Mt. Kisco Mayor Sees Progress in Trump's Seven Springs Changes

Mount Kisco Mayor Michael Cindrich said that the latest plan for Donald Trump's Seven Springs estate will have measures to deal with runoff going into Byram Lake, which serves as the village's water supply.

Cindrich, who gave the update at Monday's Village Board of Trustees meeting, said that he met with Trump's son, Eric, who has taken over as project manager for the site. The proposal calls for having nine homes on the Bedford section of the multi-town property; nothing is planned for its North Castle side. According to Bedford's planning office, seven of the homes would be new.

While Byram Lake is owned by Mount Kisco, it lies entirely within Bedford and North Castle. Aside from village residents, the reservior also provides water to some in New Castle and Bedford.

Changes that are intended to help Byram Lake avoid hazardous runoff include a lawn mitigation plan, which would restrict chemicals that can be used on the properties' grass. Changes in the topography would also make it so that landscaped properties will drain in direction away from the lake, Cindrich explained, describing it as "a significant inroad” that was made.

Cindrich also brought up the issue of the lake having high salt levels, a problem that was presented to village trustees at their May 7 meeting by the Byram Lake Committee and attributed to snow removal work on nearby roads. The mayor told the board that he raised the issue to Eric Trump, asking him to consider having regulations in a future homeowners' association that would either discourage salt usage or have alternatives.

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Another positive for Cindrich is the fact that the development will no longer include an equestrian facility, which he felt would pose an issue due to waste.

Cindrich praised the younger Trump for his handling of the matter.

“He knows the property like the back of his hand,” he said.

The cordial relations are a far cry from the early 2000s, when Donald Trump's plan to build a golf course ignited a firestorm of opposition locally due to fears of contaminated runoff posing a threat to Byram Lake, according to published reports from the time, with the plan eventually being scrapped.

Going the residential route for Seven Springs is a preferred alternative for Cindrich, who recalled meeting with Donald Trump years ago and expressed his preference for it instead of a golf course.

“It’s come into fruition,” Cindrich said.

Trump's current proposal, introduced , is still pending before Bedford's planning board, which gave conceptual approval . A final subdivision approval is still needed, Bedford's planning office confirmed Tuesday, with the decision to drop the equestrian space triggering a change needed for the site plan.

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