The Mount Pleasant Planning Board last night held a public haring on Toll Brothers’ proposal for a 162-unit multifamily townhome project that would be age-restricted, requiring at least one household member to be 55 years or older. The project would be on a portion of the approximately 165-acre property currently owned by Legion of Christ, Inc., that is located between Columbus Avenue and Westlake Drive.
Attorney Brad K. Schwartz of the White Plains-based law firm Zarin & Steinmetz represented Toll Brothers before the Planning Board, which also heard from more than dozen residents who raised various questions about the proposal.
Most of the proposed townhomes would be 2,400 to 2,500 square feet in size and have three bedrooms. The buildings would be two to two-and-a-half stories in height. About 25% of the townhomes would be less than 2,000 square feet, and would be sold at a lower price point than the larger townhomes. None of the townhomes would be priced as affordable housing.
The townhomes would be configured in a conservation or cluster development that would allow 18.2 acres of land to be dedicated to the town, 49 acres to be turned over to the New York City Department of Environmental Conservation,, and 51 acres to be protected by a conservation easement
Schwartz said that because of the age restriction, the project would not generate any new school-age children. He said it would generate approximately $2.3 million each year in tax revenues to the town and school district.
Mount Pleasant had previously approved a proposal by Baker Residential to subdivide the property so that single-family homes could be built. The Planning Board last night approved a 90-day extension of the Baker approvals, the latest in about two-dozen extensions that have been granted since the Baker proposal was initially approved several years ago.
Schwartz pointed out that an environmental review had been completed for the Baker project and that it was found there would be no adverse environmental impacts. He noted that the Planning Board had approved Baker creating 116 building lots.
“We have studied the environmental impacts of this proposal in comparison to Baker and what we have found is that there would be less disturbance, fewer environmental impacts. The Planning Board has adopted a ‘negative declaration’ under SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) for this proposal. Again, we have studied the incremental difference between what was already approved under Baker and what is being proposed by Toll Brothers, so in that context we have studied the adverse impacts, traffic, stormwater, utilities, visual landscaping, and it is our belief that this is a better project.”
Schwartz said that the construction would take place in two phases and that construction vehicles would enter the site from Columbus Avenue for Phase One and from Westlake Drive for Phase Two. Members of the Planning Board as well as residents in the Westlake Drive area questioned why Westlake Drive needed to be sued since it would require construction vehicles to drive through an existing residential area. The developer was told by the Planning Board to prepare written responses to that and other questions and criticisms raised during the hearing for discussion as the review continues.
