The Putnam Examiner

IDA Puts Union Place Application on Hold

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The Putnam County Industrial Development Agency has decided not to proceed with developer Paul Camarda’s application for financing and tax abatements for Union Place, a proposed mixed use development in Mahopac, until the project is approved by the Town of Carmel, IDA Chairman Kevin Bailey said.

“We’ll wait until the developer gets all his approvals, whether it takes one year, two years or three years,” Bailey said. “We are just going to hold off on Union Place until we get all that in.”

At a public hearing last week, IDA officials drew criticism for holding a meeting on Union Place even though the project conflicted with Carmel’s current zoning laws. Camarda would likely need a zoning change or variance, then would need approval from several Carmel boards.

“People expressed their concerns, and we listened,” Bailey said.

Bailey added that another public hearing will be held if the IDA ultimately moves forward with the Union Place application. That meeting would be held in the evening, he said, as the 2 p.m. start of last week’s Union Place meeting irked some residents.

A meeting to discuss two other Camarda projects, Stateline Retail Center in Southeast and Patterson Crossing on the border of Patterson and Kent, was originally set for March 9; it was postponed, however, due to concerns that the meeting room would not be big enough, Bailey said. A new date for the meeting has not yet been announced.

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