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Neighbors and planners press traffic and pedestrian safety questions at Lawrence Street contractor‑yard hearing
Summary
A town hearing on a proposed 110,000 sq ft contractor storage yard at 1 Lawrence Street drew sustained questions about tractor‑trailer access, pedestrian safety (near the South County Trail and bus stops), and brownfield stormwater controls; the board adjourned the matter to July 22 for more documentation and planning‑board follow‑up.
The Town Board opened a public hearing on a site‑plan application for an outdoor contractor storage yard and motor‑vehicle storage at 1 Lawrence Street (Artsley PO) on June 10. The applicant proposes an approximately 110,000 sq ft contractor storage area, 48 cargo truck parking spaces and 64 contractor parking spaces on a ~10.7 acre former brownfield site. The project requires site‑plan approval, tree removal permits and a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Residents and board members focused on traffic safety: Lawrence Street is narrow, busy with commuter and trail traffic, and already hosts tractor‑trailer maneuvers, the town’s traffic consultant said. Speakers asked whether large vehicles could safely enter and exit the site without crossing competing lanes, raised pedestrian hazards for workers who currently walk from the Sawmill River Parkway bus stop, and urged stricter limits on sizable truck movements during peak hours.
Applicant response and mitigation: The project team presented a set of mitigation measures: reconstructing existing curb cuts, installing a new sidewalk along the site frontage, signage and sensor‑based pedestrian warnings, stop signs, and time‑window restrictions on truck turning movements (for example restricting left turns at certain driveways during morning and afternoon peak periods). The applicant’s stormwater plan (SWIP) and a cut‑and‑fill analysis — submitted late in the Planning Board review — indicate a net reduction in peak runoff and a modest reduction in impervious area; the developer also outlined procedures under the brownfield site‑management plan for any cap excavation.
Why it matters: Neighbors and the Planning Board stressed that the corridor is among the town’s most difficult for traffic or pedestrian conflicts and asked the Town Board to ensure no site configuration requires vehicles to cross a competing traffic lane to enter. Planning staff and the applicant agreed to survey Lawrence Street right‑of‑way and explore minor roadway improvements the town could pursue; the applicant agreed to further documentation requested by staff and the Planning Board.
Next steps: Because the Planning Board said it did not have all materials at the time of its referral (notably the stormwater and cut‑and‑fill documents), the Town Board voted to adjourn the Lawrence Street hearing to July 22 to allow the applicant to provide the remaining material and for the Planning Board to offer additional comments prior to SEQRA/SEQR action.
What they said: • "This is obviously one of the most difficult corridors and intersections in the town," said the town's traffic consultant, who recommended restrictions on turning movements during peak hours and limiting tractor‑trailer deliveries to off‑peak periods. • Applicant representative Mark Petrol said proposed turn restrictions, signage and a new sidewalk would mitigate pedestrian conflicts and that the submission includes measures to reduce peak stormwater rates compared with existing site conditions.
The Town Board left the hearing open for further material and will reconvene on July 22.
