A draft resolution for the proposed transit‑oriented development at 140 East Prospect Avenue was the primary development item discussed at a Mount Vernon Planning Board work session, with staff and counsel saying the resolution incorporates prior edits and is ready for the board’s consideration at tomorrow’s meeting.

The board’s chair opened the discussion by asking members to review the latest draft and sending it to counsel for final review. Brad, the applicant’s representative, said, "This is Brad. I agree with the Chairman's sentiments. It's the resolution, [it] incorporates all of your good comments and feedback, and I think it captures all of the discussion and comments that we all had during the public hearing sessions." Brad and legal counsel said written edits previously submitted were incorporated in the version before the board.

Commissioner Weiss pressed for a clearer explanation of the developer’s choice of green‑building standard. Weiss said, "This is regarding the LEED certification. I'm still not understanding why we would want to use a lesser standard with the NGBS. That is just not clear to me." Brad replied that NGBS is a different certification program, not necessarily a lesser one, and that the applicant had chosen NGBS "for a variety of reasons, I'm sure, including the extent of the certification process under LEED and the cost associated with it." Brad said he would ask the applicant to provide explicit reasons and, if possible, supply them to the board in advance of tomorrow’s meeting so the issue can be resolved before the public session.

Co‑counsel Nakachi and the board’s counsel confirmed they had reviewed the resolution; one counsel said written comments and edits were submitted and incorporated into the current version. Staff asked board members to check their email for the draft and to notify staff if they did not receive it so it could be resent.

No formal vote or motion was taken during the work session. The board directed the applicant to provide a written explanation of the choice to pursue NGBS instead of LEED before the scheduled meeting tomorrow, and staff to ensure the most recent draft resolution is distributed to all members.

If the applicant provides the requested clarification, the board intends to consider the resolution at the next meeting; otherwise the item will remain on the agenda for further discussion.