Chap Crossing: Town Mulls Merging Retail Plan Reviews

Since the New Castle Town Board first raised the idea last March of allowing for a grocery store and retail usage at Chappaqua Crossing, two iterations of the idea have emerged.

The first proposal came last summer, which the town board initiated, to create a retail overlay zone that could be applied anywhere on the site's existing commercially zoned land. By October, however, site owner Summit/Greenfield announced a similar proposal. The developer, which stated that its plan came in response to the town board's, is also calling for a retail overlay. However, it only proposes to develop the southern portion of the site and the historic cupola.

Both plans are in their environmental review stages - the developer's is further along because a detailed study was given to the town - and the town board will vote tonight on whether to merge the reviews into one process. 

According to the resolution being considered by the board, its proposal would be treated as one in the same as Summit/Greenfield's. The merged plan, for environmental review purposes, would have the characteristics of the developer's version. 

Town Attorney Clinton Smith explained the resolution at last week's town board work session. He said that the scope of the examintion was being shrunk so that it will focus on what Summit/Greenfield is proposing instead of what could have been built under the board's version.

The intent behind the merger appears to be for efficiency. The resolution states the merger is for "facilitating and consolidating" the environmental review under state law. 

Consolidating the review of the two plans also comes at a time when the town and Summit/Greenfield are operating , of two lawsuits from the developer over the town's rezoning review of its earlier proposing for condos and townhouses elsewhere for the property. While the town only approved 111 out out 199 units in an April 2011 vote, the developer will settle for that amount in the settlement, provided that retail and grocery rezoning is allowed. If Summit/Greenfield gets both rezoning and approval of a retail and grocery site plan, then it will drop the lawsuits, which are currently suspended.

The resolution is slated to be on the agenda for tonight's meeting, which starts at 8 p.m. at town hall in Chappaqua.

To read the resolution, click here for the meeting packet. The resolution can be found on page 39.