Town of Mount Pleasant Comprehensive Plan (Envision Mount Pleasant) & Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code
Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement
Lead Agency: Town of Mount Pleasant – Town Board
May, 2021 Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS
Town of Mount Pleasant Comprehensive Plan “Envision Mount Pleasant” and Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code
DRAFT GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
SEQRA Classification: Type I Action
Lead Agency: Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board Attn: Susan Marmol, Town Clerk Town Hall One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, New York 10595 (914) 273-3000
Project Sponsor: Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board
Submission Date: May, 2021
Date of Acceptance: ______Public Hearing Date: ______
Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS
DEIS Preparation: Cleary Consulting 529 Asharoken Avenue Northport, NY 11768 631-754-3085 Contact: Patrick Cleary, AICP, CEP, PP, LEED AP
Envision Mount Pleasant - GEIS Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter I Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………… 1.) Introduction .. I-1 ……………………………… 2.) Description of the Proposed Action .. I-3 ………………………… 3.) Involved Agencies & Required Approvals I-11 ………………………… 4.) Potential Impacts & Mitigation Measures I-13 ………………………………………………………………… 5.) Alternatives . I-20
Chapter II Description of the Proposed Action ……………………… A.) Project Location & Environmental Setting II-1 ………………………………… ………………… B.) Project description . .. II-3 ………………………………… C.) Project Purpose, Need & Benefits . II-11 …………………………………………………………………… D.) Approvals II-12
Chapter III.A. Natural Environment …………………………………………………… 1.) Existing Conditions III.A-1 ……………………………………………………... 2.) Potential Impacts III.A-6 ………………………………………………… 3.) Mitigation Measures . III.A-28
Chapter III.B. Economic Environment …………………………………………………… 1.) Existing Conditions III.B-1 ……………………………………………………... 2.) Potential Impacts III.B-8 ………………………………………………… 3.) Mitigation Measures . III.B-9
Chapter III.C. Social Environment …………………………………………………… 1.) Existing Conditions III.C-1 ……………………………………………………... 2.) Potential Impacts III.C-9 ………………………………………………… 3.) Mitigation Measures . III.C-11
Chapter III.D. The Built Environment …………………………………………………… 1.) Existing Conditions III.D-1 ……………………………………………………... 2.) Potential Impacts III.D-9 ………………………………………………… 3.) Mitigation Measures . III.D-12
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Envision Mount Pleasant - GEIS Table of Contents
Chapter III.D. Mobility and Connectivity …………………………………………………… 1.) Existing Conditions III.E-1 ……………………………………………………... 2.) Potential Impacts III.E-2 ………………………………………………… 3.) Mitigation Measures . III.E-5
Chapter III.F. The Hamlets …………………………………………………… 1.) Existing Conditions III.F-1 ……………………………………………………... 2.) Potential Impacts III.F-3 ………………………………………………… 3.) Mitigation Measures . III.F-5
Chapter III.G. Sustainability and Resiliency …………………………………………………… 1.) Existing Conditions III.G-1 ……………………………………………………... 2.) Potential Impacts III.G-1 ………………………………………………… 3.) Mitigation Measures . III.G-3
Chapter IV. Alternatives …………………………………………………………………. 1.) No Action IV-1 ………………………...... 2.) Conventional Hamlet Zoning IV-1
Chapter V. Adverse Impacts That Cannot Be Avoided …………………… 1.) Adverse Impacts that Cannot be Avoided V-1
Chapter VI. Growth inducement ………………………………………………… 1.) Growth Inducement .. VI-1
Chapter VII. Effects on the Use and Conservation of Energy ………………………………………………… 1.) Growth Inducement .. VII-1
Chapter VIII. Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources …………………………………………… 1.) Commitment of Resources VIII-1
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Envision Mount Pleasant - GEIS Table of Contents
List of Tables Table # Title Page # ……………………………………. I-1 Involved and Interested Agencies I-11
……………………………………… II-1 Involved and Interested Agencies II-12
…………………………………………. III.A.-1 Open Space in Mount Pleasant III.A.-1 …………………………………………………………………… III.A.-2 Waterbodies III.A-2 ………………………………………………………. III.A.-3 Freshwater Wetlands III.A.-4
…………………………………………………… III.B.-1 Jobs by Industry Sector III.B.-2
……………………………………. III.C.-1 Population Age Change 2000-2017 III.C.-2
…………………………………………………………… III.D.-1 Existing Land Use III.D-2 ……………………………………………… III.D.-2 Housing Stock Distribution III.D.-3 ………………………………………… III.D.-3 Mount Pleasant Park Facilities .. III.D.-6 ………………………………………… III.D.-4 Institutional Uses Over 1 Acre .. III.D.- 7
List of Charts Chart # Title Page #
……………………………………………………… III.C.-1 Population Growth III.C.-2 ………………………………………………… III.C.-2 Family Household Size III.C.-3 ……………………………………………… III.C.-3 Labor Force Distribution III.C.-4 ……………………………………………………. III.C.-4 Income Distribution III.C.-4 ………………………… III.C.-5 Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units III.C.-5 ………………………………………………………… III.C.-6 Units in Structure III.C.-6 ……………………………………………………… III.C.-7 Year Structure Built III.C.-6 …………………………………………. III.C.-8 School District Enrollments III.C.-7
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Envision Mount Pleasant - GEIS Table of Contents
List of Figures
III.A.-1 Major Open Spaces III.A.-2 waterbodies, Streams & Wetlands III.A.-3 Watersheds III.A.-4 Aquifers III.A.-5 Floodplains III.A.-6 Steep Slopes
III.C.-1 School Districts III.C.-2 Fire Districts III.C.-3 Emergency Service Locations
III.D.-1 Existing Land Use III.D.-2 Existing Zoning III.D.-3 Water Districts III.D.-4 Areas of Town Served by Sanitary Sewers III.D.-5 Storm Sewer Outfall Locations
III.F.-1 Valhalla Hamlet Boundary III.F.-2 Valhalla Hamlet Existing Zoning & Land Use III.F.-3 Hawthorne Hamlet Boundary III.F.-4 Hawthorne Hamlet Existing Zoning & Land Use III.F.-5 Thornwood Hamlet Boundary III.F.-6 Thornwood Hamlet Existing Zoning & Land Use
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Envision Mount Pleasant - GEIS Table of Contents
Appendix
A Scoping Document B Hamlet Form Based Code
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Chapter I
Executive Summary
Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION The Town of Mount Pleasant is poised to adopt its first Comprehensive Plan update since 1970, an undertaking known as “Envision Mount Pleasant.” Envision Mount Pleasant, and the accompanying Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code have been built upon a foundation of public participation and involvement that was facilitated by the Pace University Land Use Law Center. Guided by a citizen steering committee and informed through interviews with key stakeholders, hands-on public workshops, and an array of outreach strategies, a vision for the future of the Town emerged. This vision has been carefully defined through 115 separate goals requiring 458 implementation strategies to ultimately turn the aspirational vision for the Town into reality.
The potential impacts resulting from this action are analyzed in this Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS). This DGEIS was prepared in accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and its implementing regulations (6 NYCRR Part 617). The Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board is the Lead Agency for this environmental review, and other interested agencies have been notified of the environmental review process.
Under SEQRA, a “Generic” EIS, or GEIS, is prepared when a proposed action represents a comprehensive program having wide application and defining the range of future projects in the affected area. Envision Mount Pleasant is a Town-wide policy document, not a development application or development project. It includes the adoption of general policy initiatives to guide and facilitate the desired future development of the Town of Mount Pleasant. However, Envision Mount Pleasant does contain specific recommendations for changes to the Town Code; a related project action is the adoption of the Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code. Therefore, the potential impacts related to the proposed zoning changes are also analyzed in this DGEIS in a generic manner. The adoption of the Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code, a legislative action, is also a generic action, not site-specific, and does not directly result in physical changes to the environment.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
A generic EIS, according to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) SEQR handbook, is “a type of EIS that is more general than a site-specific EIS, and typically is used to consider broad-based actions or related groups of actions that agencies are likely to approve, fund, or directly undertake... A Generic EIS differs from a site or project specific EIS by being more general or conceptual in nature . . .”
This DGEIS is intended to provide members of the Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board, the public and interested agencies with an understanding of the type of potential environmental impacts that may be associated with approval of Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code. An important aspect of the environmental review process is that it incorporates public review and commentary into the decision-making process.
Because the Proposed Action includes specific recommendations for changes to the Town Code, but does not reflect a specific development proposal, the analyses presented herein are based on reasonable assumptions as to the practical impact of the proposed Town Code changes. The DGEIS presents a comprehensive assessment of the Proposed Action and associated actions to identify potentially significant adverse impacts, develop or identify areas requiring practicable mitigation and consider alternatives that avoid or reduce identified impacts.
The steps in preparing the GEIS include:
! DGEIS -- a draft document published by the Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board for public and agency review and comment.
! Public review of at least 30 days, including a public hearing at which time any individual, group or agency may comment on the DGEIS.
! Final GEIS (FGEIS) -- incorporating into the GEIS relevant comments and responses, if any, by the Lead Agency and the public made during public review of the DGEIS.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
! Findings Statement -- issued by the Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board as Lead Agency no sooner than 10 days after publication of the FGEIS, considering the relevant environmental impacts presented in the GEIS, weighing and balancing them with social, economic and other essential considerations, providing a rationale for the agency’s decision, and certifying that the SEQR requirements have been met.
1.) DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION
Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code are intended to provide both guidance and techniques for the Town to protect those resources requiring preservation, to enhance the built environment, while focusing on the Hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood and provide for the future of the Town responsibly, equitably and sustainably.
Envision Mount Pleasant creates a framework to achieve the vision through the establishment of Goals and Implementation Strategies.
Goals are the desired future outcomes.
Implementation Strategies are the specific tasks required to achieve each goal.
The format of Envision Mount Pleasant is designed to provide historical and geographical context to future planning initiatives. The Plan is divided into chapters corresponding to broad initiative areas. Within each chapter, existing conditions are documented, and goals are set forth. An implementation matrix follows which lays out the tasks required to implement each goal. In certain instances, goals and implementation strategies overlap initiative areas.
The following initiative areas are addressed:
! Natural Environment ! Economic Environment ! Social Environment ! The Built Environment
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
! Mobility & Connectivity ! The Hamlets ! Sustainability & Resiliency
Envision Mount Pleasant will provide the context within which decisions on specific future actions can be made.
Envision Mount Pleasant includes numerous implementation strategies that are required to successfully realize the goals and aspirational vision of the community, which are summarized below.
Natural Environment ! Permanently preserve important open spaces. ! Mitigate flooding impacts. ! Limit the impact and footprint of new development – “Smart Growth” is desired. ! Accommodate alternative energy. ! Check spread of invasive species, restore native species. ! Prioritize green building. ! Connect open space resources. ! Combat sprawl by channeling new, appropriately scaled new development into the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists. ! Employ a philosophy of “Proactive Conservation.” ! Establish the Mount Pleasant Conservation Legacy Program to prioritize and aggressively protect vulnerable open spaces. ! Adopt green building standards. Legislate and incentivize alternative energy practices. ! Comprehensively evaluate stormwater management practices. ! Create the Mount Pleasant Recreation Trailway. ! Develop an Invasive Species Action Plan.
Economic Environment ! Ensure reasonable taxes. ! Provide jobs for young people.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
! Diversify the types of businesses in Town and ensure adequate housing for a multi-generational population. ! Maintain the viability of the office parks through land use and zoning laws that allow for antiquated office parks to be repurposed. ! Provide a broad range of housing types and choices. ! Revitalize the Hamlets and “Flip the script.” Instead of primarily business districts, reimage them as interesting and desirable places that people will be attracted to, who will then become customers for local businesses. ! Facilitate new residential development in the Hamlets, creating a built-in customer base. ! Facilitate and attract small businesses and non-traditional entrepreneurial models in the Hamlets. ! Capitalize and build upon the life sciences and medical sectors as pillars of the Town’s economic future. ! Ensure the development of the North 60 integrates into the Town.
Social Environment ! Preserve the Towns historic resources and heritage. ! Diversity the Town housing stock to better serve older residents looking to downsize and younger people seeking to establish residences in Town. ! In alignment with facilitating smart growth in the Hamlets, prioritize one- and two-bedroom apartments geared toward seniors and people without children. ! Facilitate assisted and supported living for seniors. ! Ensure adequate resources are devoted to the growing senior population. ! Maintain the quality of local schools. ! Ensure the compatibility of the institutional schools with the surrounding community. ! Strive for excellence, efficiency and cost effectiveness in Town Government. ! Charge the Mount Pleasant Historical Society with conducting a historic resource survey. ! Create a Historic Advisory Council to address historic preservation during the land use review process.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
! Conduct Educational Summits with the 11 school districts and Town government to align priorities.
The Built Environment ! Preserve the character and integrity of the Towns residential neighborhoods. ! Increase the variety and affordability of housing types, with a focus on senior housing. ! Revitalize and redirect new development to the Hamlets, relieving development pressure from the outlying residential areas. Utilize form- based zoning. ! Maintain the Town’s commercial uses and tax base. ! Ensure that new development, particularly large- scale projects like the North 60, or the potential redevelopment of former institutional properties, fits into the character of the Town and do not result in adverse impacts. ! Create new overlay zoning applicable to the large institutional properties, to ensure their appropriate redevelopment. ! Operate an efficient and well-maintained infrastructural network. ! Maintain the Town’s excellent park system. ! Create more flexible zoning in the OB districts to allow the office uses to remain viable. ! Update and recodify the Zoning Ordinance. ! Improve water quality and supply through district consolidation and improvements. ! Expand the Community Center recreational facility.
Mobility & Connectivity ! Address poorly operating roadways and targeted roadway and intersection improvements. ! Make sure additional growth in the Hamlets does not result in traffic congestion. ! Make the streets safe and usable for motorist pedestrians and bicyclists. ! Make getting around Town easier. ! Improve access to and incentivize public transit and solve the “First and Last Mile Problem”.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
! to public transit. ! Develop “Complete Streets.” ! Develop a long-term Traffic Calming plan. ! Provide Multi-Modal connections to all of the Towns activity nodes. ! Develop a well-defined wayfinding system. ! Address parking challenges through the construction of new public lots and on-street parking, zoning modifications, private incentives, and innovative techniques.
The Hamlets ! Revitalize the Hamlets and ensure that new growth in the Hamlets is of an appropriate scale, consistent with the character of the community and exemplifies “smart growth” principles. ! New development and redevelopment must exhibit high quality design and architectural excellence. ! The Hamlet’s public spaces should be accessible to everyone and accommodate users of varied ages, abilities and cultures. ! Provide for economic prosperity and bustling activity. ! Create a “sense of place” for each Hamlet ! Provide for adequate public parking. ! Replace the existing C-NR zoning with new Hamlet Form-Based Zoning. ! Expand the allowable uses to accommodate new business types and models. ! Target underutilized sites for redevelopment. ! Employ Design Guidelines to ensure architectural quality. ! Deploy an array of techniques to activate the Hamlet’s public realm. ! Design memorable gateways to the Hamlets. Develop new public parking facilities.
Sustainability and Resiliency ! Support the County Climate Action Plan. ! Become a Climate Smart Community. ! Utilize Energize NY Benefit Financing Program. ! Adopt a green building code, and a Green Mount Pleasant certification program. ! Adopt NYSERDA Model Solar Energy Law
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
! Reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT’s) by 20% by 2030. ! Manage water resources prudently and implement a water loss management program. ! Reduce waste disposal to 0.6lbs/person by 2030. ! Create a Food Policy Council. ! Conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment. ! Reduced greenhouse gas emissions. ! Manage water resources prudently. ! Mandate green building practices. ! Improve connectivity to reduce dependence on private automobiles. ! Reduce, recycle and reuse. ! Incorporate the food system into Town planning. ! Integrate public health into local government. ! Prioritize emergency preparedness and disaster response.
A key tool in implementing and achieving the goals of Envision Mount Pleasant for the Hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood, is the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code. This zoning tool is designed to accommodate appropriately scaled mixed-use development in areas proximate to train stations and public transit and where adequate infrastructure exists thereby relieving development pressures in the more environmentally sensitive, less developed portions of Town. Placemaking, and the design, character and physical appearance of each Hamlet are fundamental to the successful transformation of the Hamlets from merely places where goods and services were sold, to unique and exciting areas that are the center of community life. Form-based zoning is a tool uniquely suited to achieving this goal.
The Hamlet Form-Based Code represents a change in the way the built environment is regulated. Form-based codes foster predictable and desirable development characteristics and a high-quality public realm. Unlike conventional zoning and land use regulations, form-based codes use the desired appearance and character of a place as the organizing principle and framework, rather than relying on the traditional focus of use. Specifically, the Hamlet Form-Based Code provides for:
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
1. Development that is maximally transit supportive and in close proximity to the train stations in Valhalla and Hawthorne and other modes of public transit.
2. The reduction of auto dependency and roadway congestion by locating multiple destinations and trip ends near transit and within walking distance of one another.
3. Appropriately scaled, higher density residential development in the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure already exists.
4. The creation of a pedestrian-friendly environment.
5. A reduction in total vehicle miles traveled and regional greenhouse gas emissions.
6. The provision of an alternative to traditional development that emphasizes the integration of multiple, complimentary mixed-uses.
7. The facilitation of “placemaking” to stabilize and revitalize the Hamlet’s urban fabric.
8. The facilitation of new development and redevelopment that will create jobs and economic opportunities.
9. The concentration of investment into targeted areas that are well-suited to accommodate growth.
10. Emphasize, support and facilitate high quality building design, streetscape and public realm improvements.
The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code replaces the C-NR (Neighborhood Retail) zoning which is the predominate zoning district in all of the Hamlets. While many retail uses are experiencing a decline, and a number of properties in the area are underutilized, viable retail and retail service uses do remain in place, and should be preserved and supported to the extent practicable.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
In addition, portions of the C-GC, M1, M2, R-40, PRDT-6 and PRDT-6 zoning districts located within the Hamlet boundaries would also be replaced.
The Hamlet Form-Based Code provides for the inclusion of a broad array of additional uses, including notably, higher density residential uses. Facilitating the coexistence of diverse land uses represents one of the challenges in the Hamlet Form-Based Code.
The regulations governing non-conforming uses remain applicable to uses and buildings in the VH, HH and TH districts. However, all legal pre-existing, non- conforming uses are encouraged to comply with the new design guidelines, to assure that the area evolves in a manner that is consistent with the goals and objectives of Envision Mount Pleasant.
The Hamlet Form-Based Code consists of the following elements:
! Regulating Plan – Establishes 3 districts; Valhalla Hamlet District (VH), Hawthorne Hamlet District (HH) and Thornwood Hamlet District (TH).
! Allowable Building Types – defines the types of buildings allowed in each Hamlet; such as General Commercial Building, Mixed-Use Building, Civic Building, etc.
! Permitted Building Types by District – Establishes within each Hamlet, where the various building types are permitted.
! Development Rules – Establishes definitions and rules for development.
! Building Type Regulations – Sets forth the lot requirements, building placement regulations, height and mass standards and building activation requirements.
! Permitted Uses – Establishes the uses permitted in each district.
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! Density Bonus – Provides the parameters for an allowable density bonus in the Hawthorne Core Intensity Area.
! Parking Regulations – Establishes the transit oriented, “park once” standards for the districts.
! Signs – Establishes specific regulations for signage.
! Design Guidelines – Provides guidelines for site design, building design, street level activation, functional entries, building off-sets, building transitions, windows, building materials, color, awnings, lighting, building services, landscaping and sustainability and green building.
! Administration – Sets forth the review and approval process for projects along the No Review, Expeditated Review and Full Review tracks.
2.) INVOLVED AGENCIES & REQUIRED APPROVALS Pursuant to the provisions of SEQRA, Involved Agencies are those agencies which have an approval authority in conjunction with the Proposed Action. Interested Agencies are those other agencies that have some interest in the Proposed Action, but not a direct approval role. Involved and Interested Agencies are identified in Table II-1, below.
Table I-1 Involved and Interested Agencies
Involved /Interested Agency Address
Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Planning Board One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Industrial Development Agency One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Conservation Advisory Council One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Zoning Board of Appeals One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
Architectural Review Board One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Board of Assessment Review One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Recreation and Parks Commission One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Town Historian One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 School Districts Mont Pleasant Central School District 825 West Lake Drive Pleasantville, NY 10594 Valhalla Union Free School District 316 Columbus Avenue Valhalla, NY 10595 Pleasantville Union Free School District 60 Romer Avenue Pleasantville, NY 10570 Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District 45 Ingham Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 Union Free School District of Tarrytown 200 N. Broadway Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Westchester County Department of Planning 148 Martine Avenue, Room 432 White Plains, NY 10601 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 21 South Putt Corners Road New Paltz, NY 12561 Department of Transportation 8 Eleanor Roosevelt State Office Building 4 Burnett Boulevard Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 Federal United States Army Corps of Engineers Jacob K. Javits Federal Building 26 Federal Plaza, Room 2109 New York, NY 10278 Adjacent Municipalities Briarcliff Manor 1111 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 Sleepy Hollow 28 Beekman Avenue Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Pleasantville 80 Wheeler Avenue Pleasantville, NY 10570 Elmsford 15 South Stone Avenue Elmsford, NY 10523 Tarrytown One Depot Plaza
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
Tarrytown, NY 10591 Mount Kisco 104 Main Street Mount Kisco, NY 10549 North Castle 15 Bedford Road Armonk, NY 10504 Greenburgh 177 Hillside Avenue Greenburgh, NY 10607
Notices Only: Environmental Notice Bulletin – Environmental Permits ([email protected])
3.) POTENTIAL IMPACTS & MITIGATION MEASURES
A.) Natural Environment: The natural environment goals of Envision Mount Pleasant have been designed to preserve and protect the Town’s valued natural resources. Adverse impacts are not anticipated. No mitigation measures are necessary.
B.) Economic Environment: The Town’s economic base is undergoing a significant transformation. The decline of brick-and-mortar retail, the repurposing of office parks, and the burgeoning life sciences field, are all simultaneously affecting the economy of the Town. The expansion of the life science sector and the repurposing of the office parks bodes well for the Town, but the traditional economic model in the Hamlets requires attention.
The primary mitigation measure to address the economy within the Hamlets is the proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code that accommodates appropriately scaled mixed-use development. Ensuring that balanced growth occurs across the residential, retail, office, health care and life science markets will broaden the tax base so that the incremental increased cost of municipal services will be off-set by new tax revenues. No one market sector is emphasized, so that if one sector should falter, the overall economy of the Town would remain stable. Since no major adverse economic impacts have been identified, no generic mitigation measures are necessary.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
C.) Social Environment:
The Town’s changing demographics are impacting the social environment. An aging population requires additional services. While the focus of Envision Mount Pleasant is on properly regulating future growth, impacts associated with population changes are likely to result. Envision Mount Pleasant includes goals and implementation strategies to preserve, protect and celebrate the Town’s historic heritage, accommodate demographic shifts, minimize impacts on the schools and municipal services.
The Social Environment goals of Envision Mount Pleasant have been designed to strengthen and reinforce the social interconnections within the community. The primary mitigation measure to ensure this is the Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code which broadens the array of housing choices available in the community and directs it into the three Hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists to accommodate it. Ensuring that balanced growth occurs across the various markets will broaden the tax base so that the incremental increased cost of municipal services will be off-set by new tax revenues. The targeted geography of future growth will mitigate school impacts.
D.) Built Environment: The Proposed Action addresses the built environment in several ways:
Land Use and Zoning – The Town’s existing underlying pattern of land use and zoning will remain essentially intact as a result of the adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant. Four adjustments to the existing pattern of land use and zoning are proposed:
1. The Hamlets: New development will be channeled into the hamlets where the infrastructure exists to accommodate new growth, thereby relieving development pressures on the Town’s existing residential neighborhoods. The proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code incentivizes development opportunities in the three hamlets,
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where higher densities have always existed, in spite of existing zoning controls that tend to be unnecessarily restrictive.
2. The North 60: New zoning is proposed to properly regulate the development of the North 60, a mixed-use community located on property owned primarily by Westchester County adjacent to the Grasslands Campus. The proposed development includes approximately 3 million square feet of bio-tech/research and development related uses and associates uses such as a children’s science and education center, hotel and neighborhood retail. The specific impacts of this development are currently being evaluated through the review of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.
3. Institutional Uses: The Town supports many large institutional uses, which if sold and developed pursuant to the existing zoning, may result in disruptive adverse impacts. New overlay zoning is proposed to accommodate the appropriate reuse of these sites in a manner that protects the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
4. Office Parks: The decline of the office market throughout the region has impacted the Town’s office parks as well. This decline has been exacerbated by the Pandemic, and occupancies may never return to pre-Covid levels. Expanding the list of permitted uses in the OB zone is necessary to allow for the viable repurposing of obsolete office uses.
Housing – Meeting the goal of ensuring that the Town’s housing stock meets the needs of the Town’s population requires expanding the variety of housing types, designs and price points for all stages of life, family compositions and incomes. This can be accomplished by focusing new housing and housing styles in the Hamlets. Doing so will facilitate a healthy
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housing cycle, where seniors can downsize from their single-family homes to smaller apartments while remaining in the community, allowing for families with children to re-occupy the larger single-family homes. This housing balance will create a long-term equilibrium in municipal service costs and impacts on school enrollments. Housing diversity will allow for price variability and affordability.
Infrastructure – The Town’s basic infrastructure is functionally sound. Improvements and enhancements to the Kensico Water District, Pleasant Ridge, Pleasantville, etc., will ensure an adequate supply of potable water for the future.
Improvements to sanitary sewer lines and the reduction of inflow and infiltration will allow for the initiatives outlined in Envision Mount Pleasant to be successfully implemented.
Parkland and Recreation – Superior parks and recreation facilities are a key component of the Town’s quality of life. Envision Mount Pleasant recognizes the importance of supporting these existing assets and enhancing the facilities at the Community Center and Town Park site. Creating a new Mount Pleasant Recreation Trailway will create a continuous uninterrupted links from the east side of the Town at the Kensico Dam to the major trailways on the west side.
Institutions - The Town supports many large institutional uses, which if sold and developed pursuant to the existing zoning, may result in disruptive adverse impacts. New overlay zoning is proposed to accommodate the appropriate reuse of these sites in a manner that protects the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Columbus Avenue and Route 9A Corridors - The decline of the office market throughout the region has impacted the Town’s office parks as well. This decline has been exacerbated by the Pandemic, and occupancies may never return to pre-Covid levels. Expanding the list of permitted uses
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in the OB zone is necessary to allow for the viable repurposing of obsolete office uses. Likewise, modifying the permissible uses within the C-RB district along Route 9A is necessary.
North 60 - The potential impacts of the North 60 are currently under review through the SEQRA Environmental Impact Statement process. Any adverse impacts identified would be required to be properly mitigated prior to the grating of any approvals.
Several specific mitigation measures are called for in Envision Mount Pleasant to ensure that implementing the goals of the Plan do not result in adverse impacts. The primary Built Environment mitigation measures include:
! Adopt the Hamlet Form-Based Code. ! Create institutional use overlay zone. ! Expand the list of permitted uses in the OB and C-RB zones. ! Recodify the zoning ordinance. ! Maintain the quality of the existing housing stock (Goal 7-8). ! Ensure the housing stock meets the needs of the Town’s population in terms of variety and affordability (Goals 7-9, 7-10, 7-11) ! Facilitate environmentally sustainable housing. ! Address Kensico Water District improvements. ! Improve water supply to Pleasant Ridge. ! Address Pleasantville out of district water supply. ! Address sewer system improvements through individual development reviews. ! Institute an I&I reduction program. ! Create Mount Pleasant Recreation Trailway. ! Expand Community Center recreational facility. ! Impose North 60 mitigation measures identified during SEQRA review.
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E.) The Hamlets: Implementing the goals of Envision Mount Pleasant will result in impacts related to the associated increased density in the three Hamlets. In virtually all instances this new development replaces prior uses on previously developed properties. As a result, few if any site development impacts will result. Impacts of increased development on existing infrastructure, traffic, parking and municipal services will be incremental, and in certain instances, may result in decreases below existing conditions associated with current uses.
Given the pattern of property ownership in all of the Hamlets, large-scale redevelopment would not be possible, without parcel assemblies. Thus, redevelopment will be strategic, and as controlled through the proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code, appropriately designed and configured.
Importantly, the type of development permitted under the proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code emphasizes the provision of public places and amenities that inherently limit and inhibit excessive development.
In Valhalla, the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus Church occupies over 1/3 of the land area of the Hamlet, and is currently underutilized. Repurposing the northern portion is ideally suited to support senior housing and the Hamlet’s transit-oriented redevelopment goals. Because the Hamlet commercial district quickly transitions to residential uses, townhouse development can serve as an appropriate intermediate density residential use.
Hawthorne is key to the Town’s overall smart-growth strategy. Hawthorne has the transportation and infrastructural capacity to accommodate additional growth and development. Concentrating this new growth in the Hamlet will relieve development pressure in the outlying areas of the Town and focus it where it is most suitable, in close proximity to the train station. Undeveloped and underutilized property, particularly several vacant parcels on the east side of Elwood Avenue, and the underutilized light industrial area on the west side of the tracks along Broadway, where a “Core Intensity Area” is proposed, represent appropriate opportunities for new transit-oriented development.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
Thornwood offers a number of redevelopment opportunities. The potential to install a roundabout at the Four-Corners not only serves to improve traffic flow and movement, but also creates a unique design feature that will help establish a distinctive “sense of place” for the hamlet.
Representative mitigation measures include:
! Target underutilized sites for infill development. ! Ensure that all new development employs “smart growth” principles ! Design the public realm to be multi-functional and capable of accommodating community-based events, celebrations and markets. ! Provide for adequate and conveniently located public parking, specifically, acquire the NYSDOT property behind Broadway Field for the purpose of constructing a public parking structure. ! Refine the list of permitted uses in the hamlets to more accurately reflect current and anticipated market conditions ! Create gateways into each hamlet. Gateways might include thematic signage, landscaping, monuments, decorative lighting, kiosks., public art, etc. ! Redeveloping existing properties offers the opportunity to consolidate building footprints and create pedestrian plazas and associated streetscape improvements. ! Establish a Core Intensity Area in Hawthorne, which allows for a density bonus in exchange for the provision of public amenities. ! Install a roundabout at the intersection of Commerce Street and Elwood Avenue. ! Reconfigure the train station pick-up and drop off area along Elwood Avenue. ! Replace the existing intersection at the Four- Corners with a roundabout.
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
F.) Sustainability and Resiliency: The sustainability and resiliency goals of Envision Mount Pleasant are designed ensure that the Town’s future vision is implemented in a durable, long-term manner. No adverse impacts will result and no mitigation measures are necessary.
4.) ALTERNATIVES Two alternatives have been addressed:
! No Action ! Conventional Hamlet Zoning
The No Action alternative would leave the 1970 Master Plan in place as the only officially adopted Comprehensive Plan for the Town. None of the 115 goals or 458 implementation strategies would be advanced, and no clearly defined vision for the future of the community would be established. Accommodating smart growth in the Hamlets would be prevented by the existing zoning controls, and the development in the outlying environmentally sensitive portions of the Town would continue unabated, without the benefit of updated environmental protections. The Town’s connectivity challenges would not be resolved, and the rapidly evolving economic, market, demographic and social trends would be addressed haphazardly.
Utilizing conventional “Euclidian” zoning to address the challenges faced by the Hamlets would not achieve the goals of Envision Mount Pleasant. While conventional zoning regulates specifically defined uses exceedingly well, it fails to accommodate new or evolving uses. Under the Town’s existing prescriptive zoning code, if a use is not specifically identified and classified as a permitted use, then the use is prohibited. Seeking approval of such a prohibited use would require the issuance of a “use variance” from the Zoning Board of Appeals, which is a very difficult task to accomplish. This system penalizes property owners who are attracting tenants that reflect current market trends, ultimately stifling investment and innovation.
Traditional zoning also offers very little guidance for the type of buildings constructed, or their architectural design and quality. For example, the only
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Envision Mount Pleasant - DGEIS I – Executive Summary
dimensional regulations governing development in the C-NR district are the front yard setback (15’), the rear yard setback (30’), and building height limitations (2 ½ stories/35’). Within these very limited regulations, anything can be built.
Because of a general lack of investment into the building stock within the Hamlets, redevelopment will likely result the demolition of older buildings that would be replaced by new ones. Absent intentionally developed guidance, such as that embedded in the proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code, there would be no guarantee that new development would meet the high quality, smart growth goals of the Town.
It is clear that traditional zoning would not be flexible enough, or provide adequate guidance and direction to ensure that the Hamlets are revitalized in a manner consistent with the goals of Envision Mount Pleasant.
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Chapter II
Description of the Proposed Action
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
II – DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION
A.) Project Location and Environmental Setting: The Town of Mount Pleasant covers 24.1 square miles in the geographic center of Westchester County. Stretching from the Kensico Reservoir in the east to the Hudson River in the West, the Town encompasses a unique and diverse array of geographic features, cultural resources, hamlets and neighborhoods.
Located just 27 miles north of Manhattan - the Bronx River Parkway, Taconic State Parkway, Sprain Brook Parkway, Saw Mill River Parkway and Metro-North’s Harlem and Hudson lines all traverse the Town and provide excellent north-south transportation corridors, yet in-Town connectivity remains a challenge.
Home to the Westchester County Grasslands campus, The Kensico Dam and Reservoir, Pace University, multi- national corporations, the Rockefeller estate at Kykuit, institutional uses, county clubs, cemeteries, State and County parklands, the Town’s diversity is in many ways it’s strength.
This diversity can be best observed in the various hamlets and communities that exist throughout the Town; including:
! Briarcliff Manor – The eastern portion of this Village is located within the Town. ! Eastview – A hamlet located in the south-central portion of Town. ! Hawthorne – A hamlet located in the center of the Town. ! Pocantico Hills – A hamlet located northeast of Sleepy Hollow. ! Scarborough – A hamlet in the western part of Town, bordering Briarcliff Manor. ! Thornwood – A hamlet located south of Pleasantville. ! Usonia Homes – A planned community southeast of Pleasantville. ! Valhalla – A hamlet in the southeastern portion of Town.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
The separately incorporated Villages of Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow and a portion of Briarcliff Manor are also located within the geographic boundaries of the Town of Mount Pleasant.
While composed of these various diverse areas, the primary centers of community activity revolve around the three Hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood.
Transitionally located in the center of Westchester County between the more urbanized south county and more rural north county, Mount Pleasant plays the part of a crucial regional pivot, both physically and perceptually.
Traditionally, Mount Pleasant’s residential population has been oriented around the Hamlets. The Town’s current population of 26,622 has remained relatively constant since the late 1980’s after the dramatic post war growth period of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
The Town’s pattern of land is quite diverse and variable. Generally, lands west of the Taconic State Parkway are less developed and more rural, supporting estate, park and agricultural lands on the former Rockefeller properties. A commercial spine runs from the south to the north through the center of Town, from the Grasslands and Eastview campuses along Route 9A through the Hamlets of Hawthorne and Thornwood and continuing north to the Village of Pleasantville. To the east are the Town’s primary residential districts, which are bisected by the Columbus Avenue commercial corridor. The southeast corner of Town is dominated by 3 cemeteries which are located just outside of the Hamlets of Valhalla and Hawthorne.
Of the Town’s primary land use categories, open space and recreation lands account for the largest portion of the Town (34.1%), followed by residential (32.2%), non- residential (16.7%), vacant/undeveloped (8.6%), rights-of- way (7.3%), interior waterbodies (4.3%) and finally mixed- use (0.41%).
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
B.) Project Description: Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code are intended to provide both guidance and techniques for the Town to protect those resources requiring preservation, to enhance the built environment, while focusing on the hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood and provide for the future of the town responsibly, equitably and sustainably.
Envision Mount Pleasant creates a framework to achieve the vision through the establishment of Goals and Implementation Strategies.
Goals are the desired future outcomes.
Implementation Strategies are the specific tasks required to achieve each goal.
The format of Envision Mount Pleasant is designed to provide historical and geographical context to future planning initiatives. The Plan is divided into chapters corresponding to broad initiative areas. Within each chapter, existing conditions are documented, and goals are set forth. An implementation matrix follows which lays out the tasks required to implement each goal. In certain instances, goals and implementation strategies overlap initiative areas.
The following initiative areas are addressed:
! Natural Environment ! Economic Environment ! Social Environment ! The Built Environment ! Mobility & Connectivity ! The Hamlets ! Sustainability & Resiliency
Envision Mount Pleasant will provide the context within which decisions on specific future actions can be made.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
Envision Mount Pleasant includes numerous implementation strategies that are required to successfully realize the goals and aspirational vision of the community, which are summarized below.
Natural Environment ! Permanently preserve important open spaces. ! Mitigate flooding impacts. ! Limit the impact and footprint of new development – “Smart Growth” is desired. ! Accommodate alternative energy. ! Check spread of invasive species, restore native species. ! Prioritize green building. ! Connect open space resources. ! Combat sprawl by channeling new, appropriately scaled new development into the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists. ! Employ a philosophy of “Proactive Conservation.” ! Establish the Mount Pleasant Conservation Legacy Program to prioritize and aggressively protect vulnerable open spaces. ! Adopt green building standards. Legislate and incentivize alternative energy practices. ! Comprehensively evaluate stormwater management practices. ! Create the Mount Pleasant Recreation Trailway. ! Develop an Invasive Species Action Plan.
Economic Environment ! Ensure reasonable taxes. ! Provide jobs for young people. ! Diversify the types of businesses in Town and ensure adequate housing for a multi-generational population. ! Maintain the viability of the office parks through land use and zoning laws that allow for antiquated office parks to be repurposed. ! Provide a broad range of housing types and choices.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
! Revitalize the Hamlets and “Flip the script.” Instead of primarily business districts, reimage them as interesting and desirable places that people will be attracted to, who will then become customers for local businesses. ! Facilitate new residential development in the Hamlets, creating a built-in customer base. ! Facilitate and attract small businesses and non-traditional entrepreneurial models in the Hamlets. ! Capitalize and build upon the life sciences and medical sectors as pillars of the Town’s economic future. ! Ensure the development of the North 60 integrates into the Town.
Social Environment ! Preserve the Towns historic resources and heritage. ! Diversity the Town housing stock to better serve older residents looking to downsize and younger people seeking to establish residences in Town. ! In alignment with facilitating smart growth in the Hamlets, prioritize one- and two-bedroom apartments geared toward seniors and people without children. ! Facilitate assisted and supported living for seniors. ! Ensure adequate resources are devoted to the growing senior population. ! Maintain the quality of local schools. ! Ensure the compatibility of the institutional schools with the surrounding community. ! Strive for excellence, efficiency and cost effectiveness in Town Government. ! Charge the Mount Pleasant Historical Society with conducting a historic resource survey. ! Create a Historic Advisory Council to address historic preservation during the land use review process. ! Conduct Educational Summits with the 11 school districts and Town government to align priorities.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
The Built Environment ! Preserve the character and integrity of the Towns residential neighborhoods. ! Increase the variety and affordability of housing types, with a focus on senior housing. ! Revitalize and redirect new development to the Hamlets, relieving development pressure from the outlying residential areas. Utilize form- based zoning. ! Maintain the Town’s commercial uses and tax base. ! Ensure that new development, particularly large- scale projects like the North 60, or the potential redevelopment of former institutional properties, fits into the character of the Town and do not result in adverse impacts. ! Create new overlay zoning applicable to the large institutional properties, to ensure their appropriate redevelopment. ! Operate an efficient and well-maintained infrastructural network. ! Maintain the Town’s excellent park system. ! Create more flexible zoning in the OB districts to allow the office uses to remain viable. ! Update and recodify the Zoning Ordinance. ! Improve water quality and supply through district consolidation and improvements. ! Expand the Community Center recreational facility.
Mobility & Connectivity ! Address poorly operating roadways and targeted roadway and intersection improvements. ! Make sure additional growth in the Hamlets does not result in traffic congestion. ! Make the streets safe and usable for motorist pedestrians and bicyclists. ! Make getting around Town easier. ! Improve access to and incentivize public transit and solve the “First and Last Mile Problem”. ! to public transit. ! Develop “Complete Streets.”
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
! Develop a long-term Traffic Calming plan. ! Provide Multi-Modal connections to all of the Towns activity nodes. ! Develop a well-defined wayfinding system. ! Address parking challenges through the construction of new public lots and on-street parking, zoning modifications, private incentives, and innovative techniques.
The Hamlets ! Revitalize the Hamlets and ensure that new growth in the Hamlets is of an appropriate scale, consistent with the character of the community and exemplifies “smart growth” principles. ! New development and redevelopment must exhibit high quality design and architectural excellence. ! The Hamlet’s public spaces should be accessible to everyone and accommodate users of varied ages, abilities and cultures. ! Provide for economic prosperity and bustling activity. ! Create a “sense of place” for each Hamlet ! Provide for adequate public parking. ! Replace the existing C-NR zoning with new Hamlet Form-Based Zoning. ! Expand the allowable uses to accommodate new business types and models. ! Target underutilized sites for redevelopment. ! Employ Design Guidelines to ensure architectural quality. ! Deploy an array of techniques to activate the Hamlet’s public realm. ! Design memorable gateways to the Hamlets. Develop new public parking facilities.
Sustainability and Resiliency ! Support the County Climate Action Plan. ! Become a Climate Smart Community. ! Utilize Energize NY Benefit Financing Program. ! Adopt a green building code, and a Green Mount Pleasant certification program. ! Adopt NYSERDA Model Solar Energy Law ! Reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT’s) by 20% by 2030.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
! Manage water resources prudently and implement a water loss management program. ! Reduce waste disposal to 0.6lbs/person by 2030. ! Create a Food Policy Council. ! Conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment. ! Reduced greenhouse gas emissions. ! Manage water resources prudently. ! Mandate green building practices. ! Improve connectivity to reduce dependence on private automobiles. ! Reduce, recycle and reuse. ! Incorporate the food system into Town planning. ! Integrate public health into local government. ! Prioritize emergency preparedness and disaster response.
A key tool in implementing and achieving the goals of Envision Mount Pleasant for the Hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood, is the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code. This zoning is designed to accommodate appropriately scaled mixed-use development in areas proximate to train stations and public transit and where adequate infrastructure exists thereby relieving development pressures in the more environmentally sensitive, less developed portions of Town. Placemaking, and the design, character and physical appearance of each Hamlet are fundamental to the successful transformation of the Hamlets from merely places where goods and services were sold, to unique and exciting areas that are the center of community life. Form-based zoning is a tool uniquely suited to achieving this goal.
The Hamlet Form-Based Code represents a change in the way the built environment is regulated. Form-based codes foster predictable and desirable development characteristics and a high-quality public realm. Unlike conventional zoning and land use regulations, form-based codes use the desired appearance and character of a place as the organizing principle and framework, rather than relying on the traditional focus of use. Specifically, the Hamlet Form-Based Code provides for:
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
1. Development that is maximally transit supportive and in close proximity to the train stations in Valhalla and Hawthorne and other modes of public transit.
2. The reduction of auto dependency and roadway congestion by locating multiple destinations and trip ends near transit and within walking distance of one another.
3. Appropriately scaled, higher density residential development in the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure already exists.
4. The creation of a pedestrian-friendly environment.
5. A reduction in total vehicle miles traveled and regional greenhouse gas emissions.
6. The provision of an alternative to traditional development that emphasizes the integration of multiple, complimentary mixed-uses.
7. The facilitation of “placemaking” to stabilize and revitalize the Hamlet’s urban fabric.
8. The facilitation of new development and redevelopment that will create jobs and economic opportunities.
9. The concentration of investment into targeted areas that are well-suited to accommodate growth.
10. Emphasize, support and facilitate high quality building design, streetscape and public realm improvements.
The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code replaces the C-NR (Neighborhood Retail) zoning which is the predominate zoning district in all of the Hamlets. While many retail uses are experiencing a decline, and a number of properties in the area are underutilized, viable retail and retail service uses do remain in place, and should be preserved and supported to the extent practicable.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
In addition, portions of the C-GC, M1, M2, R-40, PRDT-6 and PRDT-6 zoning districts located within the Hamlet boundaries would also be replaced.
The Hamlet Form-Based Code provides for the inclusion of a broad array of additional uses, including notably, higher density residential uses. Facilitating the coexistence of diverse land uses represents one of the challenges in the Hamlet Form-Based Code.
The regulations governing non-conforming uses remain applicable to uses and buildings in the VH, HH and TH districts. However, all legal pre-existing, non- conforming uses are encouraged to comply with the new design guidelines, to assure that the area evolves in a manner that is consistent with the goals and objectives of Envision Mount Pleasant.
The Hamlet Form-Based Code consists of the following elements:
! Regulating Plan – Establishes 3 districts; Valhalla Hamlet District (VH), Hawthorne Hamlet District (HH) and Thornwood Hamlet District (TH).
! Allowable Building Types – defines the types of buildings allowed in each Hamlet; such as General Commercial Building, Mixed-Use Building, Civic Building, etc.
! Permitted Building Types by District – Establishes within each Hamlet, where the various building types are permitted.
! Development Rules – Establishes definitions and rules for development.
! Building Type Regulations – Sets forth the lot requirements, building placement regulations, height and mass standards and building activation requirements.
! Permitted Uses – Establishes the uses permitted in each district.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
! Density Bonus – Provides the parameters for an allowable density bonus in the Hawthorne Core Intensity Area.
! Parking Regulations – Establishes the transit oriented, “park once” standards for the districts.
! Signs – Establishes specific regulations for signage.
! Design Guidelines – Provides guidelines for site design, building design, street level activation, functional entries, building off-sets, building transitions, windows, building materials, color, awnings, lighting, building services, landscaping and sustainability and green building.
! Administration – Sets forth the review and approval process for projects along the No Review, Expeditated Review and Full Review tracks.
C.) Project Purpose, Need & Benefits:
The most recent Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the Town of Mount Pleasant in 1970 – over 50 years ago.
Much has occurred since 1970, and over the course of the intervening decades, the Town has grown, adapted and evolved into today’s physically diverse, multi-faceted community. Because the 1970 Comprehensive Master Plan was never updated, the changing face of the Town often evolved haphazardly, without distinct guidance or a clear vision for the future. The mixed results of innumerable decisions and choices, successes and failures, has left a legacy that will profoundly influence the future of the Town.
Envision Mount Pleasant has been designed to take stock of where the Town is today and how it got there, assess its strengths and weaknesses, and establish a durable vision for the future that reflects the goals, aspirations and values of the people of Mount Pleasant.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
D.) Approvals: Pursuant to the provisions of SEQRA, Involved Agencies are those agencies which have an approval authority in conjunction with the Proposed Action. The adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Code requires the approval of the Town Board, after referral to the Town and County Planning Boards. Interested Agencies are those other agencies that have some interest in the Proposed Action, but not a direct approval role.
The list of Involved and Interested Agencies for the Proposed Action include:
Table II-1 Involved and Interested Agencies
Involved /Interested Agency Address
Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Planning Board One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Industrial Development Agency One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Conservation Advisory Council One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Zoning Board of Appeals One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Architectural Review Board One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Board of Assessment Review One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Recreation and Parks Commission One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 Town Historian One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595 School Districts Mont Pleasant Central School District 825 West Lake Drive Pleasantville, NY 10594 Valhalla Union Free School District 316 Columbus Avenue Valhalla, NY 10595 Pleasantville Union Free School District 60 Romer Avenue
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS II – Description of the Proposed Action
Pleasantville, NY 10570 Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District 45 Ingham Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 Union Free School District of Tarrytown 200 N. Broadway Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Westchester County Department of Planning 148 Martine Avenue, Room 432 White Plains, NY 10601 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 21 South Putt Corners Road New Paltz, NY 12561 Department of Transportation 8 Eleanor Roosevelt State Office Building 4 Burnett Boulevard Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 Federal United States Army Corps of Engineers Jacob K. Javits Federal Building 26 Federal Plaza, Room 2109 New York, NY 10278 Adjacent Municipalities Briarcliff Manor 1111 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 Sleepy Hollow 28 Beekman Avenue Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Pleasantville 80 Wheeler Avenue Pleasantville, NY 10570 Elmsford 15 South Stone Avenue Elmsford, NY 10523 Tarrytown One Depot Plaza Tarrytown, NY 10591 Mount Kisco 104 Main Street Mount Kisco, NY 10549 North Castle 15 Bedford Road Armonk, NY 10504 Greenburgh 177 Hillside Avenue Greenburgh, NY 10607
Notices Only: Environmental Notice Bulletin – Environmental Permits ([email protected])
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Chapter III.A.
Natural Environment
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
III.A. – NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Envision Mount Pleasant recognizes the importance of the Town’s natural environment as a fundament aspect of the quality of life of the community. While some natural resources are permanently protected, other valuable areas are vulnerable to threats ranging from development pressures to climate change. A primary goal of Envision Mount Pleasant is to establish a framework for balancing the preservation of these valued natural resources with the need to accommodate development and the construction of necessary facilities and improvements to meet the continually changing needs of the community.
Seven elements of the Town’s natural resources have been evaluated including open space, water resources, wetlands, floodplains, geology/soils/topography, habitat/ecosystems and air/noise and light pollution.
A.) Existing Conditions:
Open Space Over half the land area of the Town (8,087.91 acres or 52.56%) is comprised of open spaces of various types (Figure III.A.-1 Major Open Spaces). Approximately 5,000 acres are permanently preserved, while approximately 3,000 acres are potentially developable. It is important therefore, to identify vulnerable highly valued open spaces to proactively protect them. Making open spaces publicly accessible is an important goal of Envision Mount Pleasant. Physically interconnecting the Town’s open space resources by building upon the existing trail network is a priority.
Table III.A. - 1 Open Space in Mount Pleasant Open Space Type Acres % State Parks 1,218.77 7.92 State Parkway Lands 722.95 4.70 County Parks 631.29 4.10 Town Parks 77.23 0.50 Water Supply Lands 524.61 3.41 Rights-of-Way 1,125.40 7.31
III.A. - 1
Map prepared by the Town of Mount Pleasant Conservation Advisory Council -2017
Town of Mount Pleasant NRI maps were completed with technical assistance from the Teatown Lake Reservation and the Conservation and Land Use Program at Cornell University with funding from the NYS Major Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson Estuary Program Open Spaces
Figure III.A.-1 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
Nature Preserves 58.24 0.38
HOA Lands 53.73 0.35 Agricultural Lands 405.06 2.63 Horse/Livestock Farms 12.20 0.08 Private Campgrounds 394.83 2.57 Private Golf Courses 58.06 0.38 Cemeteries 820.33 5.33 Vacant Land 1,318.40 8.57 Interior Waterbodies 666.80 4.33 Total 8,087.91 52.56
Source: Westchester 2025
Water Water is a defining characteristic of the Town. Bounded to the west by the Hudson River and to the east by the Kensico Reservoir, approximately 35.24 miles of watercourses traverse the Town. In addition to the approximately 1-mile of waterfrontage along the Hudson River, portions of the Saw Mill River and Pocantico River, Nanny Hagen Brook, Washburn Brook, Mine Brook, Rockefeller Brook, Clove Brook and Bear Gutter Creek run through Town. These watercourses converge in numerous waterbodies, including the Kensico Reservoir, Pocantico Lake, Swan Lake, Ferguson’s Lake, Kinderogen Lake, Campfire Lake, Leith’s Pond and Munson Pond (Figure III.A.-2).
Table III.A.-2 Waterbodies Reservoirs Lakes Ponds # 1 3 50
Area 650 acres* 52.39 acres 63.02 acres Covered *Area in Mt Pleasant only – total area 2,169 acres
These waterbodies lie within 5 distinct watersheds – from west to east the Lower Hudson, Pocantico River Basin, Saw Mill River Basin, Bronx River Basin and Kensico Basin (Figure III.A.-3). The Kensico Basin is part of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection watershed, which supplies a portion of New York City’s drinking water, and as such all actions within the watershed are subject to heightened regulatory control.
III.A. - 2
Map prepared by the Town of Mount Pleasant Conservation Advisory Council -2017
Town of Mount Pleasant NRI maps were completed with technical assistance from the Teatown Lake Reservation and the Conservation and Land Use Program at Cornell University with funding from the NYS Waterbodies Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson Estuary Program Streams & Wetlands
Figure III.A.-2 Map prepared by the Town of Mount Pleasant Conservation Advisory Council -2017
Town of Mount Pleasant NRI maps were completed with technical assistance from the Teatown Lake Reservation and the Conservation and Land Use Program at Cornell University with funding from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund through the Watersheds Hudson Estuary Program
Pocantico River Basin
Lower Hudson
Saw Mill River Basin
Kensico Basin
Lower Hudson
Bronx River Basin
Figure III.A.-3 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
In addition to surface water features, groundwater concentrated in aquifers (Figure III.A.-4) is another important resource, particularly in those areas of the Town not served by the public water supply and that are dependent upon private water supply wells.
Stormwater runoff is a primary source of water quality impairments. Pollutants from untreated stormwater runoff can harm fish and wildlife, kill native vegetation, taint drinking water supplies and foul recreational areas. Stormwater runoff also increases the volume and rate at which water moves across the land and into lakes and streams, leading to erosion and flooding. Contaminants wash into water bodies from lawns, roads, construction sites, and other areas of disturbance.
Flooding Floods, which are the most prevent natural hazard in Mount Pleasant, occur when excess water from snowmelt, rainfall or storm surges accumulate and overflow into adjacent floodplains. Floodplains are low-lying areas adjacent to watercourses that are subject to periodic flooding.
As depicted on Figure III.A.-5, three primary areas of 100-year linear floodplains are present in Town; along Pocantico Lake and River in the west, along the Saw Mill River in the central portion of Town and along the Kensico Reservoir in the east. Additionally, a significant 500-year floodplain is present along Clove Brook within the office parks on Columbus Avenue.
The Hamlets of Thornwood and Hawthorne are both located within the Saw Mill River floodplain, and are threatened by periodic flooding.
Wetlands Freshwater wetlands are vitally important natural systems that provide numerous benefits from protecting water quality, to providing flood protection and abatement, rechanging groundwater, controlling erosion and sedimentation, proving habitat, to providing recreational, open space and educational benefits. Wetlands in the Town of Mount Pleasant are managed and regulated by the U.S.
III.A. - 3
Aquifers
LEGEND
Figure III.A.-4
Source: Westchester County GIS Service Center Map prepared by the Town of Mount Pleasant Conservation Advisory Council -2017
Town of Mount Pleasant NRI maps were completed with technical assistance from the Teatown Lake Reservation and the Conservation and Land Use Program at Cornell University with funding from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund through the Floodplains Hudson Estuary Program
Figure III.A.-5 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
Army Corps of Engineers at the Federal Level, the NYSDEC at the state level, and the Town itself at the local level through Chapter 111 of the Town Code.
There are approximately 298.42 acres of mapped wetlands in the Town. 161.9 acres of those mapped wetlands (54%) are regulated by the NYSDEC. The balance are locally regulated.
Table III.A.-3 Freshwater Wetlands Forested Emergent Riverine Total Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands # 69 18 66 153
Area 160.52 acres 32.22 acres 105.68 acres 298.42 Covered acres
Geology, Soils & Topography Mount Pleasant is underlain by the New England Physiographic Provence, composed of complex geology that created the characteristic north/south hill and valley topography evidenced throughout the Town. The stream valleys follow the softer, more easily eroded bedrock. Advancing and retreating glaciers left behind fertile till deposits, which define the Town’s soils. Generally, soils west of the Pocantico Hills are Charlton-Chatfield soils, while those to the east are generally Paxton-Woodbridge soils. These soils are characteristically well-drained, coarse and loamy.
The topography of the Town varies from a low point along the Hudson River of 0’-2’ on the riverbank, to a high point of 700’ atop Buttermilk Hill which lies in the center of the Pocantico Hills which run in a southwest to northeast direction, through the center of the Town. As illustrated on Figure III.A.-6, lands on the west side of the Pocantico Hills tend to exhibit more abrupt sloping topography, while lands on the east side are generally less topographically variable.
While the Town’s topography is not extreme, it is characteristically rolling, which results in localized steep slopes which can be adversely impacted if physically altered.
III.A. - 4
Steep Slopes
Figure III.A.-6
Source: Westchester County GIS Service Center Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
Habitat/Ecosystems The Town is located within the Northeastern Coastal Zone ecoregion. Till covered bedrock hills rise above the valleys and outwash plains. Historically the Town’s forests were dominated by a mix of oaks, chestnut, hickories and some hemlock and white pine. Cleared by settlement, these areas now support second and third growth vegetation, which include large proportions of invasive species. Development sprawl has reduced the ecoregions natural habitat by over 98%. Remaining habitat is limited to degraded fragments, with reduced connectivity or core habitat areas.
The degradation of the Town’s habitats by invasive plants is a significant problem. Species like porcelain berry, wild grape, kudzu, mugwort, burning bush and Japanese knotweed out compete native species, and damage habitat quality.
In addition to its own inherent value, the Town’s biological diversity contributes to human health, natural beauty, recreation, water quality, pollination and seed dispersal, ecosystem stability and habitat, among others. The variety of habitat types accommodates varied flora and fauna. Wildlife species, such as coyotes, skunks, racoons are often identified as nuisance species. In particular, the overpopulation of white-tailed deer in the Town has resulted in increased car accidents, and destruction of forest understory and landscaping and gardens. Balancing the cultural/natural interface remains a challenge in Town.
Air, Noise & Light Pollution Air, noise and light pollution are factors that impact the Town’s quality of life.
Air pollution can harm human health through the formation of ozone (O3) and fine
particulate matter (PM2.5), which cause respiratory illness and asthma. Greenhouse gases (chiefly carbon dioxide) are rapidly changing the world’s climate. Despite significant improvements of the past decade, air quality in the New York metropolitan area remains a significant environmental threat.
Air pollution originates from point (stationary) sources, such as power plants or non-point (area) sources, which reflect the cumulative impact of small individual
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
sources such as motor vehicles. Carbon monoxide emissions from motor vehicles are by far the most significant source of non-point source air pollution.
The Saw Mill River Parkway, Taconic State Parkway, Sprain Brook Parkway Routes 9 and 9A are major sources of air pollution that directly impact the Town.
Noise is defined as any loud, discordant or disagreeable sounds that interfere with quality of life. More commonly, in an environmental context, noise is simply unwanted sound.
Certain activities inherently produce sound levels or sound characteristics that have the potential to create noise. The sound generated by a facility may become noise due to the land use surrounding the facility. When lands adjoining a facility contain residential, commercial, institutional or recreational uses (known as sensitive receptors), noise is likely to be a matter of concern to residents or users of adjacent lands. Noise sources are either fixed (such a generator or compressor) or mobile (a truck on a highway).
Light pollution is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial (usually outdoor) light. Too much light pollution has consequences: it washes out starlight in the night sky, disrupts ecosystems, has adverse health effects and wastes energy.
B.) Potential Impacts
The natural environment goals of Envision Mount Pleasant have been designed to preserve and protect the Town’s valued natural resources. Adverse impacts are not anticipated. The following measures will ensure the protection of the natural environment and the avoidance of adverse impacts.
Open Space – By implementing a policy of “proactive conservation” open space resources will be protected through strategies including conducting and open space inventory that ranks and prioritized the resources, establishing open space corridors, coordination with the NYCDEP’s land acquisition program, obtaining rights of first refusal for the acquisition of institutional lands, instituting a
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
Conservation Legacy Program, establish a conservation fund, and ensuring equitable access to open spaces.
Water – The protection of waters can be achieved through improving stormwater management plans, improving deficient stormwater infrastructure, imposing zoning controls to regulate impervious surfaces, particularly above aquifers, adopt green infrastructure standards, consider a nutrient runoff law, increase public awareness of water conservation measures.
Flooding – Mitigate flooding through improved maintenance of catch basins, creation of a water quality reporting link on the Town’s website, adopt standards for permeable pavements, increase public awareness of floor hazards, require flood vulnerability assessments for projects in Areas of Special Flood Hazard, require critical building systems to be elevated above the base flood elevation.
Wetlands – Update the Town’s Wetland Protection Law, increase the wetland buffer setback to 100’, consider deducting wetland areas from the buildable area of a parcel, prepare a GIS inventory of locally regulated wetlands, prioritize wetland areas for restoration, develop wetland mitigation standards, establish a wetland mitigation fund based on new permit fees linked to severity of impacts.
Geology, Soils & Topography – Consider revising the steep slope law to deduct excessively steep slopes from the buildable area of a parcel, modify hilltop and ridgeline regulations to provide greater assessments.
Habitat & Ecosystems - Conduct a habitat identification and corridor mapping program, develop conservation partnerships, require Habitat Protection Plans for large-scale development, develop street tree planting standards, develop a Community Forestry Program, employ a Town Arborist, develop a list of approved native plantings, mandate parking lot landscaping, create a Town Tree Fund through private donations with the goal of planting 100,000 trees by 2030, develop an Invasive Species Action Plan, incorporate environmental stewardship into the local school curriculum.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.A. – Natural Environment
Air, Noise & Light Pollution – Consider a local vehicle idling law, consider becoming a Climate Smart Community, move toward zero-emission fleet of Town vehicles, Update Noise Ordinance, map sensitive noise receptor locations, consider a Dark- Sky lighting ordinance.
C.) Mitigation Measures No adverse natural environment impacts are anticipated as a result of implementing the policies of Envision Mount Pleasant. No mitigation measures are necessary.
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Chapter III.B.
Economic Environment
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
III.B. – ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
The Town benefits from a broad and diverse economy. From major international corporations to local Mom and Pop businesses, Mount Pleasant plays host to the full gamut of economic enterprises. While the major employers such as the Westchester Medical Center, PepsiCo and Regeneron dominate the Town’s 11,548 strong resident work force, in fact the work force spans 20 separate job sectors.
The primary challenge facing the Town involves aligning the Town’s land use regulations with a changing economic climate, ensuring a stable environment for existing business while simultaneously accommodating innovation and growth. While the rapidly evolving health care and life sciences (also known as biotechnology) fields play a dominant role in the Town’s economy, e-commerce and the changing face of retail are profoundly impacting the three hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood, particularly in a post coronavirus COVID 19 world.
On the horizon, the potential development of the North 60, which includes the construction of 3 million square feet of life science, healthcare, residential, retail and hotel space and an educational Living Science Center, designed as a smart growth community around its own central main street – would in fact result in the creation of a fourth hamlet. Ensuring that this new development does not detract from the existing Hamlets, and rather supports them, is key.
Establishing a framework to allow the Town to transition from the economic model of the late 20th century, to the new paradigm of the 21st, is the goal of Envision Mount Pleasant.
A.) Existing Conditions:
The Town of Mount Pleasant, as part of the broader New York Metropolitan Area, contributes to an economy that accounts for approximately 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States, generating nearly $2 trillion in economic activity last year1.
1 New York City Department of City Planning
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
The region benefits from a skilled and well-educated work force, that has proven to be adaptable and resilient in the face of shifting economic trends. While the economic fallout from the current pandemic have yet to be fully realized, the region has successfully navigated the transition from a manufacturing-intensive employment base to one increasingly dominated by services.
Westchester County as a whole, and the Town of Mount Pleasant specifically, have benefited significantly from their proximity to New York City, and this interrelationship is anticipated to continue. New York City’s robust economy will continue to spill over into the region.
The regional economy remains strong due to a stout employment base, low unemployment, consumer spending growth and low interest rates. However, significant shifts are occurring driven in part by demographic trends (an aging population and the influence of the millennial generation), the advent of e- commerce and its consequential impact on traditional retail, the repurposing of traditional office uses, and the rapid expansion of the medical and life science fields.
11,548 Town residents are employed in the active work force, split nearly equivalently between males (5,791) and females (5,757). As documented in Table IV.B-1 the health care and social assistance field employs the greatest number of Town residents, followed closely behind by the educational services field.
Table III.B-1 Jobs by Industry Sector Industry Sector Number of Jobs Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, 9 Hunting Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas 4 Extraction Utilities 66 Construction 590 Manufacturing 345
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
Wholesale Trade 485 Retail Trade 1,045 Transportation & Warehousing 284 Information 452 Finance & Insurance 890
Real Estate 256
Professional, Scientific & Technical 1,173
Services
Management of Companies & 294
Enterprises
Administration & Support, Waste 530
Management & Remediation
Educational Services 1,526
Health Care & Social Assistance 1,593
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation 241
Accommodation & Food Services 664
Other Services (Except Public 459
Administration)
Public Administration 642
Total 11,548
Source: US Census Bureau, Westchester County Department of Planning
The Town is comprised of several market segments:
Single Family Residential Market The single-family housing market in Mount Pleasant is characterized by high sales volume and low inventory, with the market tightest at the entry level and weakest at the luxury level. Housing demand is high in Town due to its centralized location, high quality schools, desirable community character, and the fact that there is little land available for new construction. While some tracts of vacant land and institutional uses offer opportunities to develop additional single-family housing, environmental constraints limit opportunities. A goal of Envision Mount Pleasant is to redirect development from these open and environmentally sensitive areas and into the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists to accommodate new growth.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
Multi-Family Residential Market The lack of rental apartments in Westchester County is a long-standing problem, and has been a major contributing factor in the regions housing shortage and affordability crisis. This situation is changing rapidly with new rental apartment projects being developed in the major cities, smaller scale transit-oriented developments around train stations in the Villages, and the live-work-play development trend at numerous repurposed sites.
The multi-family market in Town is extremely limited. While the R-5A, R-3A, R-3AU, and PRD-T zoning districts do permit multi-family dwellings, these areas are geographically limited, and at present offer little, if any opportunities to accommodate additional multi-family development.
Apartments are also permitted in the Hamlets, although in very limited circumstances (in either existing or designated historic buildings). New residential or mixed-use buildings are currently prohibited within the Hamlets.
The demand for senior housing, driven by the retirement of the Baby Boom generation is substantial. With nearly a quarter of the Town’s population over the age of 60, addressing the housing needs of this population is a priority. Beyond the need to accommodate traditional downsizing, there is a County-wide demand of 18,000 units of senior independent living units and 13,000 assisted living units.
Another demand on the Town’s housing market comes from student housing. Students at Pace University and the New York Medical College must compete for the limited supply of rental apartments available in Town.
But it is the millennial generation that is driving the most profound changes in the demand for housing. Having witnessed the housing crisis of 2006, many millennials don’t ascribe to their parents dream of suburban single-family home ownership – particularly when other investments are more profitable. Also, in the new “gig economy” being geographically tied down is a disadvantage. Millennials are also putting off having families until later in life, so the demand for large homes has decreased. Highly amenitized apartment developments, in vibrant walkable
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
communities, close to mass transit are most sought after. Mount Pleasant’s Hamlets have much to offer in this regard.
Retail Market The continued expansion of e-commerce, previous over-development of brick- and-mortar stores and shifting spending patterns have caused a “retail apocalypse” across the U.S., a trend evidenced in Mount Pleasant’s Hamlets as well. The coronavirus COVID 19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated this trend.
Mount Pleasant is an affluent community, with significant retail spending potential. Because the demand for retail goods far exceeds the local supply (known as “leakage”), retailers outside the local market area are fulfilling this demand, including three regional malls in the White Plains.
In addition to the Town’s two shopping centers (Rose Hill Shopping Center and the Thornwood Town Center), the balance of the Town’s retail business occurs within the three Hamlets. These Hamlet business districts contain smaller scale retail and service businesses uses generally serving local residents.
Going downtown to shop is no longer a necessity, but a choice. In making this choice, shoppers today are seeking places that offer a series of rewards and unique experiences – rather than simply the best price. Therefore, it has become imperative to reimagine the Hamlets around an enhanced public realm – where people want to come to experience a well-designed, interesting and unique place. Combining placemaking with the emerging experiential retail trend will be key for the Hamlets.
Moreover, facilitating new residential transit-oriented development in the Hamlets will provide a proximate “built-in” customer base that will support the retail shops, restaurants and service providers.
Office Market Westchester’s office market, like most suburban areas, has suffered through an extended period of decline. While there are many contributing factors to this, a
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
significant one has been the growth of the millennial generation into the largest cohort in the workforce today. In the past, businesses determined where people worked. The trend today is to move businesses to where the talent is. As millennials have flocked to urban settings, it has given rise to the trendy “live/work/play” urban dynamic, with the preference for access to public transit, proximity to the workplace, and a cultural and social life embedded directly within their local community. Because the suburban office parks no longer appealed to younger employees, they grew tired and outdated, with little incentive for owners to reinvest in upgrades.
The market is recovering due in large measure to the adaptive repurposing of the regions antiquated office parks. Culling the least successful office buildings and replacing them with new uses, is reducing unwanted inventory and strengthening the remaining office stock.
The Town supports two premier office park locations. Columbus Avenue in Valhalla supports the 1.3 million square feet of office space located in the three buildings in The Summit at Valhalla as well as 400 Columbus Avenue. Skyline Drive, located off Saw Mill River Road in Hawthorne supports 14 office buildings and associated facilities. Both of these areas have recently experienced the repurposing trend. These areas, combined with the smaller office buildings along Saw Mill River Road and within the Hamlets, comprise approximately 2% of the Town’s land area.
Health Care Market The health care industry has been undergoing radical change in recent years. The Affordable Care Act, an aging population that is living longer, changes in the insurance industry, dramatic advances in medical technology and changes in the way medical care is delivered are all affecting the industry. The hospital model, with its heavy fixed costs, is giving way to more dispersed ambulatory facilities. These facilities are occupying former general office buildings. In 2018, medical related tenants accounted for over one-third of all office leasing in the Westchester County.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
Mount Pleasant hosts the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, an 895-bed regional medical facility that includes every clinical specialty through the main hospital, the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and a Behavioral Health Center. The Medical Center’s work force of over 7,000 healthcare professionals, including 1,200 physicians, treats over 120,000 patients annually. Mount Pleasant is also home to the Blythdale Children’s Hospital, an 86-bed in-patient private hospital serving children with complex medical conditions.
Life Science Market The life science field (also called biotechnology) is a broad sector that includes genetic research, pharmaceutical production, data science and medical technology. Due to the highly specialized nature of the field, these uses cluster around academic/research institutions. There are 16 life science clusters in the United States, including Westchester County.
The most significant player in the field in town is Regeneron Pharmaceuticals who purchased the 150-acre Landmark at Eastview (the former Union Carbide campus) from BioMed realty in 2017. This campus contains over 1 million square feet of laboratory space. In anticipation of continued explosive growth, Regeneron has also purchased the adjacent 100 acres in the town of Greenburgh with plans to develop 1 million square feet of additional laboratory space.
Capitalizing on the burgeoning life science presence in Westchester, the North 60 project proposed by Fareri Associates, located on a site owned by the County adjacent to the Medical Center calls for the development of a 3 million square foot life science, healthcare, residential, retail, hotel and educational Living Science Center project, designed as a smart growth community around its own central main street. Designed as a multi-phased project, intended to be constructed over the course of a decade, the initial phase is projected to be occupied in 2024. It is estimated that the project would create 4,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent jobs.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
B.) Potential Impacts
The Town’s economic base is undergoing a significant transformation. The decline of brick-and-mortar retail, the repurposing of office parks, and the burgeoning life sciences field, are all simultaneously affecting the economy of the Town. The expansion of the life science sector and the repurposing of the office parks bodes well for the Town, but the traditional economic model in the Hamlets requires attention. The economic environment goals of Envision Mount Pleasant have been designed to meet these challenges.
Single-Family Residential Market – Preserving the character, value and tax base of the Town’s single-family neighborhoods is a key goal. Channeling new development into the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists, will relieve development pressures on the undeveloped portions of the single-family areas of Town.
Multi-Family Residential Market – Multi-family housing options are currently extremely limited in Town. New Hamlet Form-Based Zoning is proposed to allow multi-family housing of appropriate densities. A goal of Envision Mount Pleasant is the provision of a broad range of housing opportunities that is multi-generational and affordable. A high priority is placed on accommodating senior housing.
Retail Market – Revitalizing the retail market through innovative placemaking in the Hamlets is a primary goal. Adding residents to the Hamlets will ensure a local customer base.
Office Market – Preserving the vitally important office parks requires an expansion of the permissible uses. By repurposing underperforming office buildings and replacing them with new uses, the remaining office buildings will be strengthened.
Health Care Market – A significant portion of the Town’s workforce is employed in the health care field. Sustaining this workforce requires a range of housing choices, access to public transit and other incentives to remain competitive.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.B. – Economic Environment
Life Sciences Market – Integrating the life science campuses into the fabric of the community is imperative, and facilitating the provision of services that support this market will bolster the local economy. Overall, adverse economic impacts are not anticipated as on-going shifts in the market sectors will ensure their continued success. Specific impacts associated with individual development projects in the Hamlets will be assessed on a case-by- case basis. Likewise, the SEQR environmental review is currently underway for the North 60 project.
C.) Mitigation Measures The primary mitigation measure to address the economy within the Hamlets is the proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code that accommodates appropriately scaled mixed-use development. Ensuring that balanced growth occurs across the residential, retail, office, health care and life science markets will broaden the tax base so that the incremental increased cost of municipal services will be off-set by new tax revenues. No one market sector is emphasized, so that if one sector should falter, the overall economy of the Town would remain stable. Since no major adverse economic impacts have been identified, no generic mitigation measures are necessary.
Future development proposals will be required to address site specific impacts and the associated provision of mitigation measures, through individual SEQR analysis.
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Chapter III.C.
Social Environment
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
III.C. – SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
Mount Pleasant’s future is inextricably linked to the complex web of interrelationships forged among its residents and social institutions. The Town’s history, demographic composition, social, religious and educational institutions combine to underpin the social framework that knits an array of diverse elements into a unified community with shared goals, values and aspirations.
Fostering access to the arts, cultural institutions and educational opportunities requires close collaboration between the Town and its institutional partners. Ensuring unrestricted access to technology is a key element in the success of today’s contemporary digital society.
A.) Existing Conditions:
Mount Pleasant’s unique history has helped to shape its future. The arrival of the railroads in the 1830’ brough the first wave of development to Mount Pleasant; including the creation of the hamlets around the train stations, and areas of commerce and industry. The construction of the parkways in the early to mid- twentieth century finalized the unique development pattern of the Town.
Historic Resources – The Town contains a number of historic resources that are listed on the National register of historic Places; including:
! Hammond House ! Rockefeller Estate (Kykuit) ! Rockefeller Pocantico Hills Historic District ! Union Church of Pocantico Hills ! Usonia Historic District ! Old Croton Aqueduct ! Bronx River Parkway Reservation ! Taconic State Parkway ! Scarborough Historic District
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
Demographic Trends – The Town’s population more than doubled in the second half of the twentieth century. The current population of 26,622 has remained relatively stable since 2000.
Chart III.C-1 Population Growth 1940 - 2017
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2017
Source: US Census Bureau, Westchester County Department of Planning
The most significant change in the Town’s population since 2000 was in the 55 to 64 age group which grew by nearly 40%, indicating the needs of seniors will be a priority in the coming years. Also important to note is the significant 23.3% reduction in children below the age of 5 which will influence future school enrollments.
Table III.C. - 1 Population Age Change 2000 - 2017 >5 5-19 20-34 35-54 55-59 60-64 >65 2000 1,691 5,722 4,639 8,386 1,278 1,058 3,377 2017 1,298 5,530 5,023 7,058 2,120 1,722 3,871 % -23.3 -3.4 +7.7 -15.8 +39.8 +38.6 +12.8 Change
In 2017, 7,859 households were identified in Mount Pleasant. 6,468 of these were family households (the occupants are related) and 1,392 were non-family
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
households (unrelated roommates). The average household size is 3.38 persons per dwelling unit.
Chart III.C.-2 Family Household Size
2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 or More
Mount Pleasant’s population is well educated. 91.5% of Town residents hold a High School degree or higher compared to the County average of 87.5%. 27.3% of residents hold a bachelor’s degree, 18.2% hold a master’s degree and 444 PhD’s reside in Town.
Approximately 43% of this well-educated population is currently employed in the labor force. By far, the predominate occupation category is management, which accounts for approximately 44.2% of the Town’s labor force. Sales and office workers follow at 27.1%, with service jobs accounting for approximately 15% of the labor force. Chart 3-4 displays the occupation of Town residents.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
Chart III.C-3 Labor Force Distribution
Management Services Sales & Office Construction Production & Transport Farming
Mount Pleasant’s population is affluent, ranking in the top third of Westchester municipalities with a median household income of $122,973, which is significantly above that of Westchester County ($83,422) and New York State ($62,765). Chart 2-5 shows that this income is heavily distributed toward the higher end of the income spectrum.
Chart III.C.-4 Income Distribution 3000 Median Income 2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
<$10,000 >200,000
$10,000-$14,999$15,000-$19,999$20,000-$24,999$25,000-$29,999$30,000-$34,999$35,000-$39,999$40,000-$44,999$45,000-$49,000$50,000-$59,999$60,000-$74,999$75,000-$99,999 $100,000-$124,999$125,000-$149,999$150,000-$199,999
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
As of 2017, there were 7,859 occupied housing units in Town out of a total housing stock of 8,188 dwelling units (96% occupied). 6,557 of those (83.4%) are owner occupied while 1,302 (16.6%) are renter occupied.
The median value of a home in Westchester County in 2017 was $528,300. As depicted in Chart 3-8, 44.2% of the homes in Mount Pleasant are valued between $500,000 and $747,999, with the next largest group (18.3%) valued between $750,000 and $1,000,000.
Chart III.C.-5 Value of Owner-Occupied Housing Units 3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0 <$10,000 <$10,000 $1,000,000-… $1,500,000-… >$2,000,000 $175,$199,999 $200-$249,999 $40,000-$49,999 $50,000-$59,999 $60,000-$69,999 $70,000-$79,999 $80,000-$89,999 $90,000-$99,999 $100,000-$124,999 $125,000-$149,999 $150,000-$174,999 $250,000-$299,999 $300,000-$399,999 $400,000-$499,999 $500,000-$749,999 $750,000-$999,999
By far the most prevalent housing type in Mount Pleasant are detached single- family homes, which comprise 83.9% of the housing stock. The next largest housing type, 2-family homes, accounts for only 5% of the Town’s housing stock.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
Chart III.C.-6 Units in Structure 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 2 3 or 4 5 to 9 10 to 1920 to 49 1 Detached1 Attached 50 or More Boat/RV/Van Mobile Homes
Units in Structure
One of the most notable housing trends relates to the age of the Town’s housing stock, which is by most measures, old. 67.5% of the Town’s housing stock was built more that 50 years ago, with nearly 20% almost 100 years old. Not only does the Town’s housing stock lack variety in housing types, but the majority of the existing base of single-family homes will require major renovations, rehabilitation or replacement in the relative short term.
Chart III.C.-7 Year Structure Built 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0
2010-20132000-20091990-19991980-19891970-19791960-19691950-19591940-1949 2104 or Later 1939 or Earlier
Year Structure Built
Educational Institutions – The Town contains 11 separate school districts, which is by far the most of any municipality in Westchester County. The Mount Pleasant
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
CSD, Valhalla UFSD and Pocantico Hills CSD are the predominant school located within the town’s geographic boundaries (Figure III.C.-1).
Aside from the complicated patchwork of multiple districts, Mount Pleasant is also unique in that 3 of the districts correspond to institutional uses and were formed as Public-School Special Act Districts; the Mount Pleasant Cottage School UFSD, the Hawthorne Cedar Knolls UFSD and the Mount Pleasant – Blythdale UFSD.
Chart III.C-8 displays enrollments trends for all 11 districts from 1999 to 2018. All of the school districts are experiencing declines in enrollment after their peaks, which occurred primarily in the late aughts. Only the Mount Pleasant CSD has exhibited an enrollment increase since the 2017-2018 school year. Enrollment projections in this district through the 2019-2020 school year indicate that enrollments will continue to increase to 1,973 students, or 41 students below the 2008-2009 enrollment peak.
Chart III.C-8
In addition to the Town’s public schools, several private schools are located in Mount Pleasant including the Holy Rosary Elementary School, The Margaret Chapman School and The EF Academy. Mount Pleasant also hosts several
III.C. - 7
Chappaqua
Briarcliff Manor School
Districts Byram Hills Pleasantville Mt. Pleasant Cottage School
School District Boundaries Sleepy Hollow Mount Pleasant CSD Mount Pleasant Valhalla UFSD
Pocantico Hills CSD Briarcliff Manor UFSD Hawthorne Pleasantville UFSD Pocantico Hills Chappaqua CSD Cedar Knolls Byram Hills CSD Tarrytown UFSD
Hawthorne Cedar Knolls UFSD Mt. Pleasant Blythdale UFSD Mt. Pleasant Cottage School UFSD
Valhalla
Blythdale Figure III.C.-1
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
institutions of higher education including The New York Medical College, Pace University and Polytechnic University Westchester Graduate Center.
Municipal Services - Mount Pleasant is a municipal corporation classified by statute as a “Town of the First Class.” The Town Board serves as the legislative body and is composed of a Supervisor and 4 Town Councilpersons. The Supervisor serves as the chief executive office for the Town in a full-time capacity and is responsible for the administration of the Town’s daily functions. The Supervisor acts as a full member of the Town Board, voting on all questions and having no additional tie-breaking or veto powers.
The Town of Mount Pleasant wholly encompasses the Villages of Pleasantville and Sleepy Hollow as well as the eastern portion of the Village of Briarcliff Manor.
Police services are provided by the Town of Mount Pleasant Police Department, which has a roster of 46 sworn police offices and is headquartered at Town Hall. The MPPD is supported by the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, the New York State Police – Troop K and the NYCDEP Police.
As illustrated on Figure III.C-2, Mount Pleasant is served by 9 fire districts, 6 of which are wholly located within the town and 3 extend into neighboring villages.
! Valhalla Fire District ! Hawthorne Fire District ! Located wholly Thornwood Fire District within Town of ! Pocantico Hills Fire District Mount Pleasant ! Archville Fire District ! Grasslands Fire District
! Pleasantville Fire District ! Chappaqua Fire District ! Briarcliff Manor Fire District
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Chappaqua FD Briarcliff FD
Fire Pleasantville FD Pleasantville FD Districts
Fire District Boundaries Thornwood FD Archville FD Valhalla Fire District Hawthorne Fire District Thornwood Fire District Pocantico Hills Fire District Archville Fire District Pocantico Hills FD Briarcliff Manor Fire District Hawthorne FD Pleasantville Fire District Chappaqua Fire District Grasslands Fire District
Valhalla FD
Grasslands FD
Figure III.C.-2 Emergency
Service Locations
LEGEND
Fire Stations
Police Stations
Ambulance Stations
Town Hall
Hospitals
Figure III.C.-3 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
All of these Fire Departments are staffed entirely by volunteer members, including the Grasslands Fire Brigade, which is staffed by County employees working at the Grasslands Campus.
Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services are provided to the Town of Mount Pleasant by three volunteer ambulance corps.
! Valhalla Volunteer Ambulance Corps ! Hawthorne Volunteer Ambulance Corps ! Pleasantville Volunteer Ambulance Corps
Residential solid waste and recycling is managed by the Sanitation Department through a contract with a private carter (CRP Sanitation). In 2018, 17,906 tons of solid waste was generated in Mount Pleasant, of which 49% was recycled.
The Highway Department is responsible for the maintenance of all Town roadways, repaving and snow removal as well as leaf and brush collection and the Town’s Compost Program.
B.) Potential Impacts
The Town’s changing demographics are impacting the social environment. An aging population requires additional services. While the focus of Envision Mount Pleasant is on properly regulating future growth, impacts associated with population changes are likely to result.
Historic Resources – The goal of preserving Mount Pleasant’s unique heritage, character and historic resources can be achieved through an array of implementation strategies including the preparation of a comprehensive historic resource survey and the creation of an inventory of historic resources that are potentially eligible for listing on the National Register, the establishment of a Historic Advisory Council, requiring development applications to submit a Phase IA Cultural Resource Assessment, established historic preservation incentives, installing local historical markers, enhanced collaboration with Historic Hudson
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
Valley, among other initiatives. No significant adverse impacts to historic resources are anticipated.
Demographic Trends – It is anticipated that Mount Pleasant will experience growth in the years to come, resulting in a modestly increasing resident population. By carefully channeling the majority of that growth into the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists to accommodate it, significant adverse impacts can be avoided. Diversifying the housing types developed in the future, beyond traditional single-family homes, will increasing housing choices for a diversifying population. Special attention to accommodating seniors is a priority, including the provision of housing, recreational opportunities and services.
Educational Institutions – The majority of the projected new development will consist of housing types that typically generate lower numbers of school-aged children. This was done explicitly to minimize the impact of additional growth on the schools. While enrollments in most school districts in Town, and across the region are declining, enrollments in the Mount Pleasant Central School District are increasing. Development opportunities for projects that generate high numbers of school-aged children within this district are limited by Envision Mount Pleasant. Measures to coordinate the unique needs and operational requirements of the institutional schools are included.
Municipal Services – The Town enjoys excellent municipal services. Envision Mount Pleasant anticipates future development across all of the market segments, resulting in a growing and broadened commercial and residential tax base. While a modestly growing population will require a proportionally increased supply of municipal services, the incremental costs would be off-set by new tax generation.
All future developments and actions will be required to address site-specific impacts during individual SEQR reviews. However, no significant generic adverse impacts to the social environment is anticipated.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.C. – Social Environment
C.) Mitigation Measures
The Social Environment goals of Envision Mount Pleasant have been designed to strengthen and reinforce the social interconnections within the community. The primary mitigation measure to ensure this is the Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code which broadens the array of housing choices available in the community and directs it into the three Hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists to accommodate it. Ensuring that balanced growth occurs across the various markets will broaden the tax base so that the incremental increased cost of municipal services will be off-set by new tax revenues. The targeted geography of future growth will mitigate school impacts.
Future development proposals will be required to address site specific impacts and the associated provision of mitigation measures, through individual SEQR analysis.
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Chapter III.D.
Built Environment
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
III.D. – BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Mount Pleasant’s built environment is extraordinarily diverse. The Town’s central location in the heart of Westchester County and unique topographical characteristics played significant roles in the siting of major facilities such as the County’s Grasslands Campus, the Kensico Dam and Reservoir, and the office parks at Eastview and along Columbus Avenue. When the Taconic State Parkway, Saw Mill River Parkway and Sprain Brook Parkways began construction in the 1920’s they traversed the town’s river valleys. When John D. Rockefeller, at the time, the richest man in the world, decided to construct a county manor, he selected the highest point in the Pocantico Hills overlooking the Hudson River for his estate.
Balancing regional demands with the needs and desires of the people of the Town represents a challenge. The evaluation of Envision Mount Pleasant’s impact on the built environment addresses land use and zoning, housing, mobility, infrastructure, parks, and proposed future development.
A.) Existing Conditions:
Land Use and Zoning – The Town’s pattern of land is quite diverse and variable. Generally, lands west of the Taconic State Parkway are less developed and more rural, supporting estate, park and agricultural lands on the former Rockefeller properties. A commercial spine runs from the south to the north through the center of Town, from the Grasslands and Eastview campuses along Route 9A through the Hamlets of Hawthorne and Thornwood and continuing north to the Village of Pleasantville. To the east are the Town’s primary residential districts, which are bisected by the Columbus Avenue commercial corridor. The southeast corner of Town is dominated by 3 cemeteries which are located just outside of the Hamlets of Valhalla and Hawthorne (Figure III.D-1 – Land Use Map).
Of the Town’s primary land use categories, open space and recreation lands account for the largest portion of the Town (34.1%), followed by residential (32.2%), non-residential (16.7%), vacant/undeveloped (8.6%), rights-of-way (7.3%), interior
III.D. - 1
Existing
Land Use
Figure III.D.-1 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
waterbodies (4.3%) and finally mixed-use (0.41%). Table III.D.-1 presents the Town’s existing land use.
Table III.D.-1
The Town supports a fairly complex and overlapping array of zoning districts. In total, 32 zoning districts have been designated – 8 residential zones, 11 office and commercial zones that also permit residential uses, and 7 non-residential zones. (Figure III.D.-2 – Existing Zoning Map). The Town zoning hierarchy incorporates a system where the permitted uses of a lower district are incorporated into the higher district. As a result of this, many of the office and commercial districts include and permit all of the allowable residential uses from the R districts. This system blurs the lines between zones, often resulting in land use conflicts.
Housing - Traditional single-family homes overwhelmingly dominate the Town’s housing stock. Of the 8,188 dwelling units in Town, 7,138 (87.1%) support single
III.D. - 2
Existing Zoning
Legend R-40 – One Family Residential R-20 - One Family Residential R-10 - One Family Residential R-3A – Multi-Family Residential R-3AU - Multi-Family Residential R-5 - Multi-Family Residential PRD-T – (1,2,H-1, 5,6,7,8) – Planned Residential Development MO-T – Medical Office Transitional C-PS – Planning Shopping Center C-NR – Neighborhood Retail C-RB – Highway Commercial C-GC – General Commercial OB-CE – Corporate Office Education OB-1 – General Office OB-2 – Public Utility Office OB-3 – Research Office OB-4 – Commercial Office OB-5 – Office Business OB-6 – Office, Distribution, Fabrication OB-T – (1,2,3 & 7) Transitional, Non- Residential M-1 – Planning Light Industry M-2 – Light Industry OSR – Open Space Resource
Figure III.D.2 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
family residences. Only 416 two-family homes and 634 multi-family residences exist in Town.
Table III.D.-2 Housing Stock Unit Distribution Housing Type Number of Units % Single-Family Residence 7,138 87.2 Two-Family Residence 416 5.0 Multi-Family Residence (3 or 634 7.7 more units) Total 8,188 100.0 Source: US Census American Community Survey
This lack in diversity in housing stock is problematic for the future of the Town, particularly for the large population of older residents who are looking to down- size from their traditional single-family homes and remain in the community, as well as for younger people seeking entry into the Town’s housing market. Millennials in particular, are spurning traditional single-family homes and are seeking instead high-quality, highly amenitized rental apartments in close proximity to transit and active, energized downtowns. The Boomers and Millennials (which comprise the Town’s two largest demographic cohorts) share the very same housing desires and priorities.
Because few choices exist for older residents to down-size, they tend to remain in their single-family residences longer, which in turn limits opportunities young people, which have begun families, from migrating from apartments into the Town’s stock of existing single-family homes. This in turn places added pressure on the need for new construction, rather that the re-occupancy of existing homes.
Another troubling housing statistic is that the Town’s housing stock is aging. Nearly 80% of the existing housing stock is over 40 years old – a point at which building systems and structural elements require renovation or replacement. This indicates that the pace of major renovations or knock-downs will increase,
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
resulting in impacts to the character of existing residential neighborhoods – one of the Town’s most highly valued assets.
Infrastructure - The Town of Mount Pleasant has ten (10) water districts (Figure III.D-3). The majority of the Town’s water is purchased from the New York City Water Board, either directly, or through adjacent water district purchases in Pleasantville, Greenburgh and New Castle. The primary source of water for most of the districts is the Catskill Aqueduct System, with the New Croton Aqueduct providing a secondary source. The Town’s largest water district (the Kensico Water District) draws its water from the Delaware Aqueduct, while the Pocantico Water District draws its water from 4 lakes located behind the treatment plant. Water is distributed throughout the Town via the Commerce Street Pump Station, Kensico Treatment Facilities & Water Storage Tanks, Palmer Lane Pump Station, Pocantico Pump Station and Pocantico Emergency Pump Station.
There are two kinds of sanitary sewer systems in the Town. The most common sanitary sewer is the gravity sewer. This would be considered a traditional type of sanitary sewer where the sludge is moved through the network of sewer mains via gravity. There are some sections of Town where a traditional gravity sewer was not possible and hence a Low-Pressure Sanitary Sewer (LPSS) system is used. The LPSS is a pressurized pump system that eventually discharges the sludge into a traditional gravity sewer main. All of the sanitary sewer mains in the Town discharge into the Westchester County sanitary sewer system (trunk line). The County treats the sludge at various sewerage treatment plants throughout Westchester County. The Town does not own or maintain any sanitary sewerage treatment plants.
The Town owns and maintains eight (8) sanitary sewer pump stations. These pump stations are required to assist in forcing the sewerage (sludge) through the sewer pipes where a change in elevation requires that the sludge be pumped. The pump stations are Countryside Sewer Station, Leroy Street Sewer Station, Park Street Sewer Station, Pheasant Run Sewer Station, Spruce Hill Sewer Station, Deerfield Lane North Sewer Station, Tumblebrook Sewer Station and Hardscrabble Lake Sewer Station.
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Water
Districts
Figure III.D.-3 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
In areas of the Town that are not served by the sanitary sewer network (Figure III.D-4), septic systems are utilized to dispose of wastewater. Septic systems are underground wastewater treatment structures that use a combination of nature and proven technology to treat wastewater from household plumbing. A typical septic system consists of a septic tank and a drain field, or soil absorption field.
The Town maintains a storm sewer network consisting of a series of catch basins and storm sewer pipes that outfall at various locations depicted on Figures III.D-5.
Energy is supplied to households and business in Town by Con Edison’s electric grid and natural gas distribution networks.
In March of 2019, Con Edison imposed a moratorium on all new natural gas connections due to a supply-demand imbalance. As a result, new development must utilize non-pipeline and clean-energy technologies to supply energy needs. Clean energy alternatives to natural gas include air and ground source heat pumps, geothermal and solar.
Parkland and Recreation - Nearly 1/3 of the land area of the Town (approximately 5,000 acres) is devoted to open space and recreation uses. State parks, State parkways, County parks, Town parks as well as private recreational facilities are all located in Mount Pleasant.
Two state parks are located in Mount Pleasant; the 1,771-acre Rockefeller State Park Preserve as well as an approximately 3-mile portion of the Old Croton Aqueduct State Park. Two County parks are also located in Town; the 431-acre Graham Hills County Park as approximately 7.2 miles of the North County Trailway. The Town Recreation and Parks Department manages recreational activities on nearly 400 acres of land at the facilities in Table III.D-3.
III.D. - 5
Areas of the Town
Served by Sanitary Sewers
Figure III.D.-4
Storm Sewer
Outfall Locations
Figure III.D.-5 Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
Table III.D.-3 Town of Mount Pleasant Park Facilities # Park Location Acreage Facilities 1 Hardscrabble Dogwood Ave. 235 Single track and hiking trails Wilderness Area Briarcliff 2 Mountain Trail Park Lake Shore Dr. 5 Hiking trails Pleasantville 3 Bear Ridge Lake Lake Shore Dr. 2 Picnicking, fishing, ice skating Pleasantville 4 Old Farm Hill Park Old Farm Rd. 22 Undeveloped Pleasantville 5 Water District Field Garrigan Ave. 6 Soccer, baseball/softball fields Thornwood 6 Cooperman’s Pond Lake Dr. 6 Picnicking, fishing, ice skating Pleasantville 7 Town Pool & Lozza Dr. 12 Community center, bocce, basketball, volleyball, Community Center Valhalla swimming, picnicking, playground 8 Broadway Field Broadway 6 Basketball, baseball/softball, volleyball, picnicking, Hawthorne playground, shelter 9 Pheasant Run Park Pheasant Run Rd. 16 Undeveloped Pleasantville 10 Carol Park Rolling Hills Rd. 12 Baseball/softball, fishing, ice skating, picnicking, Thornwood playground 11 Westlake H.S. Westlake Dr. - Tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball/softball Thornwood 12 Stonegate Park Eastview Ave. 12 Basketball, baseball/softball, picnicking, hiking trails, Valhalla nature study 13 Valhalla H.S, Columbus Ave. - Tennis, soccer, baseball/softball Valhalla 14 Bradhurst Park & Bradhurst Ave. 7 Community center, baseball/softball, picnicking, Community Center Hawthorne playground 15 Lakeside Park Westlake Dr. 6 Soccer Valhalla 16 Pat Henry Field S. Kensico Ave. 2 Baseball/softball Valhalla 17 Hawthorne Memorial Dr. -- Baseball/softball, playground Elementary School Hawthorne 18 Columbus Ave Columbus Ave. -- Baseball/softball, playground School Thornwood 19 Bronx River Virginia Rd. 2 Baseball/softball Reservation Form Valhalla
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
In addition to operating and maintaining the Town’s park and recreational facilities, the Recreation and Parks Department runs numerous programs that vary seasonally throughout the year for pre-school and children, teens, adults, seniors and family and special events. These programs occur at all parks and facilities including the Community Center, Pool, Mount Pleasant Branch Library, and include various youth sports organizations and clinics, scouting, book club, senior health and nutrition programs and the Mount Pleasant Community Bands.
Institutions - Institutional uses play an important role within the Town of Mount Pleasant, and occupy roughly one tenth of the Town’s total land area. While many of these institutions have operated successfully for many years, and would be anticipated to continue their operations, other uses have been operationally problematic, and the long-term viability of some is uncertain. As most of the larger institutional uses are embedded within existing residential neighborhoods their abandonment or reuse represents a challenge.
Table III.D.-4 Institutional Uses Over 1 Acre # Institution Acreage 1 Girl Scouts USA 267.62 2 Transfiguration Church 1.55 3 Pace University 201.92 4 Westchester County Grasslands Campus 512.0 5 Jewish Child Care Association 123.8 6 Upper Westchester Muslim Society 15.0 7 Historic Hudson Valley Regional History Center 11.08 8 NYSARC 3.22 9 Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture 61.53 10 Servants of Relief 16.37 11 Hawthorne Reformed Church 5.12 12 Trinity Lutheran Church 1.07 13 Jewish Board of Family & Community Services 128.98 14 Holy Rosary Church 10.83 14 Rockefeller Archive Center 24.19 16 New York Medical College 42.14 17 Hawthorne Foundation Inc. 9.48 18 Valhalla United Methodist Church 3.28 19 Valhalla United Methodist Church 2.36 20 Easter Seals 1.78
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
21 Blythdale Children’s Hospital 12.53 22 Valhalla Veterans Association 1.09 23 Holy Name of Jesus 7.95 Total 1,464.9
Columbus Avenue and Route 9A Corridors - The Columbus Avenue Corridor is a unique and vitally important area of the Town. This north/south running corridor, which is anchored by in the south by the NYCDEP campus, evolved dramatically between the 1960’s and 1980’s.
Corporations such as IBM and PepsiCo, and the office parks at The Summit at Kensico Aerators Valhalla, and 400 Columbus Avenue, were developed on sites with large setbacks and extensive wooded buffers, creating an attractive and desirable character along the corridor. The overall decline in the office market throughout the region, and the sale of sites that were formerly corporate – such as the sale of the IBM site to the Legion of Christ, and their subsequent sale to the EF Academy and to a residential developer for use as a private boarding school, and a residential subdivision respectively, and the sale of an approved, but never built office building site owned by the Cappelli Organization for the development of the Summit Estates residential subdivision, all point toward an evolution of the land use along the corridor.
The Saw Mill River Road, NYS Route 9A corridor is another critically important north/south running corridor in Town. Route 9A is a New York State Highway that runs from lower Manhattan to Peekskill. The corridor is most intensely developed south of the Hawthorne hamlet where it is the primary north/south route supporting the Cross Westchester Executive Park and other uses in the Town of Greenburgh, the Eastview/Regeneron campus, the various uses on the County Grasslands Campus, the office parks along Skyline Drive, and the various commercial uses such as Home Depot, Audi of Hawthorne and a recently approved Amazon distribution center. While Route 9A serves as the local north/south route between the Saw Mill River Parkway and Sprain Brook Parkway, routine high vehicle speeds make this route problematic.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
North 60 - In 1915 Westchester County purchased an approximately 512-acre parcel known as the Grasslands Reservation to accommodate a poor house, penitentiary and public hospital. Since that time, the campus has expanded to be the support center of County government including uses such as the Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, County lab and research facilities, fire and emergency training center, public works and correctional facility. In all, the Grasslands campus includes 4.1 million square feet of floor area and a daytime population of approximately 5,500.
A 60 acre vacant portion on the northern side of the campus has never been used, and in 2019 the County entered into a lease agreement with Fareri Associates, who also owns an adjacent 20 acres, to develop a mixed-use community consisting of approximately three million square feet of bio-tech/research and development related uses including medical offices, a children’s living science education center, neighborhood retail, potential residential uses and a hotel as part of a comprehensive master plan. This action, identified as The North 60, will include a new street network that connects the site to the Grasslands Reservation, regional highway system, and surrounding community.
B.) Potential Impacts
Land Use and Zoning – The Town’s existing underlying pattern of land use and zoning will remain essentially intact as a result of the adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant. Four adjustments to the existing pattern of land use and zoning are proposed:
1. The Hamlets: New development will be channeled into the hamlets where the infrastructure exists to accommodate new growth, thereby relieving development pressures on the Town’s existing residential neighborhoods. The proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code incentivizes development opportunities in the three hamlets, where higher densities have always existed, in spite of existing zoning controls that tend to be unnecessarily restrictive.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
2. The North 60: New zoning is proposed to properly regulate the development of the North 60, a mixed-use community located on property owned primarily by Westchester County adjacent to the Grasslands Campus. The proposed development includes approximately 3 million square feet of bio- tech/research and development related uses and associates uses such as a children’s science and education center, hotel and neighborhood retail. The specific impacts of this development are currently being evaluated through the review of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement.
3. Institutional Uses: The Town supports many large institutional uses, which if sold and developed pursuant to the existing zoning, may result in disruptive adverse impacts. New overlay zoning is proposed to accommodate the appropriate reuse of these sites in a manner that protects the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
4. Office Parks: The decline of the office market throughout the region has impacted the Town’s office parks as well. This decline has been exacerbated by the Pandemic, and occupancies may never return to pre-Covid levels. Expanding the list of permitted uses in the OB zone is necessary to allow for the viable repurposing of obsolete office uses.
Recodifying the zoning ordinance to eliminate arcane and outdated provisions and incorporate current standards will serve to reinforce and protect the Town’s pattern of land use and zoning.
All site-specific development proposals will be evaluated through individual SEQRA project reviews.
Housing – Meeting the goal of ensuring that the Town’s housing stock meets the needs of the Town’s population requires expanding the variety of housing types, designs and price points for all stages of life, family compositions and incomes. This
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
can be accomplished by focusing new housing and housing styles in the Hamlets. Doing so will facilitate a healthy housing cycle, where seniors can downsize from their single-family homes to smaller apartments while remaining in the community, allowing for families with children to re-occupy the larger single-family homes. This housing balance will create a long-term equilibrium in municipal service costs and impacts on school enrollments. Housing diversity will allow for price variability and affordability.
Infrastructure – The Town’s basic infrastructure is functionally sound. Improvements and enhancements to the Kensico Water District, Pleasant Ridge, Pleasantville, etc., will ensure an adequate supply of potable water for the future.
Improvements to sanitary sewer lines and the reduction of inflow and infiltration will allow for the initiatives outlined in Envision Mount Pleasant to me successfully implemented.
The impact of site-specific development proposals will be evaluated through individual SEQRA project reviews.
Parkland and Recreation – The superior parks and recreation facilities are a key component of the Town’s quality of life. Envision Mount Pleasant recognizes the importance of supporting these existing assets and enhancing the facilities at the Community Center and Town Park site. Creating a new Mount Pleasant Recreation Trailway will create a continuous uninterrupted links from the east side of the Town at the Kensico Dam to the major trailways on the west side.
Institutions - The Town supports many large institutional uses, which if sold and developed pursuant to the existing zoning, may result in disruptive adverse impacts. New overlay zoning is proposed to accommodate the appropriate reuse of these sites in a manner that protects the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Columbus Avenue and Route 9A Corridors - The decline of the office market throughout the region has impacted the Town’s office parks as well. This decline has been exacerbated by the Pandemic, and occupancies may never return to pre-
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
Covid levels. Expanding the list of permitted uses in the OB zone is necessary to allow for the viable repurposing of obsolete office uses. Likewise, modifying the permissible uses within the C-RB district along Route 9A is necessary.
The impact of site-specific development proposals, particularly traffic-related impacts, will be evaluated through individual SEQRA project reviews, in conjunction with partner agencies such as the NYSDOT and Westchester County Department of Public Works.
North 60 - The potential impacts of the North 60 are currently under review through the SEQRA Environmental Impact Statement process. Any adverse impacts identified would be required to be properly mitigated prior to the grating of any approvals.
C.) Mitigation Measures Several specific mitigation measures are called for in Envision Mount Pleasant to ensure that implementing the goals of the Plan do not result in adverse impacts. The primary Built Environment mitigation measures include:
! Adopt the Hamlet Form-Based Code. ! Create institutional use overlay zone. ! Expand the list of permitted uses in the OB and C-RB zones. ! Recodify the zoning ordinance. ! Maintain the quality of the existing housing stock (Goal 7-8). ! Ensure the housing stock meets the needs of the Town’s population in terms of variety and affordability (Goals 7-9, 7-10, 7-11) ! Facilitate environmentally sustainable housing. ! Address Kensico Water District improvements. ! Improve water supply to Pleasant Ridge. ! Address Pleasantville out of district water supply. ! Address sewer system improvements through individual development reviews. ! Institute an I&I reduction program. ! Create Mount Pleasant Recreation Trailway.
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.D. – Built Environment
! Expand Community Center recreational facility. ! Impose North 60 mitigation measures identified during SEQRA review.
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Chapter III.E.
Mobility & Connectivity
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.E. – Mobility & Connectivity
III.E. – MOBILITY & CONNECTIVITY
Mount Pleasant is geographically large and bisected by river valleys, steep terrain, parkways and railroads that serve to separate and isolate sections of Town. Moving around the community is difficult, particularly moving east/west.
Improved connectivity is a goal of Envision Mount Pleasant and not only includes modifications to make the Town’s roads more efficient and safer, but also includes expanding the various modes of transportation to accommodate existing and future mobility trends and technologies. Pedestrian circulation, bicycles, scooters, buses, ridesharing services and trains all contribute to a network of connectivity that can be enhanced and maximized. This network can be centered on existing facilities, resources and technologies, but should also be adaptable to future innovation.
A.) Existing Conditions:
Streets & Highways – The Town includes 4 roadway classification types:
Limited Access Highways: ! Taconic State Parkway ! Saw Mill River Parkway ! Sprain Brook Parkway
Arterials: ! NY Route 9 ! NY Route 9A ! NY Route 117 ! Grasslands Road (NY Route 100 & 100C) ! Columbus Avenue ! Bradhurst Avenue ! Bedford Road ! Elwood Avenue/Commerce Street/Franklin Avenue/Broadway (NY Route 141)
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.E. – Mobility & Connectivity
Collector Streets: ! Bear Ridge Road ! Nanny Hagen Road ! Stevens Avenue ! West Lake Drive ! Lakeview Avenue ! Bear Ridge Road ! Sleepy Hollow Road ! Legion Drive
Local Roads: ! All other roadways
These roadways are owned and maintained by three levels of government; the NYSDOT, the Westchester County Department of Public Works and the Town of Mount Pleasant.
B.) Potential Impacts:
Hamlet Mobility – Existing problematic traffic conditions in the Hamlets that may be impacted as a result of the implementation of Envision Mount Pleasant include:
Valhalla: ! Cleveland Avenue/Taconic parkway intersection. ! Legion Drive/Broadway intersection. ! Stevens Avenue/Westlake Drive ! Bradhurst Avenue/Lakeview Avenue
Hawthorne: ! Elwood Avenue/Commerce Street
Thornwood: ! Commerce Street/Franklin Avenue ! Four Corners
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.E. – Mobility & Connectivity
While additional traffic generation is anticipated in all three Hamlets, the transit- oriented nature of new development will reduce traffic impacts.
Complete Streets and Traffic Calming – The roadways that serve as the Hamlet’s “main streets” also carry through traffic, and support a variety of land uses. This results in conflicts as local traffic frustrates through traffic, and excessive travel speeds cause safety concerns. As discussed in the following sections, high vehicle speeds and inhospitable streets discourage pedestrian movements and alternative modes of transportation – which are necessary to transform the Hamlets into safe and desirable destinations.
It is a goal of Envision Mount Pleasant to facilitate the creation of “Complete Streets” in the Hamlets where roadways such as Broadway, Elwood Avenue, Commerce Street and Kensico Road must accommodate safe access for all, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Through this approach, these key rights-of-way would no longer be devoted to private automobiles, but rather to all who use them.
Connectivity – The most prevalent issue raised by residents during Envision Mount Pleasant’s public participation process was the lack of connectivity throughout Town. Most activity hubs are isolated and not physically interconnected in safe and meaningful ways, other than by the existing roadway network. This results in an unavoidable dependence on private automobile trips when residents would often prefer alternative methods of making their way around the community, such as walking or biking.
Ironically, the Town hosts numerous trailways, and paths. However, these links are isolated and are not interconnected to create a unified circulation system. The primary challenge involves finding ways to stitch these resources together with existing and proposed sidewalks to create a meaningful web of Town-wide connectivity.
Pedestrians & Bicycles – Walking and bicycling are increasingly important pieces in the Town’s transportation network. Previously overlooked as a necessary
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.E. – Mobility & Connectivity
component during prior development, it is a challenge to reestablish a human scaled and oriented circulation network in an auto-centric community.
Parking – The provision of an adequate supply of parking is essential to the successful revitalization of the Hamlets. While Envision Mount Pleasant is emphasizing the transit-oriented opportunities of the Hamlets, which would reduce the need for frequent individual passenger vehicle trips, a sufficient parking inventory for residents, employees and visitors remains necessary.
However, while we still must plan for parking, Envision Mount Pleasant emphasizes a “park once” approach in the Hamlets, where centralized parking areas located behind the main commercial streets are developed. Parking should not create large gaps or disruptions in the streetscape, and should be located in the rear of properties – out of site, yet still be accessible. A major element in solving the parking problem involves creating realistic and convenient alternatives to frequent individual passenger vehicle trips.
The parking ratios for all uses located throughout Town should be reassessed to ensure the most current and accurate standards are being applied.
Public Transit - Mount Pleasant is serviced by two primary modes of public transit; the Metro North Railroad, and the Westchester County Bee-Line bus service.
A primary obstacle to improving the effectiveness of these transit modes is what is known as the “First and Last Mile Problem.” The “last mile” is a term used in supply chain management, describing the movement of goods from a transportation hub to the final destination. In commuting terms, it alludes to the problem which public transit users often face; the symbolic distance between a commuter’s transit stop and his or her home.
The generally accepted “comfortable” walking distance in the United States is defined as ¼ mile or 5 minutes. Given the existing geography and characteristics around the Hawthorne train station, that distance does not encompass many households. In Valhalla, the steep rise of Columbus Avenue makes the northbound
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Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.E. – Mobility & Connectivity
walk strenuous. As a result, alternatives to bridging the FMLM problem are necessary.
C.) Mitigation Measures Several specific mitigation measures are called for in Envision Mount Pleasant to ensure that implementing the goals of the Plan do not result in adverse impacts. The primary mobility and connectivity mitigation measures include:
! Adopt of a “Complete Streets” policy whereby the Town’s roadways safely accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. ! Development of a long-term traffic calming plan. ! Implement the specific traffic improvements identified in Policy 8-1; including measures such as signal timing modifications, grading and realignment improvements, and the installation of roundabouts. ! Prioritizing non-motorized connectivity improvements at destinations such as schools, parks and the Hamlets. ! Install bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and where feasible, require private developers to implements these improvements as part of SEQR reviews. ! Implement a bike share program. ! Implement a wayfinding plan to direct residents and visitors to activity hubs. ! Develop appropriately sited additional public parking – particularly adjacent to the Broadway Field in the Hawthorne Hamlet or parking decks on MTA lots. ! Update the parking regulations in the zoning ordinance. ! Incentivize the use of public transit. ! Facilitate Transportation Management Plans for the Town’s larger institutional uses.
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Chapter III.F.
The Hamlets
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.F. – The Hamlets
III.F. – THE HAMLETS
The Town of Mount Pleasant encompasses a number of distinct communities; however, a primary focus of Envision Mount Pleasant is on the three Hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood.
These Hamlets are the Town’s three central business districts, and provide the centralized perceptual and economic hubs for these portions of the Town. Each Hamlet faces unique challenges, but all three suffer from an existing zoning and land use regulatory framework that prevents concentrated, smart growth development in their cores. This has resulted in a lack of investment that has become increasingly problematic as the traditional brick and mortar retail environment gradually deteriorated.
A.) Existing Conditions:
Valhalla The Hamlet of Valhalla is located in the southeast section of the Town, and is the smallest of the three main Hamlets. Compact and walkable covering approximately 22 acres, it contains 48 principal buildings on 50 lots. The existing land use in the Hamlet is quite diverse, and the C-NR zoning district predominates. (Figures III.F.-1 & III.F.-2).
The Hamlet is enlivened by the adjacent Kensico Dam Plaza, which is operated as a public park by Westchester County, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Valhalla Metro North train station represents the core of the Hamlet, which is supported by a retail spine along the east side of Broadway. In addition to the train station, the Hamlet enjoys excellent access from Broadway, Legion Drive, and north and southbound access from the Taconic State Parkway at Cleveland Street, as well as a second northbound access at the north end of the Hamlet.
III.F. - 1
Valhalla Hamlet Boundary
LEGEND
Hamlet Boundary
Figure III.F.-1
Scale 0 100’ 200’
Valhalla PRDT-8 Hamlet C-NR Existing Zoning & Land Use
R-40
Figure III.F.-2
Scale 0 100’ 200’ Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.F. – The Hamlets
Hawthorne Located in the central portion of the Town, The Hawthorne Hamlet covers approximately 45 acres and includes 99 individual tax parcels. The primary zoning is C-NR; however, a light industrial enclave zoned C-GC is located next to Broadway Field (Figures III.F.-3 & III.F.-4).
Various physical features disrupt the coherence of the Hawthorne Hamlet. In the southwest, the Taconic Parkway separates the triangle of commercial activity bounded by Broadway and Bradhurst Avenue. This area supports office, light industrial and auto related uses including a car wash and two gas stations.
The majority of the Hamlet lies along Elwood Avenue (NYS Route 141) and is centered on the Hawthorne Metro North Train Station. The railroad also separates a series of light industrial uses, the 50 Broadway office building, The Broadway Fields athletic complex, and Metro North commuter parking from the balance of the Hamlet on the east side of the tracks. Commercial activity extends to the north where Elwood Avenue merges with Commerce Street.
Thornwood Thornwood is the Town’s northern-most and largest Hamlet, covering approximately 68 acres and including 138 tax parcels. The core of the hamlet is the “Four-Corners” where Franklin Avenue, Broadway, Marble Avenue and Kensico Road intersect. The Hamlet hosts the Town Center at Thornwood shopping center and various retail, restaurant and services uses. Thornwood’s zoning is quite diverse and includes the C-NR zone as well as the C-GC zone, and the M-1 and M-2 industrial zones (Figures III.F.-5 & III.F.-6).
Commercial and light industrial uses, as well as American Legion Field are present to the northwest of the Four-Corners. To the south, Franklin Avenue/Commerce Street supports various commercial uses, with some interspersed residential uses, before merging with the Hawthorne Hamlet at Liberty Street.
III.F. - 2
Hawthorne Hamlet Boundary
LEGEND
Hamlet Boundary
Core Density Area
Figure III.F.-3
Scale Scale 0 150’ 300’ ’’
C-NR Hawthorne Hamlet Existing
R-40 Zoning & Land Use
GC
C-NR
C-NR
R-10 Figure III.F.-4
Scale Scale 0 150’ 300’ ’’
Thornwood Hamlet Boundary
LEGEND
Hamlet Boundary
Figure III.F.-5
Scale Scale 0 300’ 600’ ’’
M-2 C-NR M-1
Thornwood C-GC Hamlet PRDT-6
C-NR Existing Zoning & Land Use
C-NR
Figure III.F.-6
Scale Scale 0 300’ 600’ ’’ Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.F. – The Hamlets
B.) Potential Impacts
Envision Mount Pleasant calls for revitalizing the Hamlets around several key planning principles:
! The Hamlets are poorly defined. Create a unique “sense of place” for each through design, branding, signage and advertising.
! The Hamlets are losing their traditional commercial influence though ever- expanding on-line shopping opportunities. Restore the commercial impact of these areas by reimagining the Hamlets as unique and desirable destinations that offer a broad array of uses, activities and experiences.
! The most successful way to activate and enliven the Hamlets is to populate these areas with eager consumers and new resident stakeholders, creating vitality both during the day and into the evenings, year-round.
! A perfect confluence exists to meet the housing demands of the Town’s primary demographic groups – older residents who are downsizing, and younger people looking to enter non-traditional housing markets. Channeling new appropriately scaled, mixed-use development into the Hamlets where new investment is sorely needed, will create new customers for local businesses. This development would occur in areas proximate to train stations and public transit, thereby reducing traffic impacts and where adequate infrastructure already exists to accommodate additional development. Focusing growth in the Hamlets will in turn relieve development pressures in the more environmentally fragile, less developed portions of Town.
! Prudent, well planned transit-oriented “smart growth” reduces auto dependency and the demand for parking; however, the provision of adequate parking is essential to the success of the hamlets.
III.F. - 3
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.F. – The Hamlets
Implementing these policies will result in impacts related to the associated increased density in the Hamlets. In virtually all instances this new development replaces prior uses on previously developed properties. As a result, few if any site development impacts will result. Impacts of increased development on existing infrastructure, traffic, parking and municipal services will be incremental, and in certain instances, may result in decreases below existing conditions.
Given the pattern of property ownership in all of the Hamlets, large-scale redevelopment would not be possible, without parcel assemblies. Thus, redevelopment will be strategic, and as controlled through the proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code, appropriately designed and configured.
Importantly, the type of development permitted under the proposed Hamlet Form- Based Code emphasizes the provision of public places and amenities that inherently limit and inhibit excessive development.
In Valhalla, the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus Church occupies over 1/3 of the land area of the Hamlet, and is currently underutilized. Repurposing the northern portion is ideally suited to support senior housing and the Hamlet’s transit-oriented redevelopment goals. Because the Hamlet commercial district quickly transitions to residential uses, townhouse development can serve as an appropriate intermediate density residential use.
Hawthorne is key to the Town’s overall smart-growth strategy. Hawthorne has the transportation and infrastructural capacity to accommodate additional growth and development. Concentrating this new growth in the Hamlet will relieve development pressure in the outlying areas of the Town and focus it where it is most suitable, in close proximity to the train station. Undeveloped and underutilized property, particularly several vacant parcels on the east side of Elwood Avenue, and the underutilized light industrial area on the west side of the tracks along Broadway, where a “Core Intensity Area” is proposed, represent appropriate opportunities for new transit-oriented development.
III.F. - 4
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.F. – The Hamlets
Thornwood offers a number of redevelopment opportunities. The potential to install a roundabout at the Four-Corners not only serves to improve traffic flow and movement, but also creates a unique design feature that will help establish a distinctive “sense of place” for the hamlet.
C.) Mitigation Measures Continuing to rely on traditional zoning tools to regulate the Hamlets will prove ineffective in the years to come. This is because traditional zoning is based on use, and the future of many uses is uncertain. Creating the buildings and physical spaces that are most highly desired can be achieved in an alternative way. Form-based zoning is a type of zoning that emphasizes physical form and building appearance rather than the separation of uses, and is a tool uniquely suited to assist in revitalizing Mount Pleasant’s Hamlet commercial districts.
The following policies can be embedded into the proposed Hamlet Form-Based code to provide an efficient, effective and equitable regulatory and procedural code for the use of land in the hamlets:
! The Hamlets should include a framework of transit, pedestrian and bicycle systems that provide alternatives to the use of private automobiles.
! Development should be compact, pedestrian oriented and contain a mix of uses.
! The development of isolated, single-use buildings and sites should be avoided.
! The ordinary activities of daily living should be provided within walking distance of residential uses, allowing for independence from the automobile.
! The layout and configuration of development should be designed to disperse traffic and reduce the length of automobile trips.
! Within the Hamlet, a range of housing types and price levels should be provided to accommodate diverse ages and incomes.
III.F. - 5
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.F. – The Hamlets
! Civic, institutional and commercial activity should be embedded throughout the Hamlet, and not isolated into remote single-use complexes.
! A range of open space, including parks, squares, plazas, and playgrounds, should be distributed throughout the Hamlet.
! Buildings, landscaping and other amenities should contribute to the physical definition of thoroughfares as public places.
! Development should adequately accommodate automobiles while respecting pedestrians and the spatial form of public areas.
! The design of buildings and sites should reinforce safe environments, but not at the expense of accessibility.
! Architecture and landscape design should reflect the history and traditions, topography, climate and building practices of the Town of Mount Pleasant generally, and the Hamlets specifically.
! Public gathering places should be provided as locations that reinforce community identity and support self-regulation.
! The preservation and renewal of historic buildings, or the incorporation of historical architectural elements characteristic of the Town of Mount Pleasant generally, and the Hamlet specifically, and should be facilitated, to affirm the continuity and evolution of society.
Additional mitigation measures include:
" Target underutilized sites for infill development. " Ensure that all new development employs “smart growth” principles " Design the public realm to be multi-functional and capable of accommodating community-based events, celebrations and markets.
III.F. - 6
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.F. – The Hamlets
" Provide for adequate and conveniently located public parking, specifically, acquire the NYSDOT property behind Broadway Field for the purpose of constructing a public parking structure. " Refine the list of permitted uses in the hamlets to more accurately reflect current and anticipated market conditions " Create gateways into each hamlet. Gateways might include thematic signage, landscaping, monuments, decorative lighting, kiosks., public art, etc. " Redeveloping existing properties offers the opportunity to consolidate building footprints and create pedestrian plazas and associated streetscape improvements. " Establish a Core Intensity Area in Hawthorne, which allows for a density bonus in exchange for the provision of public amenities. " Install a roundabout at the intersection of Commerce Street and Elwood Avenue. " Reconfigure the train station pick-up and drop off area along Elwood Avenue. " Replace the existing intersection at the Four- Corners with a roundabout.
III.F. - 7
Chapter III.G.
Sustainability & Resiliency
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.G. – Sustainability & Resiliency
III.G. – SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY
The future prosperity and quality of life of the Town can only be maintained in a durable manner if resources are sustainably managed for the long-term. That sustainability can only be assured if the community faces the challenges on the horizon in a resilient way.
A.) Existing Conditions:
The Town has demonstrated leadership in pursuing sustainability initiatives including measures such as purchasing electric vehicles for the municipal fleet, and installing EV charging stations at Town Hall, to conducting building surveys to explore the installation of solar facilities on municipal buildings, to installing energy saving lights and devices in Town buildings and facilities.
Additionally, absent current zoning requirements, the Planning Board routinely requires green building measures and certification for approved projects.
B.) Potential Impacts
Envision Mount Pleasant has identified a number of challenging issues that must be addressed to thrive sustainably and resiliently; including:
! Recognizing that most of our energy comes from non-renewable sources, how can the Town better manage that use, or transition to renewable sources?
! Westchester County’s air quality can be characterized as generally poor, particularly regarding ozone. Maintaining the areas high quality of life is dependent on improving air quality. No major air polluting facilities, such as power generating plants, are located in Town, however, a number of pollution generators are present. The primary source of air pollution comes from vehicles; cars, trucks, buses and trains.
! Mount Pleasant’s relationship with water is complex. The Town hosts New York City’s most vital water supply infrastructure, which is also the source of
III.G. - 1
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.G. – Sustainability & Resiliency
the Town’s water supply. The regions water supply is a shared asset, requiring collaborative management.
! Buildings account for 40% of total energy use, 68% of electricity consumption, 30% of landfill waste, 38% of carbon dioxide emissions and 12% of water consumption. On average, about 90% of our time is spent indoors where pollutant levels are often higher than those outside. Developing efficient, green and healthy buildings is a fundamental component of a long-term sustainability strategy.
! Most everyone in Mount Pleasant is unavoidably dependent on private automobiles. Expanding mobility choices and reducing dependence on private automobiles is a long-term sustainability imperative.
! The amount of solid waste generated is growing, is toxic, and our systems to dispose of waste, including landfilling and burning, produce their own degrading environmental impacts. In 2018, the Town recycled 49% of its solid waste, slightly below the County average of 53% recycling and well below the Town of North Castle, which leads all County municipalities with an 80% recycling rate.
! Our current food production systems are incredibly wasteful, inherently unsustainable and are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication of waterbodies, soil degradation and social injustice. While food production is not a major industry in Mount Pleasant, food consumption habits in local restaurants and in the home can have a dramatic impact on our food systems.
! Public health is essential for the well-being of the residents of Mount Pleasant and for the overall social and economic development of the Town. Health is a human right; a vital resource and a key factor of sustainability. The devastating effects of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic have sharply focused the need for local governments to include public health as part of routine municipal operations.
III.G. - 2
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.G. – Sustainability & Resiliency
! Regardless of the level of preparedness, disasters happen. Natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism are all crises the people of the Town of Mount Pleasant have recently endured, and Town government is often the first line of defense, and the place most people immediately turn to. Ensuring that the Town is well prepared to react to likely and unanticipated crises has unfortunately become a necessity.
C.) Mitigation Measures All of the sustainability and resiliency challenges identified in Envision Mount Pleasant exist today. No new impacts will result from its adoption. However, numerous measures can be employed to improve these existing conditions; including:
! Support the County Climate Action Plan.
! Become a Climate Smart Community.
! Utilize Energize NY Benefit Financing Program.
! Adopt a green building code, and a Green Mount Pleasant certification program.
! Adopt NYSERDA Model Solar Energy Law
! Reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT’s) by 20% by 2030.
! Implement a water loss management program.
! Develop Complete Streets standards.
! Reduce waste disposal to 0.6lbs/person by 2030.
! Create a Food Policy Council.
III.G. - 3
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS III.G. – Sustainability & Resiliency
! Conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment.
III.G. - 4
Chapter IV
Alternatives
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS IV. Alternatives
IV. – ALTERNATIVES
This section of the DGEIS address the two alternatives to the Proposed Action identified in the adopted Scoping Document.
A.) No Action The “No Action” alternative is required to be addressed pursuant to the adopted Scoping Document and the SEQRA regulations. In this case, the No Action alternative would leave the 1970 Master Plan in place as the only officially adopted Comprehensive Plan for the Town. None of the 115 goals or 458 implementation strategies would be advanced, and no clearly defined vision for the future of the community would be established. Accommodating smart growth in the Hamlets would be prevented by the existing zoning controls, and the development in the outlying environmentally sensitive portions of the Town would continue unabated, without the benefit of updated environmental protections. The Town’s connectivity challenges would not be resolved, and the rapidly evolving economic, market, demographic and social trends would be addressed haphazardly.
B.) Conventional Hamlet Zoning
This alternative calls for utilizing conventional zoning to facilitate the revitalization of the Hamlets, instead of the form-based zoning that is part of the Proposed Action.
As documented throughout Envision Mount Pleasant, the Hamlets have been undergoing a prolonged period of gradual decline. One of the primary contributing factors to this decline is the evolution of the uses traditionally found in these areas. Traditional “Euclidian” zoning is first and foremost based on regulating uses, with associated standard dimensional regulations governing the type of development allowed.
While traditional “Euclidian” zoning regulates specifically defined uses exceedingly well, it fails to accommodate new or evolving uses. Under the Town’s existing prescriptive zoning code, if a use is not specifically identified and classified as a
IV. - 1
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS IV. Alternatives
permitted use, then the use is prohibited. Seeking approval of such a prohibited use would require the issuance of a “use variance” from the Zoning Board of Appeals, which is a very difficult task to accomplish. This system penalizes property owners who are attracting tenants that reflect current market trends, ultimately stifling investment and innovation.
Traditional zoning also offers very little guidance for the type of buildings constructed, or their architectural design and quality. For example, the only dimensional regulations governing development in the C-NR district are the front yard setback (15’), the rear yard setback (30’), and building height limitations (2 ½ stories/35’). Within these very limited regulations, anything can be built.
The majority of the property in all three hamlets is zoned C-NR (Neighborhood Retail), with smaller areas of C-GC (General Commercial), M-1 (Planned Light Industry), M-2 (Light Industry) and R-40 (One-Family Residential). Traditional zoning does not offer any type of regulatory framework for development quality. Characteristics that are embedded in the proposed Hamlet Form-based Code, such as building type regulations, standards for site configuration, outdoor amenity space requirements, building setback and build-to standards, building and ç impervious surface coverages, floor heights, fa ade off-sets, amount of windows and transparency, the location of doors and functional entries, and importantly an array of design guidelines, are not present in traditional zoning.
Because of a general lack of investment into the building stock within the Hamlets, redevelopment will likely result the demolition of older buildings that would be replaced by new ones. Absent intentionally developed guidance, such as that embedded in the proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code, there would be no guarantee that new development would meet the high quality, smart growth goals of the Town.
Modifying the existing zoning to achieve the goals set forth in Envision Mount Pleasant would require reconciling the list of permitted uses among the various zoning districts in each Hamlet, and significantly modifying the lists of permissible uses. Additionally, zoning dimensional requirements would need to be established.
IV. - 2
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS IV. Alternatives
The off-street parking and usable open space sections of the code would also need major revisions. Fully meeting the goals would also require the adoption of provisions in addition to these zoning revisions, such as new design guidelines.
It is clear that traditional zoning would not be flexible enough, or provide adequate guidance and direction to ensure that the Hamlets are revitalized in a manner consistent with the goals of Envision Mount Pleasant.
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Chapter V
Significant Impacts that Cannot be Avoided
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS V. Significant Adverse Impacts That Cannot Be Avoided
V. – SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACTS THAT CANNOT BE AVOIDED
The adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant will not result in unmitigated adverse environmental impacts. The plan itself is a guidance document that incorporates an array of goals and implementation strategies designed specifically to protect and preserve the character of the Town.
A primary goal of Envision Mount Pleasant involves channeling appropriately scaled growth into the Town’s three Hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood. The planning principle of ‘smart growth” underpins this goal. The Hamlets possess the capacity to accommodate additional growth, which will in turn lessen the development pressures on the less developed, more environmentally sensitive portions of the Town. Redevelopment in the Hamlets will occur on previously developed lands, which are in many instances, underutilized. This diminishes prospective adverse impacts, when compared to development on vacant, undeveloped property.
Development activities and physical improvements that occur once Envision Mount Pleasant is adopted would be required to undergo individual project reviews and SEQR analyses to determine if any adverse impacts would result.
V. - 1
Chapter VI
Growth Inducement
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS VI. Growth Inducement
VI. GROWTH INDUCEMENT
The adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant incorporates numerous provisions to ensure that any new development that occurs throughout the Town, does so in accordance with the goals of the Plan. Generally, the enhanced environmental regulations and controls recommended in the Plan would curb inappropriate development.
The proposed Hamlet Form-Based Code will allow for additional, appropriately scaled redevelopment within the three Hamlets. While this will likely result in growth, several aspects of this targeted growth should be acknowledged.
! Channeling growth into the Hamlets will lessen development pressures on the less developed, more environmentally sensitive portions of the Town.
! The Hamlets are generally fully developed, and redevelopment would occur on previously developed lands. The environmental impact of development on previously developed property would be far less than development on vacant, unimproved land.
! All three hamlets are fully served by infrastructural systems that are capable of accommodating the proportional increases in demand.
! The Valhalla, Hawthorne and to a lesser degree Thornwood, are transit oriented, and are supported by readily accessible transit services. This proximity to transit reduces the demand for personal vehicle use, resulting in improved traffic operating conditions.
Envision Mount Pleasant acknowledges that development may also occur as the Town’s existing office parks are repurposed in response to the decline in the regional office market. Likewise, larger institutional uses which are no longer economically viable may be sold and ultimately developed. In both these instances, new development would replace existing development, so net new “growth” would represent proportional
VI. - 1
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS VI. Growth Inducement
increases. Proposed zoning would allow for this redevelopment to occur in a far more appropriate manner, that currently permissible under existing zoning.
The North 60 offers perhaps the most potential to induce new growth. Importantly, the North 60 development was proposed and submitted to the Town prior to the preparation of Envision Mount Pleasant, so it is not a specific recommendation of the Plan, but rather it has been incorporated as a potential future development. The North 60 is currently undergoing a full SEQR environmental review. In order for the Town to approve that project, all adverse environmental impacts must be satisfactorily addressed and properly mitigated. While the North 60 development, as currently designed, will be relatively self-contained, it can be fairly assumed that it may result growth elsewhere in Town.
VI. - 2
Chapter VII
Effects on the Use and Conservation of Energy
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS VII. Effects on the Use and Conservation of Energy
VII. EFFECTS ON THE USE AND CONSERVATION OF ENERGY
Envision Mount Pleasant is a policy document that incorporates an array of goals and implementation strategies. Many of these are specifically designed to conserve energy.
While specific projects that are advanced once Envision Mount Pleasant is adopted will be required to individually address energy conservation, energy conservation measures are embedded throughout the Plan. More specifically, Chapter 10 of Envision Mount Pleasant “Sustainability and Resiliency” includes 9 goals and 72 implementation strategies addressing sustainability and resiliency and in turn, energy conservation.
VII. - 1
Chapter VIII
Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources
Envision Mount Pleasant – DGEIS VIII. Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources
VIII. IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES
Envision Mount Pleasant is a policy document. Its adoption will not result in any irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources
VIII. - 1
Chapter IX
Appendix
Appendix A
Scoping Document
Town of Mount Pleasant
DRAFT SCOPING DOCUMENT
For the Preparation of a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement
For The Town of Mount Pleasant Comprehensive Plan “Envision Mount Pleasant” and Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code
Town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester County
March 9, 2021
Classification of Action: Type I
Lead Agency: Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board
Written Comments May Be Submitted to:
Susan Marmol, Town Clerk Town of Mount Pleasant One Town Hall Plaza Valhalla, NY 10595
Written Comments Must be Submitted By:
April 9, 2021
Introduction:
The Town Board of the Town of Mount Pleasant (the “Town”) is preparing a comprehensive plan, Envision Mount Pleasant, in conformance with New York State Town Law § 272a.
In accordance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), and its implementing regulations (6 NYCRR Part 617), the Town Board of the Town of Mount Pleasant, acting as Lead Agency in the adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant (the “Plan”), has determined that the proposed action is a Type I action and that a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) shall be prepared to evaluate areas of potential impacts resulting from the goals and implementation strategies included in the Plan.
A Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) is a broader, more general EIS that analyzes the impacts of a concept or overall plan rather than those of a specific project plan. The GEIS is useful when the details of a specific impact cannot be accurately identified, as no site-specific project has been proposed, but a broad set of further, future projects is likely to result from the agency’s action. 6 NYCRR 617.10 provides the following guidance for preparation of Generic Environmental Impact Statements:
Generic EISs may be broader, and more general than site or project specific EISs and should discuss the logic and rationale for the choices advanced. They may also include an assessment of specific impacts if such details are available. They may be based on conceptual information in some cases. They may identify the important elements of the natural resource base as well as the existing and projected cultural features, patterns and character. They may discuss in general terms the constraints and consequences of any narrowing of future options. They may present and analyze in general terms a few hypothetical scenarios that could and are likely to occur.
The information prepared in conformance with this Scoping Document for the DGEIS is intended to provide the analysis in the decision-making process for use by the Lead Agency and any Involved/Interested Agencies in preparing their Findings Statements and issuing decisions.
Description of the Proposed Action:
The proposed action is the adoption of a new Town of Mount Pleasant comprehensive plan, Envision Mount Pleasant, and the associated Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code. The Town’s current comprehensive plan was adopted in 1970, and over the course of the intervening decades, the Town has grown, adapted and evolved into today’s physically diverse, multi-faceted community. Because the 1970 Comprehensive Master Plan was never updated, the changing face of the Town often evolved haphazardly, without distinct guidance or a clear vision for the future.
Envision Mount Pleasant has been designed to take stock of where the Town is today and how it got there, assess its strengths and weaknesses, and establish a durable vision for the future that reflects the goals, aspirations and values of the people of Mount Pleasant.
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Potentially Significant Impacts of the Proposed Action:
It is anticipated that Envision Mount Pleasant will be beneficial to the environmental because it embodies smart growth and sustainable development principles, however, it does have the potential to impact various elements of the environment, thus warranting further evaluation in the GEIS; including:
§ Natural Environment § Economic Environment § Social Environment § Built Environment § Mobility & Connectivity § The Hamlets
The potential adverse impacts associated with each of these topics shall be addressed in the DGEIS.
Required Approvals:
The approval and adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Code is the sole responsibility of Town of Mount Pleasant Town Board.
Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement:
The Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) will discuss relevant and material information and evaluate the reasonable alternatives to the Proposed Action identified in this Scoping Document. It will be clearly and concisely written in plain language that can be easily read and understood by the public. Technical material will be summarized and, if it must be included in its entirety, will be referenced in the DGEIS and included as an appendix. All relevant correspondence from the Lead Agency and interested agencies will be included in an appendix to the DGEIS.
The DGEIS will be written in the third person without use of the terms I, we, and our. As appropriate, narrative discussions will be accompanied by illustrative tables and graphics. Graphics will clearly identify the study area. Each potential impact category will be the subject of a separate section describing existing conditions, anticipated impacts, and proposed mitigation.
The full DGEIS will be made available to the Lead Agency in both hard copy and electronic formats. The electronic format will be in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file. When the DGEIS is accepted for public review by the Lead Agency, sufficient hard copies will be provided to allow placement of a copy at the public library and Mount Pleasant Town Hall for public review during normal business hours. In addition, the full DGEIS will be posted on the Town’s website public review, as required by law.
Contents of the DGEIS:
Cover Sheet listing title of project, location, identification as a DGEIS, Lead Agency (with a contact name and a phone number), preparer, and relevant dates (i.e., date of submission, and spaces for dates of DGEIS acceptance, public hearing, final date for comments). A list of preparers
3 will include the firm name, contact name, address, and phone number for all consultants who contributed to the document.
Table of Contents including list of primary DGEIS sections and subsections, tables, exhibits, drawings, appendices, with page numbers listed for each.
I. Executive Summary The Executive Summary will include a brief summary description of the Proposed Action and a listing of all potential significant adverse environmental impacts and proposed mitigation measures. A summary will provide a list of the approvals and permits required, and of the alternatives to the Proposed Action that are evaluated in the DGEIS. The Executive Summary will only include information that is found elsewhere in the main body of the DGEIS.
II. Description of Proposed Action
A. Location of the Proposed Action The Proposed Action encompasses the entire Town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, New York. The Town of Mount Pleasant is located in the central portion of Westchester County, 27 miles north of Manhattan, and is bordered by the Town of North Castle to the east, Town of New Castle to the north, Town of Greenburgh to the south and the Hudson River to the west, and includes within its border the Villages of Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow and a portion of Briarcliff Manor. The Town covers 24.1 square miles and the primary centers of community activity revolve around the hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood.
B. Summary of the Proposed Action A summary of Envision Mount Pleasant shall be provided addressing the primary goals of the Plan, as well as a summary description of the Hamlet Form-Based Code.
C. Purpose, Public Need and Benefits of the Proposed Action The primary goal of the Proposed Action is to adopt a current comprehensive plan and associated hamlet zoning to direct the form of Mount Pleasant’s future development. The Proposed Action also sets forth an array of goals and implementation strategies designed to guide decision making for the next decade. Envision Mount Pleasant strives to address contemporary issues and concerns in the environmental, social and economic climate of the Town and broader region in relation to the Town’s attributes and aspirations for its future quality of life.
D. Involved and Interested Agencies Provide a listing of all Involved and Interested Agencies.
III. Existing Conditions, Anticipated Impacts and Mitigation
A. Natural Environment This section will generically document the existing natural environment conditions and describe how the goals and implementation strategies of the Plan may impact the Town’s
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natural environment. The analysis will address open space, water, flooding, wetlands, geology, soils, topography, habitat/ecosystems, air, noise and light pollution,
B. Economic Environment This section of the DGEIS will generically assess the potential impact of the economic goals and implementation strategies of the Plan and will address economic trends, employment and the residential retail, office, health care and life science markets.
C. Social Environment This section will generically analyze the impact of Envision Mount Pleasant’s goals and implementation strategies on the Town’s historic resources, demographics, educational institutions and municipal services.
D. The Built Environment This section of the DGEIS will generically evaluate the Town’s pattern of land use, zoning, housing stock, infrastructure, parkland and recreation resources, institutions, and the Columbus and 9A corridors, to assess impacts that may result from implementing Envision Mount Pleasant’s goals and strategies.
E. Mobility & Connectivity The section generically evaluates the Town’s mobility issues including the streets and highways, circulation issues in the hamlets, connectivity, pedestrian and bicycle circulation, wayfinding, parking and public transit and assesses impacts that may result from implementing Envision Mount Pleasant’s goals and strategies.
F. The Hamlets This section of the GEIS will generically evaluate the goal established in Envision Mount Pleasant of revitalizing the hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood by carefully channeling new growth into the hamlets where adequate infrastructure exists, thereby relieving pressure on the less developed and more environmentally sensitive areas of the Town. New form-based zoning is proposed to accomplish this goal.
G. Sustainability & Resiliency This section addresses an array of sustainability and resiliency measures designed to ensure that the Town prospers equitably for years to come. Potential impacts of these goals will be addressed.
IV. Alternatives
A. No Action This alternative assumes that none of the goals or implementation strategies identified in Envision Mount Pleasant are adopted.
B. Conventional Hamlet Zoning This alternative generically evaluates the use of conventional zoning to achieve the goals established for the hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood, instead of the form- based zoning.
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V. Significant Adverse Impacts that Cannot Be Avoided This section of the DGEIS will generically document those impacts, if any, resulting from the adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Code that are determined to be significant, and that cannot be avoided.
VI. Growth Inducement Generically describe the potential for additional growth to occur as a result of the adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Code.
VII. Effects on the Use and Conservation of Energy Address any issues resulting from the adoption of Envision Mount Pleasant and the Hamlet Form-Based Code related to energy use and conservation.
VIII. Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources This section identities any natural resources that would be irreversibly consumed or made unavailable for future use as a result of the Proposed Action.
IX. Appendices
A. SEQR Documentation B. Hamlet Form Based Code C. Correspondence
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Appendix B
Hamlet Form-Based Code
Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form Based Zoning Code
Table of Contents
Section 1 – General Provisions …………………………………………………… Page 3
Section 2 – Regulating Plan ……………………………………………………….. Page 7
Section 3 – Allowable Building Types …………………………………………… Page 11
Section 4 – Permitted Building Types by District ……………………………... Page 14
Section 5 – Rules Applicable to all Buildings ……………………………………. Page 15
Section 6 – Building Type Regulations …………………………………………. Page 21
Section 7 – Permitted Uses………………………………………………… Page 35
Section 8 – Hamlet Core Density Bonus …………………………………………. Page 37
Section 9 - Parking Regulations ………………………………………………….. Page 40
Section 10 – Signs ………………………………………………………………….. Page 47
Section 11 – Design Guidelines ……………………………………………………. Page 64
Section 12 – Administration ………………………………………………………… Page 78
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1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
A. Overview: The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code has been established to implement the vision for the Town’s three Hamlet areas; Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood, as set forth in Envision Mount Pleasant, the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. This zoning is designed to accommodate appropriately scaled mixed-use development in areas proximate to train stations and public transit and where adequate infrastructure exists thereby relieving development pressures in the more environmentally sensitive, less developed portions of Town. Placemaking, and the design, character and physical appearance of each Hamlet are fundamental to the successful transformation of the Hamlets from merely places where goods and services were sold, to unique and exciting areas that are the center of community life. Form-based zoning is a tool uniquely suited to achieving this goal.
B. Applicability: The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code applies to properties located within the designated Hamlet boundaries delineated in Envision Mount Pleasant, the regulating Plan presented in Section 2 below, and as correspondingly reflected on the Official Zoning Map.
C. Purpose & Intent: The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code represents a change in the way the built environment is regulated. Form-based codes foster predictable and desirable development characteristics and a high-quality public realm. Unlike conventional zoning and land use regulations, form-based codes use the desired appearance and character of a place as the organizing principle and framework, rather than relying on the traditional focus of use. Specifically, the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code provides for:
i. Development that is maximally transit supportive and in close proximity to the train stations in Valhalla and Hawthorne and other modes of public transit.
ii. The reduction of auto dependency and roadway congestion by locating multiple destinations and trip ends near transit and within walking distance of one another.
iii. Appropriately scaled, higher density residential development in the Hamlets where adequate infrastructure already exists.
iv. The creation of a pedestrian-friendly environment.
v. A reduction in total vehicle miles traveled and regional greenhouse gas emissions.
vi. The provision of an alternative to traditional development that emphasizes the integration of multiple, complimentary mixed-uses.
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1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
vii. The facilitation of “placemaking” to stabilize and revitalize the Hamlet’s urban fabric.
viii. The facilitation of new development and redevelopment that will create jobs and economic opportunities.
ix. The concentration of investment into targeted areas that are well-suited to accommodate growth.
x. Emphasize, support and facilitate high quality building design, streetscape and public realm improvements.
D. Organization: The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code addresses the relationships between buildings and the public realm and the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another. The guidelines and standards in this form-based code are presented in the narrative language of the code, but also graphically, to describe the character of anticipated development. This is in contrast to conventional zoning’s focus on the management and segregation of land uses.
Section 2 presents the Regulating Plans for each Hamlet. While common form-based zoning elements are shared among all three Hamlets, the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code designates three separate regulating plans for the Town’s three Hamlets, designated as:
§ VH -–Valhalla Hamlet § HH – Hawthorne Hamlet § TH – Thornwood Hamlet
Section 3 identifies the allowable building types permitted in the VH, HH and TH districts. Section 4 indicates where the building types are and are not permitted. Section 5 identifies the regulations for all buildings. Section 6 addresses the dimensional regulations and standards for building design, configuration and placement. Section 7 presents the table of permitted uses. Section 8 describes the density bonus available in the Hawthorne Hamlet. Section 9 identifies the parking requirements. Section 10 lays out the regulations governing signs. Section 11 addresses design guidelines. Finally, Section 12 sets forth the administrative procedures which all projects in the VH, HH and TH districts must comply.
E. Relationship to Comprehensive Plan A cornerstone of the Mount Pleasant Comprehensive Plan – Envision Mount Pleasant, involves channeling appropriately scaled, mixed-use development into the Town’s three
4
1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Hamlets, thereby preserving the lower density, existing residential areas of Town. Additionally, the plan emphasizes placemaking in the Hamlets, creating well-designed, interesting and exciting activity hubs, that are not necessarily linked to specific uses.
The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code is a zoning technique, particularly well-suited to achieving this goal, and implementing Envision Mount Pleasant.
F. Planning Principles The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code establishes an efficient, effective and equitable regulatory and procedural code for the use of land in the Hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood, subject to the following policies:
i. The Hamlets should include a framework of transit, pedestrian and bicycle systems that provide alternatives to the use of private automobiles.
ii. Development should be compact, pedestrian oriented and contain a mix of uses.
iii. The development of isolated, single-use buildings and sites should be avoided.
iv. The ordinary support activities of daily living should be provided within walking distance of residential uses, allowing for independence from the automobile.
v. The layout and configuration of development should be designed to disperse traffic and reduce the length of automobile trips.
vi. Within the Hamlets, a range of housing types and price levels should be provided to accommodate diverse ages and incomes.
vii. Civic, institutional and commercial activity should be embedded throughout the Hamlets, and not isolated into remote single-use complexes.
viii. A range of open space, including parks, squares, plazas, and playgrounds, should be distributed throughout the Hamlets.
ix. Buildings, landscaping and other amenities should contribute to the physical definition of thoroughfares as public places.
x. Development should adequately accommodate automobiles while respecting pedestrians and the spatial form of public areas.
xi. The design of buildings and sites should reinforce safe environments, but not at the expense of accessibility.
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1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
xii. Architecture and landscape design should reflect the history and traditions, topography, climate and building practices of the Town of Mount Pleasant generally, and the Hamlets specifically.
xiii. Public gathering places should be provided as locations that reinforce community identity and support self-regulation.
xiv. The preservation and renewal of historic buildings, or the incorporation of historical architectural elements characteristic of the Town of Mount Pleasant generally, and the Hamlets specifically, and should be facilitated, to affirm the continuity and evolution of society.
G. Non-Conforming Uses and Buildings The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code replaces the C-NR (Neighborhood Retail) zoning which is the predominate zoning district in all of the Hamlets. While many retail uses are experiencing a decline, and a number of properties in the area are underutilized, viable retail and retail service uses do remain in place, and should be preserved and supported to the extent practicable.
In addition, portions of the C-GC, M1, M2, R-40, PRDT-6 and PRDT-6 zoning districts located within the Hamlet boundaries would also be replaced.
The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code provides for the addition of a broad array of additional uses, including notably, higher density residential uses. Facilitating the coexistence of diverse land uses represents one of the challenges in the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Code.
The regulations governing non-conforming uses set forth in Section 12 remain applicable to uses and buildings in the VH, HH and TH districts. However, all legal pre-existing, non- conforming uses are encouraged to comply with the design guidelines established herein, to assure that the area evolves in a manner that is consistent with the goals and objectives of Envision Mount Pleasant.
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2. REGULATING PLAN
The Regulating Plan
The Regulating Plan establishes 3 distinct zones, each relating to the 3 Hamlets; Valhalla (VH), Hawthorne (HH) and Thornwood (TH). While the zoning controls within the Valhalla and Thornwood Hamlets are uniform, the Hawthorne Hamlet includes a core intensity area where discretionary increased density is allowable.
This approach differs from conventional zoning that typically divides a town into zones that rigidly segregate residential, commercial, industrial and institutional uses, thereby emphasizing a dependence on automobiles to functionally connect uses. The use of zones based on development intensity (instead of land uses) provides a new spatial basis for regulating development that recognizes the interrelationships between uses. The three zones also provide an effective vehicle to implement the Town’s design objectives for the Hamlets while fostering attractive and sympathetic interfaces between zones.
The following Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Districts are established:
VH Valhalla Hamlet District HH Hawthorne Hamlet District TH Thornwood Hamlet District
1. VH - Valhalla Hamlet District The Valhalla Hamlet District (VH) is located in the southeast section of the Town, and is the smallest of the three main Hamlets. Compact and walkable, covering approximately 22 acres, it contains 48 principal buildings on 50 lots. Broadway functions as the main commercial street for the Hamlet, which has excellent accessibility to the Taconic State Parkway. The Valhalla Train Station is the Hamlet’s transit hub.
2. HH - Hawthorne Hamlet District Located in the central portion of the Town, The Hawthorne Hamlet covers approximately 45 acres and includes 99 individual tax parcels. The majority of the Hamlet lies along Elwood Avenue (NYS Route 141) and is centered on the Hawthorne Metro North Train Station.
3. Thornwood Hamlet District Thornwood is the Town’s northern-most and largest Hamlet, covering approximately 68 acres and including 138 tax parcels in a generally linear configuration. The core of the Hamlet is the “Four-Corners” where Franklin Avenue, Broadway, Marble Avenue and Kensico Road intersect. Commerce Street is the main commercial corridor.
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2. REGULATING PLAN
Valhalla Hamlet (VH) Regulating Plan Boundary
VH
VH
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2. REGULATING PLAN
Hawthorne Hamlet (HH) Regulating Plan Boundary
HH
Core Intensity Area
HH HH
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2. REGULATING PLAN
Thornwood Hamlet (TH) Regulating Plan Boundary
TH
TH
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3. ALLOWABLE BUILDING TYPES
This section establishes and defines the building types permitted in the Valhalla, Hawthorne and Thornwood Hamlets to ensure that proposed development is consistent with the goals for building form, physical character, land use and aesthetic quality.
General Commercial Building
General commercial buildings accommodate office or other commercial uses. They can contain a single business or multiple tenants.
Mixed-Use Building
Mixed-use buildings are the typical building type in traditional downtown areas, and consist of first floor retail, retail service or restaurant uses, with residential apartments or offices on the upper floors.
One-Story Commercial Building
A one-story, large format building that accommodates a variety of commercial uses.
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3. ALLOWABLE BUILDING TYPES
Civic Building
A building that incorporates certain monumental architectural elements that accommodates civic, institutional or public uses.
Multi-Family Building
A residential building containing three or more dwelling units, that are vertically and horizontally integrated.
Townhouse
Three or more dwelling units where each unit is separated vertically by a party wall.
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3. ALLOWABLE BUILDING TYPES
Detached Dwelling
Single or two-family dwelling units on an individual lot with yards on all sides.
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4. PERMITTED BUILDING TYPES BY DISTRICT
Building types are allowed by district, as set forth below:
Permitted Building Types by District
Building Type VH HH HHC TH
P P P P
General Commercial Building
P P P P
Mixed-Use Building
P P P P
One-Story Commercial Building
P P P P
Civic Building
P P P P
Multi-Family Building
P P X P
Townhouse
P P X P
Detached Dwelling
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5. RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL BUILDINGS
The following rules apply to all buildings and districts unless expressly stated B. LOT otherwise.
A. SITE
1. Defined
A parcel of land either vacant or
occupied intended as a unit for the 1. Defined purpose, whether immediate or for the A site is any lot or group of contiguous future, of transfer of ownership, or lots owned or controlled by the same possession, or for development. person or entity, assembled for the
purpose of a single development. 2. Lot Area
Lot area is the area included within the 2. Site Area rear, side and front lot lines. Lot area Site area is the cumulative area of all does not include existing or proposed contiguous lots that the site is composed rights-of-way, whether dedicated or not of. Does not include existing or dedicated to public use. proposed rights-of-way, whether
dedicated or not dedicated for public 3. Lot Width use. Lot width is the distance between the
two side lot lines measured at the 3. Site Width primary street property line along a Site width is the cumulative width of all straight line or along the chord of the contiguous lots that the site is composed property line on a curvilinear lot. of.
4. Lot Depth
Lot depth is the distance between the
front and rear property lines measured
along a line midway between the side
property lines.
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5. RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL BUILDINGS
Formal or informal gardens or 5. Lot Frontage landscaped areas, green roofs Every lot must have frontage upon a and green walls are considered mapped street. acceptable passive outdoor amenity areas. C. OUTDOOR AMENITY SPACE 1. Generally d. Outdoor amenity space may be Where required, outdoor amenity located at or above grade. space must be provided on the lot Above-grade examples include a and must be available as unenclosed, rooftop deck or terrace, rooftop improved active or passive patio or fitness station. recreational space for use by the occupants of the development. The e. Outdoor amenity space may be outdoor amenity area must be roofed but cannot be enclosed. designed to meet the standards of Examples include a pavilion, this Section. gazebo or conservatory.
2. Standards f. Outdoor amenity space may a. Outdoor amenity space may be include structures such as kiosks, met in one contiguous open area bicycle racks, benches or other or in multiple open areas on the seating, sculpture, fountains and lot; however, to receive credit the similar amenities. Such areas area must be at least 10 feet in must not include signs nor width and length. billboards unrelated to the amenities, utility areas, mechanical equipment, dumpsters or similar structures.
g. Outdoor amenity space cannot be parked or driven upon, except for emergency access and permitted temporary events.
h. Amenities may be seasonal or variable in nature (i.e. outdoor dining, farmers' market, etc.),
b. Examples of active outdoor provided that they occur for a amenities include a playground, minimum duration of 3 months a athletic court, pool deck, plaza, year, and are designed to recur promenade or dog park. permanently.
c. Passive outdoor amenity areas must include improvements such as walkways, and seating areas.
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5. RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL BUILDINGS
D. BUILDING SETBACKS 1. Generally 2. Corner Lots There are four types of setbacks – On a corner lot, a building façade Primary Street, Side Street, Side must be placed at the Build-To-Line Interior and Rear. Building setbacks for a minimum of the first 30 feet apply to both principal and accessory along the primary street. This buildings or structures except where provision ensures well-defined it explicitly states otherwise. streetscape corners and adjacent intersections. 2. Measurement of Building Setbacks a. Setbacks are measured from the F. SETBACK ENCROACHMENTS property line. All buildings and structures must be located at or behind the required 3. Primary and Side Street Designation setbacks except as listed below. Unless a. Where only one street abuts a lot, specifically stated, no building or that street is considered the structure can extend into a public right- primary street. of-way except where it explicitly states otherwise. b. A lot with multiple street frontages must designate a 1. Building Features primary street. The designation of a. Porches, stoops, balconies, the primary street shall be based galleries and awnings/canopies on: can extend into a required i. The street with the highest setback. roadway classification. ii. The established orientation of b. Chimneys or flues may encroach the block. up to 4 feet, provided that such iii. The street abutting the extension is at least 2 feet from longest face of the block. the vertical plane of any lot line. iv. The street that the lot takes its address from. c. Building eaves, roof overhangs and light shelves may encroach up E. BUILD-TO-LINE to 4 feet, provided that such 1. Defined extension is at least 2 feet from The “Build-To-Line” is the location the vertical plane of any lot line. along the front yard setback where a certain percentage of the front d. Bay windows, oriels and vestibules building façade must be located. that are less than 10 feet wide may This provision ensures a uniform encroach up to 4 feet, provided streetscape without disruptive gaps that such extension is at least 2 or voids. feet from the vertical plane of any lot line.
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5. RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL BUILDINGS
e. Unenclosed fire escapes or HVAC units and security lighting, stairways may encroach up to 4 may encroach into a required rear feet into a required side or rear or side setback, provided that setback, provided that such such extension is at least 3 feet extension is at least 5 feet from from the vertical plane of any lot the vertical plane of any lot line. line.
f. Unenclosed patios, decks or b. Solar panels, wind turbines and terraces may encroach up to 4 feet rainwater collection or harvesting into a required side setback, or up systems less than 10 feet in height to 8 feet into a required rear may encroach into a required rear setback, provided that such or side setback, provided that extension is at least 3 feet from such extension is at least 5 feet the vertical plane of any lot line. from the vertical plane of any lot line. g. Outdoor seating and dining areas, may extend into a primary or side c. Minor structures accessory to street setback. Curb-side pick-up utilities (such as hydrants, facilities may extend into any manholes, and transformers and setback. Both outdoor seating and other cabinet structures) may dining and curb-side pick-up may encroach into a required rear or extend onto the right-of-way side setback. subject to the maintenance of adequate access and circulation, G. PARKING SETBACKS public safety and subject to the 1. On-site surface and structured parking approval of the Building Inspector. must be located behind the parking setback line. This requirement is not h. Cornices, belt courses, sills, intended to restrict on-street parking. buttresses or other similar architectural features may 2. Parking setbacks are measured from encroach up to 2 feet. the property line.
i. Handicap ramps may encroach to H. BUILDING HEIGHT the extent necessary to perform 1. Generally their proper function. a. Building height is regulated in both the number of stories and j. Structures below and covered by vertical feet. Height shall be the ground may encroach into a measured from the average grade required setback. to the mean height level between the eaves and the ridge of a 2. Mechanical Equipment & Utility Lines gable, hip, mansard or gambrel a. Mechanical equipment associated roof or to the heights point of a with residential uses, such as roof surface of a flat roof, not
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5. RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL BUILDINGS
including a maximum 4’ high d. A basement with 50% or more of parapet wall encroachment. its perimeter wall area surrounded by natural grade is not considered a story.
2. Height Encroachments Any height encroachment not specifically listed is expressly prohibited except where the Building Inspector determines that the b. Average grade is determined by encroachment is similar to a permitted calculating the average of the encroachment listed below. highest and lowest elevation along
the natural or improved grade a. The maximum height limits do not (whichever is more restrictive) apply to spires, belfries, cupolas, along the front of the building domes not intended for human parallel to the primary street occupancy, monuments, water setback line. tanks, water towers or other similar structures which, by design or function, must exceed the established height limits.
b. The following accessory structures may exceed the established height limit of the district provided they do not exceed the maximum
height by more than 6 feet: c. An attic is not considered a story i. Chimney flue or vent stack; where 50% or more of the attic ii. Deck, patio, shade stricture; floor area does not exceed a clear iii. Flagpole; height of 7 ½ feet measured from iv. Garden, landscaping; the finished floor to the finished v. Parapet wall (limited to 4 feet in ceiling. height);
vi. Solar panels, wind turbines and
rainwater collection or harvesting systems.
c. The following accessory structures may exceed the established height limits provided they do not exceed the maximum building height by more than 10 feet, do not occupy more than 25% of the roof area,
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5. RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL BUILDINGS
and are set back at least 10 feet from the edge of the roof: 3. Ground Floor Elevation i. Amateur communications a. Ground floor elevation is tower; measured from top of the ii. Cooling tower; adjacent curb, or from the crown iii. Elevator penthouse or of the road where no curb exists, bulkhead; to the top of the finished ground iv. Greenhouse; floor. v. Mechanical equipment; vi. Skylights; b. Minimum ground floor elevation vii. Elevator or stairway access to applies to the first 30 feet of the roof. lot measured from the right-of- way line. d. Any of the elements listed in paragraphs b. and c. above are considered accessory uses to the primary structure and must not
be used for any purpose other
than as uses incidental to the principal structures. e. Commercial wireless telecommunications antennas shall not extend above the highest existing structural element of a building. In instances where this height must 4. Story Height be exceeded to satisfactorily The story height is measured from meet coverage requirements, the the top of the finished floor to the height of the antenna shall be the finished ceiling above. minimum necessary. In all cases, antennas and associated equipment shall be disguised with stealth camouflage to blend into the architecture of the building and the character of the surrounding area. Antennas that extend above the highest existing structural element shall also be required to obtain approve through the Full Review Process set forth in Section 12.
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
GENERAL COMMERCIAL BUILDING
A. Lot Requirements B. Building Placement
Lot Dimensions Building Setbacks
1 Lot Area (min) 5,000 SF 1 Front Yard, Primary Street 0’ 2 Lot Width (min) 50’ 2 Side Yard, Side Street 0’ Outdoor Amenity Space 3 Side Yard, Interior 0’ or 5’(1) 3 Outdoor Amenity Space (min) 0 4 Rear Yard 30’
Build-To-Line
5 Building Along Primary Street 75%
(min % of lot width)
6 Building Along Side Street 35%
(min % of lot width)
Parking Setbacks 7 Primary Street (min) 30’ 8 Side Street (min) 10’ 9 Parking Location Behind Building Coverage Building (max) 75% Impervious Surface (max) 85% (1) If a side yard setback is provided it must be a minimum of 5.’
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
GENERAL COMMERCIAL BUILDING
C. Height and Mass D. Activation
Building Height Transparency 1 Building Height 4 stories/50’ 1 Ground Story, Primary Street 70% Story Height Facade 2 Ground Story Height 11’ 2 Ground Story, Side Street 40% Floor to Ceiling (min) Facade 3 Upper Story Height 9’ 3 Blank Wall Length, Primary 20’ Floor to Ceiling (min) Street Building Mass 4 Blank Wall Length, Side 30’ 4 Max Length of Street-Facing 20’ Street Wall Without Offset Functional Entries 5 Upper Story Street-Facing 4’ 5 Functional Entries (min) 50’ Off-Set Depth (min) 6 Area of Garage or Service 20% 6 Upper Story Street Facing 6’ Bay Openings Along Street Wall Offset Length (min) Wall (max) 7 Building Length, Street- 175’ Permitted Building Elements Facing Façade (max) Porch No Stoop No Balcony No Gallery No Awning/Canopy Yes Forecourt Yes
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
MIXED-USE BUILDING
A. Lot Requirements B. Building Placement
Lot Dimensions Building Setbacks 1 Lot Area (min) 5,000 SF 1 Front Yard, Primary Street 0’ 2 Lot Width (min) 50’ 2 Side Yard, Side Street 0’ Outdoor Amenity Space 3 Side Yard, Interior 0’ or 5’(1)
3 Outdoor Amenity Space 200SF/DU 4 Rear Yard 30’ Build-To-Line
5 Building Along Primary Street 75%
(min % of lot width)
6 Building Along Side Street 35%
( (min % of lot width)
Parking Setbacks
7 Primary Street (min) 30’ 8 Side Street (min) 10’ 9 Parking Location Behind Building Coverage Building (max) 80% Impervious Surface (max) 90% (1) If a side yard setback is provided it must be a minimum of 5.’
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
MIXED-USE BUILDING
C. Height and Mass D. Activation
Building Height Transparency 1 Building Height 4 stories/50’ 1 Ground Story, Primary Street 75% Story Height Facade 2 Ground Story Height 11’ 2 Ground Story, Side Street 30% Floor to Ceiling (min) Facade 3 Upper Story Height 9’ 3 Blank Wall Length, Primary 20’ Floor to Ceiling (min) Street Building Mass 4 Blank Wall Length, Side 30’ 4 Max Length of Street-Facing 20’ Street Wall Without Offset Functional Entries 5 Upper Story Street-Facing 4’ 5 Functional Entries (min) 50’ Off-Set Depth (min) 6 Area of Garage or Service 20% 6 Upper Story Street Facing 6’ Bay Openings Along Street Wall Offset Length (min) Wall (max) 7 Building Length, Street- 175’ Permitted Building Elements Facing Façade (max) Porch No Stoop No Balcony Yes Gallery Yes Awning/Canopy Yes Forecourt Yes
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
ONE-STORY COMMERCIAL BUILDING
A. Lot Requirements B. Building Placement
Lot Dimensions Building Setbacks 1 Lot Area (min) 5,000 SF 1 Front Yard, Primary Street 0’ 2 Lot Width (min) 50’ 2 Side Yard, Side Street 0’ Outdoor Amenity Space 3 Side Yard, Interior 0’ or 5’(1) 3 Outdoor Amenity Space (min) 0 4 Rear Yard 30’
Build-To-Line
5 Building Along Primary Street 75%
(min % of lot width)
6 Building Along Side Street 35% ( (min % of lot width) Parking Setbacks 7 Primary Street (min) 30’ 8 Side Street (min) 10’ 9 Parking Location Behind Building Coverage Building (max) 75% Impervious Surface (max) 85%
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
ONE-STORY COMMERCIAL BUILDING
C. Height and Mass D. Activation
Building Height Transparency 1 Building Height 1 story/25’ 1 Ground Story, Primary Street 75% Story Height Facade 2 Ground Story Height 12’ 2 Ground Story, Side Street 30% Floor to Ceiling (min) Facade Building Mass 3 Blank Wall Length, Primary 20’ 3 Max Length of Street-Facing 20’ Street Wall Without Offset 4 Blank Wall Length, Side 35’ 4 Street-Facing Wall 4’ Street Off-Set Depth (min) Functional Entries 5 Street-Facing Wall 8’ 5 Functional Entries (min) 50’ Off-Set Width (min) 6 Area of Garage or Service 20% 6 Building Length, Street- 175’ Bay Openings Along Street Facing Façade (max) Wall (max) Permitted Building Elements Porch No Stoop Yes Balcony No Gallery Yes Awning/Canopy Yes Forecourt Yes
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
CIVIC BUILDING
A. Lot Requirements B. Building Placement
Lot Dimensions Building Setbacks 1 Lot Area (min) 5,000 SF 1 Front Yard, Primary Street 25’ 2 Lot Width (min) 50’ 2 Side Yard, Side Street 10’ Outdoor Amenity Space 3 Side Yard, Interior 10’ 3 Outdoor Amenity Space (min) 0 4 Rear Yard 30’ Build-To-Line 5 Building Along Primary Street 85% (min % of lot width) 6 Building Along Side Street 20% ( (min % of lot width) Parking Setbacks
7 Primary Street (min) 30’
8 Side Street (min) 10’
9 Parking Location Behind Building Coverage Building (max) 50% Impervious Surface (max) 65%
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
CIVIC BUILDING
C. Height and Mass D. Activation
Transparency Building Height 1 Ground Story, Primary Street 55% 1 Building Height 3 Stories/40’ Facade Story Height 2 Ground Story, Side Street 25% 2 Ground Story Height 11’ Facade Floor to Ceiling (min) 3 Blank Wall Length, Primary 15’ 3 Upper Story Height 9’ Street Floor to Ceiling (min) 4 Blank Wall Length, Side 30’ Building Mass Street 4 Max Length of Street-Facing 20’ Functional Entries Wall Without Offset 5 Functional Entries (min) 50’ 5 Upper Story Street-Facing 4’ 6 Off-Set Depth (min) Area of Garage or Service 20% Bay Openings Along Street 6 Upper Story Street Facing 6’ Wall (max) Wall Offset Length (min) Permitted Building Elements 7 Building Length, Street- 175’ Porch Yes Facing Façade (max) Stoop Yes
Balcony Yes
Gallery Yes
Awning/Canopy Yes Forecourt Yes
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
MULTI-FAMILY BUILDING
A. Lot Requirements B. Building Placement
Lot Dimensions Building Setbacks 1 Lot Area (min) 5,000 SF 1 Front Yard, Primary Street 0’ 2 Lot Width (min) 50’ 2 Side Yard, Side Street 0’ Outdoor Amenity Space 3 Side Yard, Interior 0’ or 5’(1) 3 Outdoor Amenity Space 250SF/DU 4 Rear Yard 30’
Build-To-Line 5 Building Along Primary Street 75% (min % of lot width) 6 Building Along Side Street 35% m (min % of lot width) Parking Setbacks 7 Primary Street (min) 30’ 8 Side Street (min) 10’ 9 Parking Location Behind Building Coverage Building (max) 70%
Impervious Surface (max) 75%
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
MULTI-FAMILY BUILDING
C. Height and Mass D. Activation
Building Height Transparency 1 Building Height 4 stories/50’ 1 Ground Story, Primary Street 65% Story Height Facade 2 Ground Story Height 10’ 2 Ground Story, Side Street 20% Floor to Ceiling (min) Facade 3 Upper Story Height 8’ 3 Blank Wall Length, Primary 20’ Floor to Ceiling (min) Street Building Mass 4 Blank Wall Length, Side 30’ 4 Max Length of Street-Facing 20’ Street Wall Without Offset Functional Entries 5 Upper Story Street-Facing 4’ 5 Functional Entries (min) 65’ Off-Set Depth (min) 6 Area of Garage or Service 20% 6 Upper Story Street Facing 6’ Bay Openings Along Street Wall Offset Length (min) Wall (max) 7 Building Length, Street- 175’ Permitted Building Elements Facing Façade (max) Porch No Stoop Yes Balcony Yes Gallery Yes Awning/Canopy Yes Forecourt Yes
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
TOWNHOUSE
A. Lot Requirements B. Building Placement
Lot Dimensions Building Setbacks 1 Lot Area (min) 5,000 SF 1 Front Yard, Primary Street 30’ 2 Lot Width (min) 50’ 2 Side Yard, Side Street 10’ Outdoor Amenity Space 3 Side Yard, Interior 10’ 3 Outdoor Amenity Space 300SF/DU 4 Rear Yard 30’ Build-To-Line 5 Building Along Primary Street 35% (min % of lot width) 6 Building Along Side Street 15% ( (min % of lot width) Parking Setbacks
7 Primary Street (min) 50’
8 Side Street (min) 10’
9 Parking Location Behind Building
Coverage Building (max) 50% Impervious Surface (max) 65%
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
TOWNHOUSE
C. Height and Mass D. Activation
Building Height Transparency 1 Building Height 2 ½ stories/35’ 1 Ground Story, Primary Street 20% Story Height Facade
2 Ground Story Height 9’ 2 Blank Wall Length, Primary 20’ Floor to Ceiling (min) Street 3 Upper Story Height 9’ Functional Entries Floor to Ceiling (min) 3 Functional Entries (min) 65’ Unit Size Permitted Building Elements 4 Unit Width 25’ Porch Yes Stoop Yes Balcony Yes Gallery No Awning/Canopy No Forecourt No
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
DETACHED DWELLING
A. Lot Requirements B. Building Placement
Lot Dimensions Principal Building Setbacks 1 Lot Area (min) 5,000 SF 1 Front Yard, Primary Street 30’ 2 Lot Width (min) 50’ 2 Side Yard, One 10’ Outdoor Amenity Space 3 Side Yard, Both 15’ 3 Outdoor Amenity Space 500SF/DU 4 Rear Yard 30’ Accessory Building Setbacks 5 From Principal Building 12’ 6 Side Yard 5’
7 Rear Yard 5’
Parking Setbacks
Parking Location Driveway or Garage
Coverage
Building (max) 30%
Impervious Surface (max) 40%
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6. BUILDING TYPE REGULATIONS
DETACHED DWEL LING
C. Height and Mass D. Activation
Building Height Functional Entries 1 Building Height 2 ½ stories/35’ 1 Functional Entries On Primary Street 2 Accessory Building Height 1 Story/15’ Permitted Building Elements Porch Yes Stoop Yes Balcony Yes Gallery No Awning/Canopy No Forecourt No
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7. PERMITTED USES
The following uses are permitted within the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Districts
Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code Permitted Uses Use VH HH HHC TH THC Residential Uses One Family Dwelling P P X P X Two-Family Dwelling P P X P X Townhouse P P P P P Multi-Family Dwelling P P P P P Public and Civic Uses Public School P P P P P Community Purpose Building P P P P P Municipal Uses for Mount Pleasant P P P P P Place of Worship SE SE SE SE SE Public Utility & Telecommunications P P P P P Train/Bus/Transit Station P P P P P Public Parking Lot or Garage P P P P P US Post Office P P P P P Park or Playground P P P P P Community Garden P P P P P Commercial Uses Retail P P P P P Retail Service P P P P P Experiential Retail P P P P P eBay Selling Center P P P P P Community Gathering Place Business P P P P P Music, Dance, Art, Craft Lessons P P P P P Retail Laundry & Dry Cleaner P P P P P Bakery P P P P P Delicatessen P P P P P Restaurant P P P P P Restaurant, Carry-Out P P P P P Restaurant, Fast-Food SE SE SE SE SE Coffee Shop, Tea House P P P P P Craft Brewery/Distillery P P P P P Bar, Nightclub SE SE SE SE SE Catering and Events Establishment SE SE SE SE SE Theater or Performing Arts Venue P P P P P Gallery or Museum P P P P P Social Club P P P P P Boutique Hotel SE SE SE SE SE Bed & Breakfast P P P P P
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7. PERMITTED USES
Bank, Financial Institution P P P P P Funeral Parlor P P P P P Business, Professional Office, Co-Working P P P P P Office Space Bio-Tech, R&D Facility SE SE X SE X Medical Office, Ambulatory Care Facility P P P P P Surgical/Injury Rehabilitation Facility P P P P P Veterinarian or Animal Hospital P P P P P University, College & Private School SE SE SE SE SE Business & Trade School P P P P P Artisan/Craftsman Workshop P P P P P Farm Stand P P P P P Farmers Market P P P P P Nursery School P P SE P SE Day Care Facility P P SE P SE Indoor Athletic Recreation or Training P P P P P Facility Small Business Incubator P P P P P Pop-Up Shop P P P P P Private Parking, Car Sharing Facility SE SE SE SE SE Accessory Uses Customary Accessory Use P P P P P Signs P P P P P Emergency Generators P P P P P Building Mounted Solar panels P P P P P Mechanical & HVAC Equipment P P P P P
P = Permitted SP = Special Permit X – Prohibited
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8. DENSITY BONUS
For property located in the Hawthorne derelict property remediation to Hamlet Core Intensity Area a density bonus prepare the property(ies) for either may be applied. dedication for public use for redevelopment by a public or private The Town Board may, at its discretion and owner. subject to the standards and considerations set forth below, grant a density bonus of 1- D. Contribution to Non-Site Related story (for a maximum height of 5 stories) for Infrastructure Improvements: buildings located in the Hawthorne Core Non-site related infrastructure Intensity Area. A density bonus may be improvements are considered granted in exchange for an applicant significant improvements that are not providing one or more of the following off- directly needed, required or related site civic improvements, amenities or to the subject site development, but development actions that are above and may indirectly improve the area. beyond those that are directly or indirectly Infrastructure improvements may necessitated by the proposed project itself. include, but are not limited to significant provisions, renovations, A. Provision, Renovation or creation, donation, installation Rehabilitation of a Public Open and/or rehabilitation of public solid Space Amenity: waste and recycling receptacles, By contributing a significant traffic calming measures, public provision, renovation, donation seating, wider than required and/or or rehabilitation of a public sidewalks, specialty pavers or utility open space amenity, to include but covers as part of district “branding”, not limited to a public park and/or repaving of a street(s), intersection other public open space, a density upgrades (including street lights and bonus may be granted. The Outdoor crosswalks), bus shelters, and storm Amenity Space required for a or sanitary sewer improvements. To development, as set forth in the the extent the proposed Building Type Regulations shall not infrastructure improvements are count towards this amenity. related to sanitary sewage improvements, in order to be eligible B. Historic Preservation: for the density bonus the applicant Preserving a significant portion of a shall reduce inflow/infiltration (I&I) at building(s) or structure(s) identified a ratio of 3:1. by the Town Board as having historical, cultural and/or E. Provision of Creating Alternative Off- architectural significance. Site Parking Facilities: By contributing to the creation of an C. Brownfield or Derelict Property off-site parking facility, above and Remediation: beyond the off-street parking Applicants may apply for a density requirements for the proposed bonus for providing brownfield or development included in this district,
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8. DENSITY BONUS
which may include, but is not limited promote the public health, safety to creation the of a public off-street and welfare of the community. parking garage, dedicating land for the creation of a public off-street • The associated maintenance parking facility or the creation of a schedule and ownership of the privately operated parking facility, a proposed amenity(ies). density bonus may be granted, that would provide additional parking • The density bonus can be proportionate to the size and scope successfully integrated into the of the project. overall building/site design without negatively impacting, detracting F. Provision of Public Artwork: and/or severely departing from an Incorporation of publicly accessible appropriate height, scale, mass, size, artwork including but not limited to and shape of the proposed sculpture(s), monument(s), or other structure(s). permanent aesthetic structure(s) on a site or at a designated off-site • The density bonus can be location as deemed appropriate by successfully integrated into the the Town Board. overall building/site design without negatively impacting, detracting In granting the density bonus for the and/or severely departing from an amenities listed above, the Town Board shall appropriate height, scale, mass consider the following criteria: and/or size of the surrounding area.
• The incentives being proposed and • Set forth in the public record, in the degree to which the proposed detail, the relationship between the amenity is compatible with the goals amenities being provided and the and objectives for the Mount bonus being awarded and shall Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning specify the rationale supporting the Code, and Envision Mount Pleasant. proportionality of the amenities to the bonus. The public benefit • Set forth in the public record, in improvements provided shall be detail, the amenities to be provided roughly proportional in nature and by the applicant, how those extent to the bonus granted, and amenities further the purposes of the their proportionality shall be HH district and the Town’s long demonstrated by the applicant and range planning strategies, how they agreed to by the Town Board. The preserve and enhance the aesthetic, granting or denial of any density environmental and/or historical bonus shall be solely within the qualities and features of this district discretion of the Town Board using for the benefit and enjoyment of the the criteria set forth in this section. entire community and otherwise • In the event an application for a zoning variance is made to the 38
8. DENSITY BONUS
Zoning Board of Appeals to increase the number of stories in excess of the that permitted in accordance with the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form- Based Zoning Code, the Zoning Board of Appeals should, in determining whether the applicant satisfies the criteria set forth in State law for granting the variance, consider whether it is practical for the applicant to provide any of the listed amenities in order to obtain a density bonus in lieu of a variance.
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9. PARKING REGULATIONS
PARKING REGULATIONS A goal for the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code, is to establish a “park once” policy, wherein people driving to the Hamlets are encouraged to park in one location, and then travel by foot within the area to various other destinations, rather than driving from one location to another. Design emphasis and priority is given to pedestrian circulation. The proximity to the Metro-North train stations in Valhalla and Hawthorne, and their transit-oriented characteristics positively contributes toward this approach. As a result, the required parking in the VH, HH and TH districts reflects reduced off-street parking ratios for certain uses. The use of shared parking is also permitted and encouraged.
A. Off-Street Parking Requirements The off-street parking requirements established in §218-89 are superseded by the requirements set forth below. The off-street loading requirements established in §218-94 remain applicable.
Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Code Off-Street Parking Requirements Use Required Parking Residential Uses One Family Dwelling 1.75 per dwelling unit Two-Family Dwelling 0.8 per dwelling unit containing no more than 2 bedrooms. 1.0 per dwelling unit containing more than 2 bedrooms, plus one per 7 dwelling units for visitors Townhouse 1.5 per dwelling unit, plus 1 per 5 dwelling units for visitors Multi-Family Dwelling 1.0 per dwelling unit containing no more than 2 bedrooms. 1.25 per dwelling unit containing more than 2 bedrooms, plus 1 per 7 dwelling units for visitors Public and Civic Uses Public School 1 per teacher or staff member, plus 7 spaces for visitors Community Purpose Building 1 per 450 square feet GFA Municipal Uses for Mount Pleasant Determined by Town Board Place of Worship 1 space per 5 seats or pew spaces Public Utility & Telecommunications None required Train/Bus/Transit Station Determined by Town Board Public Parking Lot or Garage None Required US Post Office 1 per 350 square feet GFA Park or Playground Determined by Town Board Commercial Uses Retail 1 per 450 square feet GFA Retail Service 1 per 450 square feet GFA
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9. PARKING REGULATIONS
Experiential Retail 1 per 500 square feet GFA eBay Selling Center 1 per 450 square feet GFA Community Gathering Place Business 1 per 500 square feet GFA Music, Dance, Art, Craft Lessons 1 per instructor, plus .25 per student Retail Laundry & Dry Cleaner 1 per 450 square feet GFA Bakery 1 per 450 square feet GFA Delicatessen 1 per 450 square feet GFA, plus 1 additional space if seating is provided Restaurant 1 per 5 seats or 1 per 300 square feet of GFA, whichever is greater Restaurant, Carry-Out 1 per 500 square feet GFA, plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-thru lane Restaurant, Fast-Food 1 per 500 square feet GFA, plus 5 stacking spaces per drive-thru lane Coffee Shop, Tea House 1 per 5 seats or 1 per 300 square feet of GFA, whichever is greater Craft Brewery/Distillery 1 per 5 seats or 1 per 300 square feet of GFA, whichever is greater, plus 1 per non- customer service employee Bar, Nightclub 1 per 4 permanent seats or 1 per 150 square feet of floor area devoted to patron use Catering and Events Establishment 1 per 4 permanent seats or 1 per 150 square feet of floor area devoted to patron use, plus 1 per 750 square feet exclusively devoted to a dance floor, plus one per employee Theater or Performing Arts Venue 1 per 4 seats for first 100 seats plus 1 per 6 seats after first 100. Gallery or Museum 1 per 1,000 square feet GFA, plus .5 per employee Social Club 1 per 450 square feet GFA Boutique Hotel 1 per guest room, plus .25 per employee, plus additional spaces as required herein for restaurant, bar or catering and events uses, if provided Bed & Breakfast 1 per guest room Bank, Financial Institution 1 per 200 square feet of gross floor area, plus 3 stacking spaces per drive thru lane served by a teller, and 4 stacking spaces per drive thru lane for an ATM Funeral Parlor 15 spaces per viewing room, plus 1 space per employee Business, Professional Office, Co-Working Office Space 1 per 550 square feet GFA Bio-Tech, R&D Facility 1 per 550 square feet GFA Medical Office, Ambulatory Care Facility 1 per 300 square feet GFA Surgical/Injury Rehabilitation Facility 1 per 400 square feet GFA
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9. PARKING REGULATIONS
Veterinarian or Animal Hospital 1 per 450 square feet GFA University, College & Private School 1 per teacher or staff member, for colleges 1 additional space per 5 students. For auditoriums, gymnasiums, grandstands or other gathering places 1 space per 5 seats. Business & Trade School 1 per teacher or staff member, plus 1 additional space per 3 students Artisan/Craftsman Workshop 1 per artisan or craftsperson Nursery School 1 per teacher or staff member plus 1 space per 5 pupils Day Care Facility 1 per teacher or staff member plus 1 space per 5 pupils Indoor Athletic Recreation or Training Facility 6 per 1,000 square feet GFA Small Business Incubator 1 per 450 square feet GFA Pop-Up Shop Determined by Town Board Private Parking, Car Sharing Facility 1 per employee
B. Shared Parking § All new development that relies on The concept of shared parking, whereby shared parking must demonstrate land uses that have different parking the adequacy of the proposed demand patterns are able to use the parking as a result of a capacity same parking spaces throughout the being provided that will substantially day, is particularly useful in a compact meet the intent of the parking hamlet district, where a significant requirements by reason of variation percentage of trips are accommodated in the probable time of maximum use via public transit. Public transit reduces by residents, patrons, visitors or the overall demand for individual employees among residences and passenger vehicle trips and the related establishments sharing such parking, demand for parking. and provided that said approval of such joint use shall be automatically Shared parking is permitted and terminated upon the termination of encouraged in the Mount Pleasant the operation of any use on which Hamlet Form-Based Zoning districts. The the shared parking analysis has been Planning Board, may consider the use of based. The analysis of shared shared parking, without any need for a parking must be based on variance from the Zoning Board of established standards/methodology. Appeals, according to the following provisions: § In cases where shared parking is proposed between adjacent parcels § The uses proposing to share parking under separate ownership, spaces are different land uses as set irrevocable cross-easements shall be forth in the Permitted Use Table. required, to assure the perpetual right to share the parking spaces.
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9. PARKING REGULATIONS
§ No more than 50% of the required in architecturally. All voids in the parking for a particular use shall be structures shall be architecturally provided in a shared parking treated or screened, so that lights arrangement. and vehicles are not individually visible. C. Design and Layout The design and layout of off-street § Parking structures fronting on parking spaces shall comply with the Columbus Avenue, Elwood Avenue, provisions of Article VI, except as Franklin Avenue, Kensico Road, modified herein: Marble Avenue shall be wrapped by first floor non-residential uses. § To minimize curb cuts on the roadways in the Mount Pleasant § Surface parking shall include street Hamlet Form-Based Zoning District, lighting that adequately provides for the use of shared driveways are safe vehicle circulation and public encouraged, where feasible. safety, but shall not be excessive. Light poles shall be as low as § Where feasible, driveways shall front possible to achieve the desired on streets that are less pedestrian purpose, and fixtures shall be intensive. shielded and downward directed. The use of energy efficient luminaries § Off-street parking is encouraged to is encouraged. be as inconspicuous as possible and to incorporate landscaping and § All pedestrian pathways across and screening to the greatest extent along parking areas shall be possible to minimize its physical and appropriately lit with pedestrian visual impact. scaled lighting fixtures.
§ Off-street parking and loading areas § Vehicular access to internal parking shall be coordinated with the public structures shall be designed so as not street system serving the Mount to negatively impact upon major Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning pedestrian routes. If necessary, District in order to avoid conflicts provide “fish eye” mirrors, alarms or with through-traffic, obstruction to warning lights to manage the pedestrian walks and vehicular interaction between pedestrians and thoroughfares. vehicles.
§ All parking structures shall be § The potential conflicts between truck designed using compatible or delivery, vehicular traffic, and complementary materials to the pedestrian circulation shall be principal buildings so that they blend considered when designing service
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9. PARKING REGULATIONS
entries, roadways, walkways, and o Shrubs must be a minimum of 18 pedestrian entrances. inches in height when planted and must reach a minimum size § To the extent possible, service of 36 inches in height within three entrances and loading areas years of planting. between adjacent buildings shall be consolidated. Such service entrances o Plantings adjacent to driveways shall be separated from walkways shall be designed so as to and pedestrian entrances. prevent sight distance impediments, and therefore may § In each parking lot containing over be lower in height then specified 75 parking spaces, at least two of the above. parking spaces must be provided with an electric vehicle charging o A 36-inch wall within a minimum station. five-foot planting strip may be substituted for a continuous row § Spaces for handicapped car and van of shrubs. The design and parking must be provided as physical appearance of the wall required by law. shall be subject to the approval of the Town. § Within a structured parking garage, up to 30% of the total parking spaces o Breaks for pedestrian and vehicle provided may be compact spaces. access are allowed. No more than six compact parking spaces may abut each other. § To minimize the extent of impervious Compact spaces may be reduced to surfaces and the “heat-island” effect, 7.5 feet in width. All compact parking and to enhance the aesthetic spaces must be clearly and visibly appearance of surface parking lots, striped and labeled for compact car the following landscaping use only. requirements shall apply:
§ All surface parking lots with frontage on a street, shall be screened as follows:
o A minimum 10-foot wide landscaped area with a continuous row of shrubs must be provided between the street and the parking lot.
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9. PARKING REGULATIONS
Interior Islands: Median Islands: o A landscaped interior island o A landscape median island shall be provided every 10 shall be provided between parking spaces. Interior islands every six single parking rows. shall be distributed evenly throughout the parking area. o A landscape median island shall be a minimum of five o An interior or terminal island feet wide. shall be a minimum of 8.5 feet in width and 300 square feet in o A median island may also area. serve as the location for a sidewalk. In such case, the o All rows of parking must sidewalk shall be a minimum terminate with a landscaped of six feet wide, and the terminal island. No more than remaining planting area shall 30 parking spaces may be be no less than five feet wide. located between drive aisles. o Median islands may be o Interior islands may be consolidated or intervals may consolidated or intervals may be expanded in order to be expanded in order to preserve existing trees. preserve existing trees. o Median islands must be o Interior islands must be installed below the level of installed below the level of the the parking lot surface to parking lot surface to allow for allow for runoff capture. runoff capture.
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9. PARKING REGULATIONS
Tree Coverage: o Each interior island (and terminal interior island) must include at least one shade tree.
o In no case can there be less than one tree for every 3,000 square feet of parking area.
§ Off-street parking areas shall be surfaced with asphalt bituminous, concrete or other type of dustless material in accordance with the Town of Mount Pleasant standards and specifications and maintained in a smooth, well- graded condition.
§ Pervious or semi-pervious parking area surfacing materials may be provided in accordance with the Town of Mount Pleasant standards and specifications, and pursuant to the recommendation of the Town Engineer. Permitted materials may include but are not limited to “grasscrete”, ring and grid systems used in porous or grid pavers, or recycled materials such as glass, rubber, recycled asphalt, brick, block and concrete. Once installed, all pervious or semi-pervious parking areas shall be maintained in accordance with the manufacture’s specifications.
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10. SIGNS
All new, reconstructed, altered, or relocated signs must comply with the 2. On-Premise Sign standards of this section. All sign copy must relate only to the name or nature of the business A. GENERAL or establishment on the premises. 1. Sign Permit Off-premise signs are prohibited. a. All sign types described in B. below, Sign Types, require a sign 3. Location permit before they may be a. A sign may be erected on private constructed, reconstructed, altered, property only with the written or relocated. Signs described in C. permission of the property owner. below Exempt Signs, do not require a sign permit, except where b. No sign, other than signs placed by a building permit is required for agencies of government or a sign installation. whose placement is authorized by such agencies, may be erected or b. The following alteration and placed on public property. maintenance activities do not require a sign permit: c. No sign may be installed in a way that obstructs free and clear vision, i. Painting, cleaning, or other or free use, of any public right-of- normal maintenance and repair way, intersection, ingress or egress of a sign, provided that no point, transit stop, parking space, change is made to any structural drive aisle, driveway, building or electronic component of the entrance, fire escape, standpipe, or sign. accessibility ramp.
ii. Changing items of information, d. No sign may be placed so as to the message of an existing obstruct any window or door, with changeable or electronic the exception of window signs message component of a sign, placed in accordance with this or the sign face within an section. existing sign structure, provided that no change is made to any e. No sign may obscure architectural structural or electronic details or features. component of the sign. 4. Construction c. A sign that encroaches upon a All signs must be erected in public right- of-way, consistent with conformance with the New York the standards of this section, State Uniform Building and Fire requires written authorization from Code, as well as the following the Town. requirements:
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10. SIGNS a. Supports and braces must be attached, or integrated into the designed as an integral part of the overall design of the sign. overall sign structure and hidden from public view to the extent i. All electrical fixtures, devices, technically feasible. circuits, conduits, raceways, or any apparatus used to illuminate any b. All signs attached to a building must sign must be installed and be installed and maintained so that maintained in compliance with the wall penetrations are watertight and National Electric Code (NEC). A do not exceed allowable stresses of Nationally Recognized Testing supporting materials. Laboratory (NRTL) listing label number must be provided for any c. When a building-mounted sign is sign with electrical components. removed, the wall must be repaired and restored to its original condition 5. Illumination Type prior to sign installation. A sign may be externally illuminated, internally illuminated d. All signs and their supporting or directly illuminated. structures must be enclosed so as to prevent inhabitation by birds, a. External Illumination – An rodents, insects, and other wildlife. externally illuminated sign is characterized by the use of e. Materials for signs must be durable artificial light reflecting off its and capable of withstanding surface. weathering over the life of the sign with reasonable i. External light sources maintenance. Glass forming any part intended to illuminate the of a sign, with the exception of sign face must be fully exposed lamps, must be safety shielded and placed close glass. to, and directed upon, the sign face. f. Signs constructed of fabric or fabric- like material must be held taut ii. Any light sources intended within frames. to illuminate surface behind a sign to produce a g. Audio components are prohibited halo effect must be fully as part of any sign. concealed from view. h. If a raceway is necessary, it must not b. Internal Illumination – An extend in width or height beyond internally illuminated sign is the area of the sign. A raceway must characterized by the use of be finished to match the artificial light projecting background surface to which it is through its surface.
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10. SIGNS
message and/or graphic i. Internal illumination is limited presentation capability can be to letters, numbers, symbols, electronically programmed by and accents. No more than computer from a remote location. 50% of the total sign area may be internally i. Each electronic message must illuminated. The remaining be static and depicted for a area of the sign face must minimum of eight seconds remain opaque. before changing. Any scrolling, fading in, dropping in, or similar ii. All lamps intended for internal moving copy changes are illumination must be fully prohibited. concealed from view. ii. An electronic message center c. Direct Illumination – A directly that is malfunctioning must be illuminated sign is characterized turned off. by the use of exposed lamps, such as neon tubes or incandescent 6. Light Intensity bulbs, that have no shielding and a. The luminance of any sign must are visible to the eye. not exceed 5,000 nits during daylight hours, and 500 nits1 i. Direct illumination is limited to between dusk and dawn. Dusk letters, numbers, symbols and and dawn are defined as, accents. respectively, the time starting at one- half hour before apparent ii. Exposed lamps may be sunset, as determined by the animated to create an effect of National Oceanic and patterned illusionary Atmospheric Administration movement, so long as the (NOAA), for Mount Pleasant for alternate or sequential the particular date; and the time activation of illuminated starting at one-half hour after elements occurs on a cycle apparent sunrise, as determined that exceeds one second. No by the NOAA, for Mount more than one such sign is Pleasant for the particular date. allowed per establishment. b. A sign that is designed to emit d. Electronic Message Centers a luminance level exceeding 500 (EMCs) - An electronic message nits must have an automatic center (EMC) is an electrically dimmer control that produces a activated display whose variable distinct illumination change from
1 Nit = The term used to describe the metric unit of illuminance. It is defined as candela per square meter (cd/m2) 49
10. SIGNS
a higher to a lower level for the c. All signs integral to a structure time period between dusk and and announcing the building’s dawn. original or historic name, year of construction, or architect, or 7. Public Safety containing identifying insignias, a. No direct or reflected light from must be maintained, and may the primary light source of a not be removed, altered, or sign may create hazards for covered. In cases where the pedestrians, cyclists, or original sign is in too poor of operators of motor vehicles. condition to repair or reuse, close replication of the original b. Colored light must not be used sign with a new sign is at a location or in a manner so encouraged. as to be confused with or construed as traffic control d. Where a sign is totally or devices or emergency services. partially illegible, where sign copy has been removed, or 8. Maintenance when an establishment to which a. Signs and sign structures, the sign pertains has been together with their supports, discontinued for two or more braces, guy wires, anchors, and months, the sign must be electrical components, must be repaired, reused, or removed maintained in a proper state of immediately or within 30 days repair. Any damage to or of receipt of notice from the deterioration of a sign must be Code Enforcement Officer. If repaired immediately or within the property owner fails to 30 days of receipt of notice repair, reuse, or remove the from the Code Enforcement sign within the timeframe Officer. established by the Code Enforcement Officer, b. When an existing sign is the sign may be removed by removed, replaced, or repaired, the Town at the property all brackets, poles, wiring, and owner’s expense. other supporting hardware that are no longer required must be e. If a sign is in an unsafe or non- removed, and any surfaces to secure condition, the sign must which the sign may have been be repaired or removed attached must be repaired or immediately or within three painted, immediately or within days of receipt of notice from 30 days of receipt of notice the Code Enforcement Officer. from the Code Enforcement The Code Enforcement Officer Officer. may remove any sign that is an immediate peril to persons or
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10. SIGNS
property summarily, without notice, and at the property e. Signs that simulate in color, size, owner’s expense. or design, any traffic control sign or signal, or that make use of 9. Prohibited Signs – The signs listed words, symbols, or characters in a below, as well as any sign not manner that may interfere with, expressly permitted by this code, mislead, or confuse pedestrian, are prohibited. cyclist, or vehicular traffic.
a. Mechanically activated signs, f. Temporary off-premise signs. other than barber poles and clocks. 10. Non-Conforming Signs – A non- conforming sign that was legally b. Signs or devices motivated by erected and maintained in wind, thermal changes, or other compliance with all applicable laws environmental input, such in effect at the time of the original as spinners, pinwheels, balloons, installation, but does not now air-inflated signs, or other devices comply with the provisions of this or displays that respond to code, may be maintained and naturally or artificially induced repaired. However, if altered, must external motivation. comply with the requirements of this section. c. Signs on motor vehicles that are inoperable, do not display a B. SIGN TYPES current vehicle inspection sticker This section describes the on-premise signs or license plate, are not allowed in the Mount Pleasant Hamlet principally used as a mode of Form-Based Zoning Districts. This section transportation for business does not apply to exempt signs described purposes, and/or are in Section C, Exempt Signs. conspicuously parked or located on a lot for more than 24 hours to 1. Number of Signs. A maximum of two advertise a product or service, or on-premise signs per establishment are to direct the public to a business allowed per right-of-way frontage, not or activity located on or off the counting sidewalk signs and skyline premises. signs.
d. Signs that are burned, cut, 2. Total Sign Area painted, pasted, or otherwise a. The total sign area of signs per marked on or affixed to a tree, establishment may not exceed two standpipe, fire escape, utility square feet per one foot of linear pole, trash receptacle, bench, or width of front or corner side facade. any other unapproved structure or surface.
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10. SIGNS
b. The area of sidewalk signs and skyline signs are not counted toward the total sign area described in this section.
3. Sign Location. All signs, with the exception of sidewalk signs, must be building-mounted. Building-mounted signs must be attached to a front or corner side facade only.
4. Sign Types. The following pages address the standards that apply to each sign type.
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10. SIGNS
AWNING SIGN
DESCRIPTION SPECIFIC STANDARDS An awning sign is a sign painted on any of the surfaces of an awning 1. A maximum of one awning sign is allowed per awning surface. Only DIMENSIONS awnings on the ground story may contain signs. Awning, awning sign 25% of each
(max) awning surface, 2. Internally illuminated or back-lit awning or 50% of the signs are prohibited. awning valance. 3. The awning on which an awning sign is Valance Height (max) 0’ 8” placed must be in accordance with the Vertical clearance 8’ Design Guidelines in Section11.
from sidewalk level, not including valance (min) Projection from wall, 15’
including supports (max) Setback from curb, 2’ pole or post sign in right-of-way, or crown
of street tree (min)
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10. SIGNS
BLADE SIGN
DESCRIPTION A blade sign is a two-sided sign that SPECIFIC STANDARDS projects outward from the exterior wall of a structure 1. A maximum of one blade sign is allowed per establishment per right-of- DIMENSIONS way frontage. Only establishments with a ground-story main entrance may have a blade sign. Area (max) Not exceed
two square 2. A blade sign must be placed below the feet per one finished level of the second story or, in foot of linear the case of a one-story building, at least width of front two feet below the highest peak of the or corner side roof. No portion of a blade sign may facade. extend more than 4 feet above the roof Projection from wall, 5’ line. including supports
(max) 3. A blade sign that is suspended to allow Vertical clearance 10’
from sidewalk level the sign to swing due to wind action (min) may not exceed six square feet in area.
Setback from curb, 2’
pole or post sign in right-of-way, or crown of street tree (min)
Distance between 15’ blade signs
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10. SIGNS
CANOPY SIGN
DESCRIPTION A canopy sign is a sign attached above, SPECIFIC STANDARDS below or to the face of a canopy. 1. A maximum of one canopy sign is DIMENSIONS allowed per establishment per right-of- way frontage. Area (max) Not exceed two
square feet per 2. A canopy on which a canopy sign is one foot of placed must be in accordance with The linear width of Design Guidelines in Section 11. front or corner side facade.
Letter/number/logo 75% of canopy
width above width canopy (max) Letter/number/logo 2’
height above canopy (max) Projection from 15’
wall, including supports (max) Vertical clearance 10’ from sidewalk level (min) Setback from curb, 2’ pole or post sign in right-of-way, or crown of street tree
(min)
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10. SIGNS
MARQUEE SIGN
DESCRIPTION SPECIFIC STANDARDS A marquee sign is a sign attached to the top or face of a permanent roof-like 1. A maximum of one marquee sign is structure constructed over a ground-story allowed per building. main entrance.
2. A marquee may be erected over a main DIMENSIONS entrance only, and may be no wider
than the entrance over which it is Area (max) Not exceed erected, plus five feet on each side. two square
feet per one 3. A marquee must be supported solely by foot of linear the building to which it is attached. No width of front exterior columns or posts are permitted or corner side as supports. facade. Projection from wall, 15’
including supports (max)
Setback from curb, 2’
pole or post sign in
right-of-way, or crown
of street tree (min)
Vertical clearance 10’
from sidewalk level (min)
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10. SIGNS
SIDEWALK SIGN
DESCRIPTION SPECIFIC STANDARDS A sidewalk sign is a two-sided, portable sign that is placed outside of an a. A maximum of one sidewalk sign is establishment, constructed in the form of allowed per establishment per right-of- an “A” or similar tent-like shape and way. intended to be viewed from the sidewalk at close range. b. A sidewalk sign may be placed outdoors on the premises or a public DIMENSIONS sidewalk during business hours only, and must be stored indoors at all other Area (max) 10 square times. The sign must not interfere with feet ingress and egress points, must Height (non/max) 3’/4’ maintain a minimum of 5 feet of
Setback from curb, 2’ sidewalk clearance at all times
pole or post sign in right-of-way, or crown c. A sidewalk sign must be vertically of street tree (min) oriented, with a height greater than its Distance from main 25’ width.
entrance d. A sidewalk sign may not be illuminated or contain electronic components.
e. A sidewalk sign may not be placed outdoors when high winds, heavy rain or heavy snow conditions are present.
The Town may remove a sidewalk sign
during snow removal, and is not liable for any resulting damage.
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10. SIGNS
SKYLINE SIGN
DESCRIPTION SPECIFIC STANDARDS A skyline sign is a sign that is attached flat to or mounted away from, but parallel to, a. A maximum of two skyline signs are the building façade, and located on the allowed per building. Only buildings of upper band of the building. three stories or greater are eligible to install a skyline sign. DIMENSIONS b. No portion of a skyline sign may extend Area (max) above the roofline. 3 square feet per one foot of linear width of front or corner side facade
Width (max) 40% of façade
width Height (max) 8’
Projection from wall 2’
(max)
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10. SIGNS
WALL SIGN
DESCRIPTION A wall sign is a sign that is attached flat to SPECIFIC STANDARDS or mounted away from, but parallel to, any exterior wall of a building. 1. A maximum of one wall sign is allowed per establishment per right-of-way DIMENSIONS frontage.
Area (max) Not exceed 2. A wall sign must be located above the ground-story windows and below the two square feet per one window sills of the second story.
foot of linear width of front or corner side
facade.
Width (max) 90% of façade
width
Projection from wall 2’
(max)
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10. SIGNS
C. EXEMPT SIGNS b. A building directory sign may not exceed 12 square feet in area. 1. Address Signs - An address sign is a building mounted sign that identifies 4. Building Identification Sign - A building the occupant and/or address of a identification sign is a sign consisting of structure. letters applied to the building wall, engraved into the building material, or a. A maximum of one address sign consisting of a sculptural relief, and is allowed per building per right- which contains the name of a building of-way frontage. or describes its function, but which does not advertise any individual tenant of b. An address sign may not exceed the building or any products or services two square feet in area for a offered. property with only a residential use or four square feet in area for 5. Community Bulletin Board - A a property with a non-residential community bulletin board is a sign that use. is erected for the posting of temporary signs and contains no 2. ATM Sign - An ATM sign is a sign permanent advertising copy. that is incorporated into and designed as part of an automatic a. A maximum of one community teller machine (ATM). bulletin board is allowed per building. In the case of a community a. The advertisement upon the ATM bulletin board erected in a public sign must be limited to the term right-of-way with the written consent “ATM” and the name and logo of of the Town, no more than one such the financial institution rendering sign may be erected per block face. the ATM service. b. A bulletin board may not exceed 12 3. Building Directory Sign - A building square feet in area. directory sign is a building-mounted sign listing the names and locations 6. Government Sign - A government sign of persons or establishments on the is any sign placed or authorized by a premises, and carrying no other government agency, such as traffic advertising matter. signs and signals, legal notices, railroad crossing signs, or signs regulating the a. A maximum of one building traffic of, or giving information to, directory sign is allowed per motorists, transit riders, cyclists, or building per right-of-way pedestrians. frontage. a. Government signs are allowed in any number, configuration, or size.
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10. SIGNS
b. The type and extent of illumination a. A parking lot directional sign may of a government sign is at the not exceed four feet in height and discretion of the agency placing or two square feet in area. authorizing the sign. 11. Parking Information Sign - A parking lot 7. Home Occupation Sign - A home information sign is a sign that includes occupation sign is a sign identifying a information on the operation of a home occupation on the premises. parking lot, such as “No Parking” or “Unauthorized Users Will Be Towed.” a. A maximum of one home occupation sign, attached to the a. A parking lot information sign may wall of the dwelling, is allowed per not exceed six feet in height and home occupation. 12 square feet in area.
b. A home occupation sign may not 12. Place Identification Sign - A place exceed two square feet in area. identification sign is a sign indicating the name of a hamlet, neighborhood, 8. Memorial Plaque - A memorial plaque is district or subdivision. a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an a. A maximum of one place image in relief, or both, in memory of identification sign is allowed per one or more persons, an event, a right-of-way intersection. former use of the place, or other historical matter. b. A place identification sign may not exceed 20 square feet in area and 9. Newspaper Vending Box Sign - A four feet in height. newspaper vending box sign is a sign that is incorporated into and designed 13. Property Identification Sign - A property as part of a vending box for a identification sign is a building-mounted newspaper or other periodical. sign identifying the property management company or property a. The advertisement upon the name of the premises. newspaper vending box sign must be limited to the periodical vended. a. A maximum of one property identification sign is allowed per 10. Parking Directional Sign - A parking lot building per right-of-way frontage. directional sign is a sign that includes information assisting in vehicle traffic b. A property identification sign may flow or parking, including information not exceed four square feet in identifying entrances and exits, area. driveway intersections, drive-through lanes, or loading areas.
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10. SIGNS
14. Public Information Sign - A public D. SIGN MEASURMENT information sign is a sign that provides information on the use of 1. Sign Area. Sign area is measured as the the facility, such as directional signs, total area of a sign, as follows: trailhead entry signs, and information kiosks. a. For signs on a background, the entire area of the framework or a. A public information sign may background of the sign is calculated not exceed 12 square feet in as sign area, including any material area. or color forming the sign face or background used to differentiate 15. Street Light Banner Sign - A street the sign from the structure against light banner sign is a sign that is which it is placed. printed upon flexible material and held taut within frames, attached to b. For signs consisting of freestanding a street light. letters or logos, the sign area is calculated as the total area of each a. Street light banner signs on square, circle, rectangle or triangle, Town street lights are allowed or combination thereof, that only with the authorization, and encompasses each individual letter in accordance with the or logo. Sign area does not include specifications, of the Town. any supporting framework or bracing, unless such framework or 16. Temporary Sign - A temporary sign bracing is part of the message or is any sign not permanently sign face. attached to the ground or building, with no sign illumination or utility c. Window signs printed on a connections, intended to be transparent film and affixed to the displayed for only a short period of interior or exterior of a windowpane time. are calculated as individual letters or logos, provided that the portion of 17. Utility Sign - A utility sign is a sign the film around the individual letters installed by a public utility in its or features is fully transparent. right-of-way or on its facility, and bearing no commercial message d. The sign area of a three- other than such message is dimensional, free-form or sculptural necessary to identify the public (non-planar) sign is calculated as utility and the use, and warn of any 50% of the sum of the area of the hazards. four vertical sides of the smallest cube that will encompass the sign.
e. If a sign has two or more faces, the area of all faces is included in
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10. SIGNS
determining the area of the sign, unless the two sign faces are placed back to back and are no more than two feet apart. In such case, the sign area is calculated as the area of one face. If the two faces are unequal in area, the area of the larger face is used to calculate sign area. f. Sign Height. Sign height is measured as the vertical distance from the base of a sign or sign structure, to the highest point of the sign or sign structure.
g. Vertical Clearance. For signs attached to a structure, vertical clearance is measured as the vertical distance from the sidewalk level to the lowest point of the sign.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
SITE DESIGN Establish a distinct, safe separation between pedestrian and vehicular traffic while creating a “townscape” that is more livable, pedestria n-friendly and fosters a mix of uses and activity throughout the day and year-round.
§ Utilize the “Build-To Line” to establish a well-defined street line. § Buildings should embrace and support the public realm. § Place parking in the rear or side of the building. § Share parking where feasible.
§ Minimize sidewalk crossings by driveways or service bays.
§ Integrate outdoor spaces and uses into the plan. § Orient a buildings primary frontage toward the public realm. § Place retail, restaurant and other active uses on the street level. § Minimize paved surfaces. § Ensure all buildings are connected via sidewalks, alleys, arcades, etc. § Infill development should be characteristic of surrounding buildings.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
BUILDING DESIGN All buildings in the Hamlets should strive for excellence in design. Buildings should use high quality and contextually appropriate materials, proportions and scale as outlined in the Form-Base Code. All architecture should embody sustainability, reflect a human scale, embrace inspirational creativity, and accommodate all users.
§ Employ heavier textured materials or additional detailing at the base of the building, and break up larger building elements, to provide a human scale. § Utilize architectural details to integrate building components and provide visual interest. § Utilize surrounding buildings to establish proportionality in bulk, mass and scale. § Design appealing architecture from all vantage points. § Incorporate a visually prominent architectural feature on corner buildings. § Equally careful design attention should be given to building services areas, mechanical equipment, loading areas and accessory appurtenances.
§ Utilize the hierarchy among building elements to emphasize important areas, such as
entranceways. § Green building and sustainability should be an emphasis throughout the building’s lifecycle.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
STREET LEVEL ACTIVATION To ensure the vitality of the Hamlets, the streets must be active and vibrant. Complimenting an inviting streetscape, the design and use of street level building spaces are critical to activating the public realm. Dead spaces in the streetscape will disconnect the continuity of the Hamlets and impeded revitalization efforts.
§ Organize uses so that active businesses such as restaurants, face the street, while uses such as offices are located on upper floors, or away from the public realm. § Avoid unarticulated blank walls. § Ensure a high percentage of transparency in storefront windows. § Incorporate familiar traditional architectural elements to achieve a human scale and enhance pedestrian activity – kick plates or knee walls, display windows and clearstory windows
above, recessed entryways, glass panel doors with transoms above, etc.
§ Utilize retractable window walls to open restaurant or retail spaces to the street in nice weather. § Incorporate canopies and awnings. § Install pedestrian scale lighting such as sconce wall lamps. § The installation of security gates, air conditions units or compressors, or mechanical equipment must be avoided on the principal façade.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
FUNCTIONAL ENTRIES Pedestrian access ponts (functional entries) should be easily identifiable, inviting and accessible and situated on the building’s primary public frontage. Maximizing the number of functional entries also helps to create interesting and diverse street level architecture.
§ Call out functional entries through the use of architectural details such as recesses, awnings, arches, canopies, stoops, porticos or distinctive doors and moldings. § Functional entries should be easily identifiable, but proportionally appropriate.
§ Functional entries should be located on the building’s primary public frontage.
§ Inset entries are preferable as they accommodate door swings and provide shelter for patrons. § Inset entries also provide visual interest and add a sense of rhythm to the street level façade. § Appropriate lighting is key to the successful design of functional entries. § Functional entries must provide full accessibility ad meet ADA requirements.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
BUILDING OFF-SETS Building off-sets serve to break-up monotonous building facades, moderate the mass and bulk of a building and establish a human scale. The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form- Based Code Building Type Regulations include specific off-set requirements. These are established as minimum standards. Further variations to building facades are encouraged.
§ Avoid poorly designed, boxy buildings through the provision of building off-sets. § Building façade variability, including features like wall planes, shadow lines, segmenting walls, material choices, creates appealing architecture and Hamlet character. § Upper level building off-sets combined with window placement, can create a unique rhythm, separate from that of the street level. § In instances when physical off-sets are impractical, architectural elements that alter the façade plane, such as columns, pilasters or quoins can be utilized.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
BUILDING TRANSITIONS The transitional edge of the Hamlets where new developments interface with existing uses, requires careful attention to assure the appropriate bulk and height of structures adjacent to lower density residential neighborhoods. The massing of taller structures should be organized to minimize their apparent bulk.
§ Step-down the rear of taller buildings. § Ensure the “rear” of buildings include well designed architecture. § Provide landscaped buffers. § Utilize “green walls” and fencing to screen unattractive building elements.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
WINDOWS Building windows are not only utilitarian elements allowing for the admission of light and air, but also provide architectural ornament, adding materially to the regularity and elegance of a building.
§ Windows should be installed on all sides of a building to avoid blank walls. § Windows should be situated to correspond to occupiable spaces inside the building. § Windows should generally be proportionally taller in height than their width, following ratios of 1:2 to 3:5. § Windows should be used to create rhythm, unity and order. § Use window wall openings to create depth and shadow. § Generally, utilize consistent windows styles along the exterior façade of a building. § Windows should have a transparency higher than 80% and external reflectance of less than
15%.
§ Windows cannot be made opaque by window treatments (except operable sunscreen devices within the conditioned space), or be blocked by merchandise. § Avoid the use of mirrored or reflective glass. § The use of clearstory and transom windows is recommended .
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
BUILDING MATERIALS
The choice of materials used for constructing or renovating buildings affects the way a building relates to its neighborhood context. When designed well, a building can contribute to the continuity of street elevation, as well as emphasize a site’s unique characteristics. Consequently, a building’s design – particularly the façade – and exterior materials can have a significant impact on how the structure is perceived.
§ Utilize high quality building materials that are durable and appropriate for the climate.
§ The use of natural materials such as stone, brick or wood are preferred primary building
materials. § Concrete (pre-cast, poured in-place or block), cementitious siding, EIFS, metal wall panels stucco, and veneers are not preferred primary building materials, but may be suitable for detailing and accents. § The primary building material used on the front façade shall be continued on the corner side and rear of buildings, except where a building abuts another structure. § Buildings clad with a singular exterior surface material must incorporate additional complementary design elements to provide architectural interest. § New overly self-reverential buildings or those that are not representative of the building typologies found in the Hamlets are discouraged.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
COLOR - PAINT
The selection of building colors has a significant aesthetic and visual impact on building character and appearance.
§ Buildings should utilize material colors and paint that reflects a color palette that is harmonious with the Hamlet. § Color harmony between adjacent buildings should be considered as part of the architectural design. § The color palette of a building should generally be limited to three colors. Harsh discordant colors should not be used. § Accessory and ancillary structures should match the color palette of the principal building. § Window frame and mullion colors should blend, compliment or match building colors. § Tinted window glass should be of a harmonious color. § Façade colors should be compatible and consistent on all sides and levels of a building.
DON’T
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
AWNINGS
Awnings over pedestrian walkways and sidewalks are encouraged to provide shade and protection from the elements while adding interest to a façade with shape and color.
Awnings are also useful in identifying a business or building
§ The lowest point of any awning shall be a minimum of 8 feet above the sidewalk.
§ Awnings should project a minimum of 3’ and a maximum of 5’ from the buildings and have an angle of between 30 and 50 degrees. § Long expanses of awnings are discouraged. Multi ple awnings should be used to reflect door and window openings. § Awnings should be an enhancement to the building façade, and should be proportional with and complimentary to nearby buildings. § Awnings should be mounted in locations that respect the design of the building and do not obscure ornamental architecture. § The valance size should be proportional to the size of the awning. § Colors should not call more attention to the awning than the building.
§ Solid colors are preferred.
§
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
LIGHTING
Lighting can significantly enhance the appearance of a building. Lighting should provide a sense of personal safety in active areas, allow for an even distribution of illumination in common areas and highlight architectural details during nighttime hours.
§ Exterior lighting shall coordinate with and be complimentary with the architectural details of
the building. § Light glare or excess brightness should be minimized. Light trespass should be controlled by shielding and downward directing fixtures. § Indirect lighting is acceptable for display and architectural lighting. § Exterior site lighting should incorporate current energy efficient fixtures such as LED or similar technologies. § Lighting should be Dark Sky compliant.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
BUILDING SERVICES The layout and configuration of a building must take into consideration location of utilitarian features such as trash facilities, loading docks, building mechanical equipment and above ground utility infrastructure. These features should be out of the public’s view.
§ A building’s mechanical systems, cooling towers, chillers, vents, generators etc. should be concealed from street level view. § Placement of service facilities in the rear of buildings is often suitable, however proximity to adjacent residential uses requires design considerations to screen them and mitigate noise. § Rooftop equipment shall be concealed by screening structures. § Rooftop screens shall be compatible with the overall building architecture and may include fencing, architectural features or landscaping. § Mechanical equipment located on the ground shall be screened by landscaping. Fencing
may be used to supplement landscaping, but not in place of it, unless necessary.
§ Wireless telecommunication equipment shall employ stealth camouflage techniques to minimize visual impacts.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
LANDSCAPING Landscaping enhances the visual image of the Hamlets, preserves natural features, improves property values and alleviates the impacts of noise, traffic and visual distraction associated with certain uses. Landscaping aids in energy conservation and promotes urban wildlife habitats.
§ Trees and shrubs should be sited and spaced to allow for long term growth, and to avoid encroachments into sidewalks, utility infrastructure and roadway sight lines. § Evergreen and deciduous or flowering trees should be used in combination to create visual interest and to create a dynamic landscape.
§ Accent planting should be used around entries and key activity hubs. Planters and pots can
be used in paved areas. § Screening should be used to protect less intensive uses from the impacts of more intensive uses and to block views of less desirable features from public view (trash enclosures, etc.) § The use of native plants is preferred. § Xeriscaping is encouraged to promote water conservation, reduce maintenance requirements and decrease flooding. § Consider the use of recycled greywater for irrigation.
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11. DESIGN GUIDELINES
SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN BUILDING Sustainability and green building refers to the practice of creating structures using a process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition.
§ Design buildings to take advantage of seasonal weather patterns, wind and solar exposure to maximize passive solar heating and daylighting. § Select building materials that reduce energy consumption, including recycled materials and those that are locally sourced. § Utilize high efficiency mechanical equipment.
§ Decrease demand for fresh water and generation of wastewater through the use of low flow
efficient plumbing fixtures, optimized landscaping, greywater recycling, etc.
§ Highly insulate buildings and use high performance windows. § Enhance indoor air quality through ventilation, moisture and thermal control, and the use of low VOC paints and stains and materials. § Utilize alternative energy sources. § Strive to construct “Net-Zero” buildings. § Seek LEED certifications.
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12. ADMINISTRATION
Administration 2. Expedited Review: The Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Under this review track, a decision Zoning district standards and requirements regarding a site plan application for a set forth herein are designed to provide permitted use shall be adopted during specific guidance for the development of a single appearance before the property and streetscape enhancements Planning Board, and without the within the VH, HH and TH zoning districts necessity for a public hearing. The while allowing for flexibility and creativity in Expedited Review Track is not available project design in order to foster the for Special Permit uses. appropriate growth of the area in an orderly and desirable fashion. To be eligible for Expedited Review, a project must: A. Project Review & Approval Three approval tracks are available in the § Be a permitted as-of-right use. Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning districts: § Comply with all of the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based 1. No Review: Zoning regulations and criteria. Under this track, an application for a change of use within an existing building § No waivers or variances are shall not require site plan approval, required. provided the following conditions are met: § The proposed action is classified as either a Type II or Unlisted Action § The use that is proposed is a pursuant to SEQRA, 6 NYCRR, Part permitted as-of-right use. 617. Type I Actions are not eligible for Expedited Review. § No expansion of the building footprint is proposed. § The project does not exceed 12 dwelling units or 10,000 square feet § The new use does not require the of non-residential gross floor area. provision of any additional off-street parking spaces. Prior to placement on the Planning Board agenda, the applicant shall meet § The proposal is classified as a Type II with the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form- Action pursuant to SEQRA. Based Zoning Review Committee consisting of the Town Engineer, The change of use shall be authorized Building Inspector and Planning and regulated pursuant to a Building Consultant, and any other Town Permit. representatives deemed necessary. The applicant shall not be placed on the Planning Board agenda until such time
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12. ADMINISTRATION
as a Certificate of Compliance is issued submission conference with by the Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form- representatives of the Town of Based Zoning Review Committee. This Mount Pleasant to discuss the certification shall verify for the Planning procedures, standards and Board that all prerequisites for site plan regulations. approval have been satisfied. 2. A request for a pre-submission Under this review track, the Planning conference by a potential Board has the right to extend the applicant shall be made through duration of its project review beyond the Building Department and the single meeting by issuing a Notice shall be accompanied by of Planning Concerns, which documents preliminary project plans and the need for continuing the site plan designs and the required filing review process. In the issuance of said fee. Notice, the Planning Board may also require that a public hearing on the 3. Town representatives will inform application be held. the applicant of the requirements as they apply to the proposed 3. Full Review: project, provide a preliminary list The Full Review track would be required of issues that for all projects that are not eligible for No will likely be of concern during Review or Expedited Review. formal application review, suggest possible modifications Projects following the Full Review track to the project, and identify any shall comply with the requirements of technical studies that may be Site Plan and or Special Permit review in necessary for the review process accordance with Chapter 218. when a formal application is submitted. Any project requiring a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals shall follow the 4. The Town’s representatives shall Full Review track. determine which of the three project review tracks the project B. Project Review Process must follow, No Review, All applications for projects within the Mount Expedited Review or Full Review. Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based Zoning Districts shall follow the following process: b. Application Requirements
a. Pre-Submission Conference 4. All site plan applications shall be prepared in accordance with the 1. Prior to completion of project requirements of Chapter 218. design and formal submittal of the required application, an 2. In addition to the requirement to applicant must schedule a pre- submit an Environmental
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12. ADMINISTRATION
Assessment Form with the additional information is required, application (whether a short or then the applicant shall provide any full EAF is required shall be and all additional information determined at the pre- requested. application conference), the applicant shall also submit a 5. If the applicant does not submit the report documenting whether the additional requested information in a project complies with all Findings form deemed to be satisfactory or of the SEQRA Generic otherwise complete the application Environmental Impact Statement within 45 days after the Town has adopted for Envision Mount notified the applicant in writing that Pleasant, the Town’s additional information is required, Comprehensive Plan and will not the application shall be deemed to result in any impacts that exceed be abandoned and the application the thresholds established fee and any other fee submitted shall therein, or in the alternative, shall be forfeited. specifically identify areas where the project is inconsistent or non- 6. This does not prevent any applicant conforming. from resubmitting an application if the same has been abandoned, so C. Completeness Review long as all of the above-steps are completed. 1. All applications must be sufficient for processing before Town shall accept D. Required Public Hearing the application for review. 1. A duly noticed public hearing shall 2. Within 15 calendar days of the receipt be held for all applications of the application, the Town must processed under the Full Review notify the applicant in writing track. whether or not the application is complete or whether additional 2. The Planning Board may require information is required. that a public hearing be held for a Site Plan application processed 3. An application for Site Plan or Special under the Expedited Review track, Permit approval shall be sufficient for if community input is determined processing when it contains all of the to be necessary to allow for a well- information necessary to decide informed approval decision to be whether or not the development as rendered. proposed will comply with all of the requirements of the Code. E. Special Permit Approval Authority The Town Board shall have the approval 4. If the Town determines that the authority for all Special Permit uses application is not complete and identified herein.
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F. Decision Making: services while reducing In rendering a decision, the Planning transportation needs; Board or in the case of a Special Permit, the Town Board, shall take into § That proposed landscaping and consideration the following criteria: buffer areas have natural and attractive primarily native plantings § Compatibility with the Town’s long- that are compatible with the adjacent range goals and planning strategy as area and terrain; set forth in Envision Mount Pleasant; § That the applicant exhibits the § The project does not adversely wherewithal to complete the project; change the neighborhood character; § That the project provides for § The project fosters an appropriate innovative and imaginative pattern of development; approaches to transit-oriented development that does not detract § The project conceals density through from the existing neighborhood building design where appropriate; character;
§ The project will encourage § That the proposed project has appropriate use of the land in appropriate height, scale, mass, size, accordance with general purposes, shape and density in relationship to intent and spirit of this chapter and is its location, and consistent with the not detrimental to surrounding Mount Pleasant Hamlet Form-Based property values; Zoning provisions.
§ The safety, health, welfare or the § The historical, architectural and/or order of the Town shall not be cultural significance of the existing adversely affected by the proposed site or existing structures is assessed use and its location; to address local significance.
§ The site is suitable for the location of § That there is the consideration of the such use in the Town; staff recommendations.
§ That the proposed project is G. Appeals and Variances: consistent with all Findings of the SEQRA Generic Environmental 1. The Zoning Board of Appeals is Impact Statement adopted for the authorized to hear and decide Envision Mount Pleasant. appeals from and review decisions by the administrative § That there is sufficient roadway officials responsible for the access to provide for emergency enforcement of this Chapter. The Zoning Board of Appeals may
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affirm, reveres wholly or in part, or modify the decisions appealed i. The lawful use of any to it. building or land existing prior to the effective date 2. Use Variance – The Zoning Board of this Code or its of Appeals may allow for the use predecessor may be of land that is not allowed or continued even if such use prohibited as set forth in the does not conform to the Table of Uses in Section 7. provisions of this Code.
3. Area variance – The Zoning ii. No unlawful use of Board of Appeals may allow for property or unlawful modifications to the Building structure existing prior to Type Regulations as set forth in the effective date of this Section 6. Code shall be deemed to be a use which may be 4. All appeals to the Zoning Board continued pursuant to this shall comply with the Section. requirements of §218-107. iii. Any violation of this Code H. Nonconformities: prior to the effective date of this Code will continue 1. Purpose to be deemed a violation The purpose of this section is to and no use in violation establish regulations and prior to the effective date limitations on the continued of this Code may be existence of uses and structures continued if it does not established prior to the effective conform to the provisions date of this Code that do not of this Code. conform to the provisions of this Code. Nonconformities may b. Replacement, Repair and continue, but the provisions of Maintenance this Section are designed to limit investment in nonconformities i. Replacement, repair and and to bring about their eventual maintenance may be elimination, where appropriate, performed on any in order to preserve the integrity structure that is devoted in of the regulations established in whole or in part to a this Code. nonconforming use. All necessary building permits 2. Nonconforming Uses for such work are still required. a. Authority to Continue
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ii. Replacement shall comply period exceeding 1 year, with the design and the use may not be materials standards of this reestablished or Code to the maximum resumed. extent practicable as determined by the ii. When land used for a Building Inspector or, nonconforming use is upon the applicant's discontinued for 60 request, by the Planning consecutive days, the use Board. may not be reestablished or resumed. c. Extensions/Expansions 3. Nonconforming Structures i. A nonconforming use cannot be extended, a. Authority to Continue expanded, enlarged or increased in size, i. Any lawful structure footprint or coverage. existing prior to the effective date of this ii. No nonconforming use Code or its predecessor may be extended to may be continued even displace a conforming though the structure use. does not conform to the provisions of this Code. d. Change in Use A nonconforming use may ii. No unlawful structure not be changed to another existing prior to the nonconforming use. A effective date of this nonconforming use that is Code shall be deemed changed to a conforming use to be a structure which may not revert back to any may be continued nonconforming use. Any pursuant to this section. nonconforming use may be changed to a conforming iii. Any violation of this use. Code prior to the effective date of this e. Discontinuance Code shall continue to be a violation and no i. When a building structure in violation at containing a the time of the nonconforming use enactment of this Code ceases to be used for the may be continued if it nonconforming use for a
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does not conform to the site with a nonconforming provisions of this Code. structure or any expansion of a b. Replacement Repair or nonconforming structure Maintenance shall comply with the Building Type i. Replacement, repair and Regulations of Section 6, maintenance may be the Design Guidelines of performed on any Section 11, and all other nonconforming provisions of this Code. structure. All necessary building permits for such work are still required.
ii. Replacement shall comply with the design and materials standards of this Code to the maximum extent practicable as determined by the Building Inspector or, upon the applicant's request, by the Planning Board. c. Extensions/Expansions
i. Any nonconforming structure may be enlarged, maintained or altered; provided, however, that no enlargement, maintenance or alteration creates any additional nonconformity or increases the degree of the existing nonconformity of all or any part of such structure.
ii. Any new construction which occurs on a 84