HomeMy WebLinkAboutWC County Planning Referral - Response Letter Westchester County Planning Board Referral Review
Pursuant to Section 239 L, M and N of the General Municipal Law and Section 277.61 of the County Administrative Code
George Latimer County Executive
432 Michaelian Office Building
148 Martine Avenue
White Plains, New York 10601 Telephone: (914) 995-4400 Website: westchestergov.com
August 2, 2021
Christopher Bradbury, Village Administrator
Rye Brook Village Hall
938 King Street
Rye Brook, NY 10573-1226
County Planning Board Referral File RYB 21-002 – 900 King Street Redevelopment
Site Plan Approval
Dear Mr. Bradbury:
The Westchester County Planning Board has received site plan and architectural drawings (dated revised
July 2, 2021) and related materials for the above referenced application to redevelop a 17.77-acre former
office site located at 900 King Street (NYS Route 120). The application proposes to construct an age-
restricted residential community as a planned unit development (PUD) consisting of the following
components:
126 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units within a three- and four-story independent living facility
to be located in the center of the site;
85 units of assisted living and memory care in a four-story structure in the northeast of the site;
and
20 two-bedroom residential townhouses in the western portion of the site
All of the units would be age-restricted to residents 62 years of age or older with 13 independent living
units and 1 townhouse set aside as affordable affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH) in accordance
with the Village Zoning Ordinance. Vehicular access to the site would be from Arbor Drive.
This application has been under consideration by the Village since 2017 and has undergone an
environmental review pursuant to SEQR culminating in a findings statement adopted on January 26,
2021. Since that time the Board of Trustees has adopted zoning text amendments that would permit the
development. The Board of Trustees has also granted PUD concept plan approval.
The County Planning Board has participated in the review of this proposal under the provisions of
Section 239 L, M and N of the General Municipal Law and Section 277.61 of the County Administrative
Code throughout the SEQR process and the application’s previous approvals. We appreciate that many
of our earlier recommendations have been incorporated into the current application. We offer the
following comments with respect to the site plan:
1. Affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH).
While the development proposal conforms to the Village’s affordable housing regulations with respect
to affordable AFFH units, the townhouse component will only have one unit set aside as affordable
AFFH, representing only 5% of these units.
Referral File No. RYB 21-002 – 900 King Street Redevelopment
August 2, 2021
Page 2
We urge the Village and the applicant to provide as many affordable AFFH units as possible in the
proposed development, including within the assisted living portion of the development. The Village
should consider the County’s Model Ordinance Provisions for guidance in providing affordable housing
throughout Rye Brook. The County developed these Provisions to standardize the affordable housing
programs across Westchester to make it easier for both residents and developers to understand
qualifications and requirements, and to provide fair housing throughout all municipalities. At a
minimum, developments should contain no less than 10% of the units as affordable AFFH, and this
requirement should be applied across all unit types. While we acknowledge the challenges of providing
affordable AFFH units within assisted living developments, the townhouse portion of this proposal
should include at least two affordable AFFH units to be consistent with the Model Ordinance Provisions.
2. Incomplete sidewalks.
While the site plan shows a substantial internal sidewalk network that also connects to sidewalks on
adjacent Village and School District properties, it is not clear why there is no sidewalk shown at the
eastern end of Arbor Drive. Given that King Street has sidewalks, and the subject property contains
frontage on Arbor Drive all the way to King Street, we do not understand why the applicant is only
proposing to construct a sidewalk on just a portion of Arbor Drive. The site plans should be revised to
include this important connection for pedestrians.
3. Bicycle and electric vehicle parking.
We commend the applicant for providing indoor bicycle parking in the proposed development. We
recommend that this bicycle parking area include access to a power supply for the charging of e-bicycles.
In addition, the Village and the applicant should give consideration towards the provision of electric
vehicle parking capabilities within the proposed parking areas.
4. Universal design.
We encourage the Village to consider the principles of universal design in this development. Universal
design standards allow all residents and visitors to fully engage in our public spaces. Universal design
is also an important means of allowing households to age in place as well as to allow for persons with
mobility issues to visit. Information on universal design can be found at:
https://www.section508.gov/blog/Universal-Design-What-is-it.
Please inform us of the Village’s decision so that we can make it a part of the record.
Respectfully,
WESTCHESTER COUNTY PLANNING BOARD
By:
Norma V. Drummond
Commissioner
NVD/LH