Sale of Seneca Falls building may be decided

Finger Lakes Times:

SENECA FALLS — The battle over the Arcade Building may be over. Supervisor Don Earle said terms of a settlement are nearing completion and should be ready by Tuesday night’s Town Board meeting.

Earle said attorney Steven Getman of Ovid, who was hired to represent the board in litigation against [the] Zoning Board of Appeals, will attend.

“I believe the settlement will involve the developer giving up the use variance he obtained from the ZBA and accepting a new variance that limits the number of units in the building,” Earle explained.

The dispute began last year when Ithaca developer Basil Vlahos put in a purchase offer for the Arcade Building at 81-83 Fall St., then owned by Jack Pross. Vlahos submitted plans to convert the three-floor building into housing units, along with two retail spaces at street level.

The town Zoning Board of Appeals approved his plans, but the Town Board objected to the number of apartments proposed

Seneca Falls Town Board retains Getman to file action against ZBA

Finger Lakes Times:

Following a 100-minute closed-door session Tuesday night, the Town Board voted to sue the town Zoning Board of Appeals over a recent decision regarding a downtown building.

The board takes issue with the ZBA’s decision to grant a variance to the owner of The Arcade Building at 81-83 Fall St., allowing it to have up to eight apartments.

Board member Emil Bove made a motion to direct Supervisor Donald Earle to hire attorney Steven Getman of the Franklin & Gabriel Law Firm in Ovid to take legal action challenging the ZBA’s Oct. 25 decision.

Town officials said the ZBA erred in granting the area variance to owner Jack Pross to convert the building, saying eight apartments is too many and there would not be sufficient parking for tenants.