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Carmel board grants use variance for Route 6 housing, caps development at 34 bedrooms
Summary
At its June meeting the Town of Carmel Board of Appeals adopted a SEQRA negative declaration and granted a use variance to 112 Crossroads Corp. for multifamily use at 1828 Route 6, limiting the approval to a maximum of 34 bedrooms; applicant and supporters said the long-vacant lot and reserved units for veterans/first responders justify relief.
The Town of Carmel Board of Appeals on a June evening approved a use variance allowing multifamily housing at 1828 Route 6 and set a cap on the development’s bedroom count.
Frank J. Smith III, attorney for 112 Crossroads Corp., told the board the unimproved 1.4-acre parcel has been vacant since the applicant purchased it in 2004 and has generated no income, citing roughly $88,000 in development and holding costs and rising tax assessments as evidence the property “cannot yield a reasonable return.” The firm asked the board to find the lot’s circumstances unique and consistent with neighboring multifamily uses.
The board first conducted a SEQRA (environmental) review and adopted a negative declaration after asking the applicant questions about traffic, utilities and environmental impacts. Members then debated how to frame relief — whether to specify unit counts or to authorize multifamily use with a numerical cap — and amended a motion to permit multifamily use limited to a maximum of 34 bedrooms before voting to grant the variance.
Supporters at the hearing included a neighbor who said the proposal fit the corridor’s existing apartment character, and Dwight Keith of the local VFW, who told the board that reserving units for veterans and first responders would help the town retain emergency personnel and support the veterans community.
Board members noted previous approvals for multifamily or age-restricted projects on the site in 2005 and 2008 but said those permissions had lapsed; they also signaled that detailed bulk, parking and site design issues will be reviewed by the planning board when the project moves forward.
The decision authorizes the change in use but does not finalize site design, parking, or other planning-board issues. The board’s file includes the applicant’s affidavits, prior ZBA decisions, a proposed design set and financial exhibits submitted with the application.
