Montgomery residents voice concern over townhouse

By Nadine Cafaro
Posted 2/1/23

A 8-unit attached townhouse is in talks for Factory Street in Montgomery, a mixed-use neighborhood with a lot of history.

The proposed project has been in the works for four years, with an …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Montgomery residents voice concern over townhouse

Posted

A 8-unit attached townhouse is in talks for Factory Street in Montgomery, a mixed-use neighborhood with a lot of history.

The proposed project has been in the works for four years, with an original application by Pathway Place Management LLC submitted in August 2019. Pathway Place Management LLC is a property management company operated by Vincent Satriano.

Originally the project was a larger building with many units and a large parking lot, but has since decreased in size by 22 percent. Due to obstacles like zoning changes and COVID, the project has had to change immensely. For example, the number of units and parking spaces have decreased, and the building has shifted further back from the street.

The current project will have eight 2-bedroom units that are roughly 1,800 square feet with basements. There will also be four combined driveways for residents to share. Because there are already existing townhouses on the property, the lot would be subdivided for the new building.

At a Village of Montgomery planning board meeting, many local residents spoke regarding the proposed residential building.

Robert Williams, the owner of the historic Crabtree House on Factory Street, wanted the board to consider how the project will impact the neighborhood. “This project is still very visible from the Crabtree Property,” said Williams.

The 1900 Queen Anne style building is listed on the national registry as a historic place. In fact, Williams further brings up that the proposed townhouses don’t really match the style of many existing buildings around.

“The style of the building, although not unattractive, really doesn’t fit in with the buildings on Factory Street,” Williams noted.

Another Factory Street resident, Tina Husinko, spoke to the board about how important the history of the street was to her.

“Of course, I don’t want any change at all, I love that street.”

Husinko also described Factory Street as a “Little tiny piece of the history of Montgomery,” asking the board to take that into account when considering the project.
Montgomery resident Don Berger also showed support for Factory Street residents.

“However you move, you need to take into huge consideration, above everything, what the residents of Factory Street are here talking about,” said Berger.
While Berger did state he wasn’t against the project, he clarified that he wanted the residents to be protected.

The public hearing will be reopened on February 22 at 7:30 p.m.