Opinion: Proposed apartment complex is a bad idea

Dear Editor,

The proposed plan to build 40 apartments on the swampland next to Division Street is a terrible idea and I hope that the zoning board for the village sees it as such and votes to prevent any further progress on this effort.   

The area is in the 100-year flood plain where the floodwaters were above the stop sign at the corner of East Front and Division. On top of the river flooding, the land is effectively a pond during the spring due to the drainage and ground water. 

I understand that this particular plot of land checks a lot of the boxes to get a hold of that state grant money more easily. It is in the desired census track of low poverty and a good school district. It is in walking distance to the village with sidewalks – both of these are in theory, there are no sidewalks past Division Street and it is over a mile to the village center. It is just inside the village line.  

I suspect that there are other locations that would be better suited to this project; a location in Apalachin was looked at but apparently didn’t check as many of the boxes. However, a field in a flood plain in Owego checks more of the boxes, making state grant money easier to get. 

The proposal for 40 apartments includes one bedroom, two bedroom ($550 utilities included) and three bedroom apartments. This is going to add a massive amount of traffic to the area. The roads and area are not designed for that amount of traffic. 

Ten of those units are expected to be utilized by Achieve or another state organization supporting the disabled community. How will those people be evacuated when the next flood happens? The current land is at 810 feet and needs to have the first floor built at 817.5 feet. That’s 7.5 feet above the current ground level.  The proposed buildings are going to be 40 feet high from ground level to the peak; this is going to drastically change the character of the neighborhood, in a negative way. 

In addition, how will this development impact the neighborhood for flood risk? No hydrological study has been performed and they are saying one will not be done until they are approved. That seems to be getting the cart before the horse.   DEC needs to be consulted. Village Code 117-14 B(3)(3) needs to be met. Will the developers need flood insurance for this development? Will the residents of those apartments need additional insurance? Proper research and more information is needed to truly evaluate this proposal. 

However, the developer continues to state that she needs to get approval and the grant money before starting her due diligence. But then at that point if DEC said you can’t do it or you need to completely redesign everything, would that really stop it?  

Now the story changes to the grant was awarded and the development has to continue, everyone is too invested. Will they really stop a $12 million development once awarded? 

Instead it seems like this project is trying to rush through the process to meet some deadline in order to skip all due diligence. They are proposing breaking ground six months from now. That seems extremely quick for all of the design details that have not been answered yet. 

As it stands, this proposal is a bad idea for many reasons and should not go forward.  

Thank you,

David Benjamin

Owego, N.Y.

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