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Resident urges Somers to block Granite Point subdivision over watershed risks
Summary
At Somers Town Board public comment, longtime resident Fred Higgum urged the board to reclaim lead‑agency authority over the Granite Point subdivision and pursue purchase to protect the Amawok Reservoir watershed, saying tree removal and lawns on the slopes risk erosion and water pollution.
Fred Higgum, a Somers resident of nearly five decades, used the Town Board's public‑comment period to press officials to take immediate action on the proposed Granite Point subdivision, a plan he said would allow 23 single‑acre “luxury” homes on about 28.8 acres that slope into the Amawok Reservoir watershed.
"How would you feel if your family members ... will be forced to drink, cook, and bathe in water on a daily basis that originates from the Amawok after 23 new single acre family luxury homes are built there?" Higgum asked the board, warning that most mature trees on the parcel would be removed during construction and replaced with hard surfaces and manicured lawns that could increase runoff and nutrient loading into the reservoir.
Higgum said the Somers planning board recently granted another extension for the Granite Point subdivision; he calculated that a series of extensions has effectively stretched approvals over nine years. He urged the Town Board to "take back lead agency designation of the Granite Point subdivision, then work with other New York governmental bodies and environmental organizations to find a way to buy and protect Granite Point Peninsula as forested land forever." He referenced local conservation purchases elsewhere in Westchester County as models.
The comment raised two practical requests: that the Town Board assert lead‑agency status under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) for the subdivision review, and that the town explore acquisition or other conservation options in coordination with regional partners. Higgum framed the request as a public‑health appeal on behalf of residents who rely on the Northern Westchester joint waterworks fed by the Amawok Reservoir.
The board did not take immediate formal action on Granite Point during the meeting; the topic was raised during the public‑comment period and was not listed as a separate agenda item. Higgum named the Sierra Club's Lower Hudson group as a prior commenter who had raised similar concerns.
Next steps: Higgum requested lead‑agency designation and coordination with other governments and nonprofit conservation groups; the Town Board or planning staff would need to publicly docket any SEQR lead‑agency change or acquisition study before policy or funding action could occur.
