Cornwall project draws NW concerns

Residential development eyed near Cornwall High School

By Alberto Gilman
Posted 3/1/23

The Town of Cornwall Planning Board will host a public scoping session at Cornwall Central High School on Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m. to receive public comments on a proposed project known in town …

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Cornwall project draws NW concerns

Residential development eyed near Cornwall High School

Posted

The Town of Cornwall Planning Board will host a public scoping session at Cornwall Central High School on Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m. to receive public comments on a proposed project known in town records as Biagini Woods Multi-Family Development. The project is proposed to be developed on land adjacent to the high school and has been before the planning board since Fall 2022.

According to documents shared through the assistance of Cornwall Planning Board Attorney Dominic Cordisco of Drake Loeb PLLC, the identified applicant, All Mine of Orange, Inc, has proposed the construction of a new multi-family development with 328 units in 17 buildings with 149 acres of associated parking adjacent to Cornwall High School. The project is represented by the engineering firm Engineering and Surveying Properties PC. The project had received a positive declaration from the Cornwall Planning Board who had determined that the project would have environmental impact. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement would also need to be prepared by the applicant.

Proposed access to public sewer through the New Windsor’s Wastewater Treatment Plant would be possible through a newly-created Cornwall Sewer District. The Cornwall Town Board and New Windsor Town Boards would need to issue approvals for this action to take place.

New Windsor Town Attorney David Zagon has been in communication with Cornwall, the Cornwall Planning Board and the developer identified as Paul Biagini. An agreement is currently in place with New Windsor and the high school for sewer and a new connection would lead to the high school discharging into the Cornwall sewer system. New Windsor Town Supervisor George Meyers declined to comment on the proposed project.

According to Cornwall Supervisor Joshua Wojehowski, the current zoning of the land proposed for the development was originally zoned single-family homes. In 2012, the zoning changed and was then recognized as multi-family. In the years following when the town began its work again on a comprehensive plan, the zoning remained unchanged.

Wojehowski expressed concerns about the property as there are present wetlands and trees on the existing property which Wojehowski shared that the town was working on a tree preservation law.

The distance to the school is also a concern and there needs to be considerations for recreational amenities. With regards to the project access, the roadway leading to the high school was identified as Dragon Drive which is currently listed as a privately owned road by the district as stated in a letter from Cornwall Superintendent of Schools Terry Dade back in November 2022. Wojehowski added that the New York State Department of Transportation will also need to provide input as Route 94 runs adjacent to the site. Traffic concerns can also be raised with regards to the Dragon Drive intersection which meets Mt. Airy Road, the Jackson Ave/Route 94 intersection and the larger Five Corners intersection in New Windsor.

“It’s kind of not an ideal property to really develop. It’s [the parcel] zoned this [multi-family] and somebody bought it, and they want to go through the process to develop the parcel for what the town has zoned it for,” said Wojehowski. “We’ve got to let the planning board do its job.”