A representative from the Village of Brookville expressed concern Monday with the impact New York Institute of Technology’s expansion plan would have on traffic at a meeting of the Village of Old Westbury Board of Trustees.
Michael Zarin, special counsel to the Village of Brookville, where part of the expansion will be located, said NYIT has been given approval for up to 7,500 students to enroll, but only used 5477 students when analyzing the environmental impact of its plan to build new student residences, a dining facility, an academic building and executive offices.
Zarin said an existing entrance to the campus on Wheatley Road should be reopened to reduce traffic on Northern Boulevard and the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The entrance is currently closed, but Zarin said it provides the most direct route for motorists who are commuting to the NYIT campus from the south.
Village of Old Westbury Deputy Mayor Michael Wolf disagreed, saying “It is preferable to keep the traffic on a main road [rather] than [an] auxiliary road.”
Zarin also said the westbound lane intersection of Northern Boulevard and Whitney Lane will already receive a failing grade from traffic engineers with 5,477 students enrolled.
If 7,500 students are enrolled, Zarin said, there will be “additional impacts,” including more intersections receiving failing grades.
The intersection of Northern Boulevard and Whitney Lane is one of the main entrances to the NYIT campus.
Wolf said Northern Boulevard is a two-lane road in each direction that is run by the state, while Whittney Lane and Wheatley Road are winding, residential roadways that are one lane in each direction and have no traffic control.
“We will study all of [Zarin’s] points,” Wolf said. “We want to [hear] everyone’s ideas.”
Village Attorney Michael Sahn said the record for public comment will be open until Nov. 30, so the village can continue to receive written comment from the public regarding the NYIT’s Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Once all the comments have been received, the proposed expansion plan will be sent to Village Planner John Ellsworth for his review, Sahn said.
After Ellsworth analyzes the comments, he will present his analysis to the board, Sahn said.
Sahn said the board will then prepare and adapt a finding statement, which “would set forth the board’s conclusion as to whether this project will have a significant environmental impact, and what measures need to be taken to mitigate the impact.”
The finding statement will likely be ready in January, Sahn said, although no official date has been set.
Wolf said Monday’s public hearing was optional, and was conducted at the board’s discretion.
“The [board] decided to have the comment session in case someone wants to say something,” Wolf said. “We want to hear it.”
At their previous meeting on Oct. 19, the board accepted the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
The statement presented at the Oct. 19 meeting was crafted based upon responses to comments it received when it was a draft, officials said.
In other business, trustees also approved a motion to amend the number of members in the newly created zoning advisory committee.
At their previous meeting, the board approved the creation of the zoning advisory committee with five members.
But, Mayor Fred Carillo said the board wants to increase the number of members in the committee from five to seven.
Old Westbury resident Edward Novick will be the chairman of the committee, said Trustee Leslie Fastenberg, the board’s government liaison.
Ed Kalikow, Robert Lemle, Sheryl Setzen, Andrew Weinberg, Jonathan Miller and Mike Khourmani will make up the rest of the committee, Fastenberg said.
“We have assembled a terrific mix of residents,” she said. “This is an exciting day for Old Westbury.”
Wolf said the committee will “look at the zoning resolution in the village and propose ideas to the board.”
The next board meeting will be on Monday Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.
