N. Burdick St. apartment proposal rejected

TOWN OF MANLIUS – The town of Manlius has opted not to move forward with a proposed Planned Unit Development at 5912 N. Burdick Street that had been proposed by Brolex Properties. The board cited the concerns related to traffic and the impact on the neighborhood, and commended the many residents of the community that voiced their concerns.
Plans for the Brolex proposal called for two four-story apartment buildings on the 5.8-acre parcel. The first building would have included about 8,200 square feet of commercial space.
Between the two buildings, there would have been 172 apartments – 64 two-bedroom apartments, 84 one-bedroom apartments and 24 studio apartments. Ten percent of the units would be reserved for “workforce housing” which caps the rent at 30 percent of the income of someone making 80 percent of the area’s median income.
Supervisor John Deer said that traffic was the primary concern of the neighbors, and that before the board considered any other large-scale housing proposals for the property, those concerns need to be addressed by the Onondaga County and the New York State. N. Burdick St. and Route 290 to the north are county and state roads, respectively.
“It’s not likely the town will consider something in that area until it’s confirmed that there is a [traffic] plan in place,” Deer said, adding that the town will be requesting further traffic studies and the implementation of a traffic plan by those higher levels of government.
Deer did note that the property, which is the current home of Doow Lumber, is currently zoned Commercial-B, which is the town’s most intensive commercial zone. A developer who proposed a project that falls within the boundaries of the Commercial-B zone would not need to come before the town board for a zone change, but would need to go before the planning board for site plan review.