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Town board approves Octavia Storage site plan at 4868 Transit Road after resident concerns about taxes and maintenance
Summary
The board declared a SEQR negative declaration and approved a site plan for Octavia Storage at 4868 Transit Road. Residents raised long-running tax and property-maintenance complaints; the applicant’s representative offered written follow-up.
The Town Board of Cheektowaga voted Feb. 25 to declare a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act and to approve a site plan for an Octavia Storage project at 4868 Transit Road.
Concerned residents spoke during the meeting about the property’s compliance history and unpaid taxes. Resident Dawn Philebski gave a detailed list of property-management complaints and said the owner owes back taxes on multiple parcels. She said cleanup costs and administrative fees levied by the town in recent years had been paid inconsistently and asked for an audit to confirm charges were applied correctly.
Sean Hopkins, representing the applicant, said the resident concerns were new to him and offered to follow up in writing. “I will follow-up on the property taxes,” Hopkins told the board, and asked that the resident provide contact information so he could investigate and respond.
Supervisor Brian Nowak and several council members said the town is typically reimbursed for municipal action but noted the resident’s statements merited follow-up. The board approved the SEQR declaration and the site plan by voice vote after Hopkins assured the board he would investigate the tax and maintenance questions.
Why it matters: SEQR and site-plan approvals allow a project to proceed toward permitting and construction. Resident concerns about unpaid taxes and property maintenance affect municipal enforcement and tax-collection processes and were put on the record for follow-up.
What’s next: Planning staff and the applicant representative will investigate the tax and maintenance issues raised and report back to the board in writing; planning and building permit processes will proceed as required by the approved site plan.
