The Ulster County Planning Board [UCPB] weighed in on the proposed Villages project, planned for the west side of Route 9W opposite the Bridgeview Shopping Plaza in the Town of Lloyd. When any development project fronts onto a county road the county planning board conducts a review and issues a recommendation memo.

The UCPB first listed a summary of the Villages project: noting that the development consists of an Assisted Living Facility [ALF] that will have a memory care unit and provide adult day care services as well as have on-site recreational facilities and a clubhouse. In addition, developer Owen M. Sanderson is seeking to build 197 independent living cottages and/or duplexes, from 1,000 to 1,400 sq/ft, for people 62 years and older. The UCPB incorrectly stated that the total number of proposed independent living units is 178, when in fact it is 197. This increase cites the units at 5 feet apart, as opposed to 10 feet that was in an original plan iteration.

The project site is a 57 acre parcel, and the developer is seeking a zoning change from the Town Board from its current designation of Residential ½ acre to a newly approved zone entitled, Planned Residential Retirement Development [PRRD].

The UCPB commended the town and the applicant for designing a community with an inclusionary housing component that helps to house the town’s aging population and also has a focus on continuum of care.

The UCPB also issued advisory comments for the town to consider.

“The regulations found in the PRRD district standards should include requirements that reduce a project’s carbon footprint, such as adherence to the NYS Stretch Energy code; consideration for all electric heating and cooling and including solar and geothermal application; minimum EV charging station standards; enhanced stormwater management practices, such as maximum of green infrastructure techniques to maximize infiltration.”

According to the town’s Land Use attorney, prior to granting the zoning change the Town Board has the authority to require a developer to significantly modify their project in size and scope, such as what the UCPB is advising, or they have the option to deny the project outright.