NEW SCOTLAND – Howard Amsler, owner and operator of Blackbird Prime Properties in New Scotland, has been working since 2001 to develop what he calls "a community with affordable housing."

On Tuesday, Amsler was shoveling dirt over a new drainage pipe in the parking area between his two properties on Route 85. He climbed off his backhoe to tell The Enterprise that Blackbird Prime Properties "reaches out to everyone." It offers housing that fits the needs of different people, he said.
The 33.6-acre trailer park was visibly and audibly under construction, and Amsler said that the residents living there are excited about the upgrades to the property. "They love it," he said.

When completed, the property will have two entrances – one private entrance leading to the residences, and the other a commercial entrance. He also plans to include some landscaping around the front of the property, he said.

Archery on target

Part of the renovations include leasing space to Flying Arrows Sports, which plans to open up a 5,000-square-foot sporting-goods store and an indoor archery range in early June.

The main office for Blackbird Prime Properties is located within the building that was formerly Kissel’s Garage; Flying Arrows Sports III will open on the right side of the building.

The store sells merchandise for archery, fishing, camping, and paintball, but will also have an indoor archery shooting range. Customers can participate in three-dimensional techno hunts; with a moving Kevlar screen that scores hunting skills based on how and where the animal is hit, Amsler explained. It will also offer paper shoots and three-dimensional shoots from an elevated platform, he said.

The planning board, last Tuesday, had no issues with Amsler’s proposal for commercial recreation with the archery range.
The town’s zoning and planning boards, and the building department, Amsler said, have been "very understanding." He has worked together with them to keep New Scotland "the rural community it still is," he said, adding that, even though his property falls within a commercial district, he has tried to keep the commercial appearance at a minimum.

Transforming the trailer park

Amsler’s site-plan review for entrance and site revision was approved by the town in June of 2006, but he needed to receive approval from the Department of Transportation to make the modifications to the entrance to his property.

Blackbird Prime Properties has 86 approved lots that are rented to the residents, sized 50-by-100 feet, or 80-by-100 feet, he said. His objective, he said, is to eventually have 86 new manufactured homes in the park. He presently has 35 mobile homes, eight new manufactured homes, and 35 available lots, he told The Enterprise.

Amsler recently purchased the building on the corner of routes 85 and 85A adjacent to Blackbird Prime Properties; he plans to renovate and use it as office space to sell manufactured homes, and will also rent office space, he said.

The manufactured homes will include modular, singlewide, and doublewide homes; a display yard will be situated between the two properties, he said. Modular homes will start at $96,000; and the singlewide and doublewide homes will start at $45,000, Amsler told The Enterprise.
The lots are equipped with underground cable, phone, and electric lines, as well as natural gas, Amsler said. The community, he said, provides "a place for our seniors to go." Many of the residents at Blackbird Prime Properties are elderly, he said.
The real enjoyment in retirement, Amsler said, is having the ability "to do what you want with your life."
Blackbird Prime Properties, though, reaches out to people in varying age groups and income levels, Amsler said. "We don’t want to push anyone away" We want to reach out to everyone," he said.
When all the renovations are done, "It’s going to be really nice," Amsler said of the property. "I’m very happy with the progress they are allowing us to make," he said of the town’s cooperation.
Amsler said he is proud to be able to offer affordable housing to the residents of New Scotland. "I’m very excited to be able to serve the community," he concluded.

Other business

In other business at recent planning- and zoning-board meetings:

– The zoning board heard from John DeMis from New Salem Properties, requesting 1,000 feet of relief to extend an existing cul-de-sac to a total length of 2,000 feet to serve a five-lot subdivision in a residential-agricultural (RA) district. The subdivision is accessed from New Salem South Road by traveling over Glenwood Terrace and Meadowbrook Place. The cul-de-sac will be constructed off of Meadowbrook Place starting about 868 feet from New Salem South Road. The board scheduled a public hearing for its May 29 meeting;

– The zoning and planning boards heard from Peter Landi on his applications for a temporary-use permit and an area variance for his property at the intersection of Font Grove and Krum Kill roads, in a residential conservation (R2) district. Landi intends to subdivide the 13.8-acre parcel into two lots, one nine acres, and the other 4.8 acres.

The nine-acre lot would be sold with the existing 140-year-old house. The 4.8-acre lot would house an existing accessory structure which is not permitted without a dwelling. Landi plans to build a new home on the smaller lot, at which point, the shed would be allowed.

Landi is also seeking 11 feet of relief from the front yard setback for the existing home, which is only 39 feet from the road; the zone requires a 50-feet front yard setback. A public hearing is scheduled for the May 29 zoning board meeting;

– The zoning and planning boards heard from Arnold Abate for 11 feet of relief from the side-yard setback to allow an attached roof covering a patio at his Elizabeth Drive property, located in a residential agriculture district. The roof, which is already constructed, comes within 14 feet of the side-yard property line, and is about six to 12 inches shorter than the patio itself. Abate said he didn’t realize he needed a building permit to construct the roof. A public hearing is scheduled for the May 29 zoning board meeting;

– The planning and zoning boards heard from David Zwack, requesting a use variance to continue operating his business, Zwack’s Decorative Natural Stone, on his properties on Indian Ledge Road and Zwack Lane. Zwack removes, stores, and sells limestone on of his property, and has done so since the early 1990s.
Zwack first submitted an appeal to the building inspector’s decision of a special-use permit application submitted by Zwack for the "removal of fill, gravel or loam," and is continuing with the appeal if the use variance is not granted. All of his neighbors submitted letters to the town in favor of Zwack’s business. A public hearing is scheduled for the May 29 zoning-board meeting. The planning board passed on a favorable recommendation to the zoning board for the use variance, and a recommendation that the building inspector’s decision be upheld for the appeal;

– The planning board heard from David Moreau on a revised application for a boundary-line adjustment between two parcels on Youmans Road. Moreau is proposing to merge 14.11 acres of land to another property he owns, creating an 18.83-acre parcel, and a 39.11-acre parcel. Moreau intends to sell the 18-acre parcel to an individual for a single-family dwelling.

The parcels need to be reviewed to determine whether there are any federal wetlands on the site, and, if so, a protection plan needs to be established, said Keith Menia, of Stantec Consulting Services, the town’s engineering firm. Moreau will also need to supply some funds to the town to cover the costs for reviewing the storm-water management plan. A public hearing was scheduled for the June 5 meeting; and

– The planning board heard from Karl Dedrick for a special-use permit to allow for the construction of a single-family dwelling on his lot on Youmans Road, located within the commercial district. The 2.86-acre parcel was granted a special-use permit for construction of a home, but the permit has expired. The parcel was originally owned by Moreau, who sold it to someone else, who then sold to Dedrick. Dedrick was under the impression, upon purchasing the property, that he could build a home on the lot. The board scheduled a public hearing for its June 5 meeting.