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Frequently Asked Questions: The Milo-Penn Yan Annexation & Housing Project

Introduction: The Finger Lakes Economic Development Center (FLEDC) is committed to the long-term economic health and vibrancy of Yates County. To ensure a prosperous future, we must carefully balance the competing needs of all our local industries—including agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and the service sector. Each of these pillars depends on the others to survive, and currently, they all share a common obstacle: a critical shortage of housing. We have put together this FAQ to address common questions, clear up misconceptions about land use, and explain how this project directly aligns with the Town of Milo’s long-term planning goals to support our local families, schools, and employers.

Click the + next to each question to expand for answers.

  • We have a conceptual model, but a finalized "shovel-ready" site plan has not yet been drafted. In the development world, you must know the "rules of the game" (zoning and utilities) before you can formalize a layout. Once the annexation is settled and we know exactly what rules we are playing by, we will work with a developer to formalize an actual site plan for the property.

  • Annexation is the prerequisite for a real plan. It allows us to determine the exact density allowed on the site, which is the primary piece of information a housing developer needs to provide a viable proposal. Attracting a developer is difficult if they don’t know what zoning rules they need to adhere to. Additionally, any uncertainty in a project, like annexation and eminent domain lawsuits, will quickly cause developers to lose interest.  By the FLEDC taking on the burden of getting through these initial processes, it will help us attract developers and allow us more ability to direct any future development to meet our stated needs.  Once a developer is secured and a draft plan is in place, we can then perform the specific traffic, engineering, and environmental studies (SEQRA) required to move forward responsibly

  • It comes down to utility access and scale. Annexation allows a project to utilize available Village water, sewer, and electricity. Relying on outside utility providers would introduce massive construction costs that would effectively price out the attainable housing our community needs. Furthermore, the Village allows for "smart density." By spreading fixed infrastructure costs (like roads and pipes) over more units, the cost per home drops, making them affordable for local families.

  • ‍We viewed this land as a logical transition for growth. It is not in a state-certified Agricultural District and is already surrounded by non-agricultural uses like the Horizon Business Park, Yates County Fairgrounds, Friendly Dodge Car Dealership, NYS Department of Transportation and the Yates County Airport. Most importantly, this project fulfills the Town of Milo’s own Comprehensive Plan (Link to Town of Milo Comprehensive Plan) including the following: ‍ ‍‍ ‍

    Residential Development: Goal 1: Ensure that future residential development maximizes the efficient use of existing public infrastructure and minimizes the cost of public services relative to revenue generated.           

    ‍ ‍·        Objective 1. Adopt land use regulations that will encourage higher density residential development, including multiple dwellings, to occur in or adjacent to the Village and hamlets.‍‍ ‍

    Residential Development: Goal 2: Provide for a variety of affordable, high-quality housing options for all Town residents. ‍ ‍

    ·        Objective 1. Provide for the construction and placement of different types and styles of housing, and different densities, to serve the needs of different populations in the Town.‍ ‍

    Economic Development: Goal 1: Maintain and enhance the local economy and its ties to the regional economy, expand the local property tax base and the availability of higher wage jobs and other close-to-home employment opportunities for Town residents.  ‍ ‍

    ·        Objective 1. In collaboration with the Village and the Yates County Industrial Development Agency, promote the development of additional light industry in suitable locations inside and outside the Village.  ‍ ‍

    ·        Objective 3. Develop a Capital Improvement Program for the purpose of providing public infrastructure were deemed necessary to promote economic growth along Rte. 14A, Route 54 – East Lake Road, Old Bath Road, and areas east of Route 14.‍ ‍

  • Helping local processors grow is the single biggest positive impact we can make for agriculture in Yates County. Farmland protection and workforce housing are partners in a stable local economy. For example, KanPak alone buys $47 million dollars of milk annually from local dairies and they could purchase even more if they had access to more employees. To meet KanPak's current milk demand, it takes the equivalent of 8,100 cows and 10,000 acres of local feed crops. Helping KanPak grow is a direct investment in the success of our local farmers.

    The impact on physical farmland is remarkably minimal compared to the economic benefit. This 70-acre parcel represents less than one-tenth of one percent of total county farmland. By building with high density on this specific site, we are actually protecting our rural landscape by preventing "checkerboard sprawl" that would otherwise consume thousands of acres of prime soil across the Town and County as workers search for housing in more remote areas.

    It is also important to note that agriculture is a growing industry here. Between 2017 and 2022, Yates County actually added 2,500 acres of farmland. Providing housing is not an attack on that growth; it is a way to ensure the industry has the workforce stability needed to keep those thousands of acres profitable and in local hands for generations to come.

  • Our goal is a "mixed-housing" community. This means a variety of options—such as single-family homes, townhomes, and multi-family units—that serve people at different stages of life, from young professionals starting their careers to seniors looking to downsize.

  • The "500" figure was a hypothetical example used to show the capacity of the land under a high-density model. It demonstrated that by building with density on this one site, we could meet our community's housing needs while conserving hundreds of other acres of farmland from development pressure elsewhere. It was never a target to build 500 homes at once; it was an example of how "smart growth" protects our rural landscape.

  • The exact number will be determined by market demand, but the FLEDC will ensure growth is manageable. We intend to only develop enough land to cover the first phase of the project. We will ensure the developer does exactly what they promised, at the price points they stated, before we would sell the next section of land for future phases.

  • Our goal is neither extreme. The FLEDC’s objective is to partner with a developer to build housing for our local working population at price points that are attainable for a broad range of income levels. While some "high-priced" homes may exist elsewhere in the county, this specific project is focused on our early-to-mid-career workers—the teachers, health care professionals, and manufacturing staff who are currently being priced out of our market. By utilizing the higher density and lower utility costs provided by the Village, we can ensure the project remains geared toward the people who keep our community running.

  • We anticipate a blend of both. However, because New York State residential construction costs now range from $200 to over $350 per square foot, a majority of the units will likely need to be for-rent to keep them attainable for local employees. A well-managed rental unit allows a local family to live in high-quality housing without the massive mortgage burden created by current construction costs.

  • The Chief of Police has stated that no additional staff would be necessary to serve this site. The Fire Department confirmed they already serve this site through an existing agreement with the Town. Furthermore, the Fire Department hopes this housing will expand the volunteer pool, bringing in new residents who can serve as future firefighters.

  • To stop our community's decline. In the last 15 years, our school district enrollment has dropped by 425 students—roughly the size of our entire high school. Those are 425 future residents and volunteers that Yates County has lost. We need more housing to ensure our businesses have the labor pool they need to stay and our schools remain vibrant.

  • It was a strategic pivot based on the urgent needs of our current employers. We realized we could support our existing local businesses more effectively by providing homes for their workers than by building a new industrial park for companies that would struggle to find staff anyway.

    Virtually every major employer in our region—including Finger Lakes Health, Keuka College, Penn Yan Central School District, KanPak, Silgan Plastics, Coach & Equipment, Penn Yan Aero, and Oak Hill Bulk Foods—has stated that the lack of available housing is the single biggest challenge they face with employee recruitment and retention. This is the primary reason we are pushing forward with this development.

  • Traffic impact is a major part of the site plan review process that happens after annexation. Any development will be required to meet state and local safety standards. Infrastructure improvements follow growth; without new residents, the community has less leverage to secure the funds needed to maintain and improve our roads.