By:Angela Marshall
The Planning Board found the initial environmental filing incomplete, saying that the developer failed to fully answer several key questions. One of the outstanding issues was whether a scaled-down version of the project was viable. Chase has maintained from the beginning of the process that reducing the number of apartment units would not work. But in the new document, Chase outlines a condo plan that it says could be achieved.
The alternative calls for two three-story buildings with 275 units, 57 with one bedroom and 218 with two bedrooms. Because the condos would be larger than apartments, the size of the proposed buildings would be similar. According to the filing, the building coverage of the 7.1-acre site would be 49 percent for the condos, as opposed to 49.4 percent for the apartments.
Michael Faltischek, attorney for Chase Partners, said the developers do not want to switch to the condo plan. He said the apartment proposal meets all Rockville Centre village codes and should be allowed, because it will not have any material impact on the village. The attorney said that Chase came up with the condo alternative only to satisfy the Planning Board-s request. He said he does not believe the alternative is materially different from the original plan.
One of the main concerns residents have expressed at meetings over the past year is how the apartments would impact Rockville Centre schools. The impact statement predicts that the complex would generate 19 to 29 additional students, and the condos 15 to 23. Chase points out that, depending on the age of the children in the building, the school district might need to build a new classroom or hire additional teachers, even with the reduced number of students.
Another area that concerns residents is traffic. According to Chase, the apartment proposal would generate 133 morning peak trips, 156 afternoon peak trips and 182 Saturday peak trips. The condos are predicted to generate 91 morning peak trips, 112 afternoon peak trips and 97 Saturday peak trips.
The number of parking spaces provided would be reduced by a little over 100. The apartments call for 524 spaces, and the condos 413. The village requires 1.5 parking spaces per unit.
The difference in taxes is also outlined. Chase reports that the apartments would generate about $2 million in taxes, and the condos about $1.56 million.
Planning Board members were given the four-book impact statement a few weeks ago and are reading it over. They are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Sept. 7, to discuss whether the filing is complete and all their questions are answered. A second meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 21.
