Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Developers propose 5‑story, 36‑unit building at 400 Main; neighbors raise parking, contamination and sewer concerns
Summary
At a public hearing on 400 Main Street, the applicant proposed a five‑story, 36‑unit building with on‑site parking and streetscape/stormwater work; residents and business owners urged caution over parking adequacy, historic contamination and sewer capacity. The Planning Commission previously recommended the height special permit; the applicant withdrew a request to lease city parking.
The Common Council took public comment Oct. 14 on a special-use referral for 400 Main Street, where the applicant proposes a five‑story residential building with 36 units and a two‑tiered approach to on‑site parking.
Architect Joseph (Joe) Thompson, presenting for the owners, said the team withdrew a prior request to lease the adjacent city parking lot after a utilization study and now proposes to provide 36 on‑site spaces and streetscape improvements. "We were able to optimize on-site parking to accomplish 36 spaces or 36 units," Thompson said, describing lower-level access off North Water Street and upper-level access from Main Street. He told the council the project would address existing blight, reduce stormwater runoff at a problematic North Water intersection, and contribute approximately $198,000 to park and recreation in support of the development.
Carol Sammel told the council the Planning Commission (Oct. 9) recommended the special permit for the height bonus but had objected to using the city parking lot; Sammel said the applicant will not pursue the parking lease.
Nearby residents and business owners voiced concerns. Bree Pettis described historic remediation next door and worried about possible residual contamination, saying she had observed deep excavations to bedrock during prior cleanup work and asking about long‑term health risks. "When that toxic waste came out, it's...a silvery sludge from the coal gasification process...it smells like a combination of the kind of chemicals you use when you're cleaning your fingernails," Pettis said, urging robust environmental review and testing.
Local business owners and residents repeatedly raised parking and sewer capacity concerns. John Hudgins and other commenters noted that one parking space per unit could leave spillover parking on neighborhood streets; Hudgins cited a national average of about 1.8 cars per household to argue one space per unit may be insufficient. Restaurant operators on North Water asked that municipal parking not be reduced and raised worries about patron parking competing with residents. Several speakers also asked that the environmental review include groundwater, springs and erosion analysis, and that the sewer department validate capacity before approvals.
The applicant said a Phase I/II environmental assessment has been performed and will be submitted as part of the planning commission's environmental review; the team also confirmed they will abide by Peekskill's 10% affordable-unit requirement (two workforce/ two affordable units in this 36‑unit building). Thompson said engineers had calculated the additional sanitary demand and that inflow/infiltration fees would contribute to city infrastructure funds.
The public hearing record was accepted, and the council closed public comment on the item that evening so the Planning Commission could complete environmental review and any site-plan refinements before the council acts on approvals.
