North Castle to Resume Hearing on Eagle Ridge Townhouse-Hotel Project on Wednesday
The North Castle Town Board will resume its public hearing this week on a 72-unit age-restricted townhouse and hotel plan on 32 acres in Armonk, two weeks after there was spirited debate on the proposal.
This Wednesday the board will also receive an updated draft of the findings statement for the Eagle Ridge project under the state Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), which has undergone various revisions.
Developer Frank Madonna is seeking reclassification of 21.9 acres at the site on North Castle Drive from Office Business Hotel (OBH) to Residential Multifamily Senior Citizen Housing Zoning District.
During the two most recent hearings, which reconvened about a month ago after nearly two years, a solid majority of speakers lauded the plan for proposing to bring a much-needed 115-room upscale hotel to North Castle as well as housing for aging local homeowners who want to downsize their living arrangements but stay in town.
Two weeks ago, Councilman Jose Berra, who has called Eagle Ridge too dense for the site, expressed concern that Armonk threatens to be overbuilt with new residential units because projects that have already been approved or are being considered would add 241 units to the market. That doesn’t include about another 170 units that have been proposed for the MBIA property on King Street.
The Town Board is also expected to receive the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for that project on Wednesday evening.
Berra said no one has pointed to any definitive study about whether all of these units are justified. Assuming that the project at the MBIA site would be reduced by about 60 units, that would raise the inventory by more than 350 units, or about 18 percent, in Armonk.
“I want businesses to do well, I want developers to do well, but it’s really got to be compelling for the town,” Berra said. “So we know that we have all sorts of units that we approved, a few have been built, a few haven’t been built. Is there anything that established how many units are needed for the benefit of the town?”
Director of Planning Adam Kaufman said the town’s policies and land use plan outlines how the OBH district could accommodate residences. The board is evaluating the proposed zoning change and applying the senior housing floating zone already adopted into the code.
“It’s not a number, it’s a development plan,” Kaufman explained. “It’s how we see, or how the Town Board sees, the town being developed and we have that.”
Councilwoman Barbara DiGiacinto said public sentiment during the most recent hearings has been clear.
“I think people made it clear why this is a good project,” she said.
Supervisor Michael Schiliro said he looks at whether a project makes sense when evaluating its merits. He said it’s more logical to have more development closer to downtown where residents would be closer to amenities than in other areas of town.
At the last hearing, DiGiacinto, who has also questioned the proposed density for Eagle Ridge, asked that the revised findings statement include that there would be a maximum of 72 units at no more than 3,300 square feet, including the garage; that there be no more than two units attached; that there be at least 30 feet separation between each pair of units; and that Madonna would hire a full-time project manager to oversee construction of the residential component and the hotel.
The hearing is part of the regular Town Board meeting on Wednesday, which will be live-streamed on the town’s website starting at 7:30 p.m.
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/
