The development of a new six-unit townhome that generated strong turnout at a public hearing is awaiting signoff from the Wellsville village planning board.
The planning board revealed it is not yet ready to make a recommendation on the project during its July meeting last week. The board conducted a well-attended public hearing May 30 to solicit community feedback on the proposal, which would construct a two-story housing project on Coats Street next to ACCORD’s Head Start Center, just off Route 19.
Planning board chairman Greg Gunzburger reviewed the primary concerns raised by residents, including pedestrian travel, parking, water runoff, fencing, tree line management, public transit, property values, neighborhood safety, and occupant screening and oversight.
Gunzburger said the planning board’s purview covers “the physical elements” of the project. The planning board is working to resolve questions related to runoff and drainage. It has enlisted Allegany County DPW Director Tom Windus to review the site plan.
“I think it’s only wise as a municipality that we also get an opinion, so we know the engineer from the project side and the engineer we use are both are seeing the same thing and comparing apples to apples,” said Gunzburger. “The planning board’s function is to go through these things and think about them.”
What is proposed on Coats Street?
ACCORD was awarded state and federal funding for the construction and case management services onsite. The non-profit manages apartments across the county and already owns the land, which is currently a small, wooded lot. ACCORD has proposed a six-unit townhome that includes two one-bedroom units, three two-bedroom units and one three-bedroom unit.
Four of the six supportive housing units would be prioritized for victims of domestic violence, with the other two dedicated to people diagnosed with mental illness.
The average unit size is 920 square feet. The site would include 12 parking spaces with a pair of dedicated ADA-accessible stalls.
ACCORD’s site plan meets all village zoning requirements.
“What this really boils down to in making a decision is, are we going to make sure runoff and drainage are appropriately designed so there’s not a problem for neighbors?” said Gunzburger.
New housing matches state goals
Board member Jo Fenske noted the project is in line with state goals to increase the housing stock statewide. Some state grants now require municipalities to hit housing growth targets to be eligible for funding.
Board member Mike Roeske pointed out that the village has seen very few new housing projects in recent years, save for the transformation of the former Burrous Building into second and third-floor apartments in 2019.
“Olean and Hornell have new housing projects all over the place, so it’s nothing new to them to have a housing project pop up, be built and they’re using it," said Roeske. “This is like the first recent one in Wellsville besides (23 North Main).”
If the project receives the necessary approvals, ACCORD said construction could begin in early 2025.
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