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Planning board reviews 75‑unit Knowles expansion and issues no objection to town board referral
Summary
Bethel Homes presented a proposal to add 75 independent‑living units to the Knowles campus; the planning board reviewed site, stormwater and landscape plans, discussed variances (setbacks, height, FAR and apartment size) and voted to issue no objection to the town board’s referral while scheduling further review and a site visit.
The Greenburgh Planning Board reviewed a major expansion proposal July 16 from Bethel Homes to add 75 independent‑living units to the Knowles continuing care retirement community. The applicant team outlined a multi‑level building that steps with the hillside, described circulation and below‑grade parking, and said it had started coordination with the town board, the historic‑preservation board and traffic reviewers.
Attorney David Cooper (Zarin and Steinmetz) and architect Patrick Mixtorf (EGA) told the board they will seek rezoning of the site to R‑30, town‑board site‑plan and amended special‑permit approvals, wetlands and steep‑slope permits from the planning board, and variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals for setback, parking and dimensional standards driven largely by existing lot lines and topography. Mixtorf said the proposed building will read as a 2½‑story form toward Grasslands Road and increase to 3½ stories where it connects to the existing community to accommodate grade changes; the tallest portion was described at roughly 39.6 feet, above the 35‑foot limit in the current code.
Langan engineer Colette Delauro presented stormwater measures that include a pretreatment forebay, bio‑infiltration areas and a detention/infiltration basin sized to over‑flow to the existing stormwater pond only in a 100‑year event; she said the project would reduce net stormwater discharge to three drainage points compared with existing conditions. The landscape plan calls for an evergreen screen and meadow mixes around stormwater basins to provide screening for adjacent residences.
Board members asked for a site visit, indicated concern about neighbor outreach and asked staff to circulate detailed comments to the applicant so the team can respond before subsequent meetings. The planning board moved and voted to express no objection to the town board’s notice and to circulate that recommendation; staff will schedule site visits, secure traffic‑review comments and continue coordination with the historic‑preservation board and other referral agencies.
"We will be here for a bit," said the applicant’s attorney, noting coordination with multiple boards and further submittals to come. The planning board’s decision to raise no objection is a procedural referral step; final approvals for rezoning, site plan and special permits will occur through the town board and other review bodies.
