Webster Considers Rezoning For Town Houses

Webster town officials are considering a rezoning request that could lead to more than 100 town houses on State Road, near the town border with Penfield.

The Town Board last week referred the request to rezone nearly 120 acres of land from a residential zoning allowing for single-family homes to Medium-High Residential zoning. The Town Board ultimately makes a rezoning decision.

James P. Barbato, president of developer Pride Mark Homes Inc., is proposing to cluster the development on about 25 acres of the property. The rest would be donated to the town to add to its open space program.

The town houses would be priced between $200,000 and $279,000, and be targeted to empty-nesters and seniors, although there will be no age restriction. The town houses would be about 1,500- to 2,000-square feet in size.

The developer also has a project targeted to a similar demographic proposed in the Perinton hamlet of Egypt. The Perinton Planning Board is scheduled to consider preliminary and final site plan approval for the company’s 160-unit Creekstone project on Aug. 21.

The Webster project would be similar to the company’s Arbor Ridge project in Penfield and a natural extension of projects on the east side of the county, Barbato said.

“I think it’s a great area of town,” Barbato said.

Four Mile Creek runs through the property, which has many wetlands. As part of the project, Barbato said larger than normal retention and detention ponds would be built to not only address drainage on the property, but also to help alleviate downstream flooding in other areas of Webster, he said.

Webster Supervisor Ron Nesbitt said drainage poses a concern, but the town is willing to work with Pride Mark on the plan.

“It’s going to be a process on this one,” Nesbitt said. “It’s a sensitive piece of land.”

And there are other concerns as well, he said.

All of the homes would have to be built one to two feet above the flood plain, and snow removal may have to be addressed through a homeowners’ association, Nesbitt said.

But the drainage ponds would help other homeowners who live near the creek, as well as build on the town’s work to alleviate flooding issues, Nesbitt said.

“We’ve put a lot of money into drainage,” Nesbitt said. “Lately, when we have an event, you don’t hear about flooding. We keep streams and creeks open and we’re constantly working on them.”

If the town was to accept the donation, the property would be kept wild, with perhaps trails constructed, Nesbitt said.