Though the North Castle town supervisor called the public hearing on Wednesday “anticlimactic,” the vote to apply a new zoning law to the site of a potential golf community was another step forward for a project that has been scaled back amid scrutiny over four years.
The Town Board at the meeting ”“ which was a mostly procedural hearing that was the result of a thorough vetting process after years of hearings ”“ mapped the recently approved zoning law for a Golf Course Community Floating Overlay District to the Brynwood Golf & Country Club.
“The purpose of public hearings is to get input from the public and we want to hear them,” said Michael J. Schiliro, the town supervisor. “We may not agree with everything, but we want to hear them.”
Since 2011, Brynwood Partners LLC has submitted draft after draft to the Town Board and community, seeking approval for a residential addition to the country club.
The project became mired in debate among the community and Town Board. The concerns included the residential density for the 156-acre property ”“ which decreased from previous plans that included as many as 243 units to the now-approved 73 ”“ and the style of residences proposed, which went from condominiums to fee-simple, single-family homes.
The next step for Brynwood is to meet with the Planning Board to seek site plan approval. Schiliro said it is hard to estimate when construction could begin but said the golf course renovation, another part of the plan, could start as early as this fall. The residential unit could take more time, he said.
As Wednesday”™s meeting came to an end, other board members took time to thank the developers and the public.
“I think this will be a very successful project,” said Councilman Stephen D”™Angelo. “I look forward to seeing it finished, and I just can”™t wait for that to happen.”
