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City hears outline of cumulative environmental review for three waterfront redevelopment sites
Summary
Consultant BFJ Planning presented a draft cumulative environmental study for three city-owned waterfront parking-lot redevelopment sites, covering traffic, flooding, socioeconomics and mitigation; public comment is open through Sept. 9 with events Sept. 6 and a Planning Commission hearing Sept. 9.
Sarah Yackel, principal with BFJ Planning, told the City Council the firm has "now officially launched this what we're calling cumulative environmental impact report" for three transit‑oriented development sites east of the Metro‑North tracks.
Yackel said the study will examine the three projects together and account for other pipeline development to give the city a fuller picture of combined effects on traffic, parking, flooding and infrastructure. "The study that we are undertaking is really looking at the cumulative impacts of those 3 developments together, combined with any other developments that are happening in the waterfront area," she said. The team described an illustrative build that includes residential units, approximately 11,000 square feet of commercial space, a 125‑room hotel and several hundred parking spaces.
The draft scope follows the structure of a State Environmental Quality Review (SEQRA) generic EIS but is being pursued outside formal lead‑agency action so the document can be circulated for early public and agency comment, Yackel said. She listed 11 technical chapters proposed in the report, including traffic/parking, stormwater and sea‑level rise, infrastructure, community services and a socioeconomics chapter to estimate fiscal and school‑generation impacts.
Staff and the consultant said the draft is posted on the city website and the public comment period runs through Sept. 9. The consulting team will present the scope to the Planning Commission tomorrow, will hold a public meeting Sept. 6 at the senior center, and a Planning Commission public hearing Sept. 9; the Council will later be asked to accept a final scope.
Council members asked about agency outreach, translation and data sources; Yackel said the team had already coordinated parking counts with the MTA and will circulate the scope to interested agencies. "We will be agency. We will be circulating this document and ultimately the report to them to get their feedback," she said. The Council requested staff return with the draft scope and a timeline for next steps.
