Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals holds their monthly meeting on July 9, 2025
The Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals has denied an area variance request for a proposed affordable housing project on Spring Street.
The request failed by a vote of 2 to 3, with four votes needed for the request to be approved.
The joint project between CODE Inc. and Southern Tier Environments for Living (STEL) proposes building seven double-family houses on vacant parcels currently owned by the Chautauqua County Land bank on the west side of Spring Street just south of Crossman Street. The area variance is needed due to the lot size being too small for the current houses being proposed.
ZBA Board member Bob Kenyon questioned whether the number of units proposed could be reduced in order to create more space and a “better appearance” where houses were not “crammed” into the area. A representative for the organizations stated that their funding request to New York State requires a certain number of units.
ZBA Chair Ellen Ditonto recommended CODE and STEL meet with their architects to work on a proposal that is more fitting for the properties.
The ZBA did approve the renewal of two area variance requests by Southern Tier Environments for Living. The projects involve knocking down two houses in the city to build two-family residences on the site.
Architect Matt Long said the projects are part of the affordable housing funds request through the state’s Homes and Community Renewal program. He said they anticipate that the application process will open in July with awards being announced in early 2025.
370 Fairmount Avenue, which is located on the corner by Lovall Avenue, received an area variance renewal for a smaller lot size of 2,026 square feet with a ten-foot width for the two-family unit to be constructed.
That property has been vacant for two and a half years.
The second request by STEL that was approved was a variance for 626 Prendergast Avenue.
Neighboring property owner Dr. James Scarpino, who operates a dental practice at 616 Prendergast Avenue, spoke to verify that conditions approved in the 2024’s area variance approval were still intact. Those conditions included a six-foot privacy fence to shield work being done and an assurance of no damage to his property.
The area variance approval for a smaller lot size of 3,975 square feet and width of 20 feet was approved with the conditions included in 2024.
As the area variance was not approved for the Spring Street properties, the future for the Fairmount and Prendergast Avenue projects is uncertain as all of the properties requesting an area variance would have been bundled into a request for funding from New York State Homes and Community Renewal.
Back in 2016, CODE Inc. had proposed building a 36-unit apartment building, called the Jackson Spring apartments, that would have been constructed along North Main and Spring Streets, but the $12 million project failed to receive state funding.
Leave a Reply