After neighbors of the proposed four-building 47-unit Bluestone Commons apartment complex at 264 Lucas Ave. in Kingston raised a number of issues during a public hearing on April 19, the city Planning Board decided to keep the hearing open at least until next month”™s meeting as it reviews the neighbors comments and the developer”™s explanations.
The applicant, SSLI Holdings LLC, owns the approximately 2.7-acre parcel on the easterly side of Bluestone Court, south of Lucas Avenue in Kingston. The property is in the city”™ R-4 Two-Story Multiple Residence Zoning District. At present the site is undeveloped and largely wooded. It does not include any significant environmental features such as wetlands or watercourses, according to the developer.
Each of the four buildings would be two-stories in height and approximately 156 feet long. There would be 14 one-bedroom units, 32 two-bedroom units and one three-bedroom unit. A total of 96 parking spaces would be provided in the central core of the development.
The developer said that its stormwater management plan would include use of a rain garden within the parking lot to help collect and control runoff. It plans to provide plantings to soften the look of the parking lot and aid in water absorption. Screening with evergreen trees is proposed along Bluestone Court to buffer the residences to the west.
Residents John and Carol Dowley called on the developer to change the main access point for the project from Bluestone Court to Lucas Avenue. They noted that during the construction phase construction vehicles would use Lucas Avenue. They argued that if construction vehicles could safely access the site via Lucas, then so too could residents and that would help preserve the stability of the Bluestone Court neighborhood.
Neighbors Michael and Gail Flynn alleged that the development did not meet standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They also said that the project is not in keeping with the surrounding Bluestone Court neighborhood, which has single-family homes of 2,000 to 2,500 square feet with no multifamily, duplex, triplex or rental properties.
Attorney David K. Gordon of the Poughkeepsie-based law firm Svenson & Svenson LLP submitted written comments on behalf of neighbors.
“The project is an attempt to shoehorn as many units as possible into the site, by proposing the maximum arithmetically authorized by the city zoning code for a 2.7 acre site in this district. However, such a dense proposal violates other provisions of the code, as well as the environmental constraints on the site, particularly traffic,” Gordon said.
The project did not offer sufficient usable open space per dwelling unit and doesn”™t meet setback requirements, Gordon said. He said the project needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals or needs to be revised. He called on the planning board to reject the project in its present form.
