Stop Cedar Knolls - Save the date - April 20, 2026 7:30 PM -
SAVE THE DATE for the Planning Board Public Hearing on April 20 at 7:30 pm
SAVE THE DATE for the Planning Board Public Hearing on April 20 at 7:30 pm to take public comments on the draft scoping document to the DEIS for the Cedar Knolls redevelopment, here are some relevant links:
The scoping document can be found here: https://www.mtpleasantny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2700/50--01-21-2026-Draft-DEIS-Scope
The submissions from this applicant can be found here: https://www.mtpleasantny.gov/527/226-228-Linda-Ave-Hawthorne-Cedar-Knolls
- Mount Pleasant Cares
SAVE THE DATE – April 20, 2026 at 7:30 pm – Town of Mount Pleasant Town Hall for the Public Hearing before the Planning Board regarding the Cedar Knolls 91 plot (87-home) development.
This PUBLIC HEARING concerns the draft scoping document for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (the ‘DEIS’). The scoping document helps set up what impacts get reviewed in the DEIS.
- Under New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the lead agency controls the scope of what gets studied.
- The scoping process is specifically designed to:
- Add issues that may be significant
- Expand areas of study where impacts warrant it
- SEQRA sets a floor, not a ceiling.
The Town of Mt Pleasant Planning Board is the lead agency. SEQRA allows the Board, as lead agency, to expand the scope to include anything that may be a significant impact. This is the time to do that.
To ensure that impacts like flooding, traffic, school capacity, and costs are going to be fully examined, we need you to speak up, show up and/or email the Planning Board: csaracino@mtpleasantny.gov
Major Issue: FLOODING
- Flooding is already a problem in nearby and downhill areas
- The current plan looks mostly at on-site drainage only
- It does not fully address downstream impacts or real storm conditions
You should request that the scoping document covers real flooding conditions, downstream impacts, and recent storm events — not just theoretical models.
Other critical issues being overlooked
- Proposal: the land is currently an institutional property (as identified in the Town Comprehensive Plan) and does not provide a similar use
- Sedimentation & Impervious Surfaces: will disturb 62 acres and add almost 5 acres of paved and imprervious surfaces to increase flooding
- Deforestation: removal of 35 acres of trees will increase current flooding and water runoff
- Sanitary Wastewater Excess: 38,280 gallons per day - Town sewer infrastructure is currently undersized and incapable of today's capacity
- Traffic: Studies may not reflect real congestion or school-day conditions
- Schools: No confirmed input on capacity issues
- Taxes: No clear answer on whether this costs more than it brings in
- Cumulative impact: No full look at this + other developments together
- Climate: No real plan for heavier storms and future conditions
What to push for (simple, clear asks*)
- Fix the flooding analysis — include downstream impacts
- Verify the 91 plot and 87-home assumption with an independent review
- Expand the study area beyond ¼ mile
- Include real alternatives (fewer homes, more open space)
- Require real data — not vague conclusions
- Study real-world traffic conditions
- Get official school district input
- Show full cost vs. tax impact
- Ensure emergency access and safety
- Give the public real opportunity to be heard
Why this matters:
This is not the final vote — but it may be the most important step.
This determines what the Town will actually look at before making a decision. If key issues are left out now, they are often never meaningfully addressed later.
Also consider writing in to the Town Board to demand a moratorium on large developments until such time as the Town’s Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2022 can be codified in a way that fulfills the goals of the Town as it pertains to this kind of development (and helps to avoid an increase in flooding, traffic, school capacity, and costs that the Town can’t handle).
Address your push for a moratorium on large developments to:
With Gratitude,
Mount Pleasant Cares
