Too Many Problems with the Underhill Farm Development Project

They kept saying, “You’ll get your say, at the public meeting…” But at the June 8 hearing, the Yorktown Planning Board let Unicorn Contracting Corporation begin with a 45-minunte presentation on why their project is “great.”

With more than 50 residents signed up to speak, the night dragged on and many local residents couldn’t stay late. I finally got to speak but was interrupted about three minutes into my respectful comments. (I’m against the project; could this be why I was interrupted?)

The trend that night, it seemed, was that if you were in favor of the project, you were allowed to speak freely for a good, long while.  Against?  Interrupted. I wasn’t the only one. I realized the board was tired, but this was the only public meeting on this issue.  Isn’t it their job to stay up late and listen to us, especially since they don’t allow public comment at their regular meetings?

The Soundview/Underhill project is not a done deal, and it’s loaded with problems. Aside from smashing Yorktown’s history into bits – paving over Native American, Revolutionary War and Underground Railroad footprints – zero independent environmental, historical and traffic studies have been done, few questions have been answered, and likely few of the protocols have been followed thus far.

My grave concerns remain: removal of 400 trees; the eradication of a well-established native habitat; flooding and run-off; noise and light pollution; a permanent character change for Yorktown; adding dense population to a sensitive area; traffic nightmares along Underhill Avenue that can’t be fixed with one traffic light adjustment; expensive housing; and a lost opportunity that something else could be done with the property that is better suited to honor its tremendous history and significance.

Jennie Sunshine
Yorktown

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