P&Z Watch: American Lane Proposal for 198 Units Moved to Final

At the most recent P&Z meeting the commission advanced to final the application for a zoning text amendment to allow residential use in the BEX 50 zone at 1 American Lane in the northwest corner of Greenwich.

The text amendment creates the new BEX50-R zone, with R standing for residential.

The land is on the state line and only accessible via King Street in North Castle, New York.

Initially, in 2022, the proposal was for 456 units in 41 buildings were the applicant referred to “starter homes and townhouses.” At the time, the P&Z commission expressed concern the proposal was too dense.

The site has its own water wells and wastewater treatment plant that runs along I-684 in the upper right hand corner of the site.

Just north of the property, IBM has its world headquarters in New York.

The current iteration of the proposal is to build 198 units in a cluster development on the 154 acre property.

They also lowered the maximum height of the buildings from 50 to 46 feet and provided there would be no more than three units in any one building. The max FAR for residential continues to be .13.

Rather than include affordable housing as part of the development, the applicant chose instead to provide a contribution to Greenwich’s affordable housing trust fund as prescribed in the zoning text amendment.

The adjacent community of North Castle, New York – comprised of three hamlets, Armonk, Banksville and North White Plains – has a population of about 12,000, which is less than one-fifth of Greenwich’s population., has no approval authority.

However, the Greenwich P&Z commission noted North Castle’s concerns that additional people will be using their roads to access the site.

Prior to final site plan approval P&Z requested several concerns be addressed, including drainage.

Engineering/traffic concerns will need to be addressed including comments from the P&Z commission’s traffic consultants, BETA Group.

Conservation Commission comments need to be addressed and Wetlands Agency requires a permit.

The applicant was also asked to satisfy DPW traffic division concerns with emphasis on Rte 22 and Orchard Road in New York, and in Connecticut on Locust, Bedford and Cliffdale.

The applicant is asked to confirm that the onsite wastewater treatment plant has the capacity for the site uses, proposed residential uses and future accessory uses, and confirm alternate sewerage treatment plans if the onsite plant becomes overtaxed or out of compliance.

There were also asked to address Greenwich Public Schools issues of bus service and schedules, determine on site pick up and drop off locations, and demonstrate on site vehicle queues for parents who wait for their children in their personal cars.

The applicant was asked to coordinate with P&Z staff and NY state municipal officials on all issues New York State municipal officials might have.

They were asked to provide a comprehensive construction phasing plan, address excavation and rock removal, and concurrent use of the site during construction and site development.

The applicant was also asked to meet with the Greenwich Fire and Greenwich Police to review emergency service coverage measures and verify they can be adequately addressed, and review on site water availability to combat structure fires.

As for landscape the applicant was asked to minimize high maintenance open lawn areas and consider including natural meadow and additional wooded areas.

The vote was unanimous on the text amendment. No action was taken on the application for special permit.

Concerns from North Castle which includes Armonk, Banksville and North White Plains

A memo to P&Z from the Adam R. Kaufman, Director of Planning for North Castle came in after the application was closed, but it outlines their concerns.

The letter said there are concerns about additional traffic and congestion and increased the demand for on-and off-street parking in Armonk, which is free.

And although their police department would not respond to calls at the American Lane development other than pursuant to mutual aid protocols, the hundreds of residents who would frequent North Castle would undoubtedly require at least some police services when driving in or visiting.

The letter said residents would undoubtedly require some assistance from their volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel, which were described as “already-stretched,” and ultimately lead to the need for a paid fire department, costing North Castle millions of dollars per year.

Another concern from North Castle was the addition of significant impervious surfaces they say likely could adversely impact the Kensico Reservoir, which is a major source of drinking water for New York City and Westchester County. The reservoir is immediately adjacent to parcels on the other side of King Street.

Greenwich Free Press -

P&Z Watch: American Lane Proposal for 198 Units Moved to Final

By: greenwichfreepress | December 26, 2023