OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Town of Hanover Supervisor Lou Pelletter is hopeful the Town can welcome future development, especially along Routes 5 and 20.

HANOVER — The Route 5 and 20 corridor in the Town of Hanover is already a busy stretch of road, and it will soon be a lot busier. But it is not just the impending waterline and lane reduction projects that have the area in the forefront of the minds of local officials.

A public hearing was held at a recent Town Board meeting to rezone portions of Routes 5 and 20 from residential properties to a business district for the purpose of attracting further development in the region.

Originally scheduled just to address a property that required a public hearing each time it changed hands due to its classification as a business in a residential district, the public hearing turned into much more. The hearing was adjourned until a later date for more discussion to include a greater portion of the region than initially expected. Tax rates in the Town are based on assessment, so residential property taxes will not be impacted by the change.

The Town also held a public hearing to discuss the site plan application process. In an effort to streamline the process, all departments would be notified when a site plan is submitted. No action was taken following the hearing.

Supervisor Lou Pelletter has been an advocate for development in the region for many years. He recently spoke strongly in favor of a hotel being built in the Town and remains hopeful that a hotel developer will choose Hanover for a future project. Pelletter also spoke strongly in favor of a new facility planned at the former Lakeshore Hospital site, located on Routes 5 and 20. He also commended the plans for a senior living facility at the site of the old Main Street School in Silver Creek. It is unclear as of now what plans could follow in the future, but the Town wants to be ready for any future development opportunities that could arise.

The Town also recently authorized Pelletter to sign a contract with Ingalls Planning and Design, of Fairport, to develop the Town’s Comprehensive Plan at a cost of $60,000. The Town will allocate $31,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds and $29,000 of the General Fund balance to cover the cost.

The Town is also hopeful to secure funding through the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to extend the playground at Bicentennial Park on King Road. The Town hopes to widen the road, install a volleyball court, and add a swing-set and baseball field, along with extra pavement around the recent addition to the park, which features an updated pavilion. Cameras are also being installed at the park. Pelletter is evaluating costs for all of the Town’s wishes for the park as the Town evaluates its grant funding options.

Pelletter is also working with a solar energy provider in hopes of securing a 10% discount on the Town’s electric costs, along with a discount for residents, as well.

The expansion of the Bullrock Solar Hanover I LLC Project was also recently approved by the Town Board. The northern solar array will extend to the west, away from Hanover Road. The project will not encroach upon any setbacks. Additionally, the underground medium voltage will be replaced with an overhead line extension from Hanover Road to the project site.

Pelletter was recently authorized to enter into a service agreement with New Wave Energy Co., of Buffalo, for the supply of the Town’s electric and natural gas needs. An agreement was also approved with iWorQ software for Code Enforcement support. The setup cost of $3,000 will be covered by American Rescue Plan Act funds, while the annual cost of $7,000 will be taken from the Code Enforcement budget.

The Town Board also approved the hiring of Scott Thompson as a full-time Motor Equipment Operator for the Highway Department at an hourly rate of $25.02. Thompson will begin on Nov. 4. Additionally, Christopher Ruffin and Dylan Snickles were approved as volunteer members of the Sunset Bay Volunteer Fire Company.

The next meeting of the Hanover Town Board has been moved to Tuesday, Nov. 12, to accommodate for Veterans Day.