Monroe Village growth: Up, up and away

MONROE-Burgeoning housing development and population growth within the village and the surrounding Orange County environs continues at a dizzying pace. During this year the number of new construction permits issued by the village building inspector Jay Wilkins has exceeded last year and his projections indicate 2005 will surpass 2004. For example, 104 single-family units are planned for Rye Hill Road and 60 new units for Reynolds Road. Two other new projects being proposed within the village are also typical of this trend. Bruce Katona of Bergstol Enterprises presented a proposal to the Monroe Village Board on Dec. 7 outlining a new age-restricted adult condominium complex to be constructed on the present site of the James Motel on Route 17M. The plan is for a 48 unit, three-story building on the three-acre site. Village Attorney J. Bennett Farrell said this is not a permissible use and will require a zoning change. He also noted that the village has a two-story requirement on buildings and three other applicants are proposing to build age-restricted senior housing in the village. The board advised Katona to apply to the Planning Board for the necessary approvals. Katona has said that application to the Planning Board is currently under preparation and that both the construction schedule and the property closing for the James Motel site is contingent upon receipt of all village approvals. Also during the Dec. 7 board meeting a discussion was held with representatives of the proposed Smith Farm subdivision. This project consists of 181 residential homes situated on a 79.2 acre site located on Gilbert Street opposite the Shop Rite shopping center. A portion of the units will be age restricted for residents 55 years or older. The project site will span both the Monroe Town and Monroe Village borders with 19.7 acres within the village and 59.5 acres within the town. The developer is in the process of resubmitting a revised Draft Environment Impact Statement which was previously submitted in July 2004. As part of the project, the developer's attorney James Sweeney and board members discussed the erection of a water storage tank by the developer which will supplement the village's existing elevated water storage tank and the Village Woods booster station, currently in need of being rebuilt. Sweeney stated the developer is working on three viable solutions, however, the final design hasn't been completed. This project is just down the road from the Village Gate subdivision on High Street which just began site clearing and grading of a formerly wooded corner tract. This development will construct 18 units on 1/3 acre parcels. Mayor Joseph C. Mancuso states build-able land within the village is diminishing, that only a few one-. two- or three-acre parcels are left. All large tracts are either developed, under construction, or within the permit approval process. The new developments, if approved and completed as proposed, would add another 1,000 residents to a village where 7,780 people called home, according to the 2000 Census.