Ossining Residents Speak Out About Shopping Center Plans

Ossining and Briarcliff Manor residents have showed up in droves at past and to speak out against the proposed CVS site plan for the Chilmark Shopping Center.

But public discourse has come to a standstill as the the last two scheduled public hearings at Planning Board meetings have been put off.

Parties working on behalf of applicant Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. have requested the adjournments, according to Planning Board Chairman Edward Nolan.

He said the decision to adjourn has solely been due to the request of the applicant.

Two weeks after the , where consultants and attorneys shared proposed updates to the application, Nicholas Racioppi Jr., a partner with Riker Danzig, which represents at Chilmark, wrote a letter to the Planning Board.

Racioppi denies A&P's approval of the proposed parking lot changes discussed by the applicant at that meeting.

In part, the letter states:

"It has recently been brought to our client's attention that during the course of hearings on the Application, Urstadt advised the Planning Board that the A&P has committed to integrate its parking with that of Urstadt.

Please be advised that neither Shopwell, Inc. nor the A&P has had any discussions with Urstadt regarding the Application, the development of a CVS at the shopping center or any of the traffic impacts such a proposal may have to the area."

Racioppi asserted, "Our client is currently reviewing the application and may choose to appear before the Planning Board concerning this matter at a future date."

At the most recent meeting, consultants from John Meyer Consulting proposed a restructured parking lot, which they said would improve the site's flow of traffic.

Last week, in an email to Patch, William Null of Cuddy & Feder—the law firm representing Urstadt Biddle—stated, "...please note that there are continuing discussions between Urstadt Biddle and A&P about the improvement of the Chilmark center."

The proposal calls for a 13,900-square-foot CVS for the shopping center, located near the Briarcliff Manor/Village of Ossining border.

In the past, residents have cited traffic and parking issues, along with ambiance, overall poor construction of the site and other issues as being deterrents for the proposal.

According to Null, the applicant has not yet decided whether the public hearing will continue in July.

"We have not yet determined whether to adjourn or not," he said.