Housing review will leave no gate unopened

By Donna Cafaldo , Freeman staff Daily Freeman Thursday, February 24, 2005

HURLEY - Town officials say they're committed to learning all they can about gated communities as they seek to address residents' concerns about the proposed 652-unit Hidden Forest housing development.

The development, which would cater to buyers ages 55 and older, would be among the first of its kind in the area.

At a Town Board meeting Tuesday, Supervisor Gary Bellows said the proposal will be reviewed primarily by the town Planning Board, which heard preliminary details at a meeting two weeks ago.

Bellows is encouraging residents to attend such meetings. "I know a lot of people are excited about the project," he said.

The supervisor said no decisions about the proposal will be made until the Planning Board establishes itself as the lead agency in the environmental review of the project.

Bellows said the Planning Board will advise the Town Board on establishing a planned residential development status for the project. And he said that could be a lengthy process.

He cited the recently approved zoning change that cleared the way for the Tischler medical office to be built in West Hurley as an example of how the town will take its time, allow everyone's voices to be heard and make the most informed decision possible. Approval of the Tischler project took nearly two years.

Deputy Supervisor Al Mayone, the Town Board's liaison to the Planning Board, said he intends to visit gated communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and meet with municipal officials there.

Mayone said what he has learned so far about the builder, US Home, and its parent company, Lennar Corp., has been positive.

At Tuesday's meeting, Hurley resident Tom Schneller questioned the board about the possibility of a gated community seceding from the town once it's established. Schneller said he has seen this happen before with other communities.

Bellows said he expects town planners, with the help of professional planning consultants, to research the project thoroughly.

The supervisor said he also plans to take a "road trip" to visit already established gated communities and explore the impact the developments have had on the communities around them.

Schneller said that as long as the process stays open, allowing residents to see how it happens, it will be the "best thing we can have."

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