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FISHKILL -- In between the Hudson River and
Route 9D to the east, a new community is emerging. AVR Realty
of Yonkers has three developments -- in various stages of
approval -- before Fishkill town officials for a former
industrial area known as Fishkill Landing. Combined with
several other AVR projects already under construction or
completed, the developments would provide housing for more
than 2,600 people and retail to serve them.
The
retail portion of the project consists of several buildings,
adding up to 80,000 square feet of retail space, on a 33-acre
parcel along Route 9D. Tenants would be small businesses,
according to Dan Simone, AVR director of design development.
The
area even would contain a new Chelsea firehouse, which AVR
has approval to build and donate to the town.
The
developments fit together like jigsaw pieces in a master
design to create more than 300 acres of townhouses, rental
apartments and single-family homes.
A model development
With its use of cluster development and open-space preservation,
the Fishkill Landing project is an example of the kind of
development county planners embrace, officials said. By
clustering, fewer resources are required to construct connecting
roads, utilities, and water and sewer lines.
Several
developments already are under construction, such as the
nearly complete Streamside Knoll complex of single-family
homes. Others are early in the planning stages, such as
the as-yet unnamed development known as ''Phase 5,'' which
calls for 238 townhouses on 52 acres near the river by the
Rombout sewage treatment plant.
Another
proposed project, Chelsea Industrial Park, is in the conceptual
stages and could bring 350 apartments.
''There's a strong need for housing everywhere,'' said Fishkill
Supervisor Joan Pagones, who noted town officials recently
have been busy fielding a number of housing proposals.
She said the AVR Realty developments would benefit the town
by creating public waterfront access and increase commerce
for local businesses.
Not new for company
The scope of the Fishkill Landing project is not new for
the company. AVR Realty also owns about 80 acres in New
Windsor, where it is building 102 townhouses and proposes
to add about 130 additional homes. In Kingston, AVR Realty
proposes to build about 2,182 housing units, public walkways
and buildings for restaurants and stores on a 524-acre former
cement-making facility.
Michael DiTullo, president of Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress,
a nonprofit planning organization, said the company is proficient
at revitalizing urban areas and brownfields. Pattern for
Progress has worked with AVR on all those projects.
The
AVR Realty proposals follow others springing up county-wide
to meet the increased housing demand, according to Richard
Birch, assistant commissioner of the Dutchess County planning
and development department.
''What
we've been seeing is they've been growing out from southern
Dutchess and going all over the county,'' Birch said about
projects in East Fishkill, Beekman, Amenia and Pine Plains.
Just up the road from the AVR Realty site, Toll Brothers
of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., is constructing Stonykill Woods
and Stonykill View, a single-family home complex along Route
9D.
Robert
Parahus, vice president for Toll Brothers, said Stonykill
Woods sold out after one year. Stonykill View opened for
sale in July and 17 families purchased homes already, he
said.
Toll
Brothers is also in the process of building 290 townhouses
and 221 attached single-family homes off Merritt Boulevard
behind the Gap distribution center. In the Town of East
Fishkill, the company proposes to build 290 single-family
homes and townhouses on Fishkill Road.
James
Wick, the town planning board chairman, said there have
been numerous environmental studies done on the Fishkill
Landing site and the projects fit within town zoning codes.
''That area is perfect for high density,'' he said, noting
there is a lot of transportation access nearby with the
highways and Beacon railroad station.
Some neighbors, however, are concerned with the increase
in traffic associated with the developments.
Jim
Lovette, who lives in Streamside Knolls, said he loves his
home but wonders if the proposals will put a strain on Brockway
Road. Brockway Road is the main access street for the current
and proposed homes.
Richard McHugh, a Town of Wappinger resident who lives near
the Fishkill border, worried about the increased number
of vehicles along Route 9D.
McHugh said neighboring towns should be notified about large
developments. ''Are you really being told what's being built
around you that will affect your homes?'' he asked.
Councilman
Robert Valdati, R-1st Ward, said the Wappinger town board
is trying to create a traffic committee with officials from
the Town of Fishkill and the Village of Wappingers Falls.
AVR plans to install a new traffic light along Route 9D
by Dutchess Stadium, Simone said. Firethorn Road, a town
road that runs parallel to Brockway Road and ties into Holly
Loop, provides a second entry and exit for the developments.
In addition, traffic studies are being conducted at the
intersection of Brockway Road and Route 9D and a third access
road is being proposed to link with Route 9D.
Another
important issue for residents is affordable housing. According
to the Dutchess County planning department's latest survey,
the Town of Fishkill has 1,799 rental units, the second
highest in the county behind the Town of Poughkeepsie.
Rents expensive
Average rents in Fishkill are also among the most expensive,
based on the survey. The average studio rent per month is
$675, the second highest after the Town of Wappinger. Fishkill
has the highest average monthly rents for one-bedroom units
at $996, two bedrooms at $1,243, and three bedrooms at $1,581.
While the prices of the homes and rental apartments have
not been set, most of the housing units will be ''market
rate,'' said Simone, AVR's director of design development.
Homes currently being sold by the company range above $309,000.
Simone said 20 units in the 250-unit Rivercrest apartment
complex will be designated affordable under the town's affordable
housing law.
The developments also could affect the Beacon school district.
Simone said the school-aged children from Streamside Knolls
and Holly Ridge, another townhouse complex under construction,
are lower than estimated numbers.
Beacon
Superintendent Vito DiCesare said studies estimated the
student population to grow by 2 to 3 percent. The population
could peak next September with 3,660 to 3,700 students,
then taper down the following year.
DiCesare said Beacon High School and Rombout Middle School
should be able to accommodate more students.
The
difficulty might be finding space for elementary school
students. Currently, the district is able to handle about
100 more elementary school students. Beyond that number,
DiCesare said, officials might have to reconfigure class
sizes and faculty offices to adjust for more students.
''We've
been trying to stay ahead of the curve,'' he said.
Michelle
J. Lee can be reached at mlee@poughkeepsiejournal.com \
Community
in transition AVR Realty of Yonkers, West-chester County
has numerous projects in various stages of completion in
the area known as Fishkill Landing in the Town of Fishkill.The
developments include apartments, townhouses and single-family
homes as well as up to 80,000 square feet of retail space
for small businesses.
Copyright
© 2004, Poughkeepsie Journal .
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