Residential development in Lancaster is about to slow way down after the Town Board approved a one-year pause on new projects.
The recently passed law, sponsored by Supervisor Robert Leary, establishes a one-year moratorium on applications, approvals and construction of commercial residential development, including major residential subdivisions, apartment complexes, condominium buildings and townhome communities.
The proposed law, sponsored by Council member and Supervisor-elect Robert Leary, would establish a one-year moratorium on applications, approvals and construction of commercial residential development, like apartment complexes, condominium buildings and townhome communities.
Construction of individual homes not part of large subdivision developments will not be affected by this law, Leary said.
The moratorium is necessary, according to the law, because Lancaster “has experienced significant and rapid growth” and its zoning code does not adequately address commercial residential development. The temporary halt is also needed to address issues such as “adequate water supply and sewer capacity, potential road improvements and the continued maintenance of green spaces.”
People are also reading…
Leary stressed this is not the end of commercial residential development in Lancaster, rather a “pause to get things under control.”
“What I’ve seen is a lack of resources to deal with all the people coming in here,” Leary said in an interview with The Buffalo News. “So we’ve got to make some changes.”
Lancaster experienced slow growth for most of the 20th century, before its population shot up in the 1950s. According to census data, the town’s population grew by roughly 50% between 1980 and 2020. Just over 30,000 people lived in Lancaster in 1980, but by 2020, the town had more than 45,000 residents.
During the Town Board’s last meeting, on Jan. 16, members unanimously voted to approve the moratorium. Council Member Dawn Schroeder, who was elected to the board in November, was absent and did not vote, but previously expressed support of the law.
Council Member Melissa Studley, who was also recently elected, said she has seen the impacts of Lancaster’s overdevelopment firsthand.
In 2018, Studley watched a neighbor’s house on Pleasant View Drive burn down because firefighters couldn’t get enough water pressure from nearby hydrants. That incident, Studley said, is “directly associated with our infrastructure that’s incapable of keeping pace with the current rate of development.”
It’s not a secret that Lancaster is one of a handful of Buffalo suburbs whose population has boomed in recent decades, with a population that has grown by almost 50 percent since 1980. That growth has come with some of the problems that other communities have experienced, such as traffic volume and unexpected flooding. But Lancaster is dealing with
Studley said she has also heard numerous complaints from residents about traffic jams at some of the town’s busiest intersections: Genesee Street and Harris Hill Road; Walden and Central avenues; and William and Aurora streets.
Leary said he’s seen the town’s zoning code “manipulated” by developers to build housing where it doesn’t belong. The pause will give the town time to make revisions to the zoning code and comprehensive master plan to prevent similar situations from happening in the future.
Additionally, the town has set up a new planning department, formed a committee and plans to meet with the county regarding the water pressure issues, Leary said. The town is also planning traffic studies at eight intersections throughout Lancaster.
Before he left office, former Lancaster Supervisor Ronald Ruffino Sr. voiced his opposition to the law. He said if the law passed, the town is sure to be met with lawsuits it will not win and will lose out on projects to other municipalities.
Leary said he believes this moratorium is what’s best for the residents of Lancaster and if that results in a lawsuit against the town, officials will “deal with it as it comes in.”
“We have to make a decision – a hard decision – that we represent the residents of the Town of Lancaster and we’re going to do what’s right for them,” Leary said.
Commercial development is not affected by this law, Leary said. The town is working with companies looking to expand in Lancaster and bring jobs.
Residential development projects that already have received all approvals from the town will be able to proceed, according to the law.
