Bedford residents fearing traffic snarls, an insecure water supply and a lack of pedestrian and equestrian safety along Buxton and Bedford Center Road packed the town courthouse Tuesday night for a standing-room-only public hearing on the proposed expansion of the Bedford Community Church.

The purpose of the hearing, convened by the town planning board, was for the general public to comment upon the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), and to fulfill the requirements of the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), under which the sizable project is being evaluated.

The project

The proposed two-story, 35,500 square foot building would be constructed on a 13.3 acre parcel between Buxton Road, Broad Brook Road and Interstate 684.

The structure is to include a 720-seat sanctuary, parking for 240 cars, a Fellowship Hall accomodating up to 250 people, and 13 classrooms.

The project proposes redirecting approximately 800 feet of Buxton Road through the existing Bedford Community Church property, creating a 90 degree intersection with Bedford Center Road. The project also requires a special land use permit to allow a religious facility to be built in a residential four-acre zone.

It didn't take long for controversial issues to surface at the two-hour meeting.

Water supply, storm water and septic

Following a brief presentation of the DEIS by the attorneys, engineers and architects representing the church, critics raised what they saw as a main point of contention: an incomplete DEIS.

"It's unfair to comment on a moving target," said Daniel Richman, a partner at the law firm Zarin & Steinmetz, speaking on behalf of the Friends of Buxton Gorge, a watchdog group formed to conduct a review of the church's proposal.

Richman argued that without complete draw-down tests, the groundwater impact had not been fully addressed, leaving no opportunity for public comment if test results are not included until the final environmental impact statement is presented.

In addition, he disputed the sewage estimates in the DEIS, noting that engineers from Carpenter Environmental Associates, also hired by the Friends, calculated sewage generated at close to 6,500 gallons per day.

The DEIS states that new church "will generate up to 4,000 gallons per day of domestic sewage… the resulting nitrogen level would be within the Town of Bedford mandated allowable concentration of 6.0 mg/L."

Those figures don't account for special occasion use, such as a wedding or other event taking place in addition to regular Sunday services, said Richman.

But during their presentation, consultants representing the church maintained that ground water impact was well within town ordinances and that storm water runoff was minimized.

Ed Delaney, project engineer with Bibbo Associates, held that they believed they would be well under 4,000 gallons. He acknowledged awaiting witness soil tests with the Westchester County Department of Health and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, but believed they had found an approvable septic site.

Tim Allen, an engineer with Bibbo, said there was ample room to provide for stormwater under Bedford's standards as well as the state Department of Environmental Conservation standards. "The wells are high yield wells and we'll have no trouble with water supply," he said.

It wasn't just immediate neighbors who have a stake in the outcome. Environmentalist Craig Michaels, Watershed Program Director of Riverkeeper, Inc., gave testimony regarding the site's stormwater runoff, to be directed towards Broad Brook, a tributary to the Muscoot Reservoir. The resevoir lies within the Croton Watershed, a source of drinking water for 9 million people in New York City and surrounding counties.

"The DEIS states that there will be no impacts to Broad Brook or the surrounding wetland as a result of the proposed project," said Michaels. "However, the DEIS also states that stormwater runoff will be directed towards Broad Brook. These statements are contradictory and need to be resolved in a revised DEIS."

Because the reservoir is classified as "phosophorous-impaired," the runoff could pose an threat to aquatic life, according to Michaels.

Traffic

A complete traffic study was conducted, said Patrick Cleary of Cleary Consulting, the firm responsible for preparing the DEIS.

"We evaluated eight intersections on existing conditions and future conditions and we've concluded that we will not significantly affect the roadways in the vicinity. This project generates its peak traffic generation during off-peak hours.

But some residents worried that traffic would be backed up from the Saw Mill Parkway all the way to Buxton. Barbara Matarazzo Silverman, president of the Bedford Riding Lanes Association, said the relocation of Buxton road would cut off riding trails in several directions.

"With a 90-degree intersection there is no safety zone for the horses, and nowhere to stand to view oncoming traffic," she said.

Neighborhood Character

Many residents spoke out against the scale of the project, noting that it was second in size only to Fox Lane High School.

"The size and scope of this project is not appropriate for this residentially zoned area in historic Bedford," said Vincent Morrow. He compared the total seats at the church—920—to four other nearby religious institutions, which had an average capacity of 250-300.

"It's not going to be a landmark. It's going to destroy the character of the neighborhood," said the Succabone Road resident.

However, Eric Kaeyer of KG&D Architects, said the structure was designed to to have a "tight footprint," and would be nestled into the site.

As he showed a four-minute video (posted with this story) he described how the buidling site had been shifted to be as unobtrusive as possible. "Trees will be planted for screening and only every day spots would be on asphalt," he said.

The video shows a "ghosted" white building which was the initial design, and tne new proposed building. The church would be constructed with sustainable materials, according to Kaeyer.

Next steps

The Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a work session, open to the public but with no public forum, on April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at 321 Bedford Road.

The public comment period closes on May 13, at which point the church will respond with a final enviromental impact statement (FEIS). The FEIS will be reviewed by the planning board, and circulated to all involved boards and agencies prior to the final recommendation from the town board.