At their Tuesday night work session, New Castle Town Board members discussed how to proceed with feedback for an updated review document for Chappaqua Crossing's retail plan, which is officially called a final supplemental environmental impact statement (FSEIS).
The first half of the FSEIS, which is about 172 pages, was recently submitted to the town by developer Summit/Greenfield. It was reviewed by town consultants, staff and board members and will be sent back to the developer with comments. However, the responses are also subject to further town board comment, a caveat that several board members agreed to include.
The town's feedback involves responding to Summit/Greenfield's responses to comments made during public input on an earlier version of the document, according to Town Attorney Clinton Smith.
Meanwhile, several town officials have received the second half of the FSEIS but the review process for it is just starting. Smith told board members that comments for the second half could be prepared for them by next week.
The FSEIS is the latest step in the environmental review for the project, which calls for creating an overlay zone that would allow for developing 120,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store of 36,000 to 66,000. It will include an earlier document, called a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS), plus responses from the developer to remarks given during a public comment period on the document that took place in April and May.
For its proposal, Summit Greenfield proposes turning the old cupola building into a grocery store by renovating its first two floors, along with constructing ancillary retail buildings on the southern end of the campus. The project has drawn opposition from some residents who are concerned about traffic impact or who believe that it would constitute a new business district in town and compete with current merchants.
Board members also discussed the format of the document and its organization.
The FSEIS, according to Smith, also takes into account an alternative concept from New Castle Planning Board member Tom Curley, who created a site plan that involves having same square footage but laid out in a "main street" setting. Summit/Greenfield states in the document that the impact of a scenario like Curley's would not differ from its version, town officials explained. The developer is not proposing a change to its plan in the FSEIS, which is called a preliminary development concept plan, although Smith said that it has the ability to do so in the future.
Summit/Greenfield has expressed interest in adding elements of Curley's concept to its proposal.
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