Oakwood Estates

A unanimous vote by the Batavia Town Planning Board for a variance to subdivide 35 parcels at Oakwood Estates on East Main Street Road is sure to brighten the Christmas season for real estate developer Peter Zeliff (photo at right).

The board, at its meeting at Batavia Town Hall tonight, voted 5-0 (three members were absent) to split the two-family home lots into 70 parcels with variances, waivers and conditions reviewed as applied for by Zeliff.

This action opens the door for Zeliff to contract with Ryan Homes to build 70 single-family, two-story homes on the site, with the houses ranging in size from 1,500- to 2,500-square feet.

When asked if this lifts a weight off his shoulders, Zeliff replied, “Definitely,” adding that he has been sitting on a more than $5 million investment for about four years.

During that time, he has sold 12 lots and built homes on seven, but, as a result of the board’s vote, there are now a total of 128 lots on the development.

“Ryan Homes came to me and they feel they can fill a spot in the market that isn’t taken care of here (in Genesee County),” Zeliff said. “That’s the (homes that sell for) $175,000 to $250,000.”

Zeliff told the board that the majority of the subdivided lots are situated on the south and west side of the development, and will have a minimum of 60 feet of frontage.

“Duplexes haven’t gone over real big. People don’t want to buy half of a duplex. I thought it would go over well, but it hasn’t,” Zeliff said, adding that the subdivision will not increase the amount of traffic or the number of occupants.

Zeliff said his initial plan was to build the development in three phases, but he then changed his mind – building out the entire property.

He said all lots have city water and sewer, electric and cable; the selling price of the lots starts at $30,000.

In other action, the board approved an application by Ulrich Signs of Lockport to build a new sign for the Five Start Urgent Care project on Veterans Memorial Drive, a structure next to Home Depot that also will include QDOBA Mexican Eats restaurant.

The board proposed a joint meeting with Batavia Town Board and Batavia Town Zoning Board of Appeals and tentatively scheduled it for 6 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Town Hall.

As soon as the early season corn that was planted this spring is picked in a couple of weeks, Peter Zeliff will be ready to begin construction of his planned 76-unit housing development off East Main Street Road and Seven Springs Road in the Town of Batavia.

Zeliff has acquired title to the property, according to his agent Tony Mancuso, and with one more final approval, expected Tuesday at the town's planning board meeting, the path will be clear for Zeliff to start grading the farmland.

Just as soon as that corn is harvested.

Thursday night, the county planning board recommended approval of the final approval of the 109 acre subdivision, which will be known as Oakwood Estates.

The project will include 44 townhomes (the maroon area in the photo above) and 33 single family homes.

It's the first major subdivision in Genesee County in a number of years and will be located near the fast-growing Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.

Mancuso said the first house should be ready for occupancy next spring.