Officials reject the plan of apartments in the Quality Inn in West Goshen – Daily Local

WEST GOSHEN – Supervisors of the village unanimously agreed to abandon the plans of the developer to build 167 apartments on the site of Quality Inn, Stanton Avenue and Highway 202.

A plot of eight or nine acres has a limited commercial area, or C-3, and without a zoning change the apartment will not be allowed.

Sam Tarantini, managing director of the Branchport Capitol, has rented out 80 one-bedroom, 37 one-bedroom and 51 two-bedroom apartments for rent at market rates without students or Section 8 tenants at the former Treadway Inn location. He also suggested adding climate control self-storage units to part of the site.

Chairman of the Supervisory Board Sean Walsh noted that the possibility of increasing traffic was a matter of serious concern due to the busy proposed entrance to Route 202.

This nearest entrance to the main artery Route 202 allows motorists only to turn right or go north. A reversal is required to head south. Traffic on Route 202 is often delayed.

Crime was a problem. At a recent meeting, the council heard Chief of Police Joseph Carroll, who said that during 2020, police responded to 495 incidents at the hotel and made nine arrests, which took 151 hours of officers ’time.

The 144-room Quality Inn has 8,440 square feet of unused meeting space, as well as a 5,500-square-foot bar, kitchen and restaurant, and 286 parking spaces. The hotel was opened in 1971.

With the current zoning, the new owner can expand to 104,000 square feet. Currently, the property is rightfully distributed for retail, personal services, office buildings, wholesale, storage or distribution, laboratory facilities or medical clinics, forestry and training center.

Chairman Sean Walsh said that because of the lack of new housing, and although he supports the construction of new housing, he opposes redevelopment of property.

The housing shortage across the country has been caused by a sluggish construction market since 2006, Walsh said.

He noted that since 2012, 12 million new households have been inhabited and only 7 million homes built.

“New housing is very important,” Walsh said.

Although he does not support new plans on High Street in West Goshen, Walsh said he did not know what would happen to the property in the future.