Town Schedules Referendum; Rejects Environmental Study for Proposed Apartments
by Harriet Kline
(August 5, 2004) At its regularly scheduled meeting
on August 4, the Mamaroneck Town Board of Trustees acted
to finance repairs to
the
Weaver
Street Fire House and returned the DEIS (Draft of the
Environmental Impact Statement) for a proposed apartment
complex to Forest City Daly for revisions.
Referendum for Financing Fire House Repairs
As mandated by New York State, the Town Board scheduled
a referendum to enable residents of the Town of Mamaroneck
Fire District to vote on a bond issue to finance the
estimated $188,000 needed to repair the roof, the cupola
and the
balcony of the Weaver Street Fire House. The cupola and
the balcony had been excluded from the 1995 Fire House
renovations; the roof has since developed leaks. The
full text of the referendum will be published in the Larchmont
Gazette and the Journal News.
Voting is only for residents of the fire district, which
mostly overlaps with the Unincorporated Town of Mamaroneck,
and the vote will only take place on the evening of September
17 in the Weaver
Street
Fire
House
between
the
hours of 6
pm
and
9
pm.
Absentee ballots are available from the Town Clerk
at 381-7870.
MAMARONECK FIRE DISTRICT VOTE
WHO VOTES: Residents
of the Mamaroneck Fire District (most residents in
the Unincorporated Town of Mamaroneck
WHERE: Weaver Street Fire House
WHEN: Evening of September 17 ONLY: 6PM - 9PM
|
Forest City Daly DEIS
The Town Board termed the Forest City Daly’s DEIS “not
adequate for public review” and voted unanimously to
return the DEIS for revisions. The developer has proposed
building a 7 story, 185-unit rental apartment building on
Madison Avenue and, as required by law, submitted a voluminous
draft of an Environmental Impact Statement to the Town Board.
The Board, along with Planning Consultant Frank Fish, cited
a number of specific items needing clarification at a lengthy
Town Board working session on July 31. The issues included:
traffic, parking, provisions for affordable housing, wastewater
disposal, shadows created by proposed building, and others.
The Board also cited lack of specific economic data to determine
whether such a large building is viable.
There were additional concerns about noise emanating
from the
proposed
construction site, temporary storage of construction materials,
rock blasting, and constsruction vehicle traffic. Mr. Fish
told the Board, “They (Forest City
Daly) are asking for new zoning, ask them for all the data
you need” to
make a decision.
The Board’s refusal to accept the DEIS leaves the
ball in the developer’s court. Forest City Daly has
no specific time frame in which to return a revised DEIS
for another go-round with the Board. But, the developer now
knows that the Board will review the revised draft with a
fine-toothed comb. According to Councilwoman Judy Myers,
this is a “positive lesson learned from the IKEA experience.”
The Town Board must find a DEIS “adequate” before
it is released for public discussion.
Public Hearings Set
The Board scheduled the following public hearings:
-
September 3 for discussion of the Town’s Public Housing
Agency 2003 Administrative Plan;
- September 16 for proposal
on
an amendment to the Noise Ordinance for rock removal and
excavation; and
- September 16 for amendment to zoning
ordinances to establish “design criteria” for
the Town’s business zone.
Residents are invited to
join the Town Board on discussion of these issues. 
Print This Page--For best results, use landscape
option in Preferences
Email
this article
|
