FLEMING - The developers affected by a building moratorium will seek a waiver while the Fleming town board considers including the entire watershed in a law passed last month.

The board put a six-month stop on multiple building development in the town's lakeshore district that effectively halted plans for Lakewood Landing, a 15-acre, 28-lot waterfront subdivision. Developers Thomas and Christine Izzo pleaded economic hardship through a letter from their lawyer, which was read aloud at Monday's town board meeting.

The Niles couple has invested more than $122,000 in the project, according to the letter.

“To me it just seems very unfair and I wish the board would just do the right thing,” Tom Izzo said, arguing the couple had followed the town code and comprehensive plan. “You keep moving the goal posts.”

The board opted to table action on the hardship application until the next meeting.

“I'm not ready to vote on it tonight,” board member John Sroka said. “I think it would be premature to act in haste, I think it would be premature to act against these people.”

The board may also consider amending the moratorium to cover the entire Owasco Lake watershed within the town at its August 13 meeting. Several who attended a public hearing on the temporary building ban made the suggestion in hopes of better diagnosing the role of development in the deterioration of Owasco Lake water quality.

Should the board pursue the broader scope, another moratorium would need to be passed. The current law covers the lakeshore zoning district, which roughly follows Route 38.

In other news:

* The board was introduced to the work of Rural Opportunities, a Rochester-based nonprofit organization interested in redeveloping the Board of Cooperative Educational Services campus off of Route 34.

BOCES plans to move to its Aurelius campus on West Genesee Road this fall, which will leave the 24-acre Fleming property vacant. Rural Opportunities specializes in developing senior and low-income housing with the state and federal assistance.

“I think you have a really exciting opportunity to have a big site like that cleaned up and ready for development,” Rural Opportunities housing developer Joseph Bowes said.

Although BOCES will ultimately decide the fate of its property, Monday's presentation was intended to gauge general interest. A city of Auburn housing study confirms the need for senior citizen housing and the BOCES site has ideal access to sewer, water and nearby jobs, Susan Ottenweller of Rural Opportunities said.

Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net