Controversial development proposals that have been festering for years in the village of Aurora could come to votes the next two weeks.
The Aurora Planning Board and the Community Preservation Panel have scheduled a pair of joint public hearings on village projects related to the Pleasant Rowland-controlled Aurora Foundation and Wells College.
A hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday will be held to consider the post office and parking lot projects proposed by the foundation and the college.
At the end of last year, the village signed a memorandum of understanding with the foundation and college that would allow for the relocation of the post office from its existing village-owned site into a foundation-controlled building.
The current post office site would be demolished to allow for a parking lot. In exchange, the college would convey lakefront property to the village for possible development of a recreation area.
The memorandum and the project have come under fire from some village residents, who believe it's a bad deal for the village and promotes continued takeover of village properties by entities tied to Rowland. The agreement gave the village until the end of March to issue the needed approvals for the project. A legal notice for next week's meeting indicates votes will take place after the hearing.
Another project that Rowland has pushed will come before the same boards in a public hearing scheduled for April 5.
A potential buyer of a Rowland property known as Webb House is seeking to have a Wells College-owned property called Lake House demolished so Webb House can placed there. Rowland had unsuccessfully sought the same demolition permit two years ago.
She has now struck a deal to sell Webb House, which has sat on blocks near the Lake House, to Cynthia J. Koepp with the condition that a demolition permit be secured. The April 5 meeting will include a hearing to consider that application.
A hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday will be held to consider the post office and parking lot projects proposed by the foundation and the college.
At the end of last year, the village signed a memorandum of understanding with the foundation and college that would allow for the relocation of the post office from its existing village-owned site into a foundation-controlled building.
The current post office site would be demolished to allow for a parking lot. In exchange, the college would convey lakefront property to the village for possible development of a recreation area.
The memorandum and the project have come under fire from some village residents, who believe it's a bad deal for the village and promotes continued takeover of village properties by entities tied to Rowland. The agreement gave the village until the end of March to issue the needed approvals for the project. A legal notice for next week's meeting indicates votes will take place after the hearing.
Another project that Rowland has pushed will come before the same boards in a public hearing scheduled for April 5.
A potential buyer of a Rowland property known as Webb House is seeking to have a Wells College-owned property called Lake House demolished so Webb House can placed there. Rowland had unsuccessfully sought the same demolition permit two years ago.
She has now struck a deal to sell Webb House, which has sat on blocks near the Lake House, to Cynthia J. Koepp with the condition that a demolition permit be secured. The April 5 meeting will include a hearing to consider that application.