Developers outline Old Post Tavern plan in Cross River, propose 2:1 wetland replacement and request SEQRA lead agency status

Developers and architects presented detailed plans June 16 to the Town of Lewisboro Planning Board for the Old Post Tavern project at 902 Route 35 in Cross River, proposing a two‑and‑a‑half‑story restaurant with an attached daytime market and an on‑site greenhouse for kitchen use.

"Right now, the proposal is to replace 3,388 sq ft of existing wetland. But, we're going to replace that with 7,031 square feet of new wetland at the north end of the site," said Sky Getz, the project presenter and architect, describing a mitigation strategy the team said would meet and exceed the town’s one‑to‑one mitigation requirement by using town property for off‑site replacement.

The applicants — represented in the meeting by Tim Allen of Rexford Realty and architects from Studio One Design — showed plans for site circulation with two curb cuts, 51 paved parking spaces plus 11 tandem spaces intended for valet or overflow, a rear service area, a patio and lawn, and a greenhouse used only to supply the restaurant’s herbs and flowers. The project team said much of the town’s off‑site runoff that currently flows untreated into the wetlands would be captured, routed through a separator and treated in a mitigation pond before being sent to the wetland, "so it will be clean before it exits out," Getz said.

Engineers told the board the constrained, roughly 2‑acre site requires some wetland buffer disturbance to allow emergency vehicle access and truck turning for health‑department standards. The proposal therefore fills a small mapped wetland area to create a functional loading and rear‑parking layout; the team said the off‑site mitigation will result in an approximately two‑to‑one replacement ratio.

The developers also discussed permitting steps: an application has been submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the project team said they had received the first round of DEC comments. They noted the project remains subject to septic/percolation testing; the team said their target for building occupancy is roughly 60 patrons inside, but that final seating and occupancy depend on health‑department approval tied to approved septic design.

Town officials and advisory committees raised issues for follow‑up. The Conservation Advisory Committee welcomed the development type but requested more detail on the wetland replacement plan and urged using native plant species rather than non‑native ornamentals in the landscaping plan. Board members also pressed the team on ADA access between the patio and lawn, the feasibility and location of the greenhouse, and opportunities to shift parking to reduce wetland impact if possible.

At the meeting’s end the Planning Board voted to express its intention to serve as SEQRA lead agency and to circulate notice to involved and interested agencies. The board also discussed and tentatively scheduled a site walk for Saturday, July 18, and set the next regular meeting for July 21, 2026.

The application remains under review by staff and DEC; the board did not take a final land‑use action beyond the SEQRA lead‑agency step.