Tuesday, September 29, 2009
by Christine Yeres
The planning board submitted its comments on developer Summit Greenfield’s draft environmental impact statement to the town board on Friday, September 25, the last day for written comment. In its first section, “Overall Development Concept,” the planning board touches on the affordable housing element of the project, the desirability of a town pool and library branch, and recommends “a less dense alternative” to the 278 residential units proposed.
In the first two pages of the report, the planning board:
⦁ discourages the developer from creating any residential development as a gated community,
⦁ urges the developer to increase the proportion of affordable units in any residential development of the property,
⦁ encourages the developer to consider what types of facilities and conveniences ought to be provided that would reduce the need to travel by car from the development, and
⦁ recommends that the town investigate the possibility of a town-owned pool on the property as well as a library branch in any recreation center building the town may be considering.
⦁ The first section ends with the suggestion that the developer prepare and analyze “a less dense alternative site plan layout with all the new development located in the portion of the subject site that is currently located within the existing Sewer District.”
In the remaining seven pages of its comments, the planning board discusses:
⦁ the compatibility of the proposed development with town development plan policies,
⦁ the appropriateness of the proposed multi-family district zoning, the compatibility of the residential and commercial uses with the Reader’s Digest site and with the town as a whole,
⦁ the proposed residential density and multi-tenant corporate use and density
⦁ the impact on community character
⦁ other land use and zoning issues
⦁ community facilities and services
⦁ historical and archaeological resources
⦁ utilities (sewers)
⦁ traffic, transportation and parking
⦁ air quality and noise
To view the entire nine-page document, see New Castle Planning Board Comments on DEIS
Want to catch up? From NCNOW’s archives: Click here for access to links to all our articles on the proposal to redevelop the former Reader’s Digest property.
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