Greece, N.Y. (WHAM) — Steve DiBattisto’s horse farm on Island Cottage Road in Greece butts right up against protected wetlands, and what could become a significant senior citizen living complex.
“(It will be) three buildings. They’re going to house over 622 units,” he said. “And some of the buildings will be 65 feet high, 40 feet higher than my house.”
DiBattisto said to be fair, it is town land, but should this proposal go through, he has a list of concerns, both during the construction and when this is all in-place.
BACKGROUND: Greece neighbors push back on possible wetland development
“The wetlands, the wildlife and the traffic,” he said.
And don’t forget his horses around all the possible noise. “They spook easy,” DiBattisto said. “Today, I was in a barnyard. The shovel dropped, and, you know, they got startled.”
And if he decides to sell his home, “(I’ll) probably decrease the value of the property,” he said.
DiBattisto said work is already being done, and he was told by the developer this project is a go. “(They said) they’re starting early February,” he said.
Scott Copey with the Town of Greece said that’s not accurate. What’s taking place now are merely site surveys and testing the area. Copey also said from past developments in previous decades, there are already environmental issues there; if anything, this project must clean up and mitigate those problems, hence cleaning up the area.
DiBattisto said most of the community is using their voices to push back. “We had a big turnout there the last meeting a month ago, and we went three hours,” he said.
The next town planning board meeting is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Greece Town Hall.
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