Letter from the Office of Mayor
Nick Sanderson, Pomona
Sent to Supervisor St. Lawrence
June 24, 2008

RE: Petition for Zone Change submitted by Scenic Development LLC

Dear Supervisor St. Lawrence,

The Village of Pomona respectfully requests that the scoping session in the above matter be kept open for another month for the following reasons:

  1. There are several defects in the pre-scoping procedures that should be corrected, as follows:
  1. The Notice of Determination of Significance states that the Ramapo Planning Board is the Lead Agency for the project and that the Planning Board has determined that an environmental impact statement is to be prepared. The Planning Board cannot be Lead Agency for the project, nor can it make a determination relating to an environmental impact statement because it is not an approving agency for the petition for zone change.
  2. The Environmental Assessment Form is very confusing. It lists the name of action as "Re-zone and Site Plan Approval". These are two separate actions by two different agencies and cannot be lumped together in one action. Similarly, as stated above, the Planning Board cannot be the Lead Agency for the zone change.
  3. The document proposes one environmental review for three distinctly separate actions, which is incorrect. The impacts from the zone change are different from the impacts from the subdivision; both actions are different from the impacts for the site plan.

  1. The Village of Pomona did not receive a copy of the petition for zone change until June 18, 2008. As you know, Pomona is adjacent to the proposed project. We have not had sufficient time to identify with our planner the impacts that may result from the project.

In the event the Town Board does not extend the scoping session, we suggest at a minimum, that the following be added to the Scoping Document:

1. Traffic Study:

    1. peak hours should be 7-9 am and 4-7 pm weekdays
    2. add intersections at Route 306 and Willow Tree Road, Route 306 and Grandview

2. All issues to be studied should include the cumulative impacts that may result from other zone changes in the neighborhood that may be encouraged if the subject is granted as well as the proposed 1,000 unit development on the Tartikov property.

3. The potential effects of the transmission lines on the health of potential residents should be studied.

4. A Phase I site assessment should be conducted to determine if any hazardous materials have been dumped on the site.

5. The areas of blasting should be identified and the effects of the blasting studied.

In addition, the EAF Part I appears to be inaccurate in many places. For example:

    1. Site Description Item 1葉he physical setting of the project is Rural (non-farm), not Suburban-Residential;
    2. Project Description Item 1 (f)葉he number of parking spaces should be at leas tripled; Item 1 (g)洋aximum trips per hour should also be substantially increased; Item 1 (j)葉here is no frontage on Scenic Drive;
    3. Project Description Item 16葉he population number is grossly understated; the proposed project has 460 units at 3 and 4 bedrooms generating at least 6 to 8 persons per unit, totaling 2700 to 3600 persons plus two to four in the 24 two bedroom units. This increased number also impacts Items 17 through 23.
    4. Zoning and Planning Information Items 6 and 8葉his project is not consistent with the Town of Ramapo land use plan nor is the project compatible with surrounding development;
    5. Zoning and Planning Information Item 9葉he minimum lot size proposed is not 80,000 square feet.

As an interested agency in this action, the Village of Pomona requests that it be placed on the mailing list for notifications in the same manner as if it were an involved agency.

Thank you for your consideration.

Very Truly Yours,

Nicholas Sanderson

Mayor

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A PDF of the 17-page scoping document is available here.