Riverfront development in and around Sleepy Hollow’s waterfront has long been a hot button issue, particularly at the idle site of the vacant GM factory. Over the last two years, issues and disagreements regarding the special permit approval for rezoning the downtown waterfront have come to the surface with recent emphasis placed on the Castle Oil property.

In December, two meetings took place at village hall. Among those in attendance was resident Mark Fry who is an outspoken critic of the rezoning effort. As a residential and commercial planner, Fry, who has followed the issue for more than two years, explained trustees have overridden the village Planning Board recommendation, which they are legally entitled to do, as well as dismissed recommendations from the Waterfront Advisory Committee, which rejected the proposal on the basis that it didn’t conform to New York State-approved coastal zone policies.

Fry said trustees “are off the rails when it comes to procedure.”

Last year, the village hired Saccardi & Schiff, Inc., a planning and development consulting firm, who appointed David Smith as project manager. “The village is in the process of holding public hearings,” Smith said. “No decision has been made and it’s ultimately up to the board.”

The Castle Oil site abuts Horan’s Landing, a village park, and the Hudson River, on two sides, and fronts on River Street. The multi-story building being proposed for the site is out of scale with the site, and would disrupt the view shed, explained Fry.

“I’m not against waterfront development, I’m for it,” he said. “The site is already zoned for development; there is no need for rezoning text.”

While Smith said the proposed amendment wasn’t “quite double” the existing plans, which called for 30 units, if approved, the new plan would have 44 units per acre, which Fry called excessive.

“We need to avoid the terrible planning mistakes of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s,” said Fry.

The developers responsible for the Hudson Harbor complex are behind the proposed development.

In a terse, detailed letter to Village Trustees earlier this year, Nicholas A. Robinson, Sleepy Hollow’s former planning board chairman, noted that “The application suggests a reluctance to comply fully with the requirements of the Village and State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) by preparing an environmental impact statement and affording the public the opportunity to comment on the draft Environmental Impact Statement.”

He continued, “It is time to study those issues closely, and learn from them, and take stock of all that the village has learned as it studied and debated the GM/Roseland issues. Rushing to adopt a new overlay zone and approve a new ‘special permit,’ without such a comprehensive review to what we know about our waterfront, is hardly sound planning.”

Richard Plano, president of the Philipse Manor Improvement Association, noted several concerns, including “spot zoning” for the proposed condominium development. Additionally, he wants assurance that the village is taking into account the additional school children that would be added to the tax roll. He and the association members are also concerned that a thorough Environmental Impact Statement has not been completed.

“This is a dense structure with a lot of units on less than two acres of land, and we want to ensure that mistakes don’t happen,” Plano said.

Mayor Kenneth Wray could not be reached for comment. Smith said once finalized, the proposed project plans will be subjected to a State Environmental Quality Review.

Robinson said if a Comprehensive Village Plan (similar to the ones enacted by Irvington and Tarrytown) was adopted, issues such as traffic flows and scenic amenities could be better addressed in the planning phase.

“At present, lacking a Master Plan, the trustees as planners are flying blind,” he noted. “The residents and taxpayers of Sleepy Hollow deserve better.”