The Youngstown Village Board has delayed a decision allowing condominium units to be built at the Cold Storage Building site.
The board expects to vote on it at a village work session on Sept. 26. Village Mayor Rob Reisman said there were too many questions raised about the plan for a decision, but he hopes it will move forward.
During the village meeting last week, resident Susan Bray raised concerns on whether the village sewage system can handle the new units as well as a lack of input from the village zoning board. She also spoke at the village planning board meeting this month about the development leading to increased traffic and noise, in addition to the potential costs of the units.
Creative Structure Services had first proposed building new condominium units in Youngstown back in October. The final plans before the village include 17 units on the 2.13-acre property, each between 1,600 and 1,700 square feet, costing $7 million.
Earlier this month, the Youngstown Planning Board gave its support for the plan. The Niagara County Planning Board also gave its approval last month.
Along with the site plans, the parcel at 701 Nancy Price Drive would have its zoning changed from general commercial and single-family residential to general residencies.
Creative Structure Services Vice-President David Pawlik and Anthony DeMiglio, one of the project’s investors, made a presentation before the planners showing new renderings of what the 17 planned units’ exteriors would look like. They feature stone similar to what is currently in the Cold Storage building, shingles on the roofs, landscaping, their own garages, concrete driveways, and basements.
“Since we’ve been around, the concept hasn’t changed,” Pawlik said, with the only change being the reduction to 17 from 28 units. The original 28 units were going to cost $12 million, but it was reduced for economic reasons and to add more green space, around half an acre.
A Youngstown native who founded AMD Environmental in 2010, DemIglio and another silent investor brought on CSS for the project. The Buffalo-based contractor first appeared before the village board last October about acquiring and redeveloping the parcel.
Each of these units is planned to sell for between $450,000 and $500,000. DeMiglio said they came to that price based on a market study done by a private firm. DeMiglio and CSS would also operate the homeowners association for the condos.
Flow testing is currently happening to see if the sewers can accommodate the additional usage. It will take about a month to complete, with the results going to the county health department and the Town of Lewiston’s Water Pollution Control Center.
Demigilo said they had not heard from the village’s zoning board, since the land needs to be rezoned, they had to go before the county planners for their approval.
“There are multiple layers of oversight in play,” Demiglio said.
If approved, Pawlik would want to start demolition later this fall, with construction then starting in the spring and taking one year to complete. The initial RFP for demolishing the Cold Storage Building put out in August 2023 said whoever can demonstrate and provide means of demolition can have the land for $1.
The Cold Storage Building has been vacant since 2001, with many proposals for reusing the site coming up over the years. Those include market-rate apartments, a community theater, a brewery, a Dollar General, and an architectural salvage business.