Mt. Pleasant Democratic Committee: Development Has ‘Run Wild’
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The Mount Pleasant Democratic Committee charged last week that the current town administration has permitted out-of-control development threatening the town environmentally and angering a broad swath of residents.
The committee adopted a resolution at its last meeting on Mar. 22 “in support of sensible land use” calling for the Town Board to adopt a moratorium and to conduct a review of the recently updated Comprehensive Plan. In November, the Town Board approved the first update of the plan in 52 years that focused on mixed uses in the hamlets to draw more people to downtown as well as provide additional housing units that aren’t single-family homes.
Former assemblyman Tom Abinanti, the town’s new Democratic Committee chairman who publicly circulated the resolution last week, said he has spoken to residents throughout the town who have been alarmed at the scale and pace of development rather than having officials practice “smart growth” principles.
“We’re hearing from many, many people in Hawthorne and Valhalla and Thornwood that the town is allowing developers to run wild,” Abinanti said. “There needs to be a restraint on development and the type, the form of development.”
In the resolution, it points out how certain types of housing is needed in Mount Pleasant – for seniors, young adults who don’t yet have families and what is often referred to as workforce housing, essential workers who provide services in the community but don’t have high incomes.
Abinanti called out the town’s approval of the more than 150,000-square-foot Amazon warehouse on Route 9A that he said is built nearly to the property line. It is a prime example of excessive development and poor planning, he said. An ongoing controversial proposal is the 31-lot subdivision next to Pocantico Lake which Abinanti charged runs counter to the Comprehensive Plan by clustering those homes on about 11 acres of the 36.8-acre site in an environmentally sensitive area.
He said the Comprehensive Plan update last fall is either being ignored or is ineffective if these types of projects are allowed to sprout.
“He’s either got to revise the Master Plan or he has to follow the Master Plan,” said Abinanti, referring to town Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi, a Republican. “What is it? The end product doesn’t please the people of Mount Pleasant. The people of Mount Pleasant are upset with the end product. It’s either they’re not following their new Master Plan or the Master Plan needs revision.”
Fulgenzi dismissed the criticism last week as an election year ploy on the part of Abinanti and the Democrats to seek attention by hurling criticisms. He said the Amazon warehouse is the right place to have that type of facility because it’s on a state road that’s a truck route, which can handle the added volume.
Regarding the Pocantico Lake proposal, which is called the Meadows at Briarcliff Manor, Fulgenzi said that is being scrutinized by the Planning Board, which is lead agency on the project. It is still in the early stages of the review process.
Fulgenzi suggested it is unnecessary to review the updated Comprehensive Plan five months after it was adopted.
“It’s obvious that they don’t have a grasp on what took place here for over four years on the Master Plan,” the supervisor said of the Democratic Committee. “If they did, if they were involved and following it, I don’t think Tom Abinanti had any involvement whatsoever on the Master Plan, nor did he comment on it in all the years he was an assemblyperson. So I don’t know what he’s even talking about. He’s welcome to come talk to me anytime he wants if he’s got any great ideas on the Master Plan.
“I think the involvement in the community over the four years (with) that plan was tremendous and I compliment the community for all their efforts, what they did with the Master Plan,” Fulgenzi stated.
Fulgenzi added that if the residential neighborhoods were being hit with significant development, he would be concerned but much of the growth has been in the commercial corridors. He said rightful concerns about overdevelopment has been in Pleasantville, where the village has enacted a moratorium in the downtown business district.
Fulgenzi is being contested this year for his seat by retired Sleepy Hollow police veteran Frank Hrotko. The Democrats are also running Joe Bonnano against incumbent Councilwoman Danielle Zaino and first-time candidate Michael Saracino. Saracino is replacing Jerry Schulman on the GOP ticket after Schulman decided against going for a second term.
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/
