Chili Land Purchase Questioned

Below is a letter to the editor which appeared on page 10A in the April 23, 2009 - Gates-Chili Post (click on the letter to enlarge it).  Heath Miller asks a very good question.  Why is the Town of Chili purchasing landlocked land for the highway garage?  

DPW Construction Cost

Below is Passero Associate's estimated construction cost for a new Department of Public Works:  $9.1 Million for the building and $11.7 Million total.  Notice that the $11.7 Million included only $225,000 for 15 acres of land, not $1 Million for 36 acres of land.

Tax Free Property?

The picture below shows the parcel formerly known as 100 Beaver Road outlined in blue.  It is two separate pieces, although both are part of the same tax ID number.

The main piece is shaded below.  It is approximately 143 acres.  

The landlocked piece is shaded below.  It is approximately 6.91 acres.

What is astonishing is that the tax bill for 100 Beaver Road shows a total of only 142.78 acres!  That's the acreage of the main piece only and does not include the landlocked piece.

Check out last year's land assessment for 100 Beaver Road below.  Approximately $1.57 Million for 142.78 acres. Surprisingly, $1.57 Million is what the appraisal came in for only about 32 acres of this land ($1.5 Million for the 25-acre site and $70,000 for the 6.91-acre site).  Looks like this land has been grossly underassessed for quite some time!   

Wouldn't it be nice if the Town Assessor gave us all a big property tax break by underassessing our homes, or better yet, excluding land from the assessment all together?  Perhaps different standards are used if the land owner is a wealthy developer?  

A Tale of Two Sites

Below is a map that shows the 25-acre site and the 6.91-acre site that was appraised.

Notice how the 6.91-acre site is completely landlocked?

The Town of Chili does not currently own any of the land adjacent to this landlocked site.  The land to the west and north is owned by COMIDA - Wegmans; the land to the east is owned by Perl Land Development Corporation (not The Father's House as stated in the appraisal); and the land to the south is the CSX railroad tracks.

During the public forum of the last two Town Board meetings, residents have asked why the Town of Chili is purchasing this landlocked site.  The Town Board refuses to answer any questions about it.  So much for open government!

A Friend in Need

Check out the invitations for a recent fundraiser hosted by Larry Glazer and John Caruso & Passero Associates for Supervisor Dunning.  Yes, that's Larry (Laurence) Glazer, the person listed as Manager of 100 Beaver Road, LLC, the owner of the 36 acres of land the Town of Chili wants to buy for $1 Million.

Land Owner

Question:  Who currently owns the 36 acres of land on Beaver Road that the Town of Chili wants to buy for the future development and construction of a Highway Department/DPW facility?

Answer:  100 Beaver Road, LLC.

According to a mortgage and security agreement filed with Monroe County Clerk's Office on January 27, 2005, Laurence C. Glazer is the Manager of 100 Beaver Road, LLC.

Mr. Glazer is also the CEO of Buckingham Properties.

Fuzzy Math: 25 + 7 = 36

Resolution #148, unanimously approved by the Chili Town Board on March 4, 2009, states that the Town is acquiring approximately 36 acres of land on Beaver Road for the future development and construction of a Highway Department/DPW facility.

But the appraisal for this property indicates two separate sites: a 25-acre site and a 6.91-acre site.

The sum of 25 acres and 6.91 acres is approximately 32 acres, not 36!  What happened to the other 4 acres?