Planning board accepts DEIS for public comment, sets Jan. 23 hearing for Blue Rule Estates

The Airmont Planning Board voted on Jan. 7 to accept the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Blue Rule Estates project for public comment, conditioned on incorporation of a Jan. 7 memo from Osman Barry of Nelson & Pope addressing the traffic section and related county memos dated Dec. 9 and Dec. 10.

Board members set a public hearing on the DEIS for Jan. 23 and asked the applicant to file a notice of completion; the board said the 30-day public comment period begins when that notice is filed and discussed extending the written comment deadline to Feb. 10 if needed.

Why it matters: accepting the DEIS for public comment advances the environmental review process for Blue Rule Estates and establishes the formal timeline for public input. The board’s acceptance was explicitly conditioned on responding to consultant comments identified in the Jan. 7 memo and earlier county review memos.

At the Jan. 7 meeting, a board member reported receipt of a Jan. 7 memo from Osman Barry of Nelson & Pope with comments and suggested modifications to the traffic section of the DEIS. The board’s motion to accept the DEIS for public comment specified that acceptance be conditioned on compliance with that Jan. 7 memo. Another board member asked that the motion also reference two memos from Mr. Cusco dated Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, which the board agreed to include as part of the record.

The board discussed scheduling requirements for the comment period. Members noted the regulations cited at the meeting require a minimum 30-day public comment period tied to the notice of completion and that any public hearing must fall within that period; the board agreed Jan. 23 as the hearing date and discussed extending written comments through Feb. 10 if necessary. A board speaker asked the applicant to provide a notice of completion so the board could post the document on its website and begin the formal comment period.

Board members also asked staff and Mr. Fusco to confirm that the DEIS had been revised to address the referenced consultant and county comments before the public sees the document. The board approved the motions on the record; the transcript records the motions and the board’s affirmative vote but does not list a numeric roll-call tally in the minutes.

Next steps: the applicant is to file a notice of completion and the board will post the DEIS and associated memos. The public hearing is scheduled for the board’s Jan. 23 meeting; the board indicated the written comment deadline may be extended to Feb. 10 depending on timing and whether additional information is required.