By David Tyler
The village of Fayetteville planning board has declared that the proposed development at 547 E. Genesee St. will have a significant environmental impact. That decision, which was made unanimously on Monday night, requires the developer to prepare an environmental impact statement before the board makes a recommendation on the project to the village zoning board of appeals.
On Monday night, the planning board ruled that the project would have a significant adverse impact on community character, traffic and village aesthetics among several other areas referenced in the state environmental quality review process. The board also indicated the project is inconsistent with local land use plans.
Plans call for a grocery store, widely reported to be the first Hannaford’s in the Syracuse area, as well as a senior living facility and a smaller retail structure.
Developers are seeking two variances from the 10,000-square-foot per floor maximum. The proposed grocery store would be approximately 56,550 square feet. The senior apartment complex would have a footprint of 42,750 square feet. A third, smaller building at the front of the project would be approximately 3,500 square feet.
In June, the planning board tabled discussion of the proposal at the request of the developer when it appeared the board was likely to declare the project would have a significant impact on the community’s character.
The developer, Millstone Development Group LLC, has since submitted additional documents to the village arguing that the project would enhance the property, which currently features a vacant 137,000 square foot industrial facility, but the overall project remains very much the same as what was originally proposed.
“The project is the same. The planning board is the same,” said board member Jennifer Bybee. “The building sizes are way beyond what the zoning allows.”
In a lengthy review of the project, developer Devin Dal Pos referenced an environmental impact statement passed by the village board of trustees in 2019 that stated that a project similar in size and scope to the current proposal would be a “reasonable alternative” to an apartment complex that had previously been proposed at the location.
Planning Board Chairperson Jane Rice said that statement by the board of trustees had no impact on the planning board, which she said must consider the current zoning on the parcel, not a possible alternative suggested by trustees.
The lot at 547 E. Genesee St. is a little over 30 acres.
The three buildings would be situated on about 15 acres closest to the street.
The remaining 15 acres at the back of the site would be made available for recreational use for the village and could feature trails for walking or biking, Dal Pos said.
Plans call for E. Genesee Street to be widened in that area, with a center turn lane and a traffic light controlling the entrance to the development.
The grocery store would be set back about 500 feet from the road, and the smaller retail building would help complete the streetscape and provide some screening of the grocery store, Dal Pos said.
