Tempers flare at public hearing regarding housing project in Big Flats

BIG FLATS, N.Y. ( WETM ) — Upwards of 100 people were out at the Community Center in Big Flats on Wednesday to voice their concerns and opinions towards a proposed multi-unit housing project that would be constructed in town.

During a public hearing held Wednesday, Sept. 11, officials from Big Flats, building managers from the SEPP Group, a property ownership group dedicated to providing safe-affordable housing to the elderly, families, and people with disabilities, and contractors from Green Leaf Builders, presented a plan of building a 110-unit housing project to the community at 83 Hammond St.

The project, Soaring Heights Landing, would rehabilitate 5.776 acres of a former Agway property and build two 56-foot-tall apartment complexes, holding 55 units each. The four-story buildings would be 14 feet taller than the remnants of the tallest Agway structure on the property.

During the presentation, the SEPP Group presented plans for the project by saying they’re investing 30 years into the community by providing affordable, workforce housing, to the elderly, families of different sizes, and even young, single adults leaving their parents for the first time.

Income would be checked when applying for the housing and for a single person looking to live in one of the buildings an income of $35,000 would be needed to qualify while officials added a family of six would need an income of around $58,000 to qualify. If the plans are approved, applications will be accepted and put into a lottery system and qualified individuals and families will be chosen from there.

Many residents at the packed presentation voiced concern for the project and what the construction and additional people living in the area might bring.

One Big Flats resident brought up the increase in traffic to the area if these apartments are built, saying there are many young children in the area and that she has fears of them being hit by a vehicle due to the influx in traffic.

According to an information sheet about Soaring Heights Landing, projects generating fewer than 100 peak-hour vehicle trips per day will not result in any significant traffic increases and added that 150 dwelling units would be needed before traffic impacts would be considered a substantial increase in traffic.

The resident continued her comment by raising concerns about potential environmental contamination done by Agway on the property in the form of dumping contaminants on the grounds, and accidental leaking of contaminants into well water, among other forms over the years of Agway’s operations.

The current owner of the property John Reed said during the meeting that in 2020 a false claim was made to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation about possible contamination on the property, resulting in crews coming to test the area.

“We went through two years of solid investigation because of that false claim,” Reed said. “They came out and tested everything, they tested our wells they tested for parts per trillion in contaminants,” he said.

Reed continued by saying that soil, groundwater, and well water were tested by the DEC. The project information sheet says that the DEC determined there was no contamination of the site/groundwater from past uses on the property that needed to be cleaned up before redevelopment, concluding there is no threat to public health.

At one point during the meeting, a Big Flats resident went to the podium and asked all those in attendance to raise their hand if they didn’t want the housing project to move forward. A look around the room showed a majority of hands were raised and once they went down he requested the board to table the meeting. The resident brought up a question asking:

“Where are we?” he said, “do we want this in Big Flats,” he continued, “I’ll tell you right now, we don’t have a problem here. Take a good look at Elmira, look at Jones Court, look at Cherrywood Manor, look at Woodlawn over there by the Davis Center,” he said. “Take a good look at that, because 25 years from now the Town of Big Flats will own this project, and this gentleman here (the representative from SEPP Group) will be retired,” he said.

Other residents raised concerns about the buildings blocking views of the mountains and waterfalls and the strain an influx of children would have on the local school districts if the project was approved.

The Big Flats Town Board said that no approval on the project can be made until at least Oct. 1. The public has a chance to attend another hearing on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Big Flats Community Center.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com.