Residents Press No. Castle Town Board for Smaller Mariani Project

Several North Castle residents continued to call on the Town Board last week to reduce the size and scope of the proposed residential plan at the site of the former Mariani Gardens in Armonk.

During the Sept. 25 opening of the public hearing on the special use permit, a couple of residents who live near the site and others who fear that the Bedford Road Historic District would be compromised by the 43-unit development urged the board to reconsider the current application.

Opponents also argued that town officials have underestimated or failed to take into account the traffic impact in the area.

Armonk resident and former town justice Susan Shimer said there is currently much congestion at the intersection of Bedford Road and Maple Avenue where the four-acre parcel is located. A downtown parking crunch would also be exacerbated by the project.

But it’s the height and massing of the four structures that are proposed for the parcel that may be most out of line, Shimer said. The largest of the buildings, the 23-unit C Building that is located in the back of the parcel closest to Route 22, is more than 35 feet to the midpoint of the eaves and rises to more than 39 feet at its highest point.

The structures containing the four four-bedroom units and the 16-unit B Building each rise to a zoning height of just under 30 feet, the highest allowable height for the zone, but are about 35 and 36 feet to the highest point, respectively.

“I, as a member of the community, want you to represent us, the residents, not the developers, that you remember our history and that you scale this property to a size and appearance our community can handle,” Shimer told the Town Board.

Resident Ann Dantzig questioned whether the board is “addicted to assessables” by allowing the project to advance this far when it is out of character with the neighborhood. Dantzig also questioned why the board has failed to take into account the other major nearby projects in the pipeline, including the already-approved housing plan at the old lumberyard on Bedford Road, and Eagle Ridge, the proposed hotel and multifamily housing proposal on a portion of the former IBM land.

“You’re so focused internally on the plan on that site and I’m so much more concerned about the impact that that’s going to have on the immediate surrounding area, and by extension, into town,” Dantzig said of the Mariani site.

Councilman Stephen D’Angelo refuted Dantzig’s contention that the town’s top priority is increasing taxable property. There are many instances when the Town Board discourages developers because an idea isn’t good for the town, he said.

“That is absolutely dead wrong,” D’Angelo said. “There are so many proposals that came before us that would raise assessables twice as much, threes times as much when they first propose them and we work with them. Some of them don’t see the light of day because we don’t even want your proposal.”

Attorney Mark Miller, representing applicant 45 Bedford Road LLC, said town traffic consultant Michael Galante has concluded that the Mariani proposal would not have a negative impact on the operation of the Bedford Road-Maple Avenue intersection.

Councilwoman Barbara DiGiacinto suggested that the board consider the applicant contribute toward a fund for road improvements along with the developers of the other area projects should that ever be necessary.

The town is requiring that an easement be granted to widen Maple Avenue to accommodate a right turn lane from Bedford Road if and when increased traffic congestion at the intersection needs to be addressed.

Miller said his client his already agreed to pay $1.25 million as part of a Community Benefits Agreement that will go toward upgrades for the water and sewer plants.

Supervisor Michael Schiliro said the traffic issue is a sensitive one for the board with so much development interest in the town.

“I think the work we did with the new lights, the smart lights, at Maple and Bedford has helped at Route 22,” he said. “The left turn lane is better, so that’s a good thing.”

Residents were skeptical of the accuracy of the traffic study. But another nearby resident, Linda Fernberg, said her main issue is the size of the buildings.

“What do we want out of this project? Why do we keep fighting every step of the way?” Fernberg said. “We want it smaller. I don’t like these buildings. They’re apartment buildings. We want a smaller project. It’s as simple as that.”

Since his client last appeared before the board, Miller said that the owner of 40 Bedford Rd. has been contacted. Town officials are hopeful 45 Bedford Rd. LLC will be granted an easement by that owner to build a sidewalk that leads into Armonk Square from Bedford Road. There has been no commitment from the property owner yet, Miller said.

The Town Board approved the rezoning from Nursery Business to a residential multifamily designation in June following a public hearing. Should the permit be granted, the applicant would still need site plan approval from the Planning Board.