CICERO — Gabelry Development, LLC, is looking to build a “town center”-style community of multi-family homes and senior housing next to the EchoPark Automotive dealership on Brewerton Road in Cicero. The Cicero Town Board held a public hearing Oct. 12 on Gabelry’s request to change the zoning of the properties at 8010 and 8016 Brewerton Road from Regional Commercial to Planned Unit Development (PUD).
Several residents of Lincoln Avenue and the neighboring streets voiced their concerns about traffic, privacy, sidewalk maintenance and other issues.
The Apex at Metro North is being marketed as an “unparalleled luxury living experience” with as many as 300 residential units.
Brian Bouchard of CHA Consulting gave an overview of the project at the Oct. 12 meeting. Bouchard said the 35-acre site would include two phases of development. The multi-family phase would have 150 units in a series of two-story townhome-style apartments, two-story garden-style apartments and flats with ground floor garages. The development would feature amenities such as walking trails, a clubhouse with community gathering space and fitness center.
The senior living phase would have 128 units in townhomes and a three-story apartment building. Residents also would have access to a pool and amenities such as bocce courts.
The multi-family units would have garages and some overflow parking, while the senior units would have mostly surface parking.
The project would have an access off Route 11 with a signalized intersection, sidewalks, a stormwater management area and landscaping.
Bouchard said a PUD would generate less traffic than a large commercial property.
“Instead of this being developed by another big box store, retail, [or] four-story hotel, we’re coming to the board to ask for residential use here,” Bouchard said.
He said the developer has coordinated the proposal with the planning board for two years and has performed an extensive traffic study of 14 intersections between Bear Road and Stevens Drive. The study took into account the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council’s report on the Route 11 corridor.
According to the developer’s traffic study, which was based on the original proposal of 400 units, The Apex at Metro North would generate 80 trips per hour during peak traffic times. Bouchard said commercial development would generate 425 trips per hour at peak times on weekdays and 483 trips per hour on weekend peak hours.
A retail development would cover 40% of the parcel with buildings, whereas the proposed PUD has 19.4% building coverage. This would allow for more green space and room for snow removal and storage, Bouchard said.
With the announcement that Micron will be creating 9,000 jobs at a semiconductor plant in Clay, the region needs more housing options, Bouchard said.
Lincoln Avenue resident Julia Shannon said she was concerned that another traffic signal on Route 11 would disrupt traffic flow in an already-busy corridor.
“The lights are just perfect coming from Wegmans to Walmart end to end,” Shannon said. “You put another light there and you’re not going to have a chance to get out to take a left.”
Town Councilor Mike Becallo also expressed concern about the distance between intersections. Bouchard said the Metro North signal would be directly centered between the intersections at Wegmans and Walmart.
Another resident, Katherine Badolato, said previous development in the area displaced wildlife and mice infested her lawn. She also was concerned about drainage.
Angelia Powers said her grandparents bought their home on Lincoln Avenue in 1953.
“My family’s been there a very long time, and I’ve seen all of the issues that have arisen over the years,” Powers said. “When Walmart went in, we were assured that traffic wouldn’t be a problem because there was going to be a light there, and yet it’s still a big problem because we have an excess of accidents.”
While Bouchard said Gabelry’s focus is on walkability, Powers expressed skepticism.
“In my family we have a joke that Cicero is a bunch of sidewalks that go nowhere,” she said. “If you notice, they abruptly stop everywhere. We have a bunch of people on our street that consistently walk to Walmart, Target and various other stores.”
Fairview Avenue resident Faye Gregory also brought up resident safety, especially for the senior living units.
“Where do they go when there’s an emergency? They all can’t use the elevator,” Gregory said.
Elsa LaManna, of Sutton Drive, said the town must preserve green space.
Anthony Corallo, of Lincoln Avenue, said the density of development would reduce neighbors’ privacy.
Honora Spillane, vice president of economic development for CenterState CEO, reiterated CenterState’s support for the project. She said Gabelry would be an asset to the community and added that Micron employees will be looking for housing in the northern suburbs in the coming years.
Noel Road resident Tim Murphy echoed many of his neighbors’ concerns and took issue with bringing Micron into the conversation.
“Walmart had a 10-year tax break and they won’t even fix the sidewalk, so I’m a little leery of development in this town,” he said. “This is way, way too intensive of a development. It doesn’t matter about the chip factory. Don’t sell us out here.”
The public hearing continues at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Cicero Town Hall, located at 8236 Brewerton Road. Meetings are streamed on YouTube as well. Visit ciceronewyork.net/meetings for agendas and minutes.
