Construction Management, Traffic Among Kirby Commons Concerns
Mount Kisco residents raised several concerns last week related to the mixed-use project proposed for the village’s North and South Moger parking lots during the ongoing public hearing to consider a zoning change.
The Village Board listened to a pair of speakers pleading for effective construction management protocols and another who was worried about the likelihood of downtown traffic snarls, among other issues.
Stewart Place resident Linda Longo said because of the proximity of her apartment to the South Moger site of the proposed Kirby Commons, if the project moves forward the noise will likely be intolerable. In recent weeks Longo said she has been bothered by construction noise from the Green Street firehouse expansion.
She asked that construction management go beyond industry standards.
“Everything is so noisy,” Longo said. “I moved here to Mount Kisco to have some quietness. I lived in Yonkers for many, many years and I loved it when I first moved here because of the quietness and now it’s really, really disturbing.”
Gotham Organization, Inc. and Charter Realty & Development are looking for increased building and development coverage in exchange for providing about 2,300 square feet of interior civic space for the Mount Kisco Arts Council and 15 affordable units. The developers have proposed 217 apartments and just over 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space between the two locations.
John Rhodes, chairman of the village’s Conservation Advisory Council (CAC), said officials should have insisted on that the construction management plan be among the first items to have been in place.
But people who live close to downtown might have their lives severely impacted unless properly addressed.
“For a lot of people in this neighborhood, I think it’s important that their well-being is being taken into consideration when negotiating this contract because without a strong construction management plan, merchants and residents could be faced with months of chocking dust and earsplitting construction noise,” Rhodes said.
Barker Street resident Harry McCartney said traffic will likely spiral
“We have a problem now,” he said. “We have a traffic problem now. Will anybody dispute that who’s sitting here, because if it isn’t a problem, and if it isn’t acknowledged then I have a problem with empirical evidence that I saw.”
He also questioned why the village was seeking to rush into a contract for a 99-year lease.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/