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Home My WebLink About2024-3-27 975 Anderson Hill Road David Steinmetz, Esq Letter to the Board of Trustees David S. Steinmetz david@zarin-steinmetz.com Phone: (914) 682-7800 www.zarin-steinmetz.com 81 Main Street, Suite 415 White Plains, New York 10601 March 27, 2024 By Hand Delivery and Email Hon. Jason A. Klein Mayor of the Village of Rye Brook and Members of the Board of Trustees 938 King Street Rye Brook, New York 10573 Re: 975 Anderson Hill Road Redevelopment Submission of Rezoning Petition, Site Plan and Other Applications Dear Mayor Klein and Members of the Board of Trustees: Our firm, together with JMC Planning and Engineering, WTAG (architect), and EDSA (landscape architect), represents Cohen Purchase Building Company LLC (“Cohen”) with respect to the highly anticipated redevelopment of the former Doral Arrowwood site (“Project”). We last appeared before your Board in December for a sketch plan conference, during which we received positive feedback about our client’s plan for the property as a wellness, dining, hospitality, residential, and recreational destination. We make this submission on behalf of Cohen to formally commence the land use and zoning application processes, and respectfully request placement on the BOT’s next available meeting agenda so that the BOT can begin its review of the Project under the Village Code and SEQRA. Enclosed are the following materials: • Rezoning Petition, with Draft Zoning Amendment and Preliminary Site Plan • Application Forms (PUD Site Plan, Wetlands, Steep Slopes, Floodplain Development, Stormwater Management Control, and Tree Removal) • Full Environmental Assessment Form • Draft Scoping Document Village of Rye Brook Board of Trustees March 27, 2024 | Page 2 • Drawings prepared by the Applicant’s Consultants: o Cover Sheet with Zoning Table o Survey o Existing Conditions Plan o Proposed Preliminary Site Plan o Concept Architectural Drawings o Concept Landscaping Drawings Note that these drawings are all initial concept drawings to begin the review process. We know that we have not submitted everything required on the Site Plan Checklist, and that a complete set of engineering, architectural, and landscaping drawings will need to be submitted during the full SEQRA EIS and Site Plan review process. That said, the level of detail shown on these initial plans demonstrates that our client and its consultants have already spent a lot of time and effort carefully designing a first-rate Project unique to Westchester. To briefly remind the BOT about the Project, it would include (i) a new lodge that contains a hotel and conference center (approximately 220 hotel rooms), residential units (40 units), ballrooms, restaurants, and recreational and other facilities, (ii) a separate multifamily residential building containing a total of 75 units, including 12 affordable housing units, and (iii) a wellness center/medical office building that would also contain 6 workforce housing units to provide quality on-site housing for a few of the Project’s employees, together with related amenities, landscaping, parking and other site improvements, on approximately 84 acres. The Project’s attractive and innovative architecture is inspired by an Adirondack lodge/camp style. The property is already in a PUD, and the Project would comply with most of the existing PUD regulations set forth in Section 250-7(E)(1) through (4) of the Village’s Zoning Law. The proposed Rezoning Petition requests certain zoning text amendments primarily to clarify the meaning of a “lodge” use, and to ensure that the Project complies with the applicable bulk and dimensional requirements, including establishing new height requirements. A Draft Zoning Amendment is annexed to the Zoning Petition as Exhibit “A”. We look forward to working with the BOT, Planning Board, and staff during the process to fine-tune the proposed amendments. We also wish to mention that Cohen is sensitive to the visual concerns of its immediate neighbors at Doral Greens and Kingfield. Our client has been working with its landscape architects and the landscaping consultants from the Doral Greens HOA for many months to develop a plan to decommission the former golf course, and landscape the property that faces the Doral Greens’ homeowners’ front and back yards with attractive lawn areas, perennial gardens, and meadows. These discussions are ongoing as we work towards finalizing our agreement with the HOA, and we will continue to update the Village. In sum, we ask that the BOT place this matter on an upcoming agenda primarily to: (i) accept the Rezoning Petition, and (ii) declare its intent to serve as Lead Agency for the Project under SEQRA. We will discuss other next steps with the BOT during the meeting. Village of Rye Brook Board of Trustees March 27, 2024 | Page 3 Thank you for the Board’s attention. Our client is excited to get started and work together with the Village and community to deliver a Project that everyone will be proud of. Respectfully submitted, ZARIN & STEINMETZ LLP By: ____David Steinmetz ___ David Steinmetz Brad Schwartz Encls. cc: Christopher Bradbury, Village Administrator Steven Fews, Building and Fire Inspector Robert Goodman, Planning Board Chair Jennifer Gray, Esq. / Ralph C. DeMarco, Esq. Charles S. Cohen / David J. Fogel, Cohen Purchase Building Company LLC JMC Site Development Consultants WTAG EDSA Russ Jellinek, Esq. (counsel for Doral Greens HOA)