TOWN OWNED LAND AND COMMERCIAL
& RESIDENTIAL GROWTH - CARMEL HAMLET

By Connie Munday, Carmel Town Clerk
October 26, 2000

There are differing opinions on the proposed sale of the Town Owned 19 acres and commercial/residential development.  Whichever views you favor, here is some history, facts and questions about the land, proposed sale and current development projects in the Hamlet of Carmel.

1.    How did the Town acquire the 19 acres?  Dec. 1981, after  planning for a recycling and composting operation to eliminate bulk from the waste stream, the Carmel Town Board  through “eminent domain proceedings” acquired the 19 acres for “public use”.  This was back when the “garbage crisis” plagued the town and carter’s rates were through the roof. 

2.      What improvements were made to the land?  In 1982 the town had taken  the land from owners Landau and  Shapiro, paid  a partial payment and was in Supreme Court to determine the amount for final payment.  Meanwhile, the town constructed the road into the property with site work ($137,000), built the metal building ($97,000) and bought recycling equipment ($90,000). 

3.      How did the residents feel about the project?  In 1983 local residents protested the composting part of the project; concerned there would be odors and vermin drawn to the site. The upcoming election resulted in a new administration taking office in January 1984 and the focus turned to other issues.  

4.      Settlement of land acquisition with road easement. Late 1984 the Court proceedings concluded resulting in a total acquisition cost of  $325,000 for the 19 acres and granting Messrs. Landau and Shapiro a 50 foot wide road easement through the 19 acres to their adjoining property. The easement location  was to be determined and accurately described on the acquisition map within sixty days after the Town took possession. 

5.     Lease building for storage – Reject offers from former owners - 1985 through 1988 the town leased the metal building to a private company for storage.  The town chose not to market the land for sale because under “eminent domain law” they would first have to offer it back to the former owners. On two occasions, early 1989 and late 1992, the former owner  Shapiro sought to acquire back either all or a part of the land.  His proposals were rejected. 

6.      Highway Department “public use” of property.  In 1989 the town had discontinued the lease arrangement and the Highway Department began storing the winter salt inventory inside the building and stockpiling sand alongside.  This was a great idea since the highway trucks no longer had to drive back and forth to the yard in Mahopac for each truckload of material.  Hamlet roads were being cleared in half the time for school buses and commuters plus the property was being used for “public use”. This use still continues today. 

7.      Proposal to buy the 19 acres for commercial development -  The town never officially marketed the 19 acres for sale.   Now along comes a developer proposing to buy the land to link the Light Industrial 19 acres with the adjoining Shapiro property for commercial development.  He offered to buy it for $700,000. and give us a kiddy park.   Negotiations ensued  which recently resulted in a public contract offer of $1,150,000, minus $150,000 if he “donates” seven acres on the adjacent sloped land for the town’s use.  (If the price came down, we bought the 7 acres).  He proposes some kind of big store like a “Gap”, some smaller retail, residential “assisted living”, restaurant/s, computer chip manufacturing and a hotel conference center at the top overlooking the golf course.  However, he stated  he cannot actually guarantee any of this.  In addition, we get a “neighborhood park” - he will build us a kiddy park and  an in-line skating rink on one acre of the property abutting the town of Southeast. 

8.      Who is this developer?  Mr. Paul Camarda; the same donator of land for our “Camarda Park” up on Seminary Hill Road.   The Town Board accepted 47 acres from Mr. Camarda which would have been owned by his Willow Ridge 71 lot Homeowner’s Association to remain on the tax rolls.  We now own 13 acres of wetlands and slopes where the park road is being built, 25 acres of parkland for needed recreation fields/facilities and about 9 acres of useless land abutting the NYC DEP Croton River.  Mr. Camarda would not allow us access to the parklands through his 71 lot cluster subdivision.  The donated 47 acres are out of the sewer and water districts but his 71 residential lots are safely within those boundaries.  He also developed the new 35 lot subdivision off Rte. 52 on Dyckman Road and the new “Centennial Ridge” 56 lot subdivision on Fair Street and Hill and Dale Rd.  A total of 162 homes built or under construction in the Hamlet of Carmel. 

9.     “Camarda Park” entrance off Seminary Hill Road.  There is poor road “line-of-sight” at the entrance to the park so the Town will have to make major improvements to ensure safe ingress/egress.  Its been stated that the Town and County are going to “fix” it at no additional cost to you. (all costs will be charged back to the Town’s General Fund or Capital Project Fund).  The Town should be able to  tell you the cost estimate prior to construction.  Does the Town need or have a  DEP  Permit  for the “park” road to cross the protected wetlands next to the Croton River? 

10.   Carmel Corporate Center, Stoneleigh Ave. behind Danbury Pharmaceutical.  Mr. Camarda is completing his project for 17 lots for new commercial development.  His final Environmental Impact Statement is on file at Town Hall.  He was granted “preliminary approval” by the Planning Board in August this year.  His proposals for the lots include 300 residential units for the elderly and “assisted living”, another self-storage warehouse, medical office, two new restaurants, another movie theater, a discount retailer or home improvement business, a good sized professional office, one large and a few small retail and some sort of indoor sports business. (Again, none of this is guaranteed).  Along with the admitted traffic impacts, Mr. Camarda’s plan proposes to mitigate by way of another traffic light to the Stoneleigh Ave/Rte. 6 area to which he would contribute an unknown $ amount; it even suggests the closing of the existing Putnam Plaza signalized entrance.  It goes on to say that a number of intersection improvements that are currently being pursued by the county were identified in his study as having existing capacity problems which could potentially be made worse by his proposal. 

11.  Residential Building Moratorium -  Mr. Camarda was successful in getting his 100 residential housing project (“The Links”) into the Planning Board on the 20th of September prior to the Town Board’s moratorium resolution adopted that very evening.  What does this mean?  I believe it means that if he quickly gets the project through the Planning Board to “preliminary approval status” prior to the expiration of the moratorium, the project would not be subject to the proposed three acre residential up-zoning.  The “Links” would stay at one acre zoning.   I suggest asking the Town Attorney to make sure this is correct.   

12.    The “Links” - Mr. Camarda’s 100 unit residential project will be accessed from Fair Street.  The road will swing around the wetland and intersect with Hill & Dale Road. This intersection will result in a four-way stop or more likely a traffic light.  The 100 housing units will be a “cluster development” meaning that 35% of his land must remain “green”, owned by a homeowner’s association and remain on the tax rolls.  We don’t know exactly what land  Mr. Camarda is using for lot count to cluster 100 units when the Links property is only 93 acres.  Last we heard,  litigation over ownership was still going on by Duke & Benedict with Centennial.  Under the Town’s Zoning Ordinance one cannot transfer development rights to property they don’t own. 

Connie Munday, Town Clerk