Bedford Rejects Housing Site on Kisco Border

After weeks of noisy opposition, a controversial proposal to build 44 units of housing for seniors near the Mount Kisco village line was quietly quashed Tuesday night by the Bedford Town Board.

In an unusual 3-0 vote, the board refused to rezone 12.6 acres off McLain Street at Route 172, limiting the property to its maximum capacity of six single-family homes. Board members expressed regret at having to deny the application—which included provisions for 12 units of affordable housing—but said drawbacks like increased traffic and a location beyond easy walking to shopping and other facilities had doomed the project.

Stiff public opposition, reinforced by unhappy Mount Kisco officials, did nothing to improve the chances of the developer, Merv Blank and his Northern Westchester Professional Park Associates II. Some 20 people turned out Tuesday for the continuation of last month's public hearing, which drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 85.

After the board killed the proposal, Ned Moy expressed his satisfaction. "We are certainly pleased with the vote," he said. Moy, a resident of 100 McLain Street and longtime follower of the application. "We felt it would aggravate an already bad traffic area," he said, "and we are grateful the board has listened."

Board members cited traffic as being among their considerations. While asserting a "significant commitment" to affordable housing, Councilman Chris Burdick said, "I am concerned about traffic. (Planning Board Chairman) Don Coe visited and was in a fender bender."

Supervisor Lee V. A. Roberts summarized the board's divided sentiments, saying, "I've tried to keep an open mind. I see merits on both sides."

Still, she said, "I have deep reservations." While calling affordable housing "very attractive," she noted, "On balance, things that are less attractive outweigh the benefits." For example, Roberts said, the proposed housing would not be near a hamlet center and it would not be walkable. "Our master plan said multifamily (housing) should be (located) where people can walk to amenities."

The Bedford Park South project, as it was called, was tucked behind an office park on Route 172 and accessible only by a roadway running through the office complex. An emergency-only exit had been planned for leafy, narrow McLain Street. The proposed development, reserved for seniors 55 and over, would have offered 12 affordable housing units along with 32 market-rate ones.

Already down one member, the board lost another when Councilman Francis Corcoran recused himself from consideration of the Bedford Park South proposal. Because of the stiff opposition, the board would have needed four out of five affirmative votes to say yes to the project. Instead, it barely mustered three votes to say no.