Speaking at the board’s meeting at the Batavia Town Hall, Will Nieles, project developer representing New Leaf Energy said the solar array will cover about 15.7 acres of a 51.3-acre field in an Agricultural-Residential zoned district.

The application has been submitted by Judy Green/Wortendyke Road Solar 1, LLC.

Due to a lack of a quorum on Thursday night, recommendations by the Genesee County Planning Department staff – and not the county Planning Board – have been issued for the six referrals that were on the agenda.

The most notable of the applications was one from Sonbyrne Sales Inc. (Byrne Dairy), which is seeking a special use permit and site plan review for a new convenience store and gas station on Lewiston Road (Route 63) in the Town of Batavia.

Planning Department Director Felipe Oltramari, in an email sent after last night’s meeting to Batavia Town Planning Board members, indicated that he was recommending disapproval of Sonbyrne Sales’ proposal because it doesn’t fit well with the town’s

Jason Bonsignore, a former National Hockey League player and current auto/motorcycle racing promoter, is looking to restore a couple properties and operate what used

Marc Kenward of Erdman Anthony LLC, representing New Leaf Energy of Lowell, Mass., said revisions have been made in four areas – type of solar panels, potential glare

Speaking at the Batavia Town Planning Board meeting at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road, Eric Biscaro questioned Lauren Toretta, president of CH4 Biogas, and Sara Gilbert of Pinewood Engineering, about the extent of the odor from the facility, which is set to be constructed on Ag Park Drive, not far away from Ellicott Street Road.

“If you go by O-AT-KA (Milk Products Cooperative) on lots of given days, the odor there is enough to … it’s bad,” Biscaro said. “So, it’s seems that it would be more intense at your place if you’re going to bring it over  from O-AT-KA and (HP) Hood

The Batavia Town Planning Board met for 4 ½ minutes on Tuesday night, just enough time to unanimously pass a site plan from Country Line Electrical Distributors, Inc. to construct an accessory building on its East Main Street Road property.

William Massett, business owner, submitted the proposal to build a 12- by 84-foot open air pipe storage building in the Commercial district at 5065 East Main St. Rd. The plan previously was recommended for approval by the Genesee County Planning Board.

Initially, the project calls for the construction of a roof in case of rain to make it easier for loading and unloading, said Jennifer Massett, who was at the meeting. She said that owners eventually will fence it in for safety and security.

That was the only item on the board’s agenda.

Planners discussed the committee’s progress at their meeting Tuesday night, agreeing that the latest draft presented to the public – while in need of a few tweaks – represents a major step toward rules and regulations that remove most of the guesswork for those desiring to install solar farms and for their neighbors.

“It’s a roadmap for developers .. the rules are pretty straightforward,” said board member Steve Tanner, one of four planning board members on the committee (the others being Don Partridge, Paul McCullough and Brittany Witkop).

Tanner said that guidelines concerning landscaping, screening, setbacks, fencing and size of the project will make it easier for solar companies to develop their proposals.

McCullough concurred, stating that a law that is documented and codified will leave “very little interpretation as to what can and cannot happen.”

Witkop and Partridge said they appreciated input from the public – with Witkop noting that the group is looking to modify some of the setback requirements as a result of comments from citizens at an informational session last month.

Town Building Inspector Dan Lang termed changing some of the setbacks “a realistic vision” and said the process is nearing the point of conducting a State Environmental Quality Review, public hearing and county review.

Town Engineer Steve Mountain said that he reviewed the proposed solar law as well.

“It included all of the circumstances and ambiguities we’ve seen over the past five years,” he said.

Committee Chair Chad Zambito, a town council member, has indicated a final draft will be ready in a couple weeks.

In other Town of Batavia news, Supervisor Gregory Post reported that 11 building permits for residential homes were issued in 2021, with an assessed value of $4.1 million, and that 26 commercial/industrial permits were issued, “which generated several tens of millions of dollars in assessed value.”

Post said that projects on Route 98, Park Road and King’s Plaza (water main) as well as meter renewal are ramping up, leading to a “positive forecast for the community’s economic portfolio …”

Also, the Town Board voted to continue its support of the Batavia Soccer Park on Bank Street Road at the $10,000 annual level for two more years.

Previously: Town solar committee asked to 'revisit' setback distances

After the board declared lead agency status for the State Environmental Quality Review, member Steve Tanner went through the items on the form and then made a motion to accept it. The board agreed, issuing a “negative declaration” that denotes that the project would have no significant adverse impact upon the environment.

Lauren Rodriguez, civil engineer with LaBella Associates, asked the board about the company’s desire to merge two parcels, covering 6.9 acres, into one, and Planning Board Chair Kathleen Jasinski replied that the Batavia Town Board is expected to rule on that at its meeting on Wednesday night.

The 20,000-plus square-foot facility is going into an area currently zoned both Industrial and Commercial. The company is looking for the town to rezone it as Commercial, an allowable action since it does fit into the town’s Comprehensive Plan.

New York Bus Sales Vice President James Johnston, who also attended the meeting, said plans call for a groundbreaking ceremony before winter.

Rodriguez and Johnson initially presented the plan to the town planning board in September. Prior to that, the company applied for tax abatements from the Genesee County Economic Development Center, and is waiting for the GCEDC's board decision in the near future.

In other action, the board issued a negative declaration for a SEQR in connection with Pierrepoint Visual Graphics’ request to place signage at the site of medical offices for UR Medicine in the Gateway II Industrial Park on Call Parkway.

Previously: GCEDC board of directors accepts application for New York Bus Sales facility in Town of Batavia

The Batavia Town Planning Board wants to see “a big idea” before passing judgment on developers David and Katie Ficarella’s proposal to construct what they are calling the Hickory Ridge Estates senior housing complex on the north side of Route 33 (Pearl Street Road), just over a mile west of the City of Batavia limits.

The Ficarellas, along with engineer John Schenne of Schenne & Associates, East Aurora, and general contractor Frank Lazarus of Lazarus Industries, Buffalo, appeared at the board’s monthly meeting on Tuesday night to re-introduce their plan, which is estimated to cost $17 million upon full buildout.

The Lovers Lane Road couple, about 4 ½ years ago, presented a somewhat different idea - a 110-unit senior residential site, working with Calamar Enterprises of Wheatfield.  That failed to materialize, however, and they are back with a new plan that they hope to build in three phases.

While David Ficarella said he hoped the board would review the site plan of Phase 1 at this time – and deal with future phases later, Planning Board Chair Kathy Jasinski and Town Engineer Steve Mountain advised that the project needed to be submitted in its entirety.

“You can make it smaller if you want to later, but it’s better to do it all as a big idea,” Jasinski said.

Mountain concurred, stating that “the biggest thing that we need in order for the planning board to do a SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) is exactly what this project and any future phases entail.”

PRESENT THE PROJECT AS A WHOLE

“The site plan … is more than sufficient to bring to the planning board. What we need now is ‘What’s the concept on Phase 1? Phase 2, and where’s the off-site sewer going,” he added. “Any improvements that are part of the project now or in the future have to be identified so they can look at the project as a whole under the environmental review.”

Town Building Inspector Dan Lang said he has received Ficarella’s application, but won’t be able to forward it to the Genesee County Planning Board until the entire subdivision process is complete.

Mountain noted that the planning board needs to see where public roads will be put in, the location of private roadway, plans for private sewer and connecting to public sewer infrastructure, along with information about traffic flow.

The Ficarellas said that Phase 1 will consist of the construction of 40 duplex rentals for tenants age 55 and over on 20.629 acres, located across from Donahue Road, and stretching west along the state highway. All of the units will have two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Phase 2 calls for an additional 10 duplex rental units on 7 acres just north of the first phase, beyond the National Grid right-of-way that has been identified as a future extension of the Ellicott Trail.

Phase 3 is construction of either rental or custom build homes on 40 acres – extending Donahue Road to the west end of Edgewood Drive, which is part of the Meadowbrook Estates development.

WETLAND MITIGATION REQUIRED

Schenne, who said he designed the Meadowbrook Estates subdivision for (the late) Gary McWethy about 15 years ago, explained that he is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to obtain wetlands permits as about 25 percent of the Phase 1 parcel is wetlands.

Currently, a pond exists on the site and two other ponds for stormwater will be created as required by state law to get a stormwater permit, he noted.

“We have to collect the stormwater, detain it, treat it and release it,” he said. “And we’re not allowed to do that in the wetlands.”

He said the Phase 1 site will drain to Route 33, where there is a large drainage channel along the road, and eventually all of the project ponds will be connected with underground storm pipes and drain tubing.

When asked if the units had basements, he said that would not be the case, adding that the site being flat and having a high groundwater table “really doesn’t lend itself to basements.”

Schenne said the proposal also includes about 3,000 linear feet of water line.

“Gravity sewers would connect through an adjacent property that Dave controls at this point – to the east – and connect to the Meadowbrook subdivision,” he said. “There’s a lift station there and our sewers would dump into sanitary sewers there and run through their lift station to get to the city treatment plant.”

ANOTHER ACCESS POINT ON EDGEWOOD

All utilities, cable television and telephone lines will be underground, said Ficarella, adding that he is working out the logistics with the utility companies and Spectrum.

“Everything is underway. We’re waiting to break ground as soon as we can,” he said.

Lazarus said his company will provide cold-rolled steel to be used to frame the units, instead of lumber, to help the developers keep construction costs “consistent.”

“We use this in the commercial environment .. extensive use in the multi-family and commercial side of things,” he said. “It does have all the engineering requirements for residential … and it doesn’t affect the comfort of the home in any way, shape or form.”

Concerning Phase 3, planner Paul Marchese questioned the plan to connect to Edgewood Drive, pointing out that there currently is only one entrance to and exit from the road.

“Gary (McWethy) was given the permission to expand to some of those but the requirement was that he had to put that point of egress unto (Route) 33 but it never happened,” Marchese said.

Schenne replied that it didn’t happen due to the exorbitant cost of putting in the roads and utilities, but things are different now.

“With this big development going here, the need for a secondary egress for emergency vehicles, plus the fact that we have a force main that we want to run across there, makes a lot of sense to connect this up,” he said, as he distributed a map of a site plan showing nine additional building lots at the west end of Edgewood.

FUEL STATION OR STORE ON SITE?

Jasinski said that there has been much discussion about extending Edgewood Drive, “but this is the first time that it looks like it’s going to happen.”

Ficarella mentioned putting a multi-use facility on 1.75 acres in the southwest corner of the Phase 1 development, possibly a fuel station or store. Currently, it is zoned Agricultural-Residential, and would need a special use permit.

He was advised to include that – as well as details about Phase 2 units as it pertains to the future Ellicott Trail extension -- in the site plan for the entire scope of the project.

“Again, you have to hone in on exactly what it is you’re going to build,” Mountain advised. “And once you know that, that’s when we can review everything.

“Essentially, you need a draft plat mat, so if there are going to be future public roads going to Edgewood, we need to see that layout. It doesn’t have to be a ton of engineering, but it has to be enough to know that it will work – and it all has to be laid out so we can review everything.”

Schenne said that he expects to have the requested drawings done by the planning board’s September meeting.

REALTY OFFICE SIGN APPROVED

In other action, planners approved placement of a sign and the site plan for Zambito Realtors to open an office in a house the company recently purchased at 8329 Lewiston Rd., across the street from Applebee’s.

Lang said the sign would be placed 36 feet from the road and out of the right-of-way, and the site plan meets all existing town zoning regulations.

Owned by Rita Zambito and her son, Mark, the agency has three other locations – the main office in Medina and offices in Lockport and Orchard Park. Rita Zambito said about seven real estate agents will be working out of the Batavia site.

The renovation project includes siding, windows and removal of a breezeway to make room for a handicap ramp. Future plans call for widening the driveway to allow for more parking.

Photo: Presenting the Hickory Ridge Estates development proposal to the Batavia Town Planning Board last night are, from left, David and Katie Ficarella, and John Schenne. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Previously: Lovers Lane Road couple's senior housing development off Pearl Street Road is back on the table | The Batavian

After waiting nearly three months for visual screening projections from representatives of a proposed 1.65-megawatt solar system on land owned by the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corp., the Batavia Town Planning Board got its wish Tuesday night and then took only 12 minutes to approve the site plan and special use permit for the project.

James Taravella, senior civil engineer with LaBella Associates in Orchard Park, had the visualizations in hand as he appeared before the board at its monthly meeting at the Batavia Town Hall on West Main Street Road.

The venture, known as Batavia Solar LLC, calls for the placement of the ground-mounted solar farm at 99 Med Tech Drive, off R. Stephen Hawley Drive across from Genesee Community College.

Taravella showed photos from three different vantage points – east of the property of Robert and Michelle Wood, who reside just east of the site; the corner of R. Stephen Hawley Drive, and the Med Tech Building parking lot. The photos depicted the location as it looks now, the expected condition at the time of planting, and projections five years from now and 10 years from now.

He also said he talked with the Woods earlier in the day and said the couple will be involved in the screening process throughout the project life.

“As we’re out there, they’re more than welcome to say, ‘Hey, can you move that over?’, and they can have direct input on their actual final placement because it’s right by their house,” Taravella said. “One of the things Michelle made really clear was that she would rather have this than have Benderson come in and build a plaza behind her house.”

Planning board member Steve Tanner said he appreciated the simulations but the solar panels, being on a perched hill, will be visible.

“No matter what you do, when you drive down the road, it’s still going to be there and you’re still going to see it,” he said, comparing it to the solar farm on Batavia-Elba Townline Road that is in plain sight.

Following Taravella’s brief presentation, planners accepted the site plan contingent upon town engineering approval and a decommissioning bond, and the special use permit that includes regular maintenance and the installation of no more than three utility poles.

Board approval had been delayed – and tabled -- three times due to the fact that the visual screening projections had not been submitted.

Photo: View from Med Tech Building parking lot, looking east. The Robert and Michelle Wood residence on Batavia Stafford Townline Road can be seen in the background. Photo by Mike Pettinella.