Residents of the Town of Newburgh voiced concerns and asked questions about traffic impacts, drainage, site grading, response time and blasting on Thursday, December 21 which took about an hour or so on the Gardner Ridge housing project. The Town of Newburgh Planning Board granted a negative declaration and preliminary approval and the applicant will need town board approval for a senior density bonus.

The Gardner Ridge project is a proposed 144 multi-family residential project with included senior housing that has been cited to be built along Gardnertown Road near Gidney Avenue on a 32.4 plus or minus acre parcel. The project would be built into the wooded side of the hill along Gardnertown Road.

This project will include five buildings that will be sprinkled; 108 units will be market rate while the remaining 36 will be for senior residents and each of the units will be two-bedroom units. Primary access and emergency access roads will both be located along Gardnertown Road and the project will access both water and sewer from the town.

Addressing road changes, Creek Run Road would be realigned, the foliage heading up the hill would be cleared so as to improve visibility to drivers and Gardnertown Road would see widening for a left turn lane into the site. The Farrell Communities at Gardnertown Road is located up the hill from the proposed development and properties along Maurice Lane are also at the top of the hill.

“The sight lines for Creek Run Road, who will be responsible for maintaining the hillside there to keep the trees clear so you can see, because you can’t see those cars coming down the hill, they fly down that hill, it’s very dangerous there, who’s going to make sure that that sight line remains open?” asked Jonathan Moulton. Philip Grealy of Colliers Engineering and Design stated that the section of hill would be cleared and low growing vegetation would be placed along the hillside. Maintenance of the area would need to be further discussed between the town and the applicant.

“We have objections and concerns about this project, not about the project itself. This is a greater distance that we have to travel to this call and dwellings like this do create additional calls. A lot of them we call them culinary disasters,” said Donald Greene, Vice Chairman of the Cronomer Valley Fire District Board of Commissioners. “We want to state our concerns are getting there with the traffic and you know the calls and the possibility of additional car accidents in the area.”

“They’re talking about blasting up there, you know, to remove stone and things like this. You know, our houses are all on septics, you know, we all have that issue to worry about our foundations to worry about. We’re on wells. A lot of our houses are still on wells,” said Steven Copping.

Patrick Hines of MHE Engineering addressed the blasting comment that the applicant has gone ahead and conducted geotechnical work and the applicant would use mechanical methods with the project first before any blasting. Blasting protocols would have to be reviewed through the town code.

MHE Engineering memo comments have noted 5,000 cubic yards of excess material would need to be removed and disposed of on site, compliance with town’s senior housing code needs to be documented and the tree preservation plan would need to be reviewed. Orange County comments have been received and are advisory according to Hines. Plans have also been reviewed by the highway superintendent which led to revisions by the applicant. Other comments will need to be addressed from their memo going forward.

The town planning board closed the public hearing and thanked the public for their comments on the project and also requested from the applicant about the possibility of a shelter structure for school children waiting for buses at the driveway of the development.