A proposal to develop a portion of Schoen Place in Pittsford is apparently off the table.
Development company Wilmorite had planned to buy property from a local farmer, to put up a hotel and spa along with offices and shops. That plan was put on hold after the village board approved a moratorium on new construction last year.
Wilmorite issued a statement Monday saying that it withdrew its development application, saying that there is no reason to leave their application in a pending status when the village has what Wilmorite calls,“uncertain zoning.“
Alan Knauf is the lawyer for Wilmorite, he said his clients just decided to move on and invest their money elsewhere.
"While other communities would have met this with open arms and said what a great project this is, how wonderful you've decided to come to our municipality to do this great project, the Village of Pittsford has just been throwing up roadblocks."
A statement from the Village of Pittsford says this proposal is a significant development and requires a number of state and federal approvals as well. They expected re-application to be "likely after conclusion of the moratorium, but Knauf says that is unlikely from Wilmorite at this time.
Wilmorite President Paul Wilmot says that their project had a lot of support from village residents and he says it is “disappointing to all of us how this has transpired.”
Wilmot says that his company has an excellent relationship with the Powers family, (which was going to sell the property contingent on the necessary approval), and he says Wilmorite will continue to explore development options.
