Staff Writer

ONEONTA — The owner of Samsons Decorating Warehouse is seeking city to convert the first-floor Elm Street business to apartments.

James Reeks Jr., who bought the building at 9-15 Elm St. in 2000, said this week he hopes to eventually relocate Samsons to Southside and have the apartments completed by the end of 2004.

The city's Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to review Reeks' requests next Monday for density and parking variances, and for a site plan review of the project. The ZBA will meet in City Hall at 7 p.m.

Reeks applied for the requests under the business name of James N. Reeks Jr., LLC.

An OK by the zoning board would make way for the construction of nine one-bedroom apartments, each including a combined living room and kitchen area, a bathroom and a closet.

Reeks, a developer who owns one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments on Main and Walnut streets, said there is a need for more housing within the city.

"Oneonta has a shortage of quality apartments," he said. "Whether it's a lack of retirement housing or housing in general, we don't have enough."

In March 2000, the city approved Reeks' plans to convert the building — the former Showcase Cinema — to the decorating store with six three-bedroom apartments on top.

Until that time, Samsons was located at the site of what is now Resnick's Troy Mattress Outlet at 265 Main St.

Reeks said a shortage of parking, a lack of visibility from Main Street and problems with delivery trucks maneuvering on Elm Street led to his plan to relocate again.

"(Elm Street) was never going to be our final resting place," Reeks said.

He said he purchased the Elm Street theater two years ago because he didn't want to see the property "lie fallow." Apartments, he added, will eventually be the best use for the entire building.

College students now occupy four of the apartments above Samsons, he said. Professional people rent the other two apartments.

Property Reeks owns on Southside, located in front of BJ's Wholesale Club on state Route 23, would eventually become home to Samsons.

The plan, Reeks said, is to develop the property and construct an 8,000-square-foot building for the retail store before any work is started on the Elm Street apartments.

On Southside, he said, Samsons would share its space with another retailer.

Louis Shields, a member of the zoning board, said Reeks' requests for density and parking variances for the Elm Street property will be reviewed carefully.

According to information supplied to the board by the city's Code Enforcement Office, Shields said, city code requires 22,500 square feet for 15 apartments. Reeks' lot size is only 14,500 square feet, he said.

Regarding the parking variance, Shields said the property is short the number of parking spaces required for the "combined, proposed and continuing uses."

Reeks declined to comment on the status of that plan.

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Jill Fahy can be reached at jfahy@thedailystar.com or (607) 441-7221.