Op-Ed: Lessons From Florence For Mamaroneck Development

From Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition President Celia Felsher

As residents and business owners of many southern and Mid-Atlantic coastal communities face the long and
arduous process of recovering from one of the worst hurricanes to batter their region in decades, we are
reminded of Mother Nature’s devastating power and the dangerous result from overdevelopment in coastal,
flood-prone areas. Beyond the irreplaceable loss of human life, thousands have lost their homes and
possessions, and local governments will struggle with immense financial losses – tackling the daunting task of
either rebuilding or replacing critical infrastructure at enormous cost.

For the Village of Mamaroneck, the lessons to be learned are quite clear, as we have witnessed first-hand the
fury of terrible storms in the past – Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and several Nor’easters – that have
inflicted widespread damage. The tidal and wind-driven surge from Florence had devastating effects even in
coastal areas that withstood past hurricanes, and spread quickly to inland rivers unable to absorb the
extended rainfall and increased runoff from new residential and commercial developments. When combined
with residents’ and rescue workers’ potential exposure to dangerous pollutants from the flood waters, you
have the makings of an environmental disaster on many fronts.

Strikingly, these are some of the very same risks, on a smaller scale, we face with the planned residential
development consisting of 105 homes to be constructed on the Hampshire Country Club property – a well-
known, flood-prone site near the waterfront. This proposal at best is irresponsible, but at its worst, potentially
deadly, as it will place residents, local workers and emergency responders in harm’s way should a similar
natural catastrophe like Hurricane Florence (or another Superstorm Sandy or Nor’easter like the ones we had
in 1992 and 1993) hit the region. The Village must stand strong and united against any planned residential
development – whether a campus of individual homes or one massive condominium complex – as the
considerable risks to the community greatly outweigh the developer’s financial windfall, which is apparently
the development’s primary benefit. We therefore ask that Village residents join us in continuing the fight
against the proposed Hampshire Country Club development.

Our thoughts remain with the victims of Hurricane Florence.

Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition is a non-profit organization whose mission is to obtain and
provide information to the public regarding, and to ensure appropriate consideration of, policies and practices relating to land use in the Town and Village of Mamaroneck and in surrounding communities, focusing primarily on environmentally sensitive coastal areas in order to (i) understand the impact of proposed development and zoning matters on the community, (ii) protect the local environment and (iii) maintain and encourage public access to open space.

Pictured: US Geological Survey (USGS) Hurricane Sandy Flood Map of the Hampshire Property and Surrounding Area/ courtesy Mamaroneck Coastal Environment Coalition