Plan Floated for Retail, Theater in Downtown Chappaqua

A Chappaqua architect presented a conceptual plan to the New Castle Town Board last week to develop an indoor market, a building containing retail space and apartments and a performing arts center in the hamlet’s downtown.

The plans, unveiled by Chuck Napoli during the Oct. 16 town board work session, also included building a 389-vehicle underground parking facility beneath what is now a deteriorating Robert E. Bell Middle School field behind the new South Greeley parking lot. A new playing surface would be installed on top of the parking facility.

Napoli must obtain permission from the Chappaqua School District and easements from some South Greeley Avenue property owners. Another easement would also be needed from the town for the strip of property between the community center on Senter Street and the King Street Restaurant & Bar so there could be vehicular access to the parking area.

Napoli said he met last Wednesday with the school district’s Facilities Committee who appeared excited about the proposal. Ultimately, the objective is to revitalize Chappaqua’s downtown, not compete with existing merchants, and to create the feel of a European market by encouraging foot traffic.

The parking structure would also meet the hamlet’s parking needs, he said. Currently, there are about 150 spaces in the South Greeley lot.

“Our goal is to have a project that will be part of the economy of the place, not to detract from it but add to it,” Napoli said last Thursday, the day after he met with the Facilities Committee.

The market would be about 27,000 square feet and feature an assortment of mainly food vendors who would rent space, Napoli said.

A mixed use building, which would be built where the new parking lot is situated, would feature about five to seven 1,000-square-foot spaces for retail shops and restaurants on the ground floor. On the second and third stories there would be about 18 studio and one-bedroom rental apartments.

A centerpiece of the proposal is a 366-seat performing arts theater located behind stores closer to King Street. The five-story structure would also have office space.

Several downtown merchants attended the 45-minute presentation, which overlapped a planning board discussion on the potential for rezoning a portion of Chappaqua Crossing to allow for a full-service supermarket and other retail operations. Last week, Chappaqua Crossing owner Summit/Greenfield submitted formal plans to the town for 120,000 square feet of retail space anchored by a supermarket.

Following Napoli’s presentation, Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce co-founder Rob Greenstein admonished the town board for failing to display enthusiasm for the downtown proposal.

“It seems like you guys are more excited about this crazy thing that’s going on in the other room then you are about this project that will solve so many problems,” Greenstein said referring to the Chappaqua Crossing rezone discussion.

He then charged that officials were “shooting down” Napoli’s proposal before it had a chance to get off the ground.

New Castle Supervisor Susan Carpenter responded strongly to Greenstein’s claims.

“You really don’t know what you’re talking about when you say we’re shooting it down,” Carpenter shot back. “I talked to Chuck about it for long periods of time. We’re encouraged by a lot of parts of it.”

Councilwoman Elise Kesler Mottel said there are lots of unanswered questions but that the board is interested.

“It’s not that we aren’t excited,” Mottel said. “We want to learn more about it.”

Napoli said he is encouraged by the initial reaction from both school and town officials. He concurred that he had long conversations with Carpenter and that he looks forward to returning to the town board once he has firm commitments from the school district.

“I see a light at the end of the tunnel and I see a lot of interest between the town and the school district,” Napoli said.