Town board looks to fill planning board opening
Monday, March 26, 2012
by Christine Yeres
New Castle’s five-member Planning Board has one vacancy. The Board meets at 7:00 p.m. every first and third Tuesday in the evening at town hall. Qualifications for this position include some familiarity with land use planning and in particular with the environmental and ecological issues involved in land use planning. If you are interested in applying to be appointed to the Planning Board, please email Supervisor Susan Carpenter, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
According to the town’s website, “The Planning Board is responsible for the review and approval of all applications concerning site plans, subdivisions and lot line changes; some applications concerning special use permits, wetlands permits, and tree removal permits; and the environmental review of those applications over which it has jurisdiction. The Planning Board may also have an advisory role in connection with some applications before the Town Board, such as those involving other categories of special use permits and zoning amendments.”
The Planning Board is composed of five volunteer members – all residents of New Castle – who are appointed by the Town Board for five-year terms. Current planning board members are Chairman Richard Brownell, P.E., Sheila Crespi, Gerard Curran and Douglas Shuerman, P.E.
Again, from the town website, “As part of the review of some applications, the Planning Board is assisted on an as-needed basis by other boards of the Town, such as the Conservation Board, the Environmental Review Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Architectural Review Board. As part of the review of most applications, the Planning Board is also assisted by the Town Planner, the Town Engineer, Planning Board Counsel, and other special consultants when required.”
Planning board meetings are broadcast live and are also available in video-on-demand (“VOD”) at NCCMC.com and on cable access channels.
For more information about the role of planning boards in Westchester County’s municipalities, see Municipal Planning Primer: The Planning Board, from the “Municipal Planning Primer Series” by the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation, including a glossary of planning terms.
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Related: Planning board tucks into 1989 town development plan with an eye to revision and participation, NCNOW.org, 3/16/12
Planning board hears traffic report, sees renderings of Hunts Place building, NCNOW.org, 3/23/12
With the many significant real estate issues in our town, e.g., Affordable Housing, Revitalization of Downtown Chappaqua and Millwood, and the Master Plan, this is an important role to fill.




