DEC Halts Work At Chappaqua Affordable-Housing Site Due To Odors

CHAPPAQUA, NY - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has ordered the suspension of soil excavation and removal at Conifer Realty's affordable-housing site in Chappaqua due to "unacceptable" odors, New Castle Supervisor Rob Greenstein wrote in a Friday Facebook post.

The DEC made the suspension order after a Wednesday morning tour of the site, Greenstein wrote.

Residents had been complaining to the town about the odors, the supervisor stated in his message.

The site, located at 54 Hunts Place, was once used for the handling of coal and oil, according to town records. A remediation of the site, pursuant to the Brownfield cleanup program, was a condition for the New Castle Town Board's 2013 approval of a special permit for the housing development, town records show.

Remediation work on the site will not be allowed to resume until the DEC approves revisions to Conifer's plan for such work, according to Greenstein.

Existing efforts to control the odors have included spraying special materials onto the soil and into the excavation pit, Greenstein explained.

An easement agreement for the remediation work was recently signed and posted to the DEC's website.

Conifer's 28-unit apartment building has been vehemently opposed by some residents due to the parcel being bound by train tracks to the east and the Saw Mill River Parkway to the west, Patch and other local news outlets previously reported. Opponents argued that the affordable housing will be isolated from the community and provide unsafe living conditions for its residents, according to prior news reports.

Greenstein and other current Town Board members who had voiced opposition to their predecessors' support for the project stopped fighting it due to the prospect of costly litigation, this reporter previously noted in an April 2016 story for Daily Voice.

RELATED:

• Residents, Business Officials, Blast Conifer's Affordable Housing Plan
• Lawsuit Filed to Nix Conifer Special Permit
• Conifer Does Charm Offensive; Opponents Still Vocal
• Conifer Presents Smaller Plan; Town Board Receptive
• Chappaqua Affordable Housing Site Opponents Spar with the MTA

Photo: Excavation activity at the Conifer Realty site in Chappaqua. Image was taken by Ed Frank.