Flood concerns raised at Mamaroneck TOD public hearing

Resident Paul Ryan calls the hodgepodge of zoning in the village of Mamaroneck”™s Washingtonville neighborhood “an absolute disgrace.” Eighty-five percent of the properties in the area are noncomforming under the existing codes due to uses, lot sizes, setbacks and building coverages.

Washingtonville is a flood-prone neighborhood that sits near the Metro-North train station on the confluence of three small rivers. It backs up to the village”™s main thoroughfare, Mamaroneck Avenue, but sits on the southwest side of the train tracks, seemingly far away from the bustling foot traffic and thriving commerce of the opposite side.

The village board of trustees is now considering rezoning the area around the train station in an effort to spark transit-oriented development and encourage redevelopment of properties long discouraged from seeking permits because of the need for variances and special permits.

“In the village of Mamaroneck, we always talk about the perfect storm,” Ryan said at a public hearing on the TOD proposal Monday. “This is our perfect opportunity.”

The proposed changes to the zoning of the area if approved would reduce nonconforming properties to 35 percent, according to Frank Fish of Manhattan-based BFJ Planning, which conducted a TOD study for the neighborhood.

Supporters of the changes said developers in the TOD area would have to be mindful of the tendency of the area to flood, but detractors said the changes would only worsen the flood problems. Resident Nancy Tumm at the village”™s public hearing questioned why Mamaroneck had not conducted an environmental impact statement as part of its TOD push.

“Where is all the water going to go when you pave everything?” she said.

Fish said it was early in the process and if the village determined that the rezoning could have significant impacts, an environmental impact statement could still be conducted.

The TOD changes would create an overlay zone in the area around Mamaroneck Avenue and allow for mixed-use buildings on the thoroughfare. 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.

Laura Ruto, who lives in the area, said the redevelopment of the area would not be fair to the people who already live in Washingtonville and the rest of the TOD zone. “We”™re going to be basically crushed by larger buildings, more cars, more traffic,” she said.

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.

Resident John Hofstetter said the TOD effort did not benefit the community but was rather a “giveaway to absentee landlords” that could redevelop their properties and maximize their profits. “What we”™re going to do is destroy part of our community as a result,” he said.

Hofstetter, a former member of the village board of trustees, said that during the floods of 2007 the village had to position a boat in the area for an emergency response to a feared gas leak. He said Mamaroneck needed to take accountability for flood mitigation rather than waiting for state and federal agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to propose and fund mitigation efforts.

“We”™re playing a game of hot potato,” he said.

The village is expected to vote on the TOD changes at the board of trustees”™ Nov. 24 meeting.