Planning Board Hears Comments on Rivertowns Square

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – The proposed plan for Rivertowns Square continued to move along Thursday night as the Dobbs Ferry Planning Board discussed its official list of comments at a public work session. 

“We plan to put it in a memo type format to send to the board of trustees,” said Ed Plotkin, the board's chair. 

There were 41 comments discussed by the board while developers and attorneys for the project took notes. Topics such as flooding on the Saw Mill Parkway garnered plenty of discussion among the board.  

“You design the system and if the flood comes up the storm water can’t leave,” Plotkin said of a comment questioning the project’s plan to control flooding.

Project planner Dwight Douglas said Rivertowns Square would have measures in place to not only handle excessive flooding, but to improve conditions from where they are now.

“It has to improve,” he said.  “Not only at peak [times], but period.”

The Rivertowns Square project would redevelop an existing 17.7-acre commercial property bordered by Stanley Avenue, Lawrence Street, Livingston Avenue and Danforth Avenue. The proposed project would include a multi-story residential building with more than 220 units and a parking garage, a 107 room hotel, a 55,000 square foot supermarket, nearly 30,000 square feet of various retail space in three buildings and approximately 6,400 square feet of retail/restaurant space in two buildings. 

While the board discussed the entire list of comments in the hour before the regular board meeting was set to begin, Plotkin joked about keeping things moving.

“We can’t [slow down], there’s a minimum speed limit here,” he said.

With only the hour to discuss the official comments, Douglas made sure to get the consensus of the board, regardless of whether some comments were considered redundant.

“What I’m afraid is of missing something you all feel is important,” he said.

The board also discussed potential bus lines, how traffic could be reduced, the potential of reducing the size of various parts of the project and it also asked for a complete drawing to display all public spaces including sidewalks and gathering areas within the site plan.

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