Widewaters asked to dot I's, cross T's
By Joe Prout Register Star Sunday, July 18, 2004

With an eye toward cleaning up details in the paperwork handed in for the Widewaters shopping center proposal, the Planning Board recently reviewed some required site plan changes.

Some of what Jim Green, the Planning Board's special engineer, found during his review of the site plan for the center, to be located at the intersection of Route 9, 9H, and State Farm Road, was that details agreed to by the applicant -- some written on previous plans and some that were omitted had to be on the most recent plan for the project lest they be forgotten and potentially skipped. Green read a list of plan updates that he advised the board should be certain are on the final site plan for Widewaters.

Green started his presentation by noting that there was a discrepancy in what the Planning Board expected and what the:applicant wrote for cross access. This access -- a matter that the applicant was not in favor of -- was to be included to provide a place for neighboring parcels to connect if they were developed. The correct wording was found elsewhere in the record on this project, and it appeared it was just a matter of having the site plan updated to reflect it.

The most heated exchange of the evening was about whether Widewaters would agree to set aside a conservation easement for a section of property in the southwestern corner dubbed "forever wild." Planning Board Chairman Ed Simonsen requested that language on the plan notes read that "no additional buildings/structures or building additions shall be added to this site:"

Widewaters representative Marco Marzocchi said he felt that language was restrictive on future development enough, but the board noted that anyone could request a site plan amendment in the future, which could allow for more development at this location.

A conservation easement would lock a section of undeveloped land as permanently undevelopable. Marzocchi said he would refuse to alIow a conservation easement because some unforeseen future event may require additional construction in that area. He said currently, as designed, the Planning Board would have to review any new structure on that area anyway.

Marzocchi also said he felt the board was "holding him over a barrel" on this matter, and that it was late in the game to be making such a request.

Most of the other issues were deemed less worrisome by Green. He said there's no drainage shown on the plans for the proposed roundabout -- the remediation plan designed to handle traffic concerns created by the addition of the center to this already busy intersection. The board believed that the water wbuld likely continue to drain as it does now.

Green said he questioned whether a generator for the proposed Hannaford's Bros. grocery store could be moved to a space blocked by a berm, so noise from its use would be less noticeable to neighbors. Marzocchi said it had to be where it was designed to coincide with mechanics inside the building.

Green noted that the plans incorporate 20-foot tall trees along the western edge of the proposal. He said the trees would likely block the view of the Catskill mountains, which was a concern listed by some opponents to this project. On the other hand, the trees act as a screening buffer for neighbors. Marzocchi said Widewaters would agree to trim the trees to maintain the view.

After being questioned by Green on low light levels, Marzocchi produced an updated light output chart for a dark area between a proposed restaurant at the site and the northern property line. The new numbers showed the area was brighter than initially calculated.

The board questioned what the proposed pump house would look like, because the developer had yet to provide designs for the building. Marzocchi told the board it would look similar to the other buildings that had board final plan.approval, and would be made the same types of materials. The board requested addtions to the site plan that include diagrams with dimensions for the building and clear images on how the buildings were supposed to look.Widewaters had such plams, available, but they were not included in the site plan. Marzocchi said they would included in the final packet.

Benches and sidewalks the western end of the property were not drawn on the slte plan.Green advised the board to make certain they appear on the final plan.

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