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The table, from Master Consulting, was submitted to the New Castle Town Board at its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 12, which included multiple public hearings pertaining to Summit/Greenfield's retail and grocery proposal for a portion of the site.
The data show traffic volumes for five scenarios and what peak hours during a week, which include school traffic. The first is with baseline data collected in 2008 -- a 2013 follow up showed comparable volume, Master Consulting's John Collins confirmed -- while the second shows what would happen if existing office space was reoccupied. The third scenario involves a mix of less office space and 111 housing units, a scenario that, according to records, was approved by the Town Board in 2011.
The fourth scenario is an earlier retail iteration from 2013, with 120,000 square in total and a grocery store of 60,000, in addition to the same housing units and reduced office space. The fifth involves Summit/Greenfield's current proposal, which includes the same aggregate numbers for retail, office and residential but now has a 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods.
The current proposal has large traffic increases from the 2008 baseline, although not as much as the 2013 version. For example, the morning school hour volume would go from 160 to 479, an increase of 199.4 percent, while the school exit hour would jump from 105 to 747, which is by 611.4 percent. The heaviest volume projected would be 1,046 for a weekday PM highway hour, an increase from 340, which is by 207.6 percent. The largest percentage increase would be by 1,582.2, which involves a Saturday peak hour jump from a low volume of 45 to 757.
Traffic rises substantially in all scenarios, including re-occupancy of existing office space. The commercial space has been mostly vacant, something that was a topic at the Town Board's July 22 meeting, video shows.
In general, the biggest degree of traffic increase would was projected to happen under the 2013 retail iteration, followed by the current one. The third biggest increase would have been under the scenario using the 2011 approval, while the fourth would be under re-occupancy.
Summit/Greenfield has proposed several traffic mitigation measures for the retail project. They include the addition of turning lanes at the intersection of Route 117 and Roaring Brook Road, along with a traffic signal at the latter and the access drive to the Horace Greeley High School campus. Some speakers at the Town Board meeting on Tuesday were skeptical about mitigation helping.
Resident Lynne Lambert requested traffic information when she spoke at the previous meeting, video shows. Speaking in an interview, she recalled asking for the numbers on one table, which is in contrast to the separation presentations of the data. She also requested traffic percentage differences. Lambert is among those concerned about traffic impact.
Fellow resident Tina Fine, who voiced concern about traffic from the proposal, likened a traffic stream to a "snarling snake." As an alternative for Chappaqua Crossing, she expressed support for start ups to utilize the space.
The Town Board voted to adjourn the public hearings to Sept. 23.
A copy of the traffic table is available here.
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