By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Developers are seeking a zone change for Northern Pines Golf Club on Route 31 in Cicero to build houses and townhomes. Tom Oot, attorney for Oot Brothers, Brolex Properties and GRG Realty, appeared at the Cicero Town Board’s May 22 meeting to give an overview of the project.
Cicero Supervisor Mark Venesky said the developers’ interest in Cicero is a sign of growth and residential development will add to the town’s tax base.
“We have more people who want to live in Cicero than we have housing available,” he said. “That type of project will allow the town to run the business because we need revenue to run the business.”
While Venesky thanked the developers for their interest in Cicero, Oot’s team first must secure a zone change. The developers are seeking to change the property to a Planned Unit Development to allow for the construction of 315 single-family homes and 168 attached townhouses. Oot said the exact numbers are subject to change depending on the housing market.
“It’s designed to attract a number of different age groups at a number of different price points,” Oot said, adding that there would be a variety of lot sizes available.
Oot said the development would be governed by a two-tier homeowner’s association, with higher rates for townhome dwellers, for whom the developer would provide more maintenance services such as lawn care and snow removal. The recently built 3,000-square-foot clubhouse at the golf course will remain and will fall under the HOA’s control.
The proposed development would have primary highway access via Route 31 with secondary access on Island Road.
Oot said construction would occur in phases, and half of the existing 18-hole golf course would be kept initially.
“The eastern nine holes would be preserved probably for the next five-plus years depending on sales and marketability,” Oot said.
Councilor Dick Cushman questioned this, however, as the Cicero Planning Board requires developers to finish their projects within three years.
“They do that purposely so that people don’t come in and say ‘I’m going to do one thing’ and then halfway through they stop and say they’re not going to,” Cushman said.
Venesky said there are legal ways to extend a project past three years. Oot said in cases like this, a developer can file to build a phase every couple of years.
“I don’t envision it being built in that short order. Erie Village [in East Syracuse] has 480 units and it took us about 15 years,” Oot said.
The Northern Pines proposal is not Brolex Properties’ only venture to redevelop a golf course in the area. The developer is also working on a proposal to build 194 homes on Seneca Golf Club in the town of Van Buren.
Back to the drawing board for logo
Also at the May 22 meeting, the town board opted not to vote on choosing a new logo for Cicero. A contest held earlier this year drew 26 entries to design a new town logo, and a committee made up of community stakeholders narrowed the field down to three contenders. Board members said they appreciated the entrants’ work, but they felt the committee’s top three did not reflect the whole of Cicero.
“It’s absolutely fine work and I know people put a lot of effort into it. Unfortunately, in my view, in reviewing these three logos — which are all excellent artwork — I don’t believe that any of them are suitable for this purpose,” Councilor Jon Karp said.
Karp said he could picture the committee’s selections working as letterheads, but not emblazoned on the police department’s polo shirts or on a snow plow.
Two of the committee’s choices are stylized text of “Town of Cicero, Established in 1807” and use the motif of Oneida Lake.
“The majority of Cicero is not on the lake,” Karp said. “This is saying, ‘This is who Cicero is,’ and yet the two logos on the left talk about a very small portion of Cicero.”
Karp said if he had to choose among these three options, he would abstain. Councilor Judy Boyke agreed with Karp and added that the “O” in the second logo — which looks like a setting sun on the waves — reminded her of the Pepsi logo.
Councilor Vern Conway said the new logo should retain some elements of the current one, which depicts two people driving a horse-drawn sleigh outside the King’s Hotel.
“I think that we should keep a little of the old Cicero in this,” Conway said.
Councilor Dick Cushman commented on the detail in the third logo, which Karp said looked somewhat busy. The third logo depicts Cicero’s historical plank road side by side with a dirt road and shows homes and the lakeshore in the background.
“It’s probably the most representative of the three, with a little bit of history in it,” Cushman said.
Boyke, who said she has an academic background in art and music, said she reviewed all of the entries and found a few that she felt represented Cicero better that did not make the committee’s final cut.
Venesky asked Boyke to come up with “constructive suggestions” about what she would tweak so the committee can bring suggested changes to the artists.
“The artists are all willing to make changes,” said Nicole Walsh, receiver of taxes and a member of the logo committee.
