Letter To The Editor: Hampshire Engineer Leaves Out Some Facts

Regarding “Flood Safety of The Residences Development (June 21),” though an engineer hired by the developer of The Residences at Hampshire offered some facts regarding a flood analysis conducted in support of the project, there were several facts missing from his statement. This is reflective of the developer’s continuing pattern of omitting the most important facts.

Regarding the use of Cooper Avenue (adjacent to the property) as the only available ingress and egress for the proposed housing development in the event of a storm surge, Cooper is a narrow, private road that — at best — can only accommodate one-way traffic (as noted several times in the developer’s submitted draft final environmental impact statement). In an emergency, this would be a nightmare given the narrow width of the road, as large emergency vehicles try to enter the area, while hundreds of cars attempt an exit at the exact same time — creating dangerous conditions for residents and first responders alike.

In addition, the Hampshire developer has acknowledged that in a significant flood condition, Cooper would be under “only a foot of water,” which would be passable for emergency vehicles with high undercarriages, but ordinary passenger cars could not safely navigate the same pop-up lake; thereby, leading to the possibility of stalled cars blocking the one available emergency exit route for hundreds of residents and blocking emergency vehicles that need to enter the development.

Also, contrary to what Hampshire has stated publicly, floodwaters will not recede with the tide. Due to the “bathtub” structure of the golf course — which is not going to be altered — once water pours into the golf course, it stays there for days or weeks. This was well-documented in pictures previously submitted to the Village of Mamaroneck Planning Board showing the flooding at Hampshire during Superstorm Sandy and other storms (many of which were nowhere near the same intensity) long after the tide would have receded. In prior storms, much of the flood waters needed to be pumped out manually.

Finally, the analysis did not model the impact of the development on timing of flood water surge inundation during the less than 100-year storms, which are actually the storms that are most relevant (for example, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irene and the Nor’easters in 1992 and 1993.)

The debate over the future of Hampshire Country Club continues, and we expect moving forward the public will receive all the information it deserves, and the Village Planning Board will remain vigilant in its investigation and evaluation of this project.

Celia Felsher
President, Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition

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