Attorney John Furst, on behalf of his client Marc Sanderson, submitted a formal application on June 28 asking the Lloyd Town Board to establish a Planned Residential Retirement District [PRRD] for his project on the west side of Route 9W, opposite the Bridgeview Shopping Plaza.

Sanderson said his project is a Life Plan Community consisting of 197 independent housing for seniors 62 and older. The housing units will be primarily single family homes with a few duplex units. The size of each unit will be from 1,000 to 1,400 square feet and have their own driveways with an attached car port. The units will be approximately 10 feet apart.

In addition, Sanderson’s plans call for the construction of a 119-bed assisted living facility with Adult Day Care that will be 340 feet in length by 62 feet in height at its peak when looking up from Route 9W. This portion of the project has already received conditional approval from the planning board.

Furst stated that the 57 acre property is currently zoned Residential ½ acre [R-1/2], “where independent residential uses are permitted as of right and Assisted Living Facilities (and Adult Day cares) are permitted via a Special Use Permit and site plan approval from the Planning Board.”

Furst noted that the R-1/2 zoning, “does not accommodate this special senior housing and health care centered development.” He added that the PRRD regulations are intended to, “encourage flexibility and innovation in residential development and related services for persons 62 years of age or older. The Town Board’s adoption of the PRRD regulations to this property will enable such a design for the areas’ senior population at a reasonable price.” To date the developer has not disclosed a firm figure of the costs for patients of the Assisted Living Center or for the independent living cottages.

In initial discussions, Sanderson stated that he wished to build about 174 to 179 independent living units but in his late June application, he is instead seeking to construct 197 units, with most units having single bedrooms but no more than two bedrooms per unit. He wrote that because he will be providing 18 affordable housing units, he is allowed by the PRRD code to add one additional market rate unit per affordable unit that he provides, thus the jump from 170+ units to 197 units.

Sanderson said the goal of a Life Plan Community, “is to improve the quality of its resident’s lives, while helping them to age in the best possible way. “He states there will be restaurant style dining service, special cleaning programs, recreational activities including horseshoes, pickle ball, tennis courts, covered bocce ball courts, walking paths, a community garden and an outdoor swimming pool. In addition, there will be an 8,000 square foot clubhouse.

Furst points out that the overall project is in compliance with the general intent and purpose of the PRRD zoning; it meets sewer/water regulations, provides proper access to the property via Route 9W and Mayer Drive, includes various types of senior housing; has a traditional neighborhood design; protects the natural environment; is compatible with the commercial character of the area around Route 9W; the traffic that is generated by the project, “will operate at acceptable levels of service with the proposed improvement,” notably a new traffic light at the intersection of Route 9W and Mayer Drive; significant tax revenue will be realized and the owner will own and maintain onsite water or sewer infrastructure improvements associated with the project.

Additionally, there will be little impact to the town’s recreational facilities. The roadways will be privately owned and maintained by the developer and 23.2 acres of the 57 acres will be designated as open space areas.

Furst contends that the project meets all the town’s criteria and bulk zoning requirements and that his client is not seeking any waivers from the Town Board. He pointed out that the town has 40 days from their submission date of June 28, 2022 to decide if they want to refer the application to the Planning Board.

“We would like the project referred to the Planning Board as soon as possible so we can re-engage the Planning Board on SEQRA review,” he stated. This is a reference to meeting the provisions of the State Environmental Quality Review Act.