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Bethel Knowles seeks rezoning and site-plan approval for 74-unit expansion; neighbors press for concessions and shed removal
Summary
Representatives for Bethel Knowles told the Greenburgh Town Board they seek rezoning to R-30 and site-plan special permits to add 74 independent-living units, described moving the building back to increase buffer space, and said they would salvage historic elements; neighbors raised concerns about a small structure and stormwater.
Representatives for Bethel Knowles presented a site-plan and rezoning petition to the Greenburgh Town Board at its Feb. 10 work session, asking the board to set a public hearing on an expansion that would add 74 independent-living units to the existing senior campus.
David Cooper, counsel for the applicant, said the team has resubmitted materials after planning-board review and that the building footprint has been pulled back from a 66-foot setback to 78 feet to eliminate the need for a setback variance and create space for more landscaping buffers. "As a result of those discussions, the applicant has moved the building back to 78 feet," Cooper said.
The applicant described an updated landscape plan that would remove 97 trees and plant 202 new trees, a net gain of 105 plantings. Colette Delauro, the project civil engineer, said the infiltration basin was redesigned to be more than 25 feet from the property line and was sized for a 100-year storm using conservative design assumptions.
Neighbors and some board members pressed the applicant to remove an old outbuilding (described in the record variously as a shed or small house) before a public hearing as a sign of good faith. The applicant said the structure would be demolished as part of construction once permits are issued and that, in the meantime, it has been boarded, monitored and patrolled to reduce nuisance complaints.
The applicant also addressed historic-preservation concerns: the historic consultant and the state historic-preservation reviewer (as described by the applicant) supported demolition with conditions to salvage architectural elements such as a fireplace mantel and to incorporate those elements into the new building rather than attempting to preserve the entire unsafe structure.
Board members asked about taxes, affordability and entry fees. Cooper said Knowles operates as a nonprofit and currently has tax-exempt status; he supplied illustrative figures for resident entrance fees and monthly charges, saying the facility's low entry fee is substantially lower than comparable continuing-care retirement communities in the region.
Town staff and the applicant said they will provide written responses to planning-board comments and outstanding technical issues, and the applicant asked the board to schedule a public hearing. Several board members recommended additional neighbor outreach prior to the hearing, and staff said they would assemble the remaining technical analyses on stormwater and other outstanding items ahead of the public hearing.
No vote to set a public hearing was taken at the Feb. 10 session.
