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The following article ran in the November 15, 2000, issue of the Daily Messenger and is reprinted here with permission.

Developers present a different Drumlins

Resubmitted plans still call for 154 rental units, but the design, the landscaping and the name are different.

By KRIS DREESSEN
Messenger Post Staff

VICTOR - Now that they have secured sewer service for their project, the developers of the controversial Drumlins rental complex are back at the Planning Board, this time with a different design and development name.

The Pioneer Corp. is working with residents of the existing Drumlins subdivision to design "DaVinci at the Drumlins," said Chris Calabro, of Pioneer Corp.

"We've changed the whole concept of this project," he said. "We started right over from scratch."

Pioneer's initial plans to build 154-upscale apartments on the site were opposed by Drumlins residents and others in the town, who believed the project wasn't compatible with the single-family homes and privately-owned town homes are already there.

Pioneer's new plans feature the same 154 rental units, but they are now designed as rented town homes with private entrances.

Main access is now off of Rawson Road, and the complex is more centrally located to provide more distance between existing single-family homes, and less impact on the area, said Jerry Goldman, an attorney for Pioneer.

There will also be more landscaping, he said. Twenty buildings are proposed, with seven or eight town homes per building. There are still plans for a pool and clubhouse.

An area south of the proposed development that Drumlins residents were concerned would be developed later will not be, Goldman said.

Pioneer presented the project informally to the Planning Board last night.

Chairman Christie Hart said DaVinci at the Drumlins is being reviewed as a new application. The Planning Board deemed the original proposal incomplete because the village said it could not provide sewer service to the complex. Pioneer sued the village of Victor for access to sewer facilities.

In September, the village settled the lawsuit, agreeing to provide service in exchange for Pioneer paying the village about $41,500 in settlement and sewer hook-up fees.

Residents filled Town Hall yesterday, many from the Drumlins Concerned Citizens group, which has opposed Pioneer's plans. The group believes the land should be developed with owner-occupied homes or privately-owned town homes as originally proposed. The group also believes the proposed complex is too large and will not blend with the area or landscape. After the presentation, the developers met with residents in an upstairs room to answer questions and discuss the project.

During the Planning Board presentation, Drumlins Concerned Citizens member Marsha Senges urged Planning Board members to "create a development that's in harmony with the area."

Large rental units are not similar to the single-family or privately owned town homes in the Drumlins, she said.

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