Cortlandt Slated to Create Medical Oriented District
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The Cortlandt Town Board appears ready to vote on creating a Medical Oriented District (MOD), which is the first step for two pending projects in the area of New York Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital on Route 6.
At a work session last week, Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker said planning and legal staff would be preparing a resolution for the board to consider at its March 14 meeting to establish the MOD and refer it to the Planning Board.
“I am very much open to those zoning changes,” Councilman Robert Mayes said at the Feb. 13 work session. “We’re heading in the right direction for something that’s appropriate for this town.”
Town officials and residents who live in the neighborhood near the hospital have been debating for several years the merits of two separate developments that would lie within the MOD, which has been reduced from approximately 105 acres and 34 parcels to 69 acres and 13 parcels,
One development, known as Gyrodyne, originally featured 184,600 square feet of medical office with 4,000 square feet of café/commercial space to service the employees and visitors of the medical office buildings and 593 structured parking spaces, has been reduced.
Gyrodyne is now looking at a 154,000-square-foot building, built in two phases.
“They really tried to accommodate everyone,” Becker said. “I’m pleased with the changes they made.”
The other development, known as Evergreen Manor, is headed by local developer Val Santucci.
One concept unveiled for three parcels totaling 28 acres for Evergreen Manor was 114 assisted living units, 90 townhouses (75 two-bedroom, 15 three-bedroom), 100 rental apartments (70 two-bedroom, 30 one-bedroom) and 7,000 square feet of retail.
A second concept eliminated rental apartments, had the same amount of retail space, 120 assisted living units and 130 townhouses.
Santucci and his team are now looking for 120 assisted living units, up to 99 townhouses and up to 10,000 square feet of commercial space.
“It has to be developed in some form,” Becker said. “We want to find that happy medium.”
Councilman James Creighton said economic development is something the town would benefit from.
“We know that we need housing,” he said. “We want this to look like it belongs there. Whatever goes there needs to fit.”
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