Sarah Taddeo

@sjtaddeo

Local retail development giant Wilmorite Construction is looking to bring a hotel, office and retail development to Schoen Place in Pittsford.

Here's what you should know about the project in its preliminary stages.

1. What's proposed?

The developer plans to build a 76,000 square foot, 80-room hotel with a spa and a bistro-style restaurant, as well as office and retail space on a plot of land that houses a former mill, barns and weigh station, which used to process and store kidney beans. The old mill sits near one of the village of Pittsford’s trademark sites, the Pittsford Flour Mill and grain elevator.

The mixed-use piece of the project would comprise two, three-level buildings at 23,000 square feet each, with the first levels geared toward a mix of regional and national retail stores and restaurants, and the second and third floors being used for office space, said Dennis Wilmot, senior vice president of retail development at Wilmorite Construction.

Wilmorite plans to put in 345 parking spaces, which will allow enough space for office employees, and guests at the hotel, restaurant and retail establishments to park comfortably, said Paul Wilmot, president of Wilmorite Construction and non-retail development. The goal is to keep patrons from overflowing into already crowded parking lots currently at Schoen Place. .

The developers declined to comment on the project's price tag at this time.

2. How are the developers incorporating historic Pittsford into the project?

The mill dates back to around 1911, said Village Mayor Robert Corby, and the entire complex, which sits near the waterfront, is on village, state and national lists of historic places and landmarks. Ted Zornow ran the bean mill from the 1930s to 1997, when his daughter Betsy Powers bought the property. Wilmorite entered into a contract to buy the site from the Powers family in November.

"This is the last unfinished piece of Schoen Place," said Corby. "The uses they’ve proposed seem to be compatible with what’s already on Schoen Place."

Preserving the historic and environmental character of the parcel and area has been a top priority in the preliminary building design, said Paul Wilmot.

About half of the 4.2-acre parcel is farmland that's zoned commercial, and the other half sits under the three barns and weigh station. The developers plan to turn the weigh station into an educational center about the Erie Canal and the history of the village.

They also intend to recycle materials from the barns to be used in the architecture of the hotel and other facilities, said Paul Wilmot.

"We want people to walk by and think these buildings have been here for a hundred years," he said, adding that he'd like to incorporate not only the recycled wood, but also cobblestone, granite and stained timber into the hotel facade design to create a "rustic elegant meets charming New England" feel, he said.

Wilmorite would face several zoning challenges in the project review process, said Corby — for example, village officials would have to change the zoning code to allow the B4 business district zoning designation in that area to allow hotels.

3. How did this idea emerge?

Wilmorite was approached by a broker representing the Powers family several years ago about whether they'd be interested in the site, said Paul Wilmot.

In coming up with the best use for the property, the developers felt the market was right for a destination hotel and office space that integrated well with the waterfront nature of the parcel, he said.

The Powers family plans to develop another building on the property in conjunction with but separate from the Wilmorite proposal, said Paul Wilmot.

In a discussion with Wilmorite personnel, Roger Powers Sr. said he intends to move his son's screen printing business, RPS Screen Printing & Art Services, into the new building, and designate any extra space as mixed use. RPS currently operates out of one of the barns on the parcel.

4. What do residents and business owners think?

Several neighbors said the looming barns are unsightly and that something new should be done with the land.

"It's an eyesore," said Pittsford town resident Will Scherberger, adding that he'd like to see something built there that keeps the aesthetics of the area. "Whatever goes there shouldn't look out of place," he said.

Whatever happens, the village will make sure that new development works with Schoen Place's existing atmosphere, said Chris Karaim of Pittsford.

She and husband Gene would love to see improvement on the major existing hassle in the Schoen Place area if a new development is built — "The planners should make sure they have adequate parking," said Gene Karaim. "But on the surface, this seems positive."

Many Schoen Place business owners would have a welcoming attitude to a new development, said Susan Matuck of Via Girasole Wine Bar.

"Schoen Place is like a big family," she said. Businesses there share customers and suggest visitng other Schoen Place establishments while in the area.

"Anything that brings more people here is a bonus," said Matuck.

The Wilmots acknowledged the likelihood of backlash from some residents who may feel the project is overblown for the area or may not fit the historic character of Schoen Place.

"We are hyper-sensitive to the historic nature and culture of the Erie Canal and the village of Pittsford," said Paul Wilmot. "We have put our best efforts forward to lay out a project and design a project that we think the community will be proud of."

5. What's next?

The developers haven’t been before any village boards yet, said Corby, but they’ve had an informal conversation with the village on the vision for the project. The developers are in talks with the town to determine what should be their best next step, said Paul Wilmot.

STADDEO@Gannett.com