BALDWINSVILLE -- Radisson residents will get a chance to speak out against a proposal to build a $17 million YMCA just off Drakes Landing Road at a public hearing in Baldwinsville tonight.
The YMCA has been working for two years on a proposal. The land is zoned for residential use and a group of neighbors have filed a lawsuit to stop the project. The Radisson General Plan allows for development in residential areas if it is deemed a community facility.
Melissa Dack says the YMCA, which is expected to bring 2,000 cars a day to the neighborhood, is too large to fit the definition of a community project. "I don't think a 98,000 square foot building is minor. I'm sorry I just don't buy into that," she says.
Some have questioned why the YMCA doesn't build on commercial property which is available in other areas of Radisson. YMCA of Greater Syracuse CEO Hal Welsh says the location of the proposed YMCA is critical to the project. "The Y has to be visible. There is no reason we can be stuck way back in some corner and be expected to serve the public."
The Empire Development Corporation will be holding tonight's public hearing in the auditorium of Baker High School in Baldwinsville from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
