Opposition builds to Cross River subdivision

Some neighbors are organizing to prevent subdivision of this 14-acre Route 35 property. THANE GRAUEL PHOTO

By THANE GRAUEL

A plan to subdivide an old farmstead in Cross River for single-family homes is being met with opposition.

The subdivision request by 831 Route 35 Cross River LLC, seeks to carve the 14.5-acre lot into 14 lots, ranging in size from 0.5 to 1.1 acres. It would have a private road, cul-de-sac and entry gate.

The plan for land, formerly owned by the Reynolds family, which has a long history in Cross River, will be taken up by the town Planning Board at its meeting Tuesday, July 21.  The Planning Department said Wednesday a dozen letters have been received regarding the application.

A group called Preserve Lewisboro also has been formed. It urges people to take part in the process by attending meetings and writing letters. The Planning Department said Wednesday a dozen letters have been received so far regarding the application.

Two organizers of Preserve Lewisboro, Penny Zokaie and Ed Thieberger, live next door to old Reynolds property, with two sides of their lot abutting it.

“It will have tremendously significant environmental impact on the area, not just on the beauty of the town but on the environment,” Thieberger told The Recorder. He called the potential environmental impacts “quite devastating.”

The proposed subdivision’s southern edge abuts Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, the county’s largest park, and close to the Cross River waterway and wetlands.

The town’s Conservation Advisory Council discussed the subdivision on Monday and was to forward recommendations to the Planning Board for its Tuesday meeting.

The property had been listed for $1.575 million when purchased by the LLC. It currently has one house, described as a 1930 colonial farmhouse. 

Zokaie, in an earlier Letter to the Editor, said land would be ideal for a new police headquarters, if it were rezoned for municipal use. The town’s police department is losing its home at the campus of the former Lewisboro Elementary School at the end of August.

“Not only would this resolve the LES issue, but it would satisfy the neighbors’ concerns over water, septic, traffic, open land and drastic change of community character,” Zokaie wrote.

“Many neighbors knew the Reynolds sisters who lived on the property for many years, and their family’s long connection to this area is part of Cross River’s history,” Thieberger wrote in a letter to The Recorder. “We are concerned about the potential impact of dense development on neighborhood character, stormwater and drainage, traffic and road safety, mature trees, open space, and the broader environmental setting.”

The Planning Board meets Tuesday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m., in the courtroom at the town office complex, located at 79 Bouton Road, South Salem. It will be streamed online.