By Phil Blackwell
A years-long battle over a housing development on Hoag Lane in Fayetteville continued to flare up at the Aug. 10 meeting of the Town of Manlius Planning Board, though the project did take an important step forward.
Following a contentious back-and-forth between developers and board members, approval was given to a resolution determining the environmental significance of the Woodland Hills project, which does allow work to continue.
The vote was 6-1, with the lone dissent coming from board member Frank Mento, who said that it would be more productive if developers and board members met head-to-head to resolve ongoing differences.
A group from KPA Architects, led by Scott Freeman, responded to numerous objections that were raised at the July 27 planning board meeting by sending a 16-page letter to the board outlining more than 30 changes to the plan.
In doing so, Freeman said that, of the nearly 400 questions sent to them by community members, nearly half of them were repetitious of previous criticisms or contained, in his words, “alternative facts” about the project.
At times, the dialogue between the board and Freeman got heated, with heavy criticism made by, among others, town engineer Doug Martin, leading to a spirited defense from board member Richard Rossetti, who said it was “incredibly wrong” to question Martin’s integrity.
Many aspects of the Woodland Hills project were analyzed, from tree-cutting to noise ordinances to the amount of dirt that had to be moved.
Freeman said that 53,000 cubic yards would get shifted, far less than the 100,000 cubic yards some had reported, and that 10 of the 30 acres would remain preserved for environmental purposes.
Reflecting the view of several of his fellow board members, board president Joseph Lupia said it was time to get past the conflicts and move ahead.
“We’re not moving on this and we need to resolve this issue,” he said.
At the same time, the board did give approval to what could prove one of the larger dental practices in Onondaga County on North Burdick Street, one that could accommodate 27 patients in a single setting.
Criticisms of this plan had led architects to make several changes, mostly to give the proposed building a more residential look that included a revised entrance and façade.
Despite several public objections from a dentist who had property in Fayetteville questioning possible safety of children playing near the property, the board gave unanimous approval, saying that the changes did answer their previous questions.
“It made a significant difference,” said Lupia.
Solar arrays were also approved for a pair of residential areas, one in Fayetteville and another in Manlius, where the developers of a project on North Eagle Village Road agreed to plant 30 blue spruce trees to address privacy concerns from two nearby property owners on Townsend Road.
