Hearth Gets Through Environmental Review

The Hearth at Mount Kisco passed a major hurdle earlier this month when the Mount Kisco Planning Board approved a resolution that reaffirms findings made several years ago for the environmental impact of an earlier version of the project, officials involved on both sides of the project review confirmed.

The vote determined that there were no significant impacts for the project, which calls for a 129-unit senior housing building that will be accessed by Kisco Avenue through a steep entrance road. The proposal, which was part of a formal petition submitted for the board's review last fall, has undergone several revisions, including flipping the building's orientation, tweaking the entrance road and moving an emergency access driveway so that it connects to the Curtis Instruments site near by. The result, an official working on the project told the board last month, means a 25-percent drop in tree removal, 1.5-acre drop in site disturbance and a 40-percent drop in impervious area.

The vote essentially ends an environmental review that served, in essence, as a continuation of one that was conducted for an earlier, larger proposal. That plan was called Westchester Residence and Club and was subject a previous review by the board from 2006 to 2009, which was followed by rezoning vote from the village board of trustees. The current application before the planning board concerns approval for a site plan, special permit and steep slope permit. Public hearings for the permits have been scheduled for the board's Aug. 27 meeting, while the site plan does not require a hearing, officials involved said.

Mark Miller, attorney for the project's development team, called the news "a significant step forward" in the process.

The Hearth is proposed for about 17.7 acres on a roughly 50-acre portion of the old Swiss Benevolent Society, a section that was acquired by Mount Kisco.

The proposal was originally controlled by developer Robert Mishkin and was the reaction of a 2005 settlement that he made with the village for a lawsuit that he filed more than three years earlier because he did not get approval for an expansion of his senior center, Town & Country. The center was located off of Mountain Road, on a roughly 4-acre piece of land that was also once owned by the Swiss Benevolent Society. Mishkin had sought to expand capacity on site and add room for 46 more residents, in addition to the existing space for 44 people.

The settlement also calls for a land swap, where Mount Kisco will take over the former Town & Country site, which once included a large white colonial building that was demolished late last year. In return, the village will give up the space being used for the new development.

Mishkin's role in the matter has changed over time. After he received rezoning in 2009, the project was put on hold due to a bad economy. Mishkin is now a minority partner in a larger development team, which includes himself and a joint venture between the Fortus Group and Hearth Management.