Southtowns Record

Planning Board minutes — January 15, 2026

Government
Town of Marilla
Board
Planning Board
Meeting
Jan 15, 2026
Kind
Minutes
Topics
Zoning and land use, Public safety

Publisher's summary

Added by hand from the Town of Marilla's public DocuWare minutes search.

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Chairman Schoenwetter addressed the public, stating the applicants were going to present their
case and there would be no discussion during this time. She also stated that there will be a public
hearing where the public would be notified and questions could be presented. Supervisor
Gingerich stated the announcement will appear in the papers. He will also send out a telephone
notification, and it will also appear on Facebook.

Marc Romanowski of Rupp Pfalzgraf representing The William and Diane Hein Foundation for
the rooming house. Mr. Romanowski stated the purpose of this boarding house/rooming house is
to provide abused women with a quiet, peaceful place to recover. He discussed the Zoning Board
of Appeals variance that was granted with considerations. He stated this is not a halfway house.
Chairman Schoenwetter asked if this house was going to be a tenant type of situation. Mr.
Romanowski stated the individuals typically stay in this arrangement for 12 to 15 months. Mr.
Romanowski explained this house would give these women time to recover in a stable
environment. Mr. Romanowski stated the applicant agreed to pay all required taxes associated
with the property. Mr. Romanowski was unsure if the security being provided in the house would
be armed or unarmed and he stated he would report back to the Board regarding that. Currently,
Mr. Romanowski stated they were assuming one single security guard to be on site, but he would
report back to the Board. Debbie Zimmerman asked if the four employees on site during the day
were medically certified to handle small medical incidents and Mr. Romanowski stated they
would be trained to handle minor issues without having to call community services. Mr.
Romanowski stated this group is more than adequately funded to support themselves. Mr.
Romanowski stated he would investigate ways to provide the town with information about the
women in the house without jeopardizing their identity. Shawn Slammon asked what other
facilities this organization operates that are similar and if they do not, what other organizations
operate these facilities, what are they called and where they are located. Mr. Romanowski stated
he could not provide any locations due to the nature of the organization. Mr. Slammon asked
why these other facilities are being protected and being kept confidential but the Stolle Road
project information was public. Mr. Slammon stated that public officials have received phone
calls regarding this facility. Mr. Romanowski stated he was not concerned about this location
being public and that it was not unusual for this type of facility to engender this kind of public
response. Mr. Romanowski stated he would investigate providing the town with information on
how other facilities operate and what type of impact they may or may not have. Mr. Romanowski
stated he represents a variety of organizations that provide services like this. Mr. Romanowski
stated the organization he represents do not currently have a housing facility, but they do operate
support services. Cari Jaroslawsky stated this was the first meeting of the Planning Board since a
completed application had been received from this organization. that her understanding initially
was this facility was to house domestic violence victims. Ms. Jaroslawsky asked about victims of
human trafficking being housed at the property. Mr. Romanowski stated there would be a mix of
women both victims of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking.

Debbie Zimmerman acknowledged David Eckert, the current property owner, confirmed they
(and his wife Maria) had not yet sold the property located at 11411 Stolle Road. Additionally,
Ms. Zimmerman discussed the fact that Mr. Eckert’s sister, Joanne Eckert, signed as the notary of
record and that family members should not be notarizing information pertaining to land due to the
fact they could be involved with the property settlement. Mr. Eckert also acknowledged his
realtor is a family member. Ms. Zimmerman questioned the validity of a letter from the Erie
County Sheriff concerning the organization due to the fact that the name of the organization had
never been disclosed or discussed with any member of the Planning Board. Ms. Zimmerman
stated that the organization has continuously refused to identify themselves to the Planning Board
since the first meeting in 2025. After doing their own research, it came to the Board’s discovered
the organization was PATH (People Against Human Trafficking) (typographical errors amended