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Applicant for tiny-home redevelopment at Leonard Hospital site told to provide Phase 2 testing; SEQR deferred
Summary
Developers of a tiny-home redevelopment at the former Leonard Hospital sought a SEQR negative declaration after the DEC sent a consent letter; board members and city staff nevertheless required updated environmental testing (Phase 2) and tabled final action until the applicant provides that analysis.
The planning board reviewed an updated design and materials for 74 New Turnpike, a proposed tiny-home redevelopment on the former Leonard Hospital site. The applicant team reported they had received a consent letter from the Department of Environmental Conservation indicating DEC did not object to the planning board acting as SEQR lead agency and that DEC had outlined environmental topics for review.
Applicant counsel said the team had redesigned the site to pull tiny homes out of newly defined wetland buffers, increased parking and prepared stormwater and drainage reports. They submitted a Phase 1 environmental assessment prepared earlier for the city and argued a Phase 2 was not required because the Phase 1 did not recommend it. City staff and the city engineer, Russ Reeves, advised caution: the Phase 1 predated demolition of the hospital and the city engineer described observed historical site contaminants (fuel oil, hydraulic fluid, small drums) noted in earlier reports and recommended a Phase 2 to provide a current baseline and to specify vapor- and chemical‑barrier measures (including a double 6‑mil polyethylene barrier under slabs) as standard precaution.
Following public comment and a lengthy technical conversation, the board voted to require Phase 2 testing and table the SEQR determination until the applicant provides the updated subsurface testing and any required remedial planning. The applicant indicated willingness to proceed with Phase 2 testing and to coordinate with city staff and DEC.
