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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019.06.26 F.P. Clark Site Plan, Wetlands, and Steep Slopes Memo A HARDESTY&HANOVER COMPANY www.HardestyHanover.com To: Paul S. Rosenberg, Mayor, and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rye Brook Date: June 26, 2019 Subject: 900 King Street – Building Demolition Site Plan, Wetlands and Steep Slopes Permits Applications As requested, we reviewed applications, documents and plans submitted by Rye King Associates, LLC to demolish the existing office building on the property located at 900 King Street, Town of Rye Tax Map Parcel 129.68-1-13. Property Description The 17.77-acre subject property is located within the PUD district situated on the west side of King Street south of the Hutchinson River Parkway that includes The Arbors residential development and Harkness Park. It is developed with a 215,000 square- foot office building and surface parking area. The subject lot is adjacent to and west of Village Hall and the Village Firehouse, adjacent to and south of the Hutchinson River Parkway, adjacent to and east of The Arbors, and adjacent to and north of Harkness Park and the Blind Brook High School property. It is within the King Street Scenic Road Overlay District (SROD). Although the lot has 164.78 feet of frontage along King Street, it does not have direct vehicular access from King Street. Vehicular access to the lot is provided at two locations along the north side of Arbor Drive, which is currently the only access to and from King Street for the commercial and residential portions of the PUD. There are four wetland areas and a watercourse on, or adjacent to, the subject lot, and areas of steep slopes are situated in various locations. The lot has open areas that are landscaped and planted with mature trees and shrubs, and areas that are naturally vegetated. Project Description The application proposes to demolish the office building, which would disturb a portion of the western-most wetland buffer and an area of steep slopes directly ad- 2 adjacent to the building. A site restoration plan is proposed to mitigate disturbance of the wetland buffer and stabilize disturbance of the steep slopes. Review We reviewed application materials and plans that include the following items: 1. Short Environmental Assessment Form and EAF Mapper Summary Report dated 6/6/19 2. Demolition Permit Application 3. Application for Site Plan Approval 4. Site Plan Submittal Review Checklist 5. Site Location Map prepared by JMC, PLLC, Armonk, N.Y. dated 4/3/18 6. Segmentation of Demolition Memorandum to the Board of Trustees from Veneziano and Associates, Armonk, N.Y. dated June 5, 2019 7. Letter to the Planning Board from Veneziano and Associates, Armonk, N.Y. dated June 6, 2019 8. Letter to the Board of Trustees from Veneziano and Associates, Armonk, N.Y. dated June 6, 2019 9. Memorandum to the Planning Board from AKRF, White Plains, N.Y. dated June 6, 2019 10. Draft Demolition Management and Logistics Plan, including a Referenced Materials attachment prepared by AKRF, Inc., White Plains, N.Y. dated June 20, 2019 and June 25, 2019 11. Environmental Review Technical Memo prepared by HDR, PC, Mahwah, N.J. dated June 14, 2019 12. Engineer’s Plans, prepared by AKRF, White Plains, N.Y.: USheet NumberU Sheet TitleU Dated S-1 Cover Sheet 6/6/19 S-2 Existing Conditions 6/6/19 S-3 Site Demolition Plan 6/6/19 S-4 Site Restoration Plan 6/6/19 S-5 SWPPP, Notes and Details 6/6/19 Please note that our review is limited to planning and environmental issues. We offer the following comments regarding the application: 1. Draft Demolition Management and Logistics Plan (DMLP). The applicant provided a draft demolition management and logistics plan that includes a summary of the building demolition and restoration process. The Planning Board, in its report and recommendations to the Trustees, recommended provision of this document for review. The draft document provides 3 preliminary planning and technical information regarding the demolition and construction process, impacts that would typically occur during demolition and construction, and proposed measures to eliminate or mitigate the impacts. The draft DMLP includes a discrepancy that should be clarified. On Page 2, the first paragraph states that demolition of the building (Phase 1), which includes removing the building, the foundation walls, part of the slab, filling, grading and vegetating the disturbed areas will be completed before September 5, 2019, the first day of the school. In the first paragraph of Page 5, under the heading “Noise,” the narrative states that demolition of the building and the slab would be completed by September 4, 2019, the day before school opens, but grading and seeding operations may continue through September. The draft document should provide more information regarding the grading and seeding operations that would occur during the first month of the school year and the effects of the operations on traffic, noise and air quality. 2. Steep Slopes. According to the draft DMLP, after the initial Phase 1 demolition of the building and removal of the ground floor slab, the area would be graded to a slope of 15% and remaining steep slopes would be immediately stabilized by seeding meadow grasses and plants. One 20-inch DBH, Village-regulated tree would be removed along with three 6-inch trees during Phase 1. The draft DMLP calls for the installation of four replacement trees and 16 shrubs to be planted within the Wetland A buffer in an area that would not be disturbed by any future development currently under review by the Village. The proposed Phase 1 plan for disturbance to steep slopes is acceptable. 3. Wetland Buffers. According to the draft DMLP, during the initial Phase 1 demolition of the building that affects a small portion the buffer of wetland A, the area would be graded, and after grading, immediately revegetated with meadow grasses and plants. As discussed in Item 2 of this memo regarding steep slopes, the wetland buffer would be replanted with four replacement trees and 16 shrubs. The proposed Phase 1 plan for disturbance to the Wetland A buffer is acceptable. 4. Phase 2 Demolition, and Steep Slopes and Wetland Buffers. The draft DMLP and the Site Demolition Plan also provide a plan for additional demolition (Phase 2) that would include removal of all remaining paved roads, walkways retaining walls and parking areas that were not removed during the Phase 1 demolition. In the event this work is necessary, it would disturb portions of the buffers of Wetlands B, C and D and involve some grading and restoration in all the areas to be disturbed. 4 As with the Phase 1 demolition plan, in Phase 2, all disturbed areas would be graded, prepared and immediately revegetated with meadow grasses and plants. The proposed Phase 2 plan for disturbance to the remaining wetland buffers, steep slopes, parking lot, and other paved areas is acceptable, with the following comment. In the event that the senior housing project is not approved, and Phase 2 demolition and restoration is necessary, we recommend any existing trees within the parking areas be protected during demolition and integrated into the meadow landscape to be installed. 5. Other Impacts During Demolition. The draft DMLP addresses other potential construction impacts including traffic, construction site safety, erosion and sedimentation, vibration, air quality, noise, and hazardous materials. The Village’s consultant, HDR, reviewed construction noise, construction impacts to air quality, hazardous materials handling, and potential vibration impacts to the Arbors and the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, providing comments in a memorandum dated 6/14/19. We recommend the Board consider these comments during review of the proposed draft DMLP and the demolition site plan. Our office reviewed construction traffic impacts and construction site safety. The draft DMLP and proposed Phase 1 and Phase 2 site plans for demolition disturbance and restoration construction related to traffic and construction site safety are acceptable, with the following comment. We may have additional comments regarding traffic, noise and air quality when information related to the grading and seeding operations that may occur during the first month of the school year is submitted. 6. Coordination with Agencies. The draft DMLP states that there will be coordination with the Arbors HOA, the Blind Brook-Rye school district, and the Village Building and Parks and Recreation Departments before and during both phases of demolition and construction. We suggest that coordination with the Police and Fire Departments may also be needed. We look forward to discussion with the Planning Board. Marilyn Timpone-Mohamed, RLA, ASLA, AICP Senior Associate/Planning/Environment 5 cc: Robert I. Goodman, and the Planning Board Michal Nowak, Superintendent of Public Works/Village Engineer Jennifer L. Gray, Esq., Village Attorney Mark S. Miller, Esq., Veneziano and Associates, for the Applicant 4133.12.900KingStDemolition.SitePlanWetlandSteepSlope.Memo2