Bakery plans given green light

After suggesting the owner scale back their plans, the Monroe Town Planning Board during the Dec. 16 meeting agreed to allow Shorte and Sweet to move forward with its plans to open a retail bakery on Mombasha Road. Because the planning board attorney was absent, formal approval cannot occur until January.

Owner Erica Shorte envisioned opening a space that would include a temporary seasonal space in front to promote goods as well as using the back area for events. However, after Planning Board Chairperson Bonnie Franson suggested starting small, she agreed to focus on the retail aspect of the business. Had Shorte wished to continue pursuing approval for outdoor uses, Franson said the board would likely need to hold a public hearing for the application, as residents would wish to weigh in. With Shorte agreeing to limit it to retail, the board decided to waive the public hearing.

“The reason why we’re moving forward is because this building already exists. We’re all familiar with it. It’s been reviewed previously and feel comfortable doing it,” Franson said. “We’re still going to do a formal resolution in terms of just writing and putting together the narrative of the submission and our typical requirements in a resolution, but we just wanted to take a vote now to move the process forward.”

The Planning Board also determined that the Pallotti Village development failed to comply with a condition to begin work within 180 days of its approval, which occurred in December 2023. Citing town code, Franson said that if no development is initiated within 18 months of the approval, zoning of the property must revert to its original designation prior to the change, adding that the applicant would need to go back to the Monroe Town Board who would determine if any further action is needed.

As reported by The Photo News, during a town planning meeting in November of 2022, Sisters of Charity Housing Development Corporation, in partnership with Rockabill, Parish Property Management and Affordable Housing Concepts, proposed a 178-unit development to be constructed along the north and south sides of 98 Harriman Heights Road near the Mansion Ridge Golf Course and Sapphire Elementary School. The project would include a mix of senior housing, multi-family units, townhomes, a soccer field and a clubhouse.

Public reception for the proposed development has been mixed, with many residents concerned about its impact on traffic, the environment and the quality of life in Monroe, while others countered that the project would provide needed senior housing in the area.