Citizens for an Informed Yorktown

 

 

Planning Board

September 12, 2016

 

Attending:  John Flynn, Rich Fon, William LaScala, Anthony Tripodi

 

1. Lowe’s Home Center (formally Costco)

In an amended site plan, representatives of Breslin Realty, the owner of the site that was originally planned for Costco, unveiled plans for Loewe’s Home Center, two stand alone restaurants and a stand alone bank.   No gas pumps are planned.

 

(See Costco, for a discussion of that plan.) 

 

Timetable and SEQRA review: The applicant anticipates beginning construction in 2017 and a 2018 opening.  Work may begin later this year or early 2017 on the demolition of the existing structures on the site and environmental remediation measures including the scrapping away of soil and removal of trees.  Subject to getting the proper permits and preparation of a stormwater plan (SWPPP), the latter work can begin while the Planning Board reviews the amended site plan.

 

Because, according to the applicant, the new plan does not create any new “significant” impacts, the applicant anticipates that a full SEQRA review will not be needed and that a supplemental EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) might suffice.  In its place, the applicant has submitted a Technical Memorandum that compares the impacts of the previously approved Costco site plan with the new plan. It will be up to the Planning Board to compare the impacts, request additional information if needed, and then document its analysis of why a new SEQRA is not needed.  According to the board’s counsel, the analysis of impacts will have to be circulated to outside agencies prior to Planning Board approval.

 

Plan:The new plan calls for a 120,663 sq. ft.  Loewe’s, plus a 25,448 sq. ft garden center, slightly smaller than the 151,000 sq. ft.  Costco structure.  The building has been moved somewhat to the north on the site and because the site is lower than Route 202, only a portion of the building’s peaked Loewe’s sign will be visible from Route 202. The two restaurants, 7,600 sq. ft. and 4,500 sq. ft. and a 4,000 sq. ft. bank will be located close to Route 202 with parking to the rear of the buildings.

 

According to the applicant, one of the restaurants may have a drive up window but it will not be a fast food type restaurant.  The applicant is currently negotiating with prospective restaurant and bank tenants who are prepared to work with the applicant to achieve some common design elements such as façade colors and textures.  If, however, the prospective tenants change, the architectural plans may need to be changed to reflect the tenants’ needs.

 

The garden center will include a propane tank exchange location.

 

The site’s main entrance at Mohansic Avenue will remain the same and the secondary access to the west has been shifted slightly.

 

Parking: Using a combination of parking requirements for the different uses which have different peak hours, and historical parking data from other Loewe’s locations, the plan calls for 512 parking spaces, or a ratio of 3.1 spaces/1,000 sq. ft.  (The Costco plan had about 610 spaces or a 4.0 ratio.)  The town’s code currently has no parking requirements for garden centers.

 

Traffic & Infrastructure: Even though the revised plan anticipates a 5% -15% reduction in peak hour traffic, the applicant will make the same  infrastructure improvements, e.g., road widening  and traffic light signalization, as in the Costco plan.  The applicant anticipates submitting the final road widening plans to the state DOT by late October.

 

The sewer and water infrastructure plans remain the same. The parcel is now in the county’s Peekskill Sanitary Sewer District. The applicant assured the board that the proposed sewer line has more than enough capacity to handle to heavier restaurant use as well as the proposed Crompond Terraces development to the west.

 

Financial impacts: Based on future assessed values supplied by the town assessor, the applicant anticipates that the revised plan  will generate  $1.2 million in taxes compared to $900,000 from Costco, with $132,000 going to the town.  The new plan will, however, generate less sales tax for the county because of the elimination of the gas pumps.

 

Full time employment is estimated at between 150-180 persons for Loewe’s and an additional 130 full time equivalents for the three additional buildings.

 

Market issues:  Based on an updated market study, the applicant concludes that Loewe’s will not have a negative impact on local mom and pop stores and that it could capture some of the $1 billion  in sales it estimates is leaving the area.

 

Landscaping and lighting: The landscaping plan will be similar to the Costco plan and will include a row of plantings on state property parallel to the southbound lanes of the Taconic Parkway. The lighting plan is still being reviewed but will include a combination of 16’ and 25’ poles as in the Costco plan.

 

Stormwater: The one major change from the Costco plan, although the applicant does not consider it a “significant” impact, is how stormwater will be treated. Whereas the Costco plan called for underground storage, the new plan utilizes above ground storage ponds on a 3.38 acre site north of the building abutting the Taconic Parkway that the applicant plans to purchase from New York State.  While this will involve the removal of trees, the applicant indicated that new shrubs of higher value  than the existing trees would be planted. The applicant anticipates that the state and city agencies that oversee stormwater will be more receptive to this more standard above ground approach to handling stormwater because it is easier to maintain.  Because of the site’s topography, stormwater runoff will be directed to outlets both the north and south of the site.

 

The applicant anticipates returning to the Planning Board in two weeks for the September 26 meeting.

 

2. Featherbed (Colangelo) Jacob Road

In a change of plans, the applicant is now proposing only 6 lots plus a farm stand on Jacob Road and a trail behind the houses leading to the Hunter Brook with the possibility of a dog park.  The applicant is still seeking approval from the Town Board to use the town’s flexibility standards that would allow him to shrink the size of the individual lots and permit a narrower private road. The future of the remaining portion of the site is undetermined  with the possibility remaining that it could be used for agricultural purposes, either for individual gardens for the homeowners or used by abutting Hemlock Hill Farms to raise corn an hay for the farm’s cattle.

 

Prior to going to the Town Board, the Planning Board needs to confirm the number of lots that can be subdivided under a conventional layout. However, there was disagreement over what additional information was needed or required by town code in order for the board needed to validate that after environmental constraints were taken into account, the property could be subdivided into  6 lots.

 

Bruce Barber, the town’s environmental consultant, said that given the site’s slopes in excess of 20% and the presence of rock out croppings, more information was needed; Planning Director John Tegeder said  he needed documentation that the parcel was in the Peekskill Sanitary Sewer District and would be serviced by sewers, not septic systems that could require more land per lot.  In response, the applicant’s engineer stated that his client did not want to spend the additional money to provide the information requested by Mr. Barber and that the parcel was located in the county sewer district. The board’s counsel said that the language of the flexibility provisions did not require the additional information that Mr. Barber felt was necessary. The board then advised the applicant  that before sending a resolution  to the Town Board requesting permission to review the application under flexibility, the applicant needed to provide documentation that the parcel was in the county sewer district.

 

It was also noted that if and when the Planning “Board approves  the subdivision for up to 6 possible single family homes, the remaining portion of the 53 acre site could be further subdivided.

 

3. 3787 Crompond Road (Brophy)

Site engineer Joe Riina presented the requested lighting plan.  The two security lights along Route 202 will be eliminated and six 100 watt residential style fixtures will be placed on the building. An existing security light at the rear of the building will be retained.  Because the new fixtures are residential, not commercial, Mr. Riina  explained that no photometric data was available.

 

A public hearing will be held on September 26.

 

4. Pied Piper Preschool, 2090 Crompond Road

The applicant is proposing to expand its facility by adding a second story to its existing one story structure and add on a two story addition to the rear, increasing the facility’s size from 3,618 sq. ft. to 17,335 sq. ft. The enlarged structure would increase potential enrollment from  66 children  to147. The plan includes a covered outdoor play area attached to the new addition.

 

The applicant is currently before the Zoning Board seeking an amended special permit and a coverage variance: The existing building covers 12% of the site were 25% coverage is allowed. With the proposed addition, coverage would be 33%, or an increase of 3,000 sq. ft.

 

Given the site plan issues, including parking, traffic, and how the construction will be scheduled to accommodate the school’s ongoing program, the Planning Board will send a memo to the ZBA indicating it wants to do a site plan review before the ZBA makes a final determination.

 

5. RGP Properties, Lexington Avenue

(Click here for the previous meeting summaries that rezoned the parcel.)  The applicant presented a site plan application that conforms to the recently approved rezoning. A public informational hearing will be held on October 17.

 

Mr. Tegeder explained that the plan was the most appropriate layout for the site.  Prior to the informational meeting, the board asked the applicant to consider the following issues:

 

Parking lot: Whether the mass of the lot could be divided in half, separated by some plantings, and the upper portion of the shifted slightly into the open space area. The developer was concerned about encroaching on the buffer to the adjoining homes.

 

Water and sewer lines: Instead of running the lines behind the buildings, the board asked the developer to consider running them under the parking lot in order to allow for more landscaping behind the houses which could provide more buffering for the abutting properties.  The applicant’s concern was that if any repair work had to be done with the lines, it could temporarily limit parking.   Mr. Tegeder suggested that if the construction went beyond one day, a plate could be placed over the working trench.

 

Dumpster: The board was concerned about the location in the front of the parcel, but the applicant explained his desire not to place  the dumpster to the rear closer to the  single family homes. 

 

The site’s sewer connection and stormwater plans remain to be worked out. The plan will require variances from the Zoning Board.