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Brewster approves senior complex start
By MICHAEL RISINIT
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 31, 2003)
BREWSTER — The village's building inspector has issued permits for
a senior citizens housing project on Marvin Avenue, and construction is
imminent.
"
We're getting ready to lay some foundation in the next couple of
weeks or so," said Daniel Birmingham, president of The Putnam Community
Foundation Inc., adding that the facility could be completed by the end
of the year.
The next step, Birmingham said, is to prioritize the "long list" of
those who have expressed interest in renting one of the 24 two-bedroom townhouses.
The list, according to state Sen. Vincent Leibell's office, contains
about 200 people. The Patterson Republican initiated plans to
bring senior housing to Brewster in 1999.
Original plans called for a five-story, 56-unit building on an
acre between Marvin Avenue and Main Street. The size was revised
last year after New York City questioned whether its sewage treatment
plant in the
village could handle the increased flow from the new residences.
The project will sit across Marvin Avenue from the Croton River,
which feeds New York
City's water supply, and would be hooked into the sewer plant
at Railroad and Morning avenues.
Marvin Avenue is about a half-mile long and runs parallel to
Main Street. It is a mix of residential and commercial uses.
The new facility — revamped
plans call for two Colonial-style buildings with 12 units each — would
be next door to the county's Records Center. Rents, Birmingham said, will
probably be about $650 to $800 a month. Birmingham, a Brewster village trustee,
said he wasn't sure how the list would be pared down.
"
Obviously, we're the Putnam Community Foundation. Local folks know
about the project and expressed their interest early," Birmingham said. "Those
who made their interest known early will probably have the first
chance."
The reduction in units has lowered the project's estimated cost.
In 2001, the foundation received up to $13 million in financing
through a bond issued by the Putnam County Industrial Development
Agency.
The present version is expected to cost about $3 million, and
the lower price tag might eliminate the foundation's need to
borrow money, Birmingham said.
Construction equipment and piles of gravel now sit on the land.
Workers have almost finished relocating Wells Brook, which
flows across the property. The waterway was moved about 10 feet, boxed
in a culvert and
routed underground where it crosses the building site.
Work still needs to be done on the section that flows in a culvert
under Main Street, which is also Route 6.
State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Colleen McKenna
said work will be completed once the department finalizes its
plans for replacement of the retaining wall surrounding the
culvert and holding
up
Main Street.
Bruce Zarzeski, Brewster's building inspector, issued permits
for site work Jan. 17. Diverting the portion of the brook,
he said, had to be done first. Now, he said, Transitional Builders
of Poughkeepsie can begin
excavation, pile driving, site drainage improvements and the
pouring of foundation walls.
Send e-mail to Michael Risinit
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