Why it’s Crucial for Westchester Residents to Fight Pocantico Subdivision

It’s urgent for Westchester residents to know about a proposal before the Mount Pleasant Planning Board to develop about 37 acres of property at 715 Sleepy Hollow Rd. into a 31-home cluster subdivision, threatening highly treasured natural open space in Westchester.

The developer’s DEIS statement was surprisingly accepted as “complete” in December. The detailed project description including their flawed interpretation of environmental impacts is below at
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WYSWqIlEzGYShNtjqzB43EMqQeN9N4Ew/view?usp=sharing

At the first public hearing on Feb. 2, there were more than 60 people present in the room; 26 speakers opposed the development, none spoke in support of it. Already several experts have found many inaccuracies, misleading statements and important omissions. The recorded hearing can be watched on the Town of Mount Pleasant’s website at http://wwtmp.com/pb.html.

• The Potantico River, a major nine-mile tributary of the Hudson River, runs from the lake through the Rockefeller Preserve, travels through Sleepy Hollow (including the historic cemetery), fills the mill pond at Philipsburg Manor and ultimately reaches Kingsland Park, which discharges into the Hudson River. Runoff from this development from contaminants in new fill and possible new residential lawn pesticides would pollute the lake and river.
  • The developer proposes removing possibly more than six acres of forest, damaging the ecological balance for wildlife.
  • Thousands of Westchester County residents signed a petition that endorsed the resolution unanimously passed by the Westchester County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Commission signaling to the county executive and Board of Legislators to purchase and continue to protect this beloved park with all its intrinsic environmental benefits for wildlife, water purity and recreational use enjoyed by residents and visitors across Westchester.
  • For more than 100 years it has serviced thousands of Westchester residents with potable water. It is a possible reserve supply for future use.
  • The developer is proposing sending the sanitary effluent from the project to the Ossining Sewer District via newly dug sewer pipe to the existing main, then entering the lift station owned and operated by Briarcliff Manor. This will cause extensive traffic disruption and inconvenience to many residents in the surrounding communities over many months.
  • Purchased by Westchester County, the park was designated a Critical Environmental Area in 1990, which is one of only six watersheds in Westchester and is home to wetlands, wildlife habitat and an array of birdlife that awes daily visitors – bald eagles, osprey and blue herons, to name a few. The property is a priority conservation area, according to the state DEC Estuary Program.
  • The developer continues to “market” their proposed alternatives as “preserving … open space” and our elected officials seem to be talking the bait. The reality is that the property contains steep slopes and wetlands, and therefore, cannot be safely developed without great risk to all of us! Important to note is tons of soil, nearly 800 truckloads, would be put on top of bedrock so houses can be built on the fill, on top of the steep slopes over the lake with untold environmental impact to the water and natural ecosystem.
  • As Westchester County residents, we all have a stake in this. You can write to your town boards, legislators and/or attend board meetings to ask your representatives to get involved. Contact the Mount Pleasant Planning Board to express your concerns at https://www.mtpleasantny.com/webforms/contact-us.
  The next public hearing is scheduled for this Thursday, Mar. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Town Hall, 1 Town Hall Plaza in Valhalla. Support our Mount Pleasant neighbors. Support letters to your representatives really do help!

Howard Jay Fleischer
Co-founder, Concerned Citizens of Ossining

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