From the Independent Press – July 15, 2009 (Written by Patricia Meola)

Infiniti Site Owner Says Summit Taking Too Long to Decide on Zone Change

According to the owner of a former car dealership on Franklin Place, the city is taking too long to grant him the zoning change that would allow conversion of the site to residences.

Four years ago, Douglas Companies President Peter Liebman said, the building that housed his Infiniti dealership was destroyed by fire. On Oct. 10, 2006, he presented plans to the city’s technical review committee that would allow him to construct high-density housing on the property, and he has been “waiting ever since for the city to re-zone.”

Liebman said, “I feel what we’re proposing is right for the city,” and noted he is “most unhappy” with the delays in changing the zoning to a plan that would allow him to do so. In November 2008, the Common Council defeated by a 4-3 vote an amendment that would have changed the zone from commercial to residential.

Liebman’s attorney, Joseph Steinberg, told the council last week he is attempting to help his client “jump start this process.” He said the land involved comprises five tax lots, and that Mr. Liebman wishes to build “30-some-odd units” in what is now classified as three different zones. Steinberg said he would like to see those five lots combined into one multi-family zone, to be combined with a Transit Village zone.

“We’ve been preaching this for two years and nine months,” Steinberg said.

“We decided to take a bold step and have written an ordinance that would get this project built and that eyesore down,” he said in reference to the still-standing, fire-damaged Infiniti structure.

He presented 20 copies of his proposed ordinance to the council, said it would be called an “MF-TV” zone and noted he would hope the cit would “get this passed within a few weeks.”

Mayor Jordan Glatt said that while he had no wish to comment on the plan itself, he wondered what the next step in the process would be and said he feels “we owe the property owner some sort of time frame.”

Councilman Dave Bomgaars said Eileen Banyra, the city’s planner who works one and a half days each week, was asked to re-draft a plan related to Liebman’s request, and Beth Kinney, the director of the Community Services Department, said she believed the hold-up was related to the city’s desire to base the Franklin Place decision at least in part on the determination made about Gateway II. That proposal relates to a plan for housing proposed for the Salerno-Duane site on Broad Street, which is across the train tracks and around the corner of the Infiniti site.

Noting he had “no idea what the content of Steinberg’s proposal is,” Councilman Andy Lark said, “We want to avoid the appearance of spot zoning. We want an ordinance usable in multiple sites.”

Kinney said she and the members of the city’s Buildings and Grounds Committee are set to meet on July 22, and that they would take a look at the paperwork submitted by Steinberg.

“We will try to report back next week,” Lark said. “But we can’t have developers come to a council meeting and put a gun to our head.”