Senior housing developer looking at Gulf Road for project in Murray
MURRAY – The developer of a potential senior housing community in Murray is looking at Gulf Road for the project, not four different locations in the town.
The Murray Town Board on Monday evening voted against changing the town’s zoning ordinance to allow for senior housing on Gulf Road; Lynch Road; Route 31, east of the Village of Holley; and on 31, from the Fancher Curve to Paddleford Road.
David Paul said the multiple locations may have stirred opposition to the zoning amendment. The town can’t only make one zoning amendment for high-density senior housing because that would be considered spot zoning.
Murray instead proposed four different options, even though Paul said only he is only interested in Gulf Road. He wants to start with five mobile homes, which would have a 12-by-12-foot breezeway and 1 ½ car garage. The development would be limited to people 55 and older.
He said his plan would be to max out the number of homes to 25 on Gulf Road, and they would be set back from the road.
He has asked town officials to try again with the zoning amendment, but to limit it to two locations: Gulf Road and Route 31, east of the village near Bennetts Corners Road. He wants the town to not put Lynch Road or Route 31 near the Fancher Curve as amendment options. Those locations concerned town officials and some residents in the community.
The second option on Route 31, just east of the village, would allow the town to make the make the argument it isn’t spot zoning for the project pursued by Paul, because there would be another option in the town for senior housing.
Paul said the smaller houses are popular in Florida. He thinks they would be attractive for people in Murray, and would boost the local tax base.
The Orleans County Planning Board on Jan. 23 recommended the town make the zoning change to allow for a senior housing district.
Normally, it would take a super-majority vote, at least 4-1, to override the county. But town officials said because it was a legislative action, and not a land-use action, a simple majority vote was enough.
Town Board members Paul Hendel and Lloyd Christ voted for the amendment change, while it was opposed by Town Supervisor Joe Sidonio and board members Randy Bower and Mike Mele.
