Sept. 24 Hearing for Chap Crossing Groceries

Sept. 24 is a go for a publich hearing on whether to rezone Chappaqua Crossing so that a grocery store can be allowed.

Board members voted unanimously, 4-0, at their Tuesday meeting. Deputy Supervisor Elise Kessler Mottel, an attorney whose firm has had ties to an affiliate of Greenfield Partners - it is half of the Summit/Greenfield owning partnership that controls the property - is recusing herself.

The legislation calls for creating a new zone, an Office Park Retail Overlay District, that can be grafted onto Chappaqua Crossing's commercially zoned section, which is officially called the Research and Office Business District. In order for the overlay to work, it must include a grocery store that ranges from 50,000 to 60,000 square feet in size, a structure that would dwarf the hamlet's last major supermarket, D'Agostino's,

Asked about the large size required, Supervisor Susan Carpenter explained that it would help make a grocery store viable; since D'Agostino left, there has been talk locally about how bigger supermarkets stand a better chance economically.

The proposed statute would require town board review and approval of requests to create an overlay district, along with an environmental review and creation of a development plan for the zone.

The board During an early meeting for public feedback, residents who live near the property , worrying about its impact on traffic or quality of life.

Lisa Katz, who was one of the neighbors who spoke in opposition at that meeting, reiterated her position in an interview on Tuesday afternoon.

The town, for the creation legislation, still needs an Environmental Assessment Form completed, which is being done by its consultant, Frederick P. Clark Associates. Normally, a developer for a proposal fills the form out, but the town will fill this role because it is the town board pushing for this change. The board has taken interest in the idea of rezoning as a way , and to boost the value of New Castle's commercial property tax base.

Summit/Greenfield has no comment, spokesman Geoff Thompson told Patch on Wednesday. The owner over how the board handled review of its request to rezone part of the site for residential usage, an idea that it had been pushing for in some form since 2005. Summit/Greenfield requested 199 condos and townhouses in its last housing iteration. It was only given rezoning, , that allows for 111. The cases are still pending.