The town of Mamaroneck has upheld a permit for a developer to remove 20 trees from a property on Murdock Road after an appeal was filed by area residents. The developer, Brite Avenue Development Corporation, initially applied for a permit in September to construct a home at 4 Murdock Road in Scarsdale.
The Brite Corporation received approval for a storm water drainage system from the town village Building Department, but has not yet been granted a permit for the construction of a new home on the property, according to Joseph Russo, a town code enforcement officer. Upon surveying the property, the builder proposed to remove 26 trees from the lot and applied for a tree removal permit from the town Tree Preservation Commission, which was granted.
According to town Administrator Stephen Altieri, after the permit was granted by the commission, neighbors in the area filed an appeal.
Neighboring residents expressed their concerns in letters to the Town Council. One letter, written by Lisa and Randy Siegel, residents of Split Tree Road, complained that their “neighborhood aesthetic will change forever” should the town permit the developer to remove so many trees. Another letter, written by Sharon and Eric Draghi, of Split Tree Road, called the removal “needless destruction.”
However, town Supervisor Nancy Seligson, a Democrat, said, “As it stands right now, our tree law states that if the trees are in the footprint of a proposed building or in the construction area of the building, you’re allowed to take them down.”
Since the initial proposal in September, the developer has reduced the number of trees they wish to remove from 26 to 20. Osorio Tree Service, of Lagrangeville, New York, will remove the trees.
The project will move forward even though the town is in the midst of a residential building moratorium, which was passed in December and expires on March 31. According to Seligson, the developer will be allowed to continue construction because the plans were proposed before the moratorium was in place. With the exception of town Councilman Ernie Odierna, a Democrat, all other members of the Town Council voted in favor of upholding the removal of the trees.
“I’m tired of finding excuses for cutting trees down,” Odierna said, adding that he feels that trees are important to the aesthetics of the neighborhood and essential to providing shade and preventing flooding. “There didn’t seem to be a sincere effort to protect the tree stock.”
