Schoharie Village Official Updates County on Apartments Proposal

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — The Schoharie County Board of Supervisors got a detailed update at its Friday, Sept. 18 meeting on the apartments proposal slated to replace the old county jail in the Village of Schoharie.

Village Planning Board Chairman Tom Hitter gave an extensive summary of that board's review of the matter so far and answered questions from County Supervisors. He also asked the county to get involved in certain aspects of the project.

The county has agreed to sell the property at 157 Depot Lane to Albany-based nonprofit Rehabilitation Support Services Inc. Through its development consultant CSD Housing, RSS is proposing a three-story, 60-unit apartment building with 30 units classified as affordable housing and the other 30 classified as supportive housing for people with some kind of mental health diagnosis.

The jail was closed permanently after severe flooding in 2011.

"We ask for the county's involvement to mitigate the burden placed on ambulance and other services," Hitter said at the Sept. 18 meeting. "We've reached out to other communities with facilities similar to this and there's a boost in emergency calls. The Village of Schoharie Police Department is feeling stressed and I imagine this would exacerbate the situation."

Hitter also wondered whether the county might want to consider subdividing parts of the property so it can use some of the site. He continued that there's "more than a reasonable expectation the application will be approved (by Village Planning Board) in some form."

The project also needs a variance from the Village Zoning Board of Appeals to allow more than the usually permitted dwelling units per acre.w

"The Planning Board only decides whether this meets land use law," Hitter continued. "The characteristics of the residents themselves are irrelevant to our review. It's a very nice looking facility but it's going to be a bit controversial.

"If this goes in, we want it to work. They need to integrate their residents into the community, but they can't do that without our help."

The next Village of Schoharie Planning Board meeting where the matter will be discussed is Oct. 6, Hitter noted. County BOS Vice-Chairman Donald Airey of Blenheim commended the Village PB for its work on the matter.

"There's a lot of issues you brought up that warrant further investigation," he told Hitter. "The county probably has additional responsibility to the Village in fleshing out some of these questions."

Airey added he would like CSD officials to come to a county BOS meeting soon to give their own update on the project.

In other actions from the Sept. 18 meeting, County Administrator Bryan Best gave a presentation on economic development efforts in the county both public and private. Best had previously given the presentation before the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council.

Best highlighted the county's $46 million broadband project aimed at giving every county resident the ability to connect to the Internet, the $80 million Amazon project in Schoharie, downtown revitalization efforts in Schoharie and other towns, and several other items.

Stacy Dedring, Director of Advocacy and Education for the Regional Food Bank that serves Schoharie and other counties, updated the BOS and audience members on the food bank's efforts.

Dedring noted that 3,800 residents of Schoharie County are considered food insecure, including 850 children. She added that last year, the Food Bank distributed half a million pounds of food in Schoharie County but "266,000 meals are missing still."

A public hearing on the next six-month proposed moratorium on biosolids in the county was set for the next Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 16.