Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Peekskill planning chief outlines 2026 budget, waterfront TOD and $15,000 online filing request
Summary
Planning Director Carol Sammel presented the department's 2026 budget priorities to the Common Council, highlighting grant-backed waterfront transit-oriented development, downtown projects including Fleischmann Pier, and a modest technology request for an online application system (about $15,000).
Carol Sammel, director of the Department of Planning and Economic Development, delivered a broad overview of the department's work and its modest 2026 budget request at the Oct. 14 Peekskill Common Council meeting. She said the department continues to pursue grants and oversee projects that aim to improve quality of life and the tax base while operating with a small staff.
Sammel emphasized the waterfront transit‑oriented development (TOD) effort and related planning work, saying the city had selected developers for three commuter-lot parcels whose proposals could deliver housing and hotel uses. "We, in that process, selected 3 developers to negotiate with...their proposals...would help us revitalize the waterfront with 270 units of housing, a 125 room hotel, small retail," Sammel said. She also noted that the city has engaged a planning firm for a cumulative environmental impact report so citizens can assess potential large‑scale impacts.
The presentation listed recent achievements and active grants: Sammel said the planning department is managing dozens of grant awards and projects — "We've been managing 38 grants totaling $32,000,000 for $50,000,000 worth of projects" — and flagged awards from Safe Streets for All and the Mid‑Hudson Momentum program. She identified Fleischmann Pier as a $5,000,000 project nearing completion and said the pier has already begun generating tourism activity.
On budget specifics, Sammel described a small net increase driven chiefly by new online tools and workforce development staff: "We're talking like $15,000 or something to implement" an online application filing and tracking system, she said, arguing it would increase transparency and streamline reviews. She also suggested modest recurring funds for public‑art maintenance and requested a plotter/scanner for multiple departments; later in the meeting councilors clarified that the scanning/plotter request is a single unit paid from the department budget.
Council members praised the department's work and pressed for details, asking about timelines for developer negotiations at the waterfront and the role of a harbor master to manage new boating activity. Sammel said negotiations depend on financing and that final approvals would follow environmental review. On the comprehensive plan, she estimated a two‑year timeline to produce a citywide plan, funded by a combination of grants and consultant work, though she cautioned that implementation would require additional resources.
The council did not take a final vote on the planning budget at the Oct. 14 meeting; Sammel's presentation was heard as part of the council's budget review process and will inform later deliberations.
