Joint Public Hearing on Village View Annexation Remains Open

By Katie Bisaro

The Town of Warwick and Village of Warwick held a Joint Public Hearing on Thurs., Jan.14 to consider the annexation of a sliver of land, equaling just over half an acre, from the Town to the Village that is part of the proposed Village View Estates subdivision development in the Village, off Woodside Dr. and Locust St.

The public hearing was held at Warwick Town Hall where both municipal Boards assembled as well as several members of the public, all masked and socially distanced. Village Attorney Stephen Gaba was also in attendance. Town Attorney, Jay Myrow, was in attendance but seated in the audience; he recused himself from the hearing as he represents the developer of Village View.

Residents Requested Delay in Hearing

Prior to opening the floor to comments from the public, several letters that had been received prior to the hearing were read on the record. Two residents felt the public hearing should have been delayed to a time, perhaps months later, when more residents would feel safe coming to a public meeting in light of the ongoing health situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other letters outlined traffic and environmental concerns regarding the proposed development.

Both Town of Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton and Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard emphasized that the matter before them concerned the annexation of the small piece of land that would serve to clean up the tax map. Issues regarding the approval of a Special Use Permit for the proposed development would be considered at a later date. 

In addition to the letters read prior to public commentary, those in attendance addressed ongoing concerns regarding traffic in the area of the proposed development, particularly on Woodside Dr. and Locust St. According to residents in the area, the roads are too narrow and have blind curves, creating a dangerous situation in the event more vehicles are on those roads from the proposed development. Concerns were also brought up regarding the impact of the proposed development on the environment and wetlands as well as Village infrastructure including an upgrade to the Robin Brae pump station.

The developer’s engineer, Kirk Rother, reported that approximately 1600 square feet of the proposed annexed piece of property would be used as a roadway to allow access from the development to Woodside Dr. The remainder of the land would be dedicated open space.

At previous meetings and work sessions the developer has indicated that he will pay for the needed upgrade to the Robin Brae pump station.

Residents in attendance also expressed concern about another adjoining section of land, owned by the developer and located in the Town, and the possibility of that property being annexed into the Village, further burdening Village infrastructure systems.

Sweeton explained that the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) in place for that area precludes that annexation. Additionally, according to the annexation agreement between the Town and the Village, Town land annexed into the Village would retain Town zoning of 2.5 acre lots. According to Sweeton, this is an added layer of protection for the Village to control density.

After a brief discussion by the two Boards, and consultation with Village Attorney Gaba, it was determined that the public hearing would be held open to reconvene at a later date in an effort to make it possible for more residents to attend. 

The Joint Public Hearing will reconvene on Thurs., Feb. 25, at 7 p.m., prior to the regular Town Board meeting, at Warwick Town Hall, 132 Kings Hwy., Warwick. Written commentary will continue to be accepted until this date.

Woodside Dr. resident Raymond Maher, standing, addresses a Joint Public Hearing of the Town & Village of Warwick regarding annexation of a small piece of land from the Village to the Town as part of the Village View Estates subdivision.

A Joint Public Hearing was held at Warwick Town Hall regarding the annexation of a small piece of land from the Town to the Village. The Town Board, seated above, & the Village Board, seated at tables, heard commentary from the public regarding this issue. The Joint Public Hearing has been held over & will reconvene on Thurs., Feb. 25.