Pittsford housing project moves ahead

By Jeremy Moule @jfmoule

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The Village of Pittsford is moving on to the next step in its review of a proposed housing development along the canal.

Last week, the Village Board finalized its environmental review of a proposal to redevelop the former Monoco Oil property on Monroe Avenue into upscale apartments and a restaurant. Village Board members adopted a resolution saying that the project would not have a significant environmental impact. The developer, a subsidiary of Mark IV Enterprises, will now seek a permit and site plan approval so construction can begin.

The development proposal dates back to 2009, after the village rezoned the property. Since then, developers have made changes to the plans, including the appearance, configuration, and size of the buildings. Traffic, which has been a concern of village officials from the start, became the sticking point in the environmental review. Village Mayor Bob Corby said last week that he wanted to see the developers' proposals for slowing down traffic on Monroe at the village gateway.

"There won't be any perceptible impact to that corridor from our development," says Chris DiMarzo, chief operating officer for Mark IV.

But Mark IV officials have agreed to enhance the village gateway on Monroe, DiMarzo says. The work will happen in the area of Monroe Avenue surrounding the canal bridge, and will include some lane restriping and the addition of a raised, landscaped median, he says.

Corby said that Mark IV's original traffic-calming proposal included a median, and that village officials support the feature.

"The idea is to neck the road down as drivers enter the village," Corby says.

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