Mixed Sentiment for Toll Brothers 162-Unit Plan in Mount Pleasant

Toll Brothers proposed 162-unit age-restricted townhouse plan for the Legionaries property off Columbus Avenue in Thornwood received mixed reviews from Mount Pleasant residents last week during the resumption of the public hearing.

About 20 speakers aired questions and comments about the project, named Kensico Preserve, in front of the town’s Planning Board as part of its site plan review. Among the concerns for those opposed to the application were potential traffic headaches, the impact on volunteer emergency services and stormwater runoff while those in favor spoke of the advantages of having housing for local residents 55 years old and up in the community.

Valhalla resident Rich Colantuano raised the issue of excessive density, with more than twice the number of units proposed compared to the Baker Residential 72 single-family homes application that was approved in 2018 for the site but never built. The attached townhomes for Kensico Preserve would be built on 96 of the site’s 165 acres. Toll Brothers plans on donating 18 acres to the town and convey about 49 acres to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

Colantuano maintained that there would be a negative impact for the town and many of its residents with a development of this size.

“Toll is a $15 billion company and they want to make money because they’re a publicly traded company and they do that for their shareholders, and I think the number of units that they selected was probably the amount they could shove into that parcel of land, and they want to make as much money as possible so they want to build as many as possible,” Colantuano said.

Hawthorne resident Domenic Roma said stormwater runoff has been a problem with new construction in town for projects that are far smaller than what Toll Brothers is proposing.

“It’s been my experience just from two or three new homes on certain properties have created problems as far as flooding to nearby neighbors,” Roma said.

Brad Schwartz, an attorney representing the applicant, said the project would be designed to have retention ponds built to capture the runoff based on calculations that are in line with New York State regulations.

Another speaker, George Brower of Hawthorne said Kensico Preserve feared for how the project would affect volunteer emergency services in town.

“This is going to be a big impact for over 300 people for the Valhalla Volunteer Fire Department,” he said.

Another Hawthorne resident, Domenick Vita, challenged the board to look at the cost impacts of the project on the town. No school-age children 18 years old and under will be permitted to live in the development, a big reason for the projected $1,942,000 net tax gain for the Mount Pleasant School District each year. The town will reap about $166,000 annually.

Vita and resident Daniel Blaise both inquired about the accuracy of the applicant’s traffic study, which was conducted in June 2023. It was revealed at the hearing that the study was over several days, one of which was a Saturday, and after the regular class schedule had ended last year at Westlake High School.

“I implore you guys to really put forward a plan that integrates the traffic, especially for the school,” Blaise said. “I’m asking you. I can gather tons of residents to come and sit here at the board meetings. I implore you, please, figure it out or have somebody else figure it out or something because they’re going to (get to) school even later, and that’s not fair to the children.”

Relating to traffic, Toll Brothers’ Kevney Moses said most of the construction traffic will have access to the site off of Lozza Drive, rather than near the more heavily residential area of Westlake Drive. He said the entire first phase of the project and the majority of the second phase will use Lozza Drive.

Speaking in favor of the project was Josephine Dicostanzo of Thornwood, who described the Toll Brothers proposal as possibly the community’s best option.

“I, for one, would appreciate a plan with less units, but that’s not going to happen,” she said. “The tradeoff is no added children to the Mount Pleasant School District. It will bring increased tax revenue to the district. Yes, traffic will increase. I can’t believe it’s not going to increase at all.”

Resident GG Kopalik said Kensico Preserve was a “great idea” for the town.

“I think that there are a lot of people with homes that are ready to get out of the maintenance and have someone else do it,” she said.

The units will all contain three bedrooms with at least 75 percent of the units measuring 2,400 to 2,800 square feet. Up to 41 of the residences could be less than 2,000 feet and at a lower price point if there is demand for that size, Moses said.

The Planning Board urged Toll Brothers’ representatives to resolve where it plans to build a sidewalk near the site. Moses said Town Engineer David Smyth recommended that it be built on the east side of Westlake Drive, but if the board wants it in a different location, the applicant would be amenable to that.

Board Chairman James Collins said it will be up to Toll Brothers to make that determination.

“I think the sidewalk discussion is being held in abeyance until we can figure it out, but it is a big component,” Collins said. “So that to me is the big thing we need to figure out.”

The hearing is set to resume on Sept. 5.