General News: Owners Look for Revised Canterbury Green Plan
Units in the nearly completed Canterbury Green building are now available for rent.
These plans for the second building show a reduced roof line.
March 10, 2011
The future of the partially-completed Canterbury Green project was brought to the table at Monday’s meeting of the Cornwall town board.
Attorney Gerald Jacobowitz, representing Canterbury Green LLC, told the board members that it is no longer economically feasible to sell the apartments to people 55-and-older because of the sharp downturn in the housing market. He said that the new owners are studying various options for the property that they expect to present to the zoning and planning boards in the future.
The Cornwall planning board approved the construction of two buildings with a total of 60-units that would be sold to the so-called active senior population. With one building close to completion and the second one just at the foundation stage, construction came to a halt more than a year ago.
Jacobowitz presented a proposed drawing that would scale back the perceived height of the second building from Quaker Avenue. He also said the size of units in that building could be reduced while the number of units would increase by three.
Board members shared their concerns about how the unfinished project is an eyesore for residents and questioned how the second building could be made more appealing. Councilman Kerry McGuinness noted that the project was approved on a very tight footprint with the expectation that seniors would drive fewer cars. Councilman Randy Clark said he didn’t like the second building at all and suggested “just cut the apron strings and move on.”
Jacobowitz explained the economic issues facing the developers. “”We are trying to project an economic plan to carry the debt load and the costs to make the project successful,” he said. He noted that the owners have gotten a tepid response to the units in the first building that are now being offered for rent and that they will study marketing data to see just what it will take to attract buyers and renters to Canterbury Green.
