A developer met with the Greenburgh Town Board this morning to discuss a proposal to build 296 units of a high quality multifamily development at One Lawrence Street in the unincorporated section of Ardsley (Azko Nobel property). This property is located near the Saw Mill River Parkway – on the other side of the soon to be built Rivertowns Square development approved by the Village of Dobbs Ferry. Both Councilwoman Diana Juettner and I expressed strong reservations about the application –we both have concerns about how Ardsley, Hastings, unincorporated Greenburgh will be able to handle the additional traffic if this project moves forward. I drive around the village of Ardsley daily. Downtown Ardsley, Ashford Ave and surrounding major streets are difficult to navigate. We worry - adding 296 units of more housing won’t make things better.
The proposal (Jefferson at Saw Mill River) – if approved- would result in four and five story buildings on the 11 acre property (5 acres which would be developed). The site plan features two means of vehicular access to the site, both located on Lawrence Street. The apartments would be rentals – 10% would be affordable. Because of the proximity to the Saw Mill River Parkway – many of the tenants would have easy access to and from the parkway.
As a precursor to all construction on the property (if approvals are granted), the developer plans to spend several million dollars cleaning up environmental contamination left on the site as a result of its historical use as a chemical plant. The cleanup would consist of removal of contaminated materials and other methods that will clean the site to the highest residential standards. JPI has already entered the property into the NYS Brownfields Cleanup program after having completed extensive sampling. The developer indicated that they would share the use of a shuttle service to nearby train stations from Rivertowns Square in Dobbs Ferry. They also indicated that they thought that having a multifamily housing complex near Rivertowns Square and near some of the bio tech companies and other buildings nearby would be beneficial to the community—and could help improve the vibrant research and development node in the town and generate significant jobs during and after construction.
The Town Board work session for February 24th is archived on the Town Board website (www.greenburghny.com) and can be watched in its entirety. Sometimes it takes a day for the archived discussions to appear on our website. Members of the Town Board and I heard this proposal for the first time this morning. Although my initial reaction to the proposal is very negative, the applicant plans to discuss the concept with the Ardsley School Board. They believe that there will not be significant impacts to the schools because many of the units will be studio or one bedroom units. The developer will also meet with Ardsley village officials before deciding whether to pursue the application.
If you would like to be kept informed of the status of this proposal – please advise. If you have any thoughts, please share them with me and I’ll pass your comments along. I should emphasize that the meeting on February 24th was preliminary. The review process has not yet begun and we have not yet received a formal application. It’s my policy to immediately notify residents of proposals that come before the Town Board.
Paul Feiner
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
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Visit our web site at www.greenburghny.com and view archived Supervisors Reports.
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