The master plan revision process began more than four years ago. Here, residents attend a workshop at Sycamore Park in 2020 to give feedback on the plan. Credits: File photo
MAHOPAC, N.Y. - Nearly five years in the making, the town’s updated master plan took a major step toward completion last week as the Town Board held the first of two public hearings about it.
There has been a keener interest of late in the revised master plan, which hasn’t been updated in more than 20 years. Much of that interest is due to the controversial 116-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed for Miller Road in Mahopac.
While the existing master plan and its companion zoning code allow for a battery farm of the size proposed by East Point Energy—which would be among the largest in the state—the revised document, if adopted, would severely limit the size of such projects and completely prohibit the one planned for Miller Road.
The public hearing, part of the Town Board’s July 17 meeting, kicked off with a PowerPoint presentation from Bonnie Franson, a partner with Nelson Pope Voorhis, the Long Island-based engineering and architecture firm that has been serving as the town’s consultant on the project.
Franson explained how the plan has developed since the town began working on the revision four years ago.
“It was a 10-step process that started in 2020,” she said. “We had dozens of meetings with the advisory group that helped us through the process.”
While the pandemic slowed their progress, Franson said an online survey and webinars have helped shape the plan as it now stands.
“This master plan guides long-range growth and development for the town,” she said. “It sets vision goals and policies. It is proactive instead of reactive. Having a plan is useful and important to track investment and future funding opportunities.”
Larry Zaks, a local real estate agent and member of the Greater Mahopac-Carmel Chamber of Commerce, said he was excited that the new master plan will soon be in place. He consulted on it in the early days as a representative from the Chamber.
“We laid out a lot of these concepts back then and I really want to thank everyone,” he told the board. “We are trying to have the building approval process be less onerous. Get away from variances and different approvals. To uplift downtown by incentivizing the owners by giving them more density. Laying this out for the board and public will speed this process up.”
Sara O’Shea, an attorney for the Preserve at Somers Homeowners Association, turned the discussion to battery storage systems.
“Battery farms pose a significant risk to surrounding communities while offering a limited amount of power to the grid system,” she said. “The proposed language denouncing large-scale battery farms should be kept in any future version of this plan, if not strengthened by explicitly recognizing the danger of fire that battery storage facilities pose.”
Stephanie Azadian of Somers said the new master plan will shape the landscape of the community for years to come, which is why it was important for the document to denounce projects like battery storage systems and large-scale solar farms.
“This master plan is more than just a document. It embodies our collective visions, values, and aspirations,” she said. “It is about our children and grandchildren who will inherit a town that reflects our commitment to prosperity, wellness, and most importantly, safety.
“This particular project (the Mahopac battery farm) undermines the very essence of our community’s identity,” she continued. “It threatens the town’s safety and well-being and its naturally clean environment.”
Mahopac resident Lauren Rosalyn told the board that when it comes to documents such as the master plan, semantics matter and suggested what she called an important word change.
“Currently [the new master plan] reads that the town ‘does not favor’ battery energy storage systems,” she said. “I think it should be the town ‘does not support’ large-scale solar or battery storage facilities due to the health and safety concerns.”
She said, “‘Favor’ is a more passive inclination.”
“Our future vision first and foremost should be to protect our citizens,” Roslyn said. “This small word change would show that is exactly what you intend to do.”
Councilwoman Suzy McDonough said the second master plan public hearing, as well as a public hearing on the revised zoning code, is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 18. She said at that point the board could approve one or both of the documents or hold the public hearing open a while longer for additional written comment.
The new master plan and revised zoning code are available for viewing at the town’s website at ci.carmel.ny.us.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
