Welcome to the fifth issue of The Open Space Advocate Newsletter, an online newsletter focusing on open space issues in North Castle and surrounding communities. If you missed the previous issues and would like to read them please go to www.openspaceadvocate.com.
Planning Board Requests Public Comment on Revised Armonk Square Plan Next Monday evening at 7:00 pm at the H.C. Crittenden Middle School in Armonk there will be a public hearing before the North Castle Planning Board on the revised site plan for Armonk Square. The Planning Board will take into account all the public comments when considering whether to approve the revised Armonk Square site plan. This is your opportunity to participate in the process that will determine the future character of downtown Armonk. If you do not like to speak in public or cannot attend the hearing please send your written comments to: North Castle Planning Board, 17 Bedford Road, Armonk, NY 10504
Where will it be? Antares Real Estate, the developer of the Cider Mill property, plans to build a 51,000 square foot commercial and residential development called Armonk Square on three acres in the heart of downtown Armonk. This is a decrease from the 54,000 SF plan previously proposed by Antares. The site will border Main Street where the old Sheep Shack, Wisteria, and Holmes & Kennedy buildings are currently located. The property extends back from Main Street to St. Stephen's cemetery and borders Maple Avenue on the north side (close to Beascakes and Cocobolo) and the Bedford Road Historic District (opposite Town Hall) on the south side. Armonk Square will consist of five 2-story buildings each with retail and service establishments on the first floor and residential units on the second floor. In total there will be approximately 22,000 SF of commercial space, consisting of retail stores, offices, a bank, and a restaurant, and approximately 20,000 SF of residential space consisting of 21 second story apartments. There will be 118 parking spaces. To see an architect's rendering of Armonk Square click here.
Access to Armonk Square. Cars will access Armonk Square using two entrances: one from Maple Avenue and one from Bedford Road using a two way road to be built directly through the Bedford Road Historic District. This Historic District is a town landmark that has been listed on The National and State Registers of Historic Places and The Westchester County Historic Sites Inventory for more than twenty years. It is our town's only historic district. The New York State Office of Historic Preservation, the North Castle Historical Society, the Town's Landmarks Preservation Committee, and many residents are strongly opposed to the impact that the proposed road will have on the Bedford Road Historic District. The Landmarks Preservation Committee, appointed by the Town Board to protect the Bedford Road Historic District, previously denied its approval of the Armonk Square plan that consisted of 54,000 SF because of the impact that the road will have on the Historic District.
What does 51,000 SF look like? To understand the size of the proposed development compare it to the existing buildings that will be next to it. Hickory & Tweed is 6,600 SF and Olive Branch Plaza, where Tazza Cafe and La Scala are located, is 4,200 SF. Armonk Square will contain five buildings: two buildings of each approximately 13, 000 SF, two buildings of each approximately 8,000 SF and one building of approximately 7,000 SF.
Final approval not given yet. The Planning Board has not yet issued its final approval of Armonk Square. The purpose of the October 1st public hearing is for the Planning Board to get input from the public before making its final decision. In addition to Planning Board approval, the project must also be approved by the Town's Landmarks Preservation Committee (LPC) because of its proximity to and impact on the Bedford Road Historic District.
Anyone driving through downtown Armonk on a Saturday or at lunch time on a weekday knows exactly how frustrating the traffic and parking situation is. What will be the impact of adding 51,000 square feet of stores, offices, and residences to the heart of downtown?
Parking: Armonk Square will have 118 parking spaces. The Town Code requires that a development the size of Armonk Square have 157 parking spaces. Because there is not enough room for 157 parking spaces, the Planning Board has given the developer a 25% waiver (authorized by the Town Code) which means that Antares is only required to build 118 on-site parking spaces. The revised plan will not have land banked parking along the road through the Historic District as was part of the previous Armonk Square Plan. The developer has offered to make a $75,000 contribution toward off-site parking to be constructed elsewhere in downtown. The following questions remain: Where will the off-site parking be located? When will it be built? What will be the total cost of constructing the off-site parking? If the developer is paying $75,000 of the cost, who is paying the remainder?
Traffic: The developer's traffic study shows that the Armonk Square development is estimated to generate a total of 172 vehicles (84 entering / 88 exiting) during the weekday peak a.m. highway hour, a total of 322 vehicles (163 entering / 159 exiting) during the weekday peak p.m. highway hour, and a total of 299 vehicles (150 entering / 149 exiting) during the Saturday peak hour.The traffic study concludes that regardless of the traffic generated by the proposed Armonk Square, the current traffic conditions in downtown Armonk require a traffic light to be installed at the intersection of Main Street and Bedford Road. However, the NYS Department of Transportation, the agency that would be responsible for installing the traffic light, has stated that it will wait for Armonk Square to be built and then review actual post development traffic counts to determine the need for a traffic light.
The Open Space Advocate Newsletter is written by Kerri A. Kazak, an attorney and open space advocate. Ms. Kazak formerly served as co-chair of the North Castle Open Space Committee. She is co-founder of the North Castle Land Trust, a chapter of the Westchester Land Trust. Ms. Kazak is also co-founder and co-chair of the Citizens' Campaign to Save Seven Springs. This newsletter is an independent publication with no affiliation with the North Castle town government or any other community groups or organizations.
