New Questions on Contiuum With New Plan Changes

Ambushed. This is how Irvington resident Ann Acheson felt when learning about the new changes to Continuum Company LLC’s plan to build an assisted living and memory care facility on the 4.63 acres at 30 S. Broadway, also known as the F.E.E.(Foundation for Economic Education) site. 

“A lot of us attended a lot of meetings and public hearings and now three weeks before you make your decision we have a new plan that personally my 57-year-old eyes can’t see,” said Acheson, at the May 1 planning board meeting.

Click here for a story on the changes to the plan and a video of the developer’s presentation to the board.

Members of the public packed the meeting room and brought up a slew of new questions after the presentation including: what is the developer's definition of "green space;" the impact on historical trees on site; how the no left turn out of the development would be enforced, and its impact on traffic; as well as and other issues.

Continuum Company LLC’s Executive Vice President Scott Aaron was able to answer some of the questions on the spot, while the rest of the answers will be submitted to the planning board.

Click on our video to hear some questions from the public and Aaron's responses.

“There’s absolutely no way you can ask us to voice our opinion about these planning issues when we haven’t even had a chance to look at the thing from more than 20 ft. away,” said Acheson. “I’m feeling very disenfranchised.”

Irvington Planning Board Chair William Hoffman said the public can submit additional comments in writing to the planning board by May 29 before the board makes its decision on whether to adopt the project’s final environmental impact statement (FEIS). 

Many residents in the community have expressed concern and even opposition to the plan since it was first proposed. Hoffman said at the board recently received about 20 letters in opposition to the plan—and that while half the people like the use, they don’t believe its appropriate for the location.

The planning board expects to receive the plan’s draft final environmental impact statement (FEIS) by May 22. A work session on the document will be held on May 29 before the board makes its decision whether to accept the document as complete on June 5.

“We’re going to look at planning issues—things like size and scale, traffic, constructability logistics, drainage, mitigation measures for things like lighting and noise,” said Hoffman. “We’ll look at the zoning variances in terms of what they’re asking for and the relation to the comprehensive plan. So, that’s an overview of what I view as our mission.”

According to Hoffman, the planning board will leave the rest of the issues up to the Irvington Board of Trustees. Some of these issues include vetting the application to see if the developer is financially sound; where the property should be saved for affordable housing; the effect on property taxes; the implications if Continuum ever decided to turn into a non-profit; and the impact on the Irvington Volunteer Ambulance Corps., which Hoffman said is a “major issue.”

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