Town prepares for Eastern Hills’ future with creation of new zoning district


by ETHAN POWERS
Editor

The Clarence Town Board, in preparation for a future redevelopment of the Eastern Hills Mall site, amended the town code at its Jan. 17 meeting to create a new zoning class.

Chapter 229 of the town code’s zoning section now includes a “lifestyle center district” that Supervisor Patrick Casilio says allows for the creation of a “city within a town.”

The new zoning class will facilitate and encourage walkability, alternative transportation methods, green energy use and, above all, an abundance of mixed-use properties that will create independent neighborhoods in which residents will be able to both live and work.

“It’s important, based on the internet shopping phenomenon and the decline of the big-box center, that we take advantage of the redevelopment of our large-tract mall spaces,” said Jim Callahan, director of community development for the town.

The town hired Sean Hopkins of Hopkins Sorgi & Romanowski PLLC, a real estate acquisition firm, to work with Clarence’s Planning Department to develop the language that would identify the new zoning district.

“The Town of Clarence does have some older and outdated malls, strip plazas, that I think everyone would like to see get redeveloped in the future,” said Hopkins. “The town, to its credit, has decided to tackle that issue proactively.”

In encouraging mixed-use developments that feature significant commercial space, the new district calls for any proposed project in the district to include at least 20 percent residential space, with a maximum of 40 percent. Uses that are prohibited for proposed projects include warehouses; self-storage units; dog kennels; detached residential units, including single family homes; and sexually oriented businesses.

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