Environmental Impact Statement Promised for Development Proposal Along Beaver Swamp Brook in Harrison
It was over two hours into the Town/Village of Harrison Planning Board meeting before the agenda item of 67 Grant Avenue was discussed. But it was one of the first topics mentioned to those attending, in a room overflowing from its 60 seats. The project is a new six story, 140-unit apartment complex being proposed adjacent to Beaver Swamp Brook in Harrison.
Planning Board Chair Joe Stout, a former commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation and lifelong Harrison resident, reminded attendees it was not a public hearing. The project would be presented by its developer the Stagg Group and its representatives. The public would have their chance to speak, but that would be later, at a subsequent meeting.
Environmental Impact Statement
After 9pm, the proposed development was presented by the developer the Stagg Group. Most of the presentation was done by lawyer Al Pirro, lawyer with Abrams Fensterman. Pirro is the ex-husband of FOX News host and former Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2021 while serving time on conspiracy and tax evasion charges. Both Pirros are noted power brokers for many years in Westchester County.
“We want to do an environmental impact statement,” Pirro told the board about the 67 Grant Avenue project. “I’ve never offered that to the board in 55 years that I’ve been doing zoning cases, but I figured that this might be a subject of some interest, so I thought that perhaps we should come out and address that right up front.”
Jay Martino, senior vice president of construction for Stagg and William Schneider, PE, vp, site civil engineering & landscape architecture for PS&S engineering also spoke and provided details on the project.
“You couldn’t have dropped a pin on one of the most environmentally constrained parcels left in the city, in the downtown area of Harrison,” said Planning Board Chair Stout. “So you can rest assured – you know what the issues are. It’s flood storage. It’s flooding. It’s how to get people in and out of there safely, and it’s traffic. And thank you. Appreciate the offer to do the environmental impact study.”
Stout pointed out the EIS process allows for a lot of public input and requires a look at various alternatives.
Scoping, Lead Agency, Rye Concerns
The Harrison Planning Board decided it will be the lead agency, and accepted the developer’s offer that they meet with Harrison’s Town Planner Patrick Cleary to discuss a scoping document that will inform the EIS study. Attorney Pirro stated multiple times that he and the developer were happy to meet with interested parties.
“I read recently about Rye having an interest in the project, and we will be making a presentation to their planning consultant as we go along in this project to make sure that we have all of the information that they would like, to make sure that we’re looking at and discussing both with them as a neighbor and with this planning board,” Stagg Group’s attorney Pirro told the board.
Separately, Pirro told MyRye.com he has reached out to Rye City Planner Christian Miller to discuss the project. Rye had legal counsel in the room, and local Rye elected officials Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker and Councilmembers Nathan and Ward were in attendance.
The next Harrison Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22nd. The Rye City Council is expected to discuss the 67 Grant Avenue project at its meeting Wednesday evening.
