Yorktown Town Board Meeting – September 5, 2024

The Yorktown Town Board met on September 5, 2024, for a lengthy session that included an auditor’s report, a resignation, personnel appointments, and two major public hearings on proposed senior housing developments. The meeting ran past midnight, drawing extensive public comment on traffic, environmental impacts, and housing affordability.

Consent Calendar

• Personnel appointments: Judith Guerretto and Michelle Diaco were appointed to Senior Office Assistant positions in the Yorktown Police Department.
• Resignation accepted: The board accepted the resignation of Robert Phelan from the Planning Board, effective September 1, 2024, with thanks for his decades of service.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Howard Gould expressed opposition to the proposed recycling center, urging a 1,000-foot buffer from private property and restaurants, citing concerns about traffic, noise, and environmental impact.
• Mel Tansman criticized the town for an inaccessible ramp at Town Hall, demanding ADA compliance and vowing to raise new issues at each meeting until action is taken.
• Mark Lieberman asked about the status of a Sensory Garden at Granite Knolls Park, noting that $800 was raised for a bench but the project appears stalled.
• Jake Hopstein opposed the resolution for 385 Kear Street, arguing the owner ignored the approved site plan, installed HVAC units in unapproved locations, and that the building department should not issue a certificate of occupancy until compliance is achieved.
• Michael Mamon spoke against water fluoridation, claiming it is corrosive and prevents pediatricians from prescribing proper fluoride doses to children.
• Mora Gregory said she could barely hear the proceedings due to poor acoustics in the overflow room and called for better assistive listening accommodations.
• Jenny Sunshine criticized the town’s rapid development, listing over 20 pending projects and arguing that infrastructure, schools, and quality of life are being overwhelmed.
• James Mecker corrected a previous speaker’s comment about the fall of Saigon, calling it disrespectful to veterans, and emphasized that Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, not celebration.
• Dan (last name not given) objected to businesses operating in no-parking fire zones, opposed a cell tower and the recycling transfer station, and lamented the loss of a historic rock wall on Route 202.
• Jesse Kempter said the proposed 800 East Main Street development (250 units) would worsen already dangerous traffic on Indian Hill Road and Route 6N, and argued the town lacks infrastructure for such density.
• Ann O’Neill noted that the Examiner newspaper covers the AMS and recycling projects but not the Navajo project.
• Joan Silic asked when a public hearing would be held on the Navajo project’s rezoning, expressed concern about cumulative traffic from multiple projects, and urged the board to act independently of developer influence.
• Charles O’Neill reiterated traffic concerns at the AMS site, citing the Planning Board chair’s view that traffic is the project’s biggest problem, and noted that a Conservation Board memo called for a regional traffic study.

Discussion Items

• Auditor’s Report: Alan Passet of PKF O’Connor Davies presented the 2023 audit, which received an unmodified (clean) opinion. The general fund balance stood at $35.9 million, down $2.9 million in unassigned fund balance from the prior year. Revenues exceeded budget by $8 million due to higher sales tax, interest income, building permits, and federal stimulus, while expenditures came in $4.4 million under budget. Councilwoman Siegel questioned the use of fund balance to cover operating costs and the way final budget adjustments were accounted for.
• Toll Brothers Rezoning Public Hearing (2302 & 2448 Catherine Street, 118 age-restricted townhouses): The developer presented a 118-unit active adult community on a 50-acre portion of the Field Home property, including a donation of the historic Field Home building and 2.5 acres to the town. They addressed concerns from the adjacent Glassbury Court community about noise, lighting, pickleball hours, landscaping, and potential road improvements. The traffic engineer stated that peak-hour trips would be less than half per unit and that levels of service would remain acceptable. Councilwoman Siegel argued that the EAF (Environmental Assessment Form) had not adequately reviewed steep slopes, sewer capacity (Hunterbrook Pump Station), traffic, tree removal, and other issues, and urged the board to return the application to the Planning Board for more review. Other board members defended the thoroughness of the review. The public hearing was closed on a motion, with written comments accepted for ten days.
• AMS Development Public Hearing (800 East Main Street, 250-unit age-restricted rental and sale project, with an alternative 185-unit all-rental plan): The developer highlighted that the site is previously developed (former office park) and that the alternative plan would limit new disturbance to 5.8 acres and remove 650 trees (vs. 1,320 in the original). The DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) was the subject of this hearing, allowing the public to submit comments that must be answered in writing. The developer proposed two new traffic signals at the Route 6/East Main Street intersection, stating this would improve the current Level of Service F to a C. Numerous residents testified that the traffic mitigation would not fix the already gridlocked intersection, and that adding up to 250 units (plus other projects) would overwhelm the area. Concerns were also raised about stormwater runoff, emergency services (Mohegan Volunteer Ambulance Corps noted they are at capacity), and the lack of affordable units. Councilwoman Siegel submitted a written list of questions regarding the DEIS. The hearing was left open for written comment for ten days, with a continued meeting likely on October 1.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda items (personnel, resignations) were approved unanimously.
• Resolution for 385 Kear Street cash bond: Approved 4-1, with Councilwoman Siegel voting no, arguing it undercuts the Planning Board’s authority; the board allowed the developer to post a cash bond to cover correcting unapproved HVAC locations and tree mitigation.
• Toll Brothers public hearing: Closed on a motion; written comments accepted for ten days; no vote taken on the rezoning.
• AMS public hearing on DEIS: Left open for written comment; no further action taken; board agreed to schedule a follow-up site visit and continue discussion on October 1.
• Adjournment: Meeting adjourned around 2:00 AM.