By Russ Tarby
Contributing Writer
Johnson Tract homeowners, concerned about the proposed Meyer Manor Apartments proposed for 1225 Tulip St., north of the Thruway, worry that the apartment buildings will be too tall and too numerous.
In a recent letter addressed to both the Village of Liverpool Board of Trustees and the village Planning Board, Peg Salvatore, president of the Johnson Tract Homeowners Executive Board, also cited concerns about density, lighting, parking, fire protection and drainage.
“Our right to quiet enjoyment of our property is now threatened due to this proposed development [which would] change the character of the existing neighborhood,” Salvatore wrote.
The proposed Meyer Manor Apartments at 1225 Tulip St., just south of Donald Place on Marvin Meyer’s property located within the village. Local developer Cosimo Zavaglia wants to purchase Meyer’s parcel to construct a 108-apartment complex of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, which could house some 270 residents.
With five buildings planned for the 7.15-acre parcel along with an entrance driveway, parking area and green space, Salvatore said, the site “is too small of an area of land to squeeze in the proposed development.”
Salvatore quoted from a Dec. 15, 2015 letter from a town of Salina attorney, which said, “the height of the proposed Meyer Manor Apartments (three stories) is not in keeping with the community character of the neighborhood — a reduction to two stories should be considered.”
The Johnson Tract, Salvatore wrote, “has existing covenants and restrictions that run with the land, that states no structures shall be permitted other than one detached single-family dwelling not to exceed two and one half stories high. The residents of this neighboring tract have observed and lived with this restriction since the 1950s. Such a development adjacent to this neighborhood will be an eyesore to the residents and not in conformity with the existing structures.”
In a letter sent to the village in August, Salvatore cited serious traffic concerns. According to Liverpool Police Department statistics from January 2012 to June 2014, Salvatore wrote, there were 50 accidents in a one-mile area from 100 to 1026 Tulip St., and accidents have increased by nearly 40 percent.
In her more recent letter dated Oct. 31, Salvatore argued that the development’s proposed parking area is too small to accommodate the anticipated number of residents.
With 108 units planned, and the village’s parking space code of 1.5 spaces per unit, Salvatore wrote, “that would require over 162 spaces for regular parking, which would not include handicapped parking or visitor parking.”
Village trustees are mulling the change of a small portion of Marvin Meyer’s property from R-1 to R-3 zoning so that the parcel can be used to create an entryway on Tulip Street for the planned complex. Some 90 percent of Meyer’s property is already zoned R-3, allowing for multiple-family dwellings. Most of his neighbors’ homes are outside village limits in the town of Salina.
The proposed development also needs a variance from the village zoning board regarding the height of the buildings and requires town board approval for its sewer plan.
The village Planning Board was scheduled to receive an update on the development’s site plan on Dec. 19, from Zavaglia’s engineer, Steve Calocerinos.
