New Castle News

By Tom Auchterlonie

A proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the Legionaries of Christ site has residents concerned about its environmental impacts and procedural items tied to it.

The proposal submitted to the town is called The Spa at New Castle and is from developer Soder Real Estate Equities, LLC. It calls for redeveloping the site with 50 condos, 34 hotel rooms, a spa and a restaurant. The condos would be situated in east and west wings while 30 of the hotel rooms would be in a new south wing, the proposal’s petition states, with the other four rooms being located in the site’s estate house. Amenities for the proposal include a juice bar, basketball and tennis courts, a 75-seat theater and a gym. The restaurant and spa would be open to the public, the petition states.

The site is currently under the town’s R-2A zone, which allows for single-family homes on at least 2-acre parcels. However, the proposal would involve the creation of a new zone called the Active Lifestyle Floating District (AL District). The floating zone, if created, would not just apply to the current proposal’s location. It could be used at any site in New Castle that is at least 75 acres and has at least 300 feet of frontage along a county or state road, according to a draft version of the zone’s language.

It is the location for the proposal, which is located at 773 Armonk Road (Route 128) and is about 96 acres, that has neighbors concerned. Multiple residents who were interviewed for this story cited traffic, the location’s septic system and lighting as factors. They are also concerned that the proposal entails putting something that is commercial in a residential area.

Among the neighbors is Jeff Goldstein, a resident of nearby Tripp Street. He is concerned about the impact of the site’s septic on surrounding well water, along with traffic, noise and lighting. Goldstein is among those concerned about a commercial proposal for a residential area and whether it could set a precedent for elsewhere. He also feels that the planning board should have the role of lead agency, which is for oversight of the project’s environmental review and is a role that the town board currently has.

Armonk Road resident Jeff Kay is concerned about what the project could do to traffic on his street and feels that the master plan would not allow for it. He also does not want the master plan, which is in the process of being updated, to get developers’ influence.

Sharon Greene, a Tripp Street resident, has environmental concerns that include sustainability of the septic system given the number of people on the site, along with traffic, lighting and noise. She also brought up how the project goes against existing zoning and the town’s master plan. Greene also takes issue with the floating zone. As an example, she raised the possibility of a future developer being able to acquire multiple parcels that add up to enough acreage. Additionally, Greene is not pleased with the proposal being considered without first updating the master plan. She also feels that the town board is not doing due diligence because environmental impact information from an earlier proposal for the site has not been examined. That information is derived from an expansion plan that was proposed by the Legionaries of Christ.

The planning board’s feedback is about caution, based on a Feb. 21 advisory memo that is for the project’s draft scoping document.

The memo states, “The Town Board should consider whether adoption of “floating zones” may have unintended ramifications in other parts of town.”

The planning board’s memo continues, “At a minimum, comprehensive amendments to the Town Development Plan would need to be considered by the Town Board for this project to address the desirability of zoning changes and the creation of “floating zones” for this project as well as for other similarly large parcels in town, especially where commercial development is proposed to be introduced into residential areas.”

Reached for comment, Supervisor Rob Greenstein explained that there will need to be study about whether the floating zone can be applied. Additionally, he explained that, so far, the town’s counsel does not think that any other parcel would meet the floating zone’s criteria. Regarding the process for the proposal, Greenstein also talked about letting it go forward so the developer has an opportunity to make a case. He was noncommittal about the project itself.

Greenstein also feels that the information gathered for the project’s environmental review will help with the master plan update process because more will be known about the parcel. He is also favorable to both the environmental review of the proposal and the master plan update happening concurrently.

David Steinmetz, who is the developer’s attorney, defended the use of a floating zone. He noted that the town board would decide in each instance which property should receive it. An alternative would have been to create a zoning text change to allow for getting a special permit. However, Steinmetz explained that it would apply to any property that meets the criteria and would apply automatically. Additionally, the town board would not have discretion under a special permit approach.

Discussing the project’s relation to the master plan, he said that amending does not need to be proposed now although it could be done in the future. Discussing the impacts of the project, Steinmetz explained that issues will have to be studied. An updated scope for the proposal is expected to be presented later this month, he explained.

According to state environmental law, following the scope will be a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). It will be reviewed and eventually subject to public review. The DEIS will then be followed by a final environmental impact statement (FEIS). This will followed by the last environmental document, which is called a findings statement.

 

 

By Eileen Gallagher

A back to back town board work session and meeting with a potentially sleepy agenda took an unexpected twist as the town board convened for the first time since the February break. Dialogue quickly escalated as conversation about the town “triangle” sign and plowing of sidewalks shifted into heated debate over several controversial topics.

No other spectators were present during the work session portion of the meeting. Only viewers logged onto Livestream could have noticed the tension as Elise Mottel and Jason Chapin confronted Rob Greenstein, Lisa Katz, and Adam Brodsky about their exclusion from the selection process of the remaining two members of the Steering Committee and Brodsky’s appointment to the Business Development Advisory Committee, while Greenstein countered with talk of overhauling the outdated ethics code and the makeup of the ethics board. Ironically, the first discussion of the evening, choosing the color of the hamlet sign for the triangle at the foot of the Route 120 bridge, wrapped up with Brodsky stating that though there may be different colored signs (Millwood’s sign is blue and white, while Chappaqua’s will be hunter green), “We are all one town.”

When the Master Plan Steering Committee came up for debate, Chapin prefaced the discussion with a background to the matter. The Master Plan was last updated in 1989, with several efforts to revise it since then. However, according to Chapin, the revisions really began in earnest in the spring of 2012 with the hiring of Sabrina Charney Hull. That fall, the town board formally approved her updated Master Plan, and announced a steering committee the following year.

Chapin continued to explain that there had been no discussion with either him or Mottel about changes to the master plan regarding the replacement of the two members of the committee who had stepped down. “Sabrina was leading the effort to recruit new members,” Greenstein offered.

“Were there conversations or meetings held? What was the process? Were there e-mails?” Mottel asked. She went on to say that the first indication she had about the new members to the committee was from an article in New Castle Now. She conveyed her surprise that, as a sitting board member, she hadn’t heard this firsthand in a meeting of the full board.

Additionally, both Chapin and Mottel recommended that Brodsky recuse himself from the Business Development Committee due to his relationship with his in-laws, who own property downtown. “Adam has a tremendous amount of skill sets to offer,” Chapin continued, while expressing his concern that there would be “a conflict of interest given his family’s connection to the downtown.” Mottel concurred, trying to assure Brodsky that no one was questioning his skills or his role on the board, and that she appreciated his reaching out to the community.

Brodsky responded, “We all own properties, we should all recuse ourselves if that was the case.” He reaffirmed his position that his interests are aligned with the town in the redevelopment of the downtown, and he has only the best interest of the community at heart.

Brodsky continued, “People were glad that I reached out to the community, that is what the town government should do, which has not been done in the past.” He concluded with, “You should call me rather than accuse me based on stories in New Castle Now.”

“It would be appropriate to run [this issue] by the board of ethics,” suggested Chapin.

Greenstein responded with the statement that the board of ethics is going to be changed, that the current board is not effectively staffed, having been “set up as more form over substance” and unchanged for decades.  He announced that, with the help of the town attorney, he is in the process of exploring what other communities have, and that Ed Phillips is compiling a list of recommended changes, including adding two more members for a total of five.  According to Phillips, New York State establishes a floor for town codes, with minimum requirements. Other than that, it is up to the municipality to decide if any additional standards will be included.  As part of a public hearing process, they will start from scratch and work in the substantive content from the memo they have drawn up, rather than working piecemeal from the old code. Additionally, Greenstein would like more transparency, stating that most people don’t even know who is on the committee. The town board was in agreement, with Chapin adding that he would like to go for a higher standard rather than the bare minimum.

The meeting that followed touched on the items discussed during the work session, with the addition of public comments (a handful of residents arrived for this portion of the evening). Dominating the comments was the vision of the town going forward, as part of the Master Plan process. Accordingly, Greenstein mentioned that the public outreach process will begin next month, now that the Pace Land Use Law Center has been retained. When asked what the board’s vision of the town is, Katz responded, “We were elected to represent the residents of New Castle. We could state what our vision is, but that would not have any purpose.  We want to know what the community vision is.”  The following appears on the town’s Facebook page:

As we embark on updating our Town Development Plan (i.e. Master Plan), we should start by asking ourselves, “What is our vision?”

The overall purpose of the Master Plan is to provide a “roadmap” for development in the Town of New Castle over the next twenty years. New Castle is a wonderful community with a proud history. We have exemplary schools, caring neighbors, safe neighborhoods and a beautiful natural environment. We also have the very real challenge of improving our commercial tax base while preserving community values. Addressing this challenge will require some new thinking and actions.

Our goal is to ensure that the Town of New Castle is even better in ten, fifteen, twenty-five years than it is today.

We must ask ourselves where are we today? Where do we want to go as a community? Where do we want to be in twenty years?

There is a strong community spirit to be tapped. We have a strong community of shared ideas and opinions to engage. Together we will identify and reach our vision.

The Town Board has approved the contract with Pace Land Use Law Center. Tiffany Zezula, Managing Director of the Pace Land Use Law Center, will oversee and facilitate our public outreach for the Master plan process. This process will begin shortly.

By Eileen Gallagher

This week rolled out the community segment of the town board meeting. Our very own town historian, Gray Williams, spoke to an audience of over two dozen residents about his position on the New Castle Landmark Advisory Committee, which recommends possible new landmark sites and buildings to the town board as part of the landmark process. Currently, there are 32 or 33 landmarks in New Castle, some of which have a place on the National Register of Historic Places.  During Tuesday night’s meeting, two more were approved by the town board.

The Washburn-Barnes house at 113 Campfire Road was owned by the Washburn/Barnes family from the middle of the 18th century to the early 1900’s. According to Williams, John Washburn built the house shortly after the Revolutionary War and lived there until his death. At least three generations of the family lived there until it was sold.

The current New Castle Arts Center at 939 Hardscrabble Road is the only property which remains structurally as it was in its original capacity as a two bedroom home. It later became Kipp School, according to Williams, a “common” school with basic education up through the eighth grade. Originally built around 1900 “right in the middle of the old Kipp homestead,” it remained in use until 1926, when it was absorbed into district 4, now Chappaqua Central School District. The building served as the district’s kindergarten until 1964, when it was retired and purchased by the town to became a successful arts center, “an important monument to one of the most important aspects of our town, our educational system,” finished Williams.

 

“The Spa at New Castle” anything but tranquil

Residents in the area of Kipp Street, Roseholm Place, Armonk Road, and Sheather Road have more in common than their zip code. Several residents of this New Castle neighborhood in the Bedford School District with a Mount Kisco zip code attended Tuesday night’s town board meeting to make their voices heard regarding the proposed “Spa at New Castle.”

The concerns center on the potential disruption of the bucolic residential neighborhood by a proposed mixed use complex at the former residence of the Legionaries of Christ. In addition to a spa, there would be a restaurant accommodating 150 guests, 50 non age-restricted condos, 34 hotel rooms, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, a basketball court, and a parking lot.

Throughout the public comment portion of the meeting, during which there were no limits to the speakers’ time at the microphone, repeated fears of heavy traffic, drainage problems, encroachment on wildlife, and noise and lighting issues were heard by the supervisor and board members. At the outset of the presentation, each member reiterated the fact that there would be no decisions made until the entire process had taken place, and that no one had made up their minds as to how they would vote. Lisa Katz stated that the goal was to “figure out what is of concern to everyone. We promise to listen and to read everything that everyone sends us.” Elise Mottel assured “we are looking at it with an open mind.” This is the opening of the “scoping session,”  the audience was informed, solely to identify concerns and not to determine whether or not the project is right for the location.

The town administrator, Jill Shapiro, stressed the importance of putting all concerns in writing so that they will become a documented part of the process. Though people are welcome to speak at the meetings or participate via online chatting, Jill also encouraged sending in comments under “Current Land Use Applications”, “The Spa at New Castle” on the town website, www.mynewcastle.org. This way, “all emails get circulated, on paper, and it ensures that they are memorialized, and won’t get lost.”

The public forum will be held open for the time being, at least until February 11.

Master Plan

The master plan process has begun with an online question. “What type of services, events, shopping, etc. would you like to see in downtown Chappaqua or Millwood in the evenings/night-time?”  Have you “liked” the Town of New Castle, NY page on Facebook yet? There are updates posted frequently. For those not on Facebook, or the internet in general, Rob Greenstein stated that the town board will be reaching out to the public aside from internet and meetings online. “That is the reason for hiring a consultant, to make sure we get to all with handouts, mailings, etc.”

“Engaged.”  Author, professor and researcher Peter Johnston–invited to address the Chappaqua School Board on Wednesday–offered this as the one word he would most readily choose to best describe his goal for students.  An enthusiast of the relationship between language and learning, Johnston indicated he would like to see “schools where students are intellectually and socially engaged… in reading, conversing, and imagining, leading to their increased understanding, cooperation, behavior, and moral development.”

Getting students engaged requires discovering and capitalizing on their interests. Topics that appeal to them will draw them in, entice them to read and share with each other. Even children reluctant to spend time with a book will find themselves wanting to discover what it is that other kids are talking about. They become interested in each other. As Peter stated: “Now I know what school could have been like, where kids find each other interesting.”

 I Think, Therefore ILab

Robert Rhodes, principal of Horace Greeley High School, introduced the concept of creating a larger space, both literally and metaphorically, facilitating the development of necessary 21st century skills. Collaboration, communication, problem solving, and engaging in deep thinking are the goals behind ILab. There is a need for students to “go beyond what [they] learn in terms of content and facts,”  added Dr. Lyn McKay, Superintendent of the Chappaqua Central School District.

A panel of teachers, staff support, and a student spoke to the board and the audience about their enthusiasm for ILab, and the reasoning behind it. According to Darleen Nicolosi, the Director of Instructional Technology, this new space will be a more effective way for students to “learn how to navigate and communicate in the digital world.”  Times change, and our schools need to adapt and grow with the constantly evolving technology. For example, senior Jordan Chow spoke of using flash cards as a freshman  to help him study, but now uses “quizlet,” an online study tool, as well as online sharing with classmates.

Wanting to be successful in school is only a portion of our children’s education. Latin teacher Nicole Diamente used the phrase “Non scholae, sed vitae discimus–we do not learn for school, but for life.”  Students will make their way along the “never-ending path of new exploration and finding new knowledge,” concluded Chow.

ILab will be a catalyst for Project Based Learning (PBL) at Greeley. The intended environment will both support and challenge students, centering on significant content and 21st century skills. Students will be able to choose books, topics, and the layout of their projects. The space allows for up to three classes at a time, allowing students to work with other classes and across disciplines, with a variety of tools at their disposal.

Sensing the growing interest in ILab, Dr. McKay asked if we would like to take a tour of the space, a sneak peek at the state of the art reconstruction of former classrooms and a corridor. The group of 20 or so community members followed the panel to ILab, where we were shown around by our exuberant guides.  We were walked through the five zones of ILab: a conference room, open space for group work and collaboration, two smaller rooms, and a multi-use big space. A large shelving unit stationed in one of the spaces will house the laptops and charging stations. Walls in the smaller rooms serve as white boards. Large wall mounted monitors will enable students to “Skype” with students around the world.

The arrangement and decor of ILab is both modern and classic, an attractive environment for teenagers to collaborate, communicate, problem solve, and engage in deep thinking. In response to Board of Education President Jeff Mester’s inquiry as to how the space will be allocated, Rhodes said he “hopes to have the problem that the demand is overwhelming.” The space is meant to be enticing enough that students and faculty will want to be there. Vicky Tipp, a member of the Board of Education, said it best when she described the “lab” as “energizing and different”, and that “the only bad thing about it is walking out of it.”