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THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY JULY 17,2005
A Quest for Green, Not Asphalt
By ELSA BRENNER
PATTERSON
WHEN Lynn Eckardt, a Brewster resident, senses a bout of serious
shopping coming
on, she fills the gas tank and heads for a bigbox store in Westchester,
Fairfield or Dutchess Counties. Close to home in Putnam County,
there isn't much
to choose from, she said, except for one shopping center and
a few small strip
malls.
But for a selfstyled treehugger like Ms. Eckardt, who owns a
garden center in
Brewster, driving 20 miles or more to shop at a Costco is a small
price to pay
for keeping Putnam the way it is: a rich shade of green throughout,
only
occasionally interrupted by the asphalt of a highway or a parking
lot.
"If shopping were my main concern," said Ms. Eckardt,
president of the Putnam
Smart Growth Alliance, a regional organization of people from
area civic and
environmental groups, "I wouldn't have moved to Putnam to
begin with. I would
have chosen White Plains or Yonkers."
In recent months, the Smart Growth Alliance has focused its
attentions on a
proposed 410,000squarefoot shopping center, with bigbox retailers,
on the border
of Patterson and Kent.
Expressing the opinion of many in Putnam opposed to the shopping
center,
Patterson Crossing, Ms. Eckardt called it "ill conceived
and potentially harmful
to the environment." Her yearold group seeks environmentally
conscious regional
development that does not result in overcrowded schools, congested
roadways,
increased taxes or sprawl.
"Our goal as an organization is to do what's best for Putnam," she
said.
Petitions being circulated by those opposing Patterson Crossing,
claim that it
would result in more than 30 acres of paved surfaces in an area
where much of
the land belongs to the New York City watershed. The petitions
also claim, among
other things, that small businesses in the area would suffer
from the
competition.
But not everyone thinks a bigbox shopping center would be bad
for Putnam.
The Patterson Chamber of Commerce contends that the proposed
$100 million retail
center would give Putnam the economic boost it needs. As proposed,
it would
occupy a 90acre site along Interstate 84 and Route 311, which
is already zoned
for retail use, with 73 acres in Patterson and 17 acres in Kent.
The 100member chamber of commerce, which is sponsoring an online
petition drive
in support of the shopping center, estimates it would create
hundreds of
construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs. The business group
predicts the retail
center would generate close to $1 million annually in real estate
taxes for
Patterson with much of that going to the Carmel Central School
District.
Opponents dispute those tax projections by the developer, claiming
they are
inflated. They say that after tax incentives, road costs and
other municipal
requirements, the amount would be far less.
But Anthony LoMeli, the chamber's vice president and a Web developer,
is firm in
his support of the shopping center: "The problem we see
is that there's really
no shopping to speak of now in Patterson. We need this."
Putnam, which has a population of 100,000 and covers 232 square
miles, is one of
the fastestgrowing counties in the state.
Paul A. Camarda, the developer of Patterson Crossing and a member
of the
Patterson Chamber of Commerce, said: "I call it the Putnam
paradox. There's all
this spending power in the county, but when it comes to shopping,
people drive
someplace else because you can't even buy a man's suit here.
People sleep in
Putnam."
Mr. Camarda said he was negotiating with future tenants like
Costco and Lowe's
Home Improvement Center. Other retailers in the center would
include a home
furnishings store, an electronics audiovisual store, clothing
and sporting goods
shops and places to eat.
But shopping center opponents like Jerry Ravnitzky, president
of Concerned
Residents of Carmel and Mahopac, a planning and advocacy group,
said there was
no need for such big stores. Mr. Ravnitzky noted that Brewster
Highlands Mall is
just several minutes from Mr. Camarda's proposed complex. That
mall, which was
built in Brewster about five years ago, includes Home Depot,
Linens N' Things
and Kohl's.
"Why chop all those trees down for yet another bigbox development
so close by,"
Mr. Ravnitzky said. "The traffic is already backing up on
the roads. It's
enough."
Some of the opposition to the new center is coming from Kent,
which will not
realize any tax benefits from the project, even though part of
the proposed
shopping center site is in that town. "Aside from some asphalt
close to
residents' backyards, Kent gets very little from it," Mr.
Ravnitzky said.
In Kent, one side of the shopping center would be about 85 feet
from privately
owned parcels, Mrs. Eckardt said.
Public hearings on the proposal are scheduled before the Patterson
planning
board for the fall and winter in Patterson, where officials will
decide the
matter. For now, Michael Griffin, Patterson's supervisor, said
he was taking an
unbiased stance.
"I like what I've seen so far," said Mr. Griffin,
a Republican who has held the
town's top office since 1994. "But it's way too early to
j ump to any
conclusions."
Meanwhile, Ms. Eckardt said her group was hoping officials would
strike a middle
ground.
"We know we can't stop growth altogether," she said. "We're
swimming against the
tide because many of the elected and appointed officials in the
county are
prodevelopment.
"But at least if there has to be growth, we want it to
be smart growth,
sustainable growth, with as little negative impact on the environment
as possible."
 New York Times Letters
Novermber 14, 2004
To the Editor:
Over the past decade, most of eastern Putnam has undergone an
explosion of commercial and residential growth. And "smart
growth" it isn't. Overcrowded schools, traffic-clogged roadways,
increased taxes and unattractive, ill-conceived sprawl now confront
Putnam residents daily.
In Southeast, where 99 percent of our land is within the New
York City watershed, we have tough new wetlands regulations,
which would be terrific if they were ever enforced. In fact,
since their adoption, not one project has been stopped or altered
dramatically.
Four of our five reservoirs are phosphorus-impaired, and yet
there are more than 400 recently approved housing units under
construction or to be built. And there are at least 100 more
in the planning process.
Our town supervisor, John Dunford, is absolutely correct when
he states, "We don't have the infrastructure," and
Route 22 has become a case in point. It's not just environmentalists
who don't want a wholesale widening of Route 22 but rather many
residents who see the widening as yet another invitation to promote
unchecked growth.
To combat the relentless pressure of development in our town,
Concerned Residents of Southeast was formed in 1996. Our current
membership stands now at approximately 550. We're doing our best,
but we're swimming against both the tide and most of our county's
elected and appointed officials.
Lynne Eckardt
Brewster
The writer is vice president, Concerned Residents of Southeast.
Back
Pictures
from our Inaugural Party August
28th, 2004
On Saturday evening, August 28th,
2004 the Putnam Smart Growth Alliance held it's inaugural kickoff
party and fund raiser at a private home
in the town of Southeast. It was a smashing success by all accounts,
was atteneded by local and regional politicians, and several thousand
dollars were raised through the event.
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Strict criteria needed for senior housing
(Original publication: July 8, 2004)
Because "senior housing" can be of much
greater density than local zoning might allow for
residential housing, it will be up to our elected
and appointed officials to ensure that what is
approved is indeed "senior housing" and
not an "end run" around local current
zoning codes.
With 60 units proposed for the Terravest Corporate
Park in Southeast (public hearing July 15) and
287 units proposed in Carmel (Gateway Summit and
Fairways) and other proposals waiting in the wings,
it is essential that, at the very least, strict
criteria be established and, more importantly,
adhered to. It's also important to remember that
while some communities start out as "senior
housing" such as Heritage Hills in Somers,
lawsuits challenging the legality of "age
discrimination" or developers pleading "financial
hardship" can change the development's "senior
status" to "residential" overnight.
Finally, studies indicate that the majority of
seniors would prefer to "age in place." This
is yet another good reason not to rush into a "one
size fits all" community. Another good reason
to explore alternate options (accessory apartments,
etc.) that may lead to more creative solutions
that better serve both seniors and the community.
The Putnam Smart Growth Alliance strongly urges
a countywide (town by town) moratorium on senior
housing until the Pace University Study is released
and carefully reviewed. It is imperative to determine
how much senior housing is regionally appropriate
before building the hundreds of units now planned.
All Putnam residents deserve nothing less.
Lynne Eckardt, Brewster,
The writer is president,
Putnam Smart Growth Alliance.
Back
New York Journal News Letters:
Support initiative for open space
(Original publication: June 8, 2004)
The Putnam Smart Growth Alliance is made up of individuals from
towns across Putnam County that have long worked toward sustainable
communities and watershed protection. In dealing with the rapid
increase in suburban sprawl, we believe it is essential to balance
new development with the preservation of our open spaces. We must
take into account appropriate environmental factors as well as
community needs to ensure the continuation of our high quality
of life.
As those before us passed on beautiful communities with an abundance
of fresh water, trees, birds and enriched habitats, we too need
to ensure the same treasures for our future generations.
PSGA supports Carl Marcellino (chairman of the state Senate Environmental
Conservation Committee) and Thomas DiNapoli (chairman of the state
Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee) in their joint initiative
to sponsor a bill in the state Legislature allowing local municipalities
to individually consider a transfer fee of up to 2 percent on local
real estate transactions to create much-needed Land Banks as a
ready source of revenue for the purchase and preservation of our
rapidly dwindling open space lands.
We know Land Banks are already being used successfully in communities
across our nation. The landscapes of our future communities will
be dependent on our success in implementing such initiatives. We
welcome the help and support of our communities.
Lynne Eckardt, Brewster
The writer is president, Putnam Smart Growth Alliance.
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New York Journal News Letters:
Smart-growth alliance group welcome
. . .
(Original publication: May 18, 2004)
I wanted to add our voices to what is hopefully a
cacophony of hearty congratulations to Lynne Eckardt and the other
founding members of the Putnam Smart Growth Alliance (May 11 story) kudos
and congratulations to you all!
Black Throated Blue Warbler
Photo by DK Dawson
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It has become so clear that all of the growth, planning,
environmental and sustainability issues that concern so many of
us are regional in nature, even if they do occur in someone's physical
backyard. Protection of our vital natural resources, especially
in such a prime watershed region, is of the utmost importance;
and all of the related issues quality of life, preserving
rural and semi-rural characteristics, lowering taxes, eliminating
sprawl, curbing development, and so on take on an entirely
new significance when viewed regionally.
Please know that you have our total support and commitment;
ForSomers.org is behind you 150 percent!
Allan Golden, Somers,
The writer is president, ForSomers.org.
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Putnam growth activists to view big picture
By MICHAEL RISINIT
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: May 11, 2004)
SOUTHEAST Eight community activists who have closely monitored
proposed
shopping centers and subdivisions in their own communities have formed a
nonprofit organization focusing on development from a wider perspective.
"So much growth to me is regional now," said Lynne Eckardt
of Southeast,
who heads the new group. "We feel all the planning is affecting the entire
region, not just Southeast, not just Putnam Valley."
By not intensely focusing on one town or one issue, the Putnam
Smart Growth
Alliance, its organizers said, can take a broader view when it comes to
such large undertakings as the state's proposed widening of Route 22 in
Southeast.
The alliance's board includes residents from five of Putnam County's
six
towns Carmel, Kent, Patterson, Putnam Valley and Southeast who
will
seek to educate other residents on growth and development.
"Part of the problem is a lot of the neighborhood groups
are 'not in my
backyard' types," said board member Jeff Green of Kent, who runs a Web
site
focusing on development, www.planputnam.org.
Coming Soon!
Photo by Jeff Green |
"What the alliance is going to be doing is not looking at
every development coming around but looking at the bigger picture," he
said.
The alliance follows the formation of several, more local watchdog
groups that began in the mid-1990s, such as the Concerned Residents
of Southeast, the Concerned Residents of Carmel and Mahopac and
the Putnam Valley
Residents' Coalition Corp.
While many of the alliance's board members are active in those
organizations, said Eckardt, a member of the Southeast group, they
represent only themselves in the alliance. Under its organizational status
as a 501(c)(4), the group can lobby elected officials and endorse political
candidates.
The alliance's aim, members said, is to work with elected officials
and
developers to arrive at mutually acceptable projects.
Such an undertaking might mean channeling growth toward areas
with existing
development, such as a town or village center, or scaling a project to fit
the land instead of forcing a shopping center into a hillside.
The effort of trying to balance development and conservation is
a "good
thing," said John Nolon, director of the Land Use Law Center at Pace
University.
"It's also a good thing that people concerned with these
things look at
these things across municipal boundaries," said Nolon, who added he wasn't
familiar with the newly formed Putnam group.
One issue affecting more than just its host community, Green and
others
said, is Patterson Crossing, a proposed 410,000-square-foot shopping center
on the Kent-Patterson border near Interstate 84.
The center is expected to draw shoppers from Connecticut, northern
Westchester and southern Dutchess counties.
Patterson Crossing's developer, Paul Camarda, said he welcomed
the new
group's effort.
"My first thought would be, any time you can bring people
together to have
a reasonable and thoughtful dialogue regarding issues, there is a
possibility good things can come out of that dialogue," Camarda said. "I
think a dialogue has to look at the total quality of life, which is
environmental issues and economic issues."
Jerry Ravnitzky, president of Concerned Residents of Carmel and
Mahopac and
a member of the new group, said everyone now works independently
residents fight proposals in their neighborhoods and builders proceed with
their plans.
The alliance, he said, would offer suggestions and advice to both
sides.
"Until now, developers come forth with plans, and residents
are battling
that until the next battle comes along," Ravnitzky said. "There's
got to be
a much better way than that."
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