Letter To The Editor: Group Rebuts Hampshire Engineer's Letter

To the Editor:

In response to Mike Junghans’ recent letter (Nov. 14) attempting to discredit the concerns Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition (MCEC) has raised about the proposed massive development of the Hampshire Country Club property, Mr. Junghans (the developer’s paid consultant) fails to note that the new homes’ basements will be well below the forecast flood level and all planned escape routes lead to roads or intersections that will themselves be under water during major flood conditions.

He also fails to note that there was no testing of the site’s groundwater and that the “comprehensive” soil testing (itself grossly inadequate for this 107-acre site) revealed elevated levels of arsenic, lead and pesticides exceeding state cleanup objectives for residential use.

Mr. Junghans also fails to note that permission to reuse some of the site’s excavated soil for the final development does not address the real risks that these soil contaminants will be released to the surrounding environment (both into the air and into Long Island Sound) during the excavation, storage and grading of this massive site and during periods of high winds or when (as is likely) the site is flooded during construction.

Finally, his letter fails to address many other issues such as the significant increase in traffic along Route 1 and the Hommocks School as a result of the 5+ years of heavy construction, increased pressure on our schools and infrastructure, and the significant risk of failure from the proposed 9-hole golf club.

For all these reasons, the Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition stands firm in its belief this massive project is wrong for the Village of Mamaroneck.

— Celia Felsher, president
Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition

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