The Rockland County Town of Clarkstown’s Planning board is continuing its environmental review of a project that would merge 16 lots and then subdivide them into three new lots for development with five commercial buildings that would total 562,020 square feet. The land involved totals 40.8 acres.
A July 29 hearing on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) brought out from 150 to 200 residents who expressed their opposition to the proposal on Route 303 close to the intersection with Route 9W in Congers. The project is known as Cedar Corners. The project has been proposed by Vanta Developers, which is based in Brooklyn.
Vanta said that it has a current real estate portfolio of 28 properties across five states. It includes industrial and residential properties and totals 4.6 million square feet.
On the new Lot 1 of the Cedar Corners site Vanta is proposing to build two commercial buildings connected by a common corridor for use as warehouses and offices. One building would be 200,500 square feet while the other would be 177,880 square feet. Maximum building height on Lot 1 would be 40 feet. The Town Code requires 394 parking spaces for the proposed buildings and 394 parking spaces are provided along with 72 loading berths. The expected tenants are larger users such as interstate trucking companies that may need long term storage or warehousing space.
The second lot would have on it a fast-food drive-thru restaurant, which Vanta said likely would be a Pizza Hut or similar use, with an approximate building area of 1,500 square feet. The maximum height of the building is 35 feet. Twenty-four parking spaces are required per Town Code and Vanta said it would provide those.
The proposed Lot 3 would have two warehouses, one sized at 180,740 square feet and the other at 147,940 square feet. The maximum building height is 35 feet. The Town Code requires 181 parking spaces and 181 parking spaces are provided. The expected tenants are small users such as machine and automotive repair workers. There would be open space on Lot 3 of about 2.5 acres that would be provided under a conservation easement.
Vanta explained that multifamily residential development is located to the north of the site, the CSX railroad tracks are west of the site, and warehouse and manufacturing uses are located south of the site. The property surrounds an existing shopping center and parking lot.
In outlining what it considers to be the benefits of the proposed development Vanta said it would “strengthen the local economy and expand employment opportunities within the Town of Clarkstown … generate increased tax revenues for multiple taxing jurisdictions, including the Town of Clarkstown, Clarkstown Central School District, and the Congers Fire Department … increase the assessed value of the subject properties, helping to reduce the tax burden on existing residents and businesses in the town … activate underutilized land for commercial use in an area well served by existing infrastructure and without conflicts with adjacent residential uses.”
Vanta said that to mitigate visual impacts, existing vegetation within easement and buffer areas will be preserved, and additional landscaping, including trees and shrubs will be added. It said that the parking lot for the drive-thru restaurant will be landscaped to block views from Route 303. Vanta said that about 27.6 acres of land will be disturbed as part of the construction and wetland  areas will be avoided.
In addition to the environmental review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) the Cedar Corners project will require subdivision and site plan approval from the Clarkstown Planning Board.
Vanta explained that with a plan for commercial use that does bring school age children into the community, the project will result in an annual net benefit to the school district from tax revenues. The company said that its intent is to provide the commercial development while minimizing potential impacts to the greatest extent possible. It said it plans to implement green technologies and energy efficiency throughout the design, development and site operations as detailed in the DEIS that was prepared.
