The Victor Planning Board approved a series of subdivisions, residential projects, parking expansions and a Verizon equipment upgrade Tuesday, while continuing its review of the proposed 74-lot Nova Rise development amid renewed concerns about neighborhood traffic, privacy and the project’s effect on nearby homes.
The most extensive discussion involved Nova Rise, a proposed clustered subdivision on 158.2 acres at 973 Brownsville Road. Residents of Azano Circle again urged the board to prevent a planned street connection from carrying regular vehicle traffic, while town consultants said Victor’s long-range plans generally favor interconnected neighborhoods and future road links.
Nova Rise hearing remains open
The Nova Rise proposal would create 74 residential lots across three parcels owned by Morrell Team in Motion and RKH Golf Inc. The application remains in the preliminary subdivision stage, and the public hearing was left open as the town continues its environmental review.
Town planning consultant Wes Petty provided an extended review of the policies and decisions that led to the proposed connection between Nova Rise and the existing stub at Affronti Way on Azano Circle.
When the neighboring Tuscany Hills subdivision was reviewed, the town allowed more than 25 homes to be served temporarily by a dead-end street because plans reserved a future connection through the undeveloped land that is now proposed for Nova Rise. Petty said the connection was intended eventually to create another route to Brownsville Road and eliminate the extended dead end.
Petty also pointed to Victor’s comprehensive plan, access management policies and official map, which encourage connections between subdivisions, discourage excessive reliance on cul-de-sacs and require developers to preserve potential future road corridors.
The town’s official map, adopted in 2019, identifies an approximate future local road connecting the area near Affronti Way through the Nova Rise property. Petty stressed that the Planning Board retains discretion over the road’s exact location and design.
Planning Board Chair David Tewksbury said the board must balance those policies against residents’ concerns while also recognizing the developer’s property rights.
“We have an obligation to listen and understand, and do our best to accommodate the residents,” Tewksbury said. “The developer is also a property owner with certain rights and responsibilities.”
Residents seek pedestrian-only connection
Nicole Zian, whose Azano Circle property borders the proposed development, argued that opening Affronti Way to routine traffic would introduce cut-through vehicles into a neighborhood where children regularly walk, bicycle and play.
She asked the board to limit the connection to pedestrians, bicycles and emergency vehicles rather than create a full public street.
Zian also requested a formal sightline study, larger setbacks and an eight-foot-high landscaped berm along the shared property line. She said the current design would place new homes behind existing residences without enough screening to protect privacy or preserve the neighborhood’s character.
Other Azano Circle residents questioned why several older Victor neighborhoods have more than 25 homes but only one entrance. Town officials said many of those subdivisions were approved under earlier planning standards and before changes to the state fire code.
Project manager Keith Maynard said the town would prepare additional information explaining how those regulatory changes affect newer developments.
Several speakers said they support connections between neighborhoods for walking and bicycling but oppose opening Affronti Way to regular vehicles.
David Wright of Victor Hiking Trails said members of the organization had walked the Nova Rise property with the developer and saw promising opportunities to create public trails connecting the development with surrounding neighborhoods.
Developer proposes berms and trees
Representatives of Morrell Builders said they recently met on-site with four adjoining homeowners to discuss screening along the property line.
The developer is considering several five-foot-high berms and as many as 30 evergreen trees, along with additions to an existing line of deciduous trees. Morrell representatives said they want to continue working with neighboring property owners to place the landscaping where it will provide the most effective screening.
Town consultants said the proposed berms, plantings and conservation areas should be shown on the preliminary subdivision plans rather than deferred until the final approval stage.
Residents also raised concerns that the development’s smaller lots and new homes could affect surrounding property values.
Morrell representative Scott Bellarino said homes in Nova Rise would likely start above $500,000 and generally sell for at least $650,000 after lot premiums and upgrades, with some potentially exceeding $1 million.
The Planning Board asked the developer to provide written, evidence-based information addressing the potential effect on nearby property values as part of the environmental review. Board members said they were looking for more than a general opinion from a real estate agent.
No decision was made on Nova Rise. The board requested updated plans showing proposed buffers and will continue the public hearing at a later meeting.
Phillips Road parking approved after sewer debate
The board approved a 41-space parking expansion at 825 Phillips Road by a 3-1 vote, bringing the property to 67 spaces.
Donoho Management said the additional parking is needed to secure a prospective tenant for the building. Plans also include interior renovations, new paint, revised lighting and a dry well designed to handle stormwater from a 10-year storm.
The approval allows the parking setback to be reduced from 80 feet to 45 feet.
Board member Scott Harter raised concerns about a sanitary sewer line shared by the industrial property and a neighboring home. Town staff described it as a shared lateral rather than a conventional sewer main, but Harter said state regulations may require infrastructure serving multiple properties to be publicly controlled.
The board added a condition requiring the property owner and town to investigate whether the sewer infrastructure must be transferred to the Victor Consolidated Sewer District. If public ownership is required, the line could need to be redesigned, rebuilt or relocated to the satisfaction of the town attorney and engineer.
Van Bortel expansion receives conditional approval
The board unanimously approved an expansion of Van Bortel Subaru’s vehicle display lot along Route 96.
The project calls for demolishing a vacant house and accessory structure and replacing them with roughly 62 display spaces, landscaping, lighting and related improvements. A similar plan was approved in 2022 but expired because construction did not begin.
The approval came after board members questioned how runoff from the expanded paved area would be managed before reaching Mud Creek.
Although the proposed disturbance is below the one-acre threshold that typically requires a formal stormwater pollution prevention plan, board members said the amount of existing and proposed pavement warranted closer review.
Before the plans can be signed, the applicant must provide engineering information about an existing stormwater facility. The town engineer will determine whether that system is adequate or whether an expanded or additional facility is required. A substantial redesign could require the applicant to return to the Planning Board.
Verizon equipment upgrade moves forward
The board also approved a Verizon modification to an existing rooftop telecommunications facility at Commerce Drive.
The project will raise the concealed antenna structure by slightly less than two feet and replace associated cables to address reported service deficiencies, including dropped calls and failed text messages.
No members of the public spoke during the hearing. Verizon must resolve engineering questions involving equipment placement and structural details before the plans are signed.
Residential projects and land transfers approved
The board unanimously approved the Spittal minor subdivision at 1639 Brace Road, separating a 1.191-acre residential parcel from a 150.1-acre family farm. The applicant said the house will be purchased by the original owner’s granddaughter, allowing the property to remain within the family while the larger parcel continues in agricultural use.
A separate subdivision at 8030 County Road 41 was approved to revise boundaries between two existing parcels and create a new 2.5-acre lot. The new parcel is not approved for construction and would require additional Planning Board review before development.
The board approved the Kumetat subdivision at 280 Railroad Mills Road, creating a 5.646-acre parcel expected to be transferred through a below-market sale to the Burroughs Audubon Nature Club. The existing residence and barn will remain on a 10.245-acre parcel, and any future development of the land transferred to the nature organization would require further town review.
Two single-family home plans also received approval.
The Mortellaro site plan allows construction of a three-bedroom home on an 88.506-acre County Road 41 property. Fire protection concerns involving a pond and dry hydrant were resolved, though county health approval of the septic system will be required before the town issues a building permit.
The Valenti site plan authorizes a home at 6948 Aldridge Road on a lot created earlier for the owners’ daughter. The project will use a shared driveway and connect to public water and sewer, with the applicants planning to retain as many mature trees as construction allows.
The proposed Lehigh Place apartment development did not come up for substantive discussion during the meeting, despite appearing on the agenda, and the Element by Westin hotel proposal at Eastview Mall remained removed until a future meeting.
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