Keuka holds meeting to address project

KEUKA PARK--After initial concerns with Keuka College's new building project, college administrators said they have begun working with residents to address their concerns. The Keuka Commons building project was one of the topics discussed Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Top of the Lake Restaurant during a town hall meeting held by the college. More than 50 people attended the meeting, where college representatives said they had met with neighbors the night prior and adjusted some of their policies to address their concerns.
Keuka Commons is a two-story, roughly 28,000 square foot building at the corner of Central and Assembly Avenues on the Keuka College campus. This complex will include retail space, the college bookstore, office space, a café and a fitness center. The total estimated cost of the project is $5.4 million.
The Keuka Commons project saw some opposition last year during the planning process by nearby residents. Its site plan review was initially rejected by the Yates County planning board due to a lack of comment from the Yates County Soil and Water Conservation District. Members of the Keuka Park Association also cited their objections at the planning board meeting to the project due to runoff concerns and the lack of permeable surfaces at the site.
However, the plan was approved by the board last September and has since begun construction.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Jerry Hiller said they met the night before with members of the Keuka Park Association and were working with them regarding additional concerns with minor details of the project. He said now that the permits were granted and the college is moving forward with the project, more residents have accepted the fact the building is going up and have begun working with the college on how to improve it. Hiller noted some of these improvements included additional crosswalks to deal with traffic concerns as well as the lighting that will be on the building.