A possible zoning change on North Sanford Road in the Village of Churchville was again up for discussion at the February 26 village board meeting, and trustees expect to have a resolution on the matter at the next meeting, Monday, March 5.

At issue is a 10-acre parcel of land located west of the Rochester Auto Collection Ford dealership on North Sanford Road. The property, owned by Donald Jenks, is zoned for "highway commercial" use. Jenks has requested a variance to allow him to sell or use the property for "light industry."

"It seems (Jenks) meets the requirements for a variance ... so we might as well simplify it," said Trustee Marian Gowan. Requirements include proving he is unable to sell the property for its zoned usage, and proving the variance would not change the character of the neighborhood.

Gowan said, since granting the use variance and allowing light industry to be constructed on the property would, in effect, change the zoning permanently, the village should just change the zoning.

Other trustees expressed concern over changing zoning on a case-by-case basis, rather than following a larger plan for development.

"I would like to see a vision of the village as a whole," said Trustee Lyell Warren. "I have problems with the ad-hoc nature of what we've been doing. I would like to see a master plan, rather than working in individual pieces ... we need to know what we would like to see for the village."

Warren also said the board should know the impact different types of development would have on the village's tax base.

"But that's just dollars and cents," he said. "There are other costs involved in industrial development we have to factor in, and people don't always do that."

Warren and Trustee Nancy Steedman also expressed concern that this parcel is the only land in the village zoned for highway commercial development, which could include retail, fast-food restaurants, hotels, office complexes and nursing homes.

"My concern is that if we rezone this we have no highway commercial. Without this, there is no space for those folks to develop if they care to. We do have quite a bit of light industrial available," Warren said.

Village Planning Board Attorney Melvin Olver emphasized the importance of a master plan. "The master plan, that needs to be addressed. The village is running a risk doing some of this rezoning without having a master plan in place," he said.

The planning board's recommendation for changing the rezoning states that the location of the property - especially the fact that there is no easy access to Interstate 490 because traffic is not permitted to enter the highway from North Sanford Road - makes is unsuitable for highway commercial uses. Most board members agreed.

"There has been (no growth) in this area for years, but any which is likely to occur will most probably be light industrial," reads the report, prepared by Planning Board Chair Chuck Daniels. "Development now of this property will most likely influence and enhance future potential growth on adjoining properties."

"We wrestled with it a lot," Daniels told board members Monday night. He said planning board members struggled with the issue and considered the location, the lack of growth in the area and what it would mean to the village as a whole. "Overall it does make sense to turn it over to light industrial."

Mayor Donald R. Ehrmentraut said, "If we're going to see things grow and change in the village of Churchville we have to move on with this piece of property." He said the highway commercial zoning made sense when it was a 20-acre parcel which included the corner on Route 36. Once the corner was sold off for the Ford dealership, the remaining 10 acres were left unusable for retail uses, he said.

This is the second time the village board has considered this request for a zoning change. In June of last year, the village planning board made a recommendation that the village board change the zoning to allow the property owner to sell to a packaging plant. The board denied the request, saying there was enough light industrial property already available elsewhere in the village, and no other village property zoned for highway commercial usage.

Board members expect to make a resolution on the change at the next meeting, Monday, March 5 at 7:15 p.m. at the Village Office, 22 South Main Street.

In other news, speeders in the Village of Churchville should expect to see an increased police presence, according to Monroe County Sheriff's Capt. Ted Wright who was at the last board meeting at the request of Ehrmentraut.

The mayor read letters from concerned residents. One young man, a member of Boy Scout Troop 133, wrote to complain about motorists speeding through the village on West Buffalo Street. " ... It is an infringement on my safety," he wrote. He asked the village for help and suggested police officers could "go up and down my street."

Another resident expressed concern about drivers running stop signs on Cloverleaf and Parnell Drives.

Wright said he would assign his deputies to patrol these areas in response to these concerns. He said any resident witnessing such activity anywhere should report it directly to Monroe County Sheriff's Substation C in North Chili.

"We ask people to be as specific as possible (with the location, time of day, and day of the week infractions are occurring) so we can funnel our energies. We will have deputies out there," he said.