The Village Planning Board, which has been reviewing the developer’s plans for two years, is responsible for site-plan approval. The Village Board of Trustees is the lead agency on this project responsible for the SEQR process, sewer issues, traffic issues and will approve or disapprove of the zone-change request.