All-Residential Plan Proposed for New Castle Legionaries Land

The developer who recently scrapped a hotel, spa and residential plan for the New Castle Legionaries property in favor of 60 condominium units assured town officials and neighbors the new project would be more in character with the area.

Stephen Oder, of Soder Real Estate Equities in Montclair, N.J., said during a May 6 presentation before the New Castle Town Board that he has removed all commercial components and will mainly use the existing structures on the grounds to build the project he now is calling Rosehill. The only new construction would be two four-unit structures, Oder said.

The revised plans, which also removes a restaurant from the application, would greatly decrease disturbance, traffic, water consumption and septic use, he told officials and residents. Those were the main arguments against the mixed use proposal for the Route 128 property when it was heavily criticized by neighbors during the public scoping session this past winter.

Preliminary estimates compute a 50 to 60 percent reduction in traffic and a 25 to 33 percent reduction in septic use.

“I’m very much interested in what everybody has to say,” Oder said. “Obviously, I’ve changed my plan and I really intend to meet everybody one on one (with) my neighbors, and work out a plan that makes everybody look at this as a positive development that’s really going to add value to the area.”

Oder, the contract vendee to buy the 96-acre property, revealed that he has a Jan. 15, 2015, deadline to obtain the necessary approvals from the town to acquire the land. However, he said he is strongly considering the possibility of buying the parcel outright from the Legionaries of Christ.

“I feel like it’s a gem and I want to own it,” Oder said.

The property, which is in a single-family zone, would still need a zoning change to a multifamily designation for the Rosehill project to proceed to site plan review by the planning board, said attorney David Steinmetz, who is representing the applicant.

Steinmetz appealed to the town board to schedule the resumption of the scoping session for May 27. He said his client hoped that town officials would not force him to start the scoping process from scratch.

Board members said they plan to discuss the scheduling of the scoping session at this week’s town board meeting.

Under the latest plans, there would be 40 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom units, most of which would average about 2,500 square feet each. Fifty of the residences would be in the two wings of the main building, which would be extensively renovated. There would then be the two four-unit structures, where each residence would measure about 3,000 square feet, while two units would be placed in the former Billy Rose mansion, a home of the late Broadway producer and lyricist.

Oder said he would still build a 75-seat theater, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool and a fitness center, although the latter would be reduced from 22,000 square feet to between 12,000 and 15,000 square feet. There would also be outdoor tennis courts.

However, all of the facilities would be for the complex’s residents and their guests with no access for the general public, he said.

There would be no age restriction, but Rosehill would be geared toward older active adults, Oder said. The parcel is in the Bedford School District.

“It would be a great environment for what I’d call the empty nester…to have a lifestyle, to have the amenities they’re looking for,” he said.

While the board did not entertain comments from the public because the presentation was made at a work session, one neighbor who had been critical of the previous plan expressed skepticism about the latest proposal.

Tripp Street resident Sharon Greene said while the proposal is “a step in the right direction,” she took issue with the town possibly rezoning the parcel for multifamily housing.

“But it’s a long path before you get to where anyone on our end is comfortable with this kind of thing,” Greene said.

Steinmetz said his client took seriously the neighbors’ criticisms of the previous plan and looks forward to working on the newest proposal.

“Steve knows he has very interested neighbors and Steve feels he has taken these steps in his attempt to be as responsive as he can be to keep the project viable but to reduce its impacts,” Steinmetz said.