Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
August 17, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 34 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
Development moratorium to conclude in October By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
Bye, summer With the 2018-2019 school year just around the corner, here’s some tips as you prepare your child for that first day. For our Back to School section, see page 9.
For local communities, Beaver Swamp Brook pollution persists By JAMES PERO Staff Writer Despite increased attention from lawmakers and environmental advocates, problems persist for Beaver Swamp Brook, one of Westchester’s most polluted waterways. Beaver Swamp—a tributary that runs from the town/village
of Harrison into the city of Rye, eventually winding through the village of Mamaroneck and emptying into the Long Island Sound—has been under a microscope, both literally and figuratively, since a countywide lawsuit by environmental group Save the Sound in 2015 moved Westchester water quality front and center. According to Elena Colon, an
environmental analyst for Save the Sound, despite heightened awareness over contamination, Beaver Swamp Brook continues to represent a hotspot for pollution. “[Beaver Swamp] is about the same—at its elevated levels,” Colon said. “If it’s failing sample tests every week, there’s obviously an issue there.”
According to Colon, in three of Save the Sound’s most recent routine samples of a Beaver Swamp site behind Rye Neck High School, levels of enterococcus—bacteria found in human and animal feces—ranged from 700 to as high as 9,000 bacteria per sample. The safe swimming SWAMP continued on page 7
A moratorium on residential development in the village of Mamaroneck will continue until Oct. 16, according to a recent update provided to the village Board of Trustees. According to an Aug. 10 memo sent to the village board, the consulting from NV5 has slated Oct. 9 as the day it plans to presents its findings of a study on village development and Oct. 16 as the end date of the moratorium. The memo also outlines what consultants call a “prototype” —a standard criteria that will be used as a blueprint—for studying development in the rest of the village that includes a comparison of existing zoning uses and potential uses in the future that will determine the financial and aesthetic impact on village neighborhoods. The study will also assess the impact of large-scale development on the Mamaroneck school district which has experienced a boon in enrollment over the past several years leading to a strain on district resources and space. An analysis on traffic on and infrastructure is still outstanding as NV5 awaits additional information from the town of Mamaroneck.The village of Mamaroneck signed on to spend nearly $100,000 earlier this year to conduct a study as the next step in a six-month moratorium, which
was passed in April. The moratorium was passed partly as a response to proposals of large-scale developments coming before the village land use boards; in particular, a $35 million project slated for a parcel on Waverly Avenue that would erect more than 100 units within three five-story buildings. The study, totaling $95,000 is investigating the impact of development on village infrastructure and services, the effects on local school districts, and identifying parcels of land that would be ideal for new developments. Specifically, the moratorium has put a temporary stop to all development of three units or larger with the exception of construction that was started before March 12. The study marks a continuation of planning and rezoning initiatives that the village has undertaken over the last year. NV5 is also undertaking an update to the village’s comprehensive plan, to make it more environmentally friendly and attuned with development trends. That plan, which hasn’t been updated since 2012, is costing the village an additional $70,000. Meanwhile, another a study geared toward improving the village Building Department’s practices and procedures is also underway. Additionally, the village has MORATORIUM continued on page 7