Residents Concerned About New Development on Rt. 312

From Southeast Residents for Responsible Development:

Town residents are voicing concerns about a proposed hotel and retail development to be located on Rt. 312 next to the Highlands Center. Plans for the project, called Crossroads 312, include a four-story, 100-room hotel and 143,000 square feet of retail space. The developer, Crossroads 312, LLC and JPH Development Corp., is seeking a zoning change from the Southeast Town Board to permit the construction of such a large project. If approved for rezoning, the property’s designation would change from Rural Commercial (RC) to Highway Commercial-1 (HC-1).

Southeast Residents for Responsible Development, a grassroots organization, is troubled by the impact that Crossroads 312 could have on traffic, property values, taxes, noise and light pollution, and overall quality of life. The group hopes others who are concerned will join them in requesting that the town board deny the developer’s application for HC-1 zoning, which they say could establish a precedent for other properties on Rt. 312 and Pugsley Rd.

President Samantha Jacobs notes that the neighborhoods around Rt. 312, North Brewster Rd., and Tonetta Lake will be especially vulnerable to traffic congestion if Crossroads 312 is built as designed. “I don’t think residents are aware of how much their lives could change. The developer expects a huge increase in traffic, and the plan is to add lots more traffic lights and lanes up and down Rt. 312. There will be five lights between Mount Kisco Medical Group and Zimmer Rd. alone,” Jacobs says. She adds that drivers turning onto Rt. 312 from North Brewster Rd., Penny Ln., Nancy Ln., Karlsen Lake Rd., Minor Rd., and other side roads without lights may also have great difficulty in heavy traffic. “We’re looking at more jams, more accidents, more air pollution. Rt. 312 already starts to get congested at two in the afternoon. At rush hour, it’s going to be a nightmare,” Jacobs says.

Other residents, such as Helen Dorkin, who has lived in Tonetta Lake Heights for 45 years, worry that the project will result in a higher tax burden even as nearby property values decline. “The town always promises these strip malls will bring in tax dollars, but my property taxes just keep going up,” Dorkin says. “The truth is that most of the tax revenue from these retailers goes to the county and state, not to our town.”

Meanwhile, Dorkin fears that the high visibility of Crossroads 312 will make her home less attractive to buyers. “On any given night, I see 19 bright lights from the Highlands Center on the hills across from my house. They shine right into my windows and ruin the view. It’s only going to get worse with more strip malls there.”

Ann Fanizzi, a member of Southeast Residents for Responsible Development and president of the Putnam County Coalition to Preserve Open Space, wonders how runoff from Crossroads 312 and high-volume road traffic will affect Tonetta Lake, Southeast’s only public beach. “Crossroads 312 will sit on the ridge above Tonetta. This is the lake where our children swim. It had to be closed last August due to algae overgrowth, which is a response to pollutants in the water. You can’t tell me that all the new development around the lake has nothing to do with that.”

Southeast Residents for Responsible Development is urging other Southeast inhabitants to contact Supervisor Tony Hay and the town board and ask them to deny the zoning change to HC-1 that Crossroads 312 will need to start construction. While the organization states that it doesn’t oppose responsible commercial development, it maintains that Crossroads 312 is too big in scope for a small town of 18,000 people.

”Under the current RC zoning, we could still have a three-story hotel of 100 rooms, some retail and a family restaurant that would be more suitable for the small-town, semi-rural character of Southeast and that wouldn’t have such a severe impact on traffic,” says Jacobs. “But we really do need other people to speak up about this—talk to the town board, tell your neighbors.”

Jacobs adds that due to public outcry, the developer already reduced the size of the project somewhat, but “it’s still gigantic” and “could include a big-box store if the developer gets his zoning change.”

When asked what concerned homeowners can do, Jacobs says, “Call or write Supervisor Hay and the Southeast Town Board and ask them to keep Rural Commercial (RC) zoning for Crossroads 312. You can also sign our petition at http://www.change.org/p/tony-hay-maintain-the-current-zoning-rc-on-crossroads-312.”

The Southeast Town Board can be reached at townboard@southeast-ny.gov or 845-279-4313.

For more information, please call Southeast Residents for Responsible Development at (phone #) or visit http://www.change.org/p/tony-hay-maintain-the-current-zoning-rc-on-crossroads-312.