Clarkstown Planning Board

Clarkstown Planning Board Faces Resident Frustration Over Development on West Clarkstown Road

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A Proposed Zoning Compliant Yeshiva At 31-41 West Clarkstown Road Brought Out Planning Board Skepticism And Resident Ire

By Tina Traster

A proposal to build a Jewish girls’ school on West Clarkstown Road continues to vex Town Planning Board members and citizens alike. On the one hand, the scaled-down proposal meets town and zoning code criteria but residents along the road are virulently against the plan because they say additional bus and car traffic pose danger along an already perilous rural county-road that has been neglected by the County Highway Department for decades.

31 West Clarkstown Road
31-41 West Clarkstown Road – Click To Enlarge

Congregation Kollel Lomdei Shas in Spring Valley wants to develop 31-41 West Clarkstown Road to construct a 31,428 square-foot private school for 420 students (K-8) with 51 parking spaces on 6.6 acres of R-40 zoned land. The plan also calls for at least 13 school buses and 20 extra parking space, if needed. Schools are permitted in R-40 zones. The plan includes demolishing two single-family homes and combining the two residential lots.

The proposal, which has been before the Clarkstown Planning Board since 2018, has been scaled back from a larger proposal for a 37,455 square-foot building, housing 600 students.

But a 30 percent reduction in the scale of the building, and a decrease in the student population did not quell opposition from a packed crowd of residents at the Town Planning Board last Wednesday.

“I don’t see how the town can entertain this,” said Laura Bidon, a West Clarkstown Road resident and a member of CUPON Clarkstown. “It’s clearly and blatantly dangerous.”

The nearly three-hour meeting was tense and at times turned vitriolic with intensive questioning on every detail of car and bus movement, the number of employees present on the site during different hours of the day, and whether sufficient parking would be available as needed..

Referring to Clarkstown town code, attorney Ira Emanuel, who is representing the school, said, “This is where the board wants (schools) to be.” Clarkstown’s town code permits schools in residential zones, if they are situated on a state or county road.

To make the project more palatable, the applicant told the board the plan includes a donation of land to enable widening West Clarkstown Road in front of the school, for a left-lane turn onto the school property. A sidewalk in front of the school is also proposed.

While the proposal raises issues concerning environmental easements and times of operation at the school, the searing issues are traffic and safety. And the issue extends beyond this proposal – the road and its environs has been the target of several developments including St. Mary’s Church, L’Ador assisted living, Emerald Estates, the expansion of the Ashar yeshiva, and a proposed housing development at the former Camp Champion site at 175 West Clarkstown Road. Developer Gabe Alexander plans to raze the buildings at Camp Champion and construct a 121-unit senior housing complex with 217 parking spaces on the 9.18-acre property.

Last November, at a Planning Board meeting considering the Camp Champion application, Bidon said there were 90 traffic accidents reported to the New York State Department of Transportation during a two and a half-year span, according to data. The chart showed where accidents had been tracked by the NYS DOT between 1/23/21 and 8/31/23. At least 37 of reported accidents took place around the intersection of West Clarkstown Road and Addison Boyce Drive. There are several blind curves and sharp turns on this stretch of road.

On Wednesday, Clarkstown’s Traffic Consultant AKRF largely confirmed the number of accidents. The consultant laid out a menu of options to upgrade West Clarkstown Road and nearby streets, including adding signage and making it more reflective, striping, rumbles strips.

Planning Board members extensively probed the applicant about the number and working hours of teachers and staff to ascertain the movement of cars and buses. At issue is whether an allocated 51 parking spaces, along with 20 in reserve, is adequate.

The applicant’s traffic planner said the school is planning for 25 teachers, five administrators, 10 part-time teachers, one nurse, two cafeteria workers and two custodians. Feilding additional questions, the consultant broke down teaching shifts by hours during the day. He also told the board there will be 21 classrooms.

At times, Emanuel and the newly appointed board president Brian Metcalf, had sharp words, with Metcalf saying: “We are running the meeting,” Board member Phil DeGaetano said the applicant was providing a “hodge podge” adding, “Tell us exactly what you do. This didn’t start off good.”

Emanual hit back, citing that the applicant’s presentation was not “hodge podge;” he then attempted to explain that religious schools have different traffic and bus pick-up patterns than public schools. He said the applicant was providing “projections,” adding that’s what all development applicants do — estimate traffic based on projections.

DeGaetano retorted “This is the least of your problems.”

The tension centers around the board’s endeavor to grasp on how bus and car traffic will impact the road. An added wrinkle came up on Wednesday as questions were asked about the school’s intention to use it for events or after school hours. The applicant is required to provide off-site parking and bus service for events.

Board members and residents raised concerns over flooding and tree removal. Town Planner Joe Simoes suggested the applicant consider providing the town with a conservation easement on the east side of the property to prevent potential runoff. The applicant said no, saying it wanted to preserve its options for the future, and that any further development of the site would need Planning Board approval.

The applicant was also unwilling to foot the bill for road improvements, saying it should be the responsibility of the County Highway Department, and that it was already donating land for the road widening, and that it paid for the traffic study that revealed the issues.

Concerned residents were given 45 minutes to make public comments, three minutes per speaker. The public hearing will continue in mid-March.

“This just seems to me to be a dangerous plan,” said resident John McCullen. “It presents serious concerns.”