Trump Gets Planning Board Approval for Houses

After years of review, Donald Trump has secured a crucial approval for developing the Seven Springs estate.

On May 14, the Bedford Planning Board voted to grant final subdivision approval for the property, carving it into nine lots. Planning Board Chair Deidre Courtney-Batson told Patch that this will include seven new houses plus preservation of existing buildings on the Nonesuch lot and on the Reynolds farmhouse lot.

Seven Springs is roughly 213 acres and spans parts of Bedford, North Castle and New Castle. It also is in the watershed for nearby Byram Lake, which is owned by Mount Kisco and serves as its water supply. The proposal is linked to about 103 acres on the Bedford side. There is also a large mansion that is on the North Castle side and can be seen from Byram Lake Road.

The property, once owned by Eugene and Agnes Meyer, whose family published the Washington Post. Trump bought the property in 1995 for about $7.5 million, according to media reports. He previously proposed building a golf course on the land, which caused an uproar during the early 2000s that runoff would pose a risk to Byram Lake and Mount Kisco's drinking water, according to reports at the time and in references as part of documents from officials. The water supply also serves some Bedford and New Castle residents.

Trump initially proposed the housing later in the 2000s but it was shelved for about two years amid an economic recession, Patch previously reported, and the proposal was revived in 2010. It initially included an equestrian center, which was subsequently dropped.

The project previously received a preliminary subdivision approval, along with multiple extensions connected to the proposal, with the planning board giving numerous conditions during the review process.

Courtney-Batson described the approval as "a good compromise" for the town and described it as a "win-win" situation for both the town and for Trump. The current proposal, as opposed to the golf course, does a better job of preserving the site's historic nature, Courtney-Batson believes.

There are no pending proposals to develop in the North Castle or New Castle sides of the estate. However, there was a condition agreed to that if access through the Bedford side is needed then only up to two North Castle lots could benefit from it. If Trump can get access without using Bedford, then the limit would not apply, Courtney-Batson explained. Last year, Trump lost a court case to the Nature Conservancy regarding a dispute over North Castle-based access, with a state appeals court ruling in the group's favor. The argument, which included a legal battle that went from 2006-12, centered around whether there was an easement right along a portion of Oregon Road that is connected to the group's property. The conservancy's land was owned by the Meyers, who transferred it to Yale University in 1973, who in turn gave it to the group.

Plantings Offered for Mount Kisco Tree Clearance Area

Meanwhile, Trump's organization for the property, Seven Springs, LLC has agreed to  have plantings on adjacent land that is owned by Mount Kisco. It is response to an accusation from the village that a contractor on its behalf cut down trees on its property, according to Mount Kisco Village Manager James Palmer.

Mount Kisco's land, which is along a cliff overlooking Byram Lake, is in North Castle, and the issue became public earlier this year during a village board of trustees meeting.

The plantings would include grasses that are native to the area, Palmer said, and would be on both the village's property and Trump's. 

Seven Springs, earlier this year, maintained that landscap changes were related to Hurricane Sandy, Palmer previously told Patch.