Press Release

 

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For Immediate Release
September 13, 2018
2:00 PM

 

“State Supreme Court, John Ark, orders the Village of Pittsford to immediately issue the Certificate of Approval for the Westport Crossing Residential Community of the Erie Canal at 75 Monroe Avenue.”

*Details and photos are attached.

Contact:        Donald J. Riley, VP of Marketing and Development
Cell:  585.303.6140
Office:  585.232.1760 ext. 135
driley@markiventerprises.com

                        Tammy Langdon, Marketing Strategist
Office:  585.232.1760 ext. 159
tlangdon@markiventerprises.com

 

“State Supreme Court Judge John Ark orders the Village of Pittsford to immediately issue the Certificate of Approval for the Westport Crossing Residential Community on the Erie Canal at 75 Monroe Avenue”
                                
After an extraordinary series of political, administrative, and legal attempts by Pittsford Village leaders to thwart the Westport Crossing development, on September 12th they clearly lost two determining law suits. 

Pittsford Canalside Properties LLC, (PCP) an entity owned by the DiMarzo family who operate Mark IV Enterprises, now has a clear path forward to building the long awaited high end residential development along the Erie Canal in the Village of Pittsford.    The application for Westport Crossing started over 10 years ago to build 167 upscale apartment units with public docking amenities and a canal side restaurant/ bar.  The project had received nearly all of its municipal approvals except one from the Architectural Review Board. After the key approval was obtained for the Special Permit the developer based on reliance of the approvals expended over $5,000,000.00 to remediate the oil contaminated site through the guidance of NYSDEC through their Brownfield program.   A neighborhood group known as the “friends” of Pittsford Village (FOPV) tried to stop the project with a series of suits and tactics and eventually infiltrated their way on the Village Boards with the support of the Village Mayor.  Through these delays the developer has not only lost momentum but millions in lost opportunity cost and wasted legal expenditures.  The Mayor & Village leaders have expended nearly $2,000,000 of public funds, forcing the Village to INCREASE the TAX RATE by over 30% in 2 years, because of erroneous lawsuit filings.  The Mayor & Village leaders even had to borrow funds to do basic public works projects because they squandered public fund on these unnecessary lawsuits.

The current case that was decided by Judge Ark Wednesday stemmed from months of negotiation between the APRB and developer in 2017 resulting in significant reduction of building size to which the APRB agreed to but later reneged on their written approval.  PCP brought suit to enforce the settled agreement.  
This latest decision paves the way to a speedy conclusion and process to construction.   

After a bench trial in May 2018 between the Village Architectural Preservation and Review Board (APRB), Judge Ark has ordered a decision concluding that the application:

1. Is Complete
2. Is in conformity with the mass and scale parameters agreed to
3. Conforms to the R-5 district
4. Orders that the APRB shall IMMEDIATELY issue the Certificate of Approval

In the second current case, Judge Ark determined that the FOPV and Village Trustees did not have standing and therefore not allowed to sue their own Planning Board for granting PCP the Final Site Plan approval.

PCP is looking forward to concluding this matter at the next APRB meeting on October 1st where the Certificate of Acceptance shall be voted on and issued.


 

Historical Oil Refinery Photo circa 1980

 

Proposed Rendering for Westport Crossing Luxury Community
(Complete Environmental Contamination Clean Up by Mark IV Enterprises costing in upwards of $5,000,000)

 

 

The drawings, pictures, and animations shown in this website are proposed ideas for this residential development and are subject to change