Higher ed building project gets board approval

The Warwick Town Planning Board has granted conditional approval to Old Forge Road, LLC for the conversion of existing 87,000 square foot buildings located on Old Forge Road near Sterling Pines Road into an institution of higher learning to be known as Beth Medrash Meor Yitzchok. The proposed project will provide overnight accommodations to 200 students, between 12 to 18 professors and administrators, and a small maintenance staff.

A large crowd, including several members of Friends of Sterling Forest, attended the July 16 meeting to hear the Planning Board’s deliberation on the proposal. However, as articulated by Planning Board Vice Chairman Roger Showalter who presided over the meeting, the public comment period for the project was concluded and the board did not entertain any comments from the crowd.

The board noted that while public concern about the impact on the environment, traffic and recreation were considered as part of the approval process, they did not entertain comments objecting to the project based on the religious identity of the school or its students.

Despite the limitations on public comments, many in the crowd audibly expressed their disappointment at decision, calling the action “a disgrace” and saying “shame on you” to the board members.

During the review of the application, the board acknowledged the many public comments made about the proposed college’s proximity to Sterling Forest and its potential environmental impact on the area. Town Planner Max Stach reported that these concerns lead the board to seek additional environmental review from the applicant, which they provided last month.

Stach shared the project’s environmental review, which clarified the intent of the project. In it, the applicant said it would be limited to adult male students and would not provide housing to children or family of the students on site. In addition, the review noted that the project would only disturb about one-third of an acre of land and that the applicant is proposing to return a portion of paved parking area to a natural state.

The board also reviewed the site plan for a proposed Orange and Rockland (O&R) substation to be located on John Hicks Drive. According to representatives from O&R, this substation is needed to support new businesses in the area and will replace the soon-to-be decommissioned substation on Wisner Road. The representatives noted that the community will see no change in service during the construction of the substation and that, if needed and later approved, the new substation can be upgraded to handle a higher energy load than what they are seeking approval for with this application.

A proposed four-lot subdivision for Amity Road was also reviewed during the meeting. The applicant is seeking approval to convert an existing 35.7-acre lot containing one residence into four lots with the intent to construct three additional homes with access via shared existing private roads.