By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
A 48-unit cottage-style condominium development could be coming to the Town of Waterford in the near future, but a number of looming questions need to first be answered before any ground is broken.
Developer Jim Schilling came before the town Plan Commission on March 7 and laid out plans for the project, which has been proposed at 7711 Big Bend Road. Schilling’s development, in its draft state, calls for smaller lot setbacks from traditional dwellings in the town.
But there is a catch to Schilling’s plan: The town does not have an ordinance that directly speaks to the proposal, which could be housed in two separate buildings. For this reason, town officials have decided to kick the issue over to county officials for further analysis.
“The bottom line is we have many, many questions,” Town Chairman Tom Hincz said March 14, when the issue was revisited at the monthly Town Board meeting. “These cottages do not meet any of our existing ordinances.”
Several board members asserted the components of the cottage-style condos could potentially be shot down simply because town code does not speak to the type of development Schilling has pitched. But instead of taking action now, town officials collectively said they wanted to gather feedback from county experts.
The meeting with the county is scheduled for this Monday, March 21. Tentative plans call for revisiting Schilling’s development proposal at the next Plan Commission meeting Monday, April 4, once the county feedback has been gathered. The Town Board could take final action at its next meeting Monday, April 11.
“It’s a complex project, and we need to look at it closely,” Hincz said.
In other business March 14, the Town Board:
- Heard a report from town Supervisor Nick Draskovich on plans to take an inventory of all of the public works department’s equipment, some of which is aging. With future budget planning on the horizon, the exercise is considered a high-priority endeavor.
“We own a ton of equipment, and we’re going to have to start planning in the future, in terms of money,” Draskovich said. “The list of what we have is quite extensive.”
- Approved two other items that went before the town Plan Commission with favorable recommendations.
The Town Board gave final approval to a property owner’s request to construct a pier and boatlift on a property at 5421 Scenery Road. The proper permit and other town-initiated specifications were met as part of the review process.
Also approved was a property owner’s request for a garage and accessory structure that did not meet the town’s current square footage requirements. Two existing storage sheds will be removed once the new building is constructed.
• Approved a resident’s request to serve alcohol at one of the town’s two municipal parks for a function in mid-June. The resident has already paid the town a rental fee to use the site, but wanted to seek permission in advance for serving alcohol at the gathering.
-
-
-
-
-