Chappaqua Crossing Hearing Continues Nov. 18

The public hearing on the Chappaqua Crossing retail/office/residential development will continue at the New Castle Town Board meeting Tuesday.

This may be the last night for the hearing, which has gone on for months.

The town board members also expect to discuss the controversial proposal, which has been before the town for 10 years, at their public work session before the hearing begins.

Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein issued this statement last week:

The Town Board is continuing its work on a draft local law and preliminary development concept plan that could allow a Whole Foods supermarket, a gym, restaurants and retail stores to be built at Chappaqua Crossing.

With input from our Planning Board, we’ve persuaded Summit Greenfield to move away from its original proposal to build large format retail stores, and instead to design a more community-oriented, walkable retail development.

Each side has compromised and the current proposal, while not perfect, has been significantly improved.

The Board also is working with its Town Planner and consultants to do everything it can to ensure that the type of retailers and amenities we might see at Chappaqua Crossing are the best for our community.

Perhaps most importantly, the Board continues to press Summit Greenfield to commit itself to taking the steps necessary to ensure that the impacts of any retail development are avoided or mitigated to the fullest extent possible. These steps may involve limiting not just the allowable retail space at Chappaqua Crossing, but the overall amount of commercial space on the property.

The Board also is exploring ways to create new open space on the property and other improvements that could benefit nearby residents. Next week, I expect that the Town Board will be discussing some of these possibilities at its Work Session on Tuesday, November 18, 2014.

On NewCastleNow, Christine Yeres reported that the town board will probably close the public hearing at the end of the Nov. 18 session.

Town board members said they would make a decision on Summit Greenfield’s rezoning request by the end of 2014.

The New Castle Planning Board had asked for an unusual decision-making partnership with the town board on the rezoning, but the town’s attorney said the complications and implications such a joint legal move would pose in the approval process were many.

If the town board approved the retail rezoning, they would next consider a preliminary development concept plan. That could be referred to the Planning Board. The Planning Board would also have jurisdiction over site plan approval, according to NewCastleNow.