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Planning board to open public hearing on 254 Center Avenue after consultants flag stormwater, driveway safety
Summary
The board agreed to open a public hearing on the 254 Center Avenue subdivision at the next meeting once the applicant submits revised materials; consultants raised unresolved stormwater and driveway‑safety issues, including whether the proposed driveway is too close to the stop bar.
The Village of American Planning Board agreed May 13 to open a public hearing on the subdivision for 254 Center Avenue at the next meeting, contingent on the applicant’s resubmission of updated plans and responses to consultant memos. Board and consultant discussion focused on stormwater details and driveway safety.
Consultant memos from H2M and AKRF identified items the applicant must address on the plat and in engineering calculations. The applicant’s team said they have been working through those memos and expect to submit a near‑complete package in the coming month.
Traffic safety was a key unresolved point. An AKRF licensed professional engineer told the board the driveway closest to Center Avenue is currently set less than four feet from the stop bar, a distance she described as unsafe for sight lines and maneuverability. She recommended aiming to match nearby examples (about 32 ft to the stop bar) and suggested a minimum of one car length (about 20 ft) as an absolute minimum for safety.
The applicant’s engineer countered that adjacent sites are not comparable in geometry and said vehicles at the site can yield or back out safely; the board acknowledged the disagreement and advised the applicant to consider moving the driveway or proposing alternate designs for the site‑plan review.
On stormwater the applicant said the design uses an underground storage chamber (Coltech/Stormtech) with an outlet weir that meters discharge rather than relying on infiltration. The board and H2M asked for clarification of percolation test results and whether the system should receive infiltration credits under the new calculations.
The board also discussed sequencing of approvals: Westchester County Department of Health sign‑off for the plat remains a required step before the plat can be signed, and the applicant has submitted a floodplain development permit application. The chair said the subdivision public hearing will be opened at the next meeting when the applicant’s materials are submitted; site‑plan issues will be worked through in parallel.
What happens next: the applicant was asked to submit an updated plat and technical responses to H2M and AKRF memos; the board will open the public hearing on the subdivision as soon as the submission is complete and will continue site‑plan review and HCZM (Harbor/Coastal Zone Management) consistency review as required.
