The owner of The Landmark at Eastview is ringing in 2011 by moving forward on environmental reviews for its plan to construct four new biotechnology buildings totaling 609,000 square feet on the Mount Pleasant side of the laboratory-office campus.
BioMed Realty Trust Inc. has won unanimous approval from the town planning board on a draft scope, or list of topics, to be studied in the environmental impact report that the San Diego lab space developer plans to prepare.
Technically, the draft scope isn”™t final until the planning board confirms a final version, or “scoping document” ”“ something that will happen after local, county and state officials are notified about the draft scope and submit comments if they wish. BioMed plans to begin its environmental review soon, a lawyer for the developer said.
“We can start doing the work, but it”™s subject to being fine-tuned,” said Richard O”™Rourke of the White Plains law firm Keane & Beane P.C., which represents BioMed. “We”™re moving right along.”
O”™Rourke said BioMed planned to submit a draft environmental impact statement to the board “as quickly as possible,” but would not discuss a specific time frame.
BioMed is seeking approval of site plans and zoning amendments that the developer says would allow more energy efficiency. The proposal comes about a year after BioMed completed a $145 million expansion of the campus. Three buildings totaling 360,000 square feet were constructed.
O”™Rourke said he could not discuss whether any of the proposed space had been committed to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. or any other potential tenant.
During a Dec. 20 public hearing held to solicit comments on the draft scope, BioMed won a procedural point when the planning board backtracked on earlier plans to require a 60-day comment period on the draft scope, something BioMed had opposed.
Instead, the board granted 30 days ”“ but made an exception for the town Conservation Advisory Council, which will have 60 days. However, CAC Chairman Steven Kavee told planning board Chairman Michael McLaughlin the advisory panel anticipated submitting written comments “well within the 60-day timeline.”
Kavee and O”™Rourke were the only speakers outside of planning board members at the hearing. Kavee said ”“ and BioMed agreed ”“ that several topics should be addressed in the environmental report, including:
- Study area ”“ The area under study in the report, according to Kavee, should be extended beyond the project site one-half mile, to include the Saw Mill River and the Tarrytown Reservoir.
- “Green” construction ”“ The CAC chairman said BioMed should examine environmentally-sustainable methods, such as those allowed under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification program of the U.S. Green Building Council.
- Alternative transportation ”“ Kavee said BioMed should encourage transportation options likely to reduce the volume of cars on local roads, such as carpooling, and study the effect of the project on an existing bicycle trail less than one-half mile from the project site.
McLaughlin questioned how transportation alternatives could be enforced.
“I don”™t know that it”™s necessarily (an issue of being) enforced,” Kavee replied. “I think, though, that if you can introduce this possibility into the review, it opens up the likelihood that people may take advantage of it.”
Kavee agreed with planning board members Joan Lederman and Regina Pellegrino, who said the environmental study must reassure officials that hazardous materials, if any, would be minimal and be handled as carefully as possible.
This seems to be a great economic development opportunity for Westchester County, so I am glad to hear that it is moving forward.