Brewster Planning Board To Meet Tuesday On Urban Renewal Plan

BREWSTER, NY — The Brewster Planning Board will hold a special meeting Tuesday on the village's massive urban renewal project.

The meeting to discuss the Brewster Crossings Project will start at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 50 Main St. It will also be streamed on Zoom.

This is in addition to the board's regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 18.

The village held a public hearing on Phase I of the plan in November. Phase I consists of 408 multifamily rental units, street-level retail, a 500-space parking garage, 20,000 square feet of municipal office, and municipal court. It's on a 5.4-acre project site bounded by Main Street to the north, Marvin Avenue to the south, the Brewster Public Library to the east and Railroad Avenue to the west.

Brewster village officials have been working on the project for almost a decade as a means of economic revitalization and stimulation, particularly in the downtown area.

To recap the timeline:

The village hired consultants in 2013 to do an updated Comprehensive Plan, a Blight Study and a Market Feasibility Analysis for "Transit-Oriented Development" which is a popular concept in the New York City suburbs battening on the flow of commuters using Metro-North Railroad.

The studies assessed existing conditions and identified areas that would be appropriate for urban renewal and recommended methods for revitalizing blighted areas to promote economic growth; maintaining the historic character of the village; and removing existing substandard and insanitary conditions.

After the village trustees and planning board members agreed, Brewster signed an agreement with the comprehensive plan consultant, Covington Development LLC, in January 2017 and then a land acquisition agreement in January 2021.

There was a public hearing in February 2021 about using eminent domain to take 25 private properties in the urban renewal area. There were some objections, including:

• Carl Finger, Esq., on behalf of the owner of a Parcel known as the Playhouse Theater at 52 Main Street, commented that the owner had made substantial improvements to the Parcel, that the Parcel was not appropriate for eminent domain since it was not deteriorated, and that the procedural steps being followed by the Village "lacked clarity."

• Thomas Sprague, owner of the Parcel known as Bob's Diner, and Steve Priest, owner of the Brewster Pool Hall Parcel, expressed concern that long-standing businesses such as theirs, which have been part of the fabric of the Village, could be lost.

Village officials noted after the hearing that "It is the Board's understanding that the developer is in the process of negotiating for the purchase of various Parcels in the Project Area. These negotiations involve private parties and the Board cannot dictate terms that the developer would be obligated to accept. The Board is, however, hopeful that existing businesses will be successful in reaching mutually accepted terms for the continuation of their businesses at their current or alternate locations."

In May, the village trustees agreed that if private negotiation and purchase was not successful, the developer, iPark Brewster LLC, could ask the village to acquire one or more, or all, of the 25 privately-owned parcels by condemnation.

A recording of November's public hearing is on the village website.

The project plans can be viewed online. Copies can also be reviewed at Village Hall between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday to Friday. Call first to see if the Village Clerk is available and to check on current pandemic protocols: 845-279-3760.