The village of Mamaroneck approved a transit-oriented development rezoning of its Washingtonville neighborhood, going against the recommendations of a prominent village commission and foregoing creating an environmental impact statement.
Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, said he believed the board of trustees had done its due diligence and that it wasn”™t worth paying for environmental studies because that would be something undertaken and paid for by future developers of the area. He also said he disagreed with the concerns of Mamaroneck”™s Harbor and Coastal Zone Management Commission about flooding in the region.
“This has been going on for three years,” he said at the trustees”™ meeting Nov. 24, during which the new zone was approved. “We have answered all the questions.”
Residents raised concerns at two public hearings on the rezoning that included traffic impacts and the possibility that it could make flood levels worse in an area that sits on the confluence of three small rivers and has flooded dramatically several times in the last decade.
John Hostetter, a former trustee, questioned the areas targeted for the rezoning, saying its boundaries did not make logical sense. “It doesn”™t seem like anybody really in the community is gung ho for this except for the people on the board and their consultant and the village attorney who seemed to be advocating for it,” he said.
Consultant BFJ Planning, based in Manhattan, had conducted a transit-oriented development study for the village, and estimated that the rezone could actually reduce the amount of impermeable surfaces at maximum buildout levels and ease flooding conditions. Linda Whitehead, a counsel for the village, had expressed her opinion that an environmental impact statement was not needed prior to the rezone.
Trustee Andres Bermudez-Halstrom, a Democrat who lives in Washingtonville, said the evidence of the need for the change was in the lack of construction in the neighborhood while other areas of the village buzz with activity and interest. “Logically, if the current zone that”™s there now worked, people would be developing but they”™re not,” he said.
The area targeted for the rezone centers around the village”™s Metro-North station and is expected to encourage redevelopment of properties long discouraged from seeking permits due to a hodgepodge of zoning. The rezoning reduces the amount of nonconforming lots in the zone from 85 percent to 35 percent, according to Frank Fish of BFJ.
The change creates an overlay zone in the area around the village”™s main thoroughfare, Mamaroneck Avenue, and allows for mixed-use buildings in the corridor. Bonuses would be included for developers that construct affordable housing units in residential buildings or build retail or restaurant space on the ground floor of residential buildings, which would be limited to four stories or less. The area, within a quarter-mile of the train station, is expected to be an attractive option for educated millennials looking for walkable communities and access to public transportation to Manhattan.
The changes would reduce minimum lot requirements from 20,000 square feet to 7,500 square feet in the overlay zone, and would reduce lot depth by 50 yards. By boosting conformity, village officials said they expect many building owners would renovate or rebuild once they no longer need to seek variances or special permits for the work.
The rezone also comes with requirements for green building, flood mitigation measures and payment into a neighborhood stabilization fund for projects within the overlay zone. It also offers bonus allotments to ensure that a grocery store remains in the neighborhood ”“ there is an A&P on Mamaroneck Avenue near the Interstate 95 juncture.
Years ago I lived in Larchmont and often used the Mamaroneck Metro North station. Flooding issue aside, I think the trustees are forward thinking to consider TOD in this area.