Public Hearing Likely For Mt. Pleasant Life Science Proposal
A proposal for new life science laboratories proposed on a site off of Old Saw Mill River Road in Mount Pleasant is becoming closer to reality.
The town board is poised to schedule a public hearing for Aug. 9 on proposed zoning text changes sought by BioMed Realty Trust, when it meets this week (July 12).
BioMed manages The Landmark at Eastview. Landmark is a multi-tenant science business office park. The site consists of five “major” buildings and several smaller structures according to BMR, a San Diego, CA-based real estate investment trust.
The corporate park currently houses more than 750,000 rentable square feet of research and development facilities and high-tech office space. BMR acquired the portion of the property in Greenburgh, which formerly the headquarters and campus of Union Carbide, in 2007, and closed on the purchase of the Mount Pleasant portion of the site in 2010. Nearly 70 of the 86 acres of the land are located in an OB5 office business zone Mount Pleasant.
Attorney Richard O’Rourke, principal member of Keane and Beane in White Plains, told the town board last week that his client was seeking a series of zoning text changes. O’Rouke said BMR wants to increase the maximum height of the proposed buildings could be from the current three stories (65 feet maximum) to four stories (80 feet maximum) on parcels greater than 50 acres.
The developer wants to add to the code a new off-street loading space requirement of one loading space for each 75,000 square feet of gross floor area, including a provision for the sharing of spaces between contiguous buildings.
Also being sought is a modification of current off-street parking requirements and a provision for parking space land banking, which would be subject to planning board approval.
BMR wants to the town board to establish the same dimensional standards as are in the C-RB zoning district for laboratories devoted exclusively to research, design and experimentation.
BMR wants added to the town code a new permitted use that would be defined as “laboratories devoted exclusively to research, design and experimentation” and the addition of a series of six specific standards.
In addition, BMR wants the town board to give the planning board to phase large scale developments for up to 10 years.
In a recent letter to the town board, O’Rourke stated that the amendments would “reflect the 21st Century needs of state of the art life science buildings.”
BMR wants to construct four new buildings, each being 669,000 square feet. BMR is seeking site plan approval from the planning board. O’Rourke told the town board he expected the planning board to accept as complete his client’s final environmental impact statement when it meets on July 18.
Town board members expressed their support for the project at last week’s meeting. The new proposal would be in “the right location” and would not increase traffic in residential areas, Councilman Mark Rubeo said. “It’s an excellent proposal,” Councilman Thomas Sialiano said.
