On June 3, 2000 (see below) we profiled the battle going on in New Rochelle, New York regarding a huge proposed IKEA furniture store and the flattening of an entire neighborhood. Not only has this destructive project upset residents of New Rochelle, but the impact will be felt also in neighboring Mamaroneck. So officials there decided to take action. The town has passed a new law (# 4-2000) that allows the town to have a say in “major development projects in areas that abut, adjoin or are adjacent to the Town of Mamaroneck..’ If a project involves the building of 250 or more houses, a building with more than 100,000 square feet, or parking for more than 1,000 cars, and it “abuts,adjoins or is adjacent to a town street within or on the border of the town” it cannot be undertaken without the “issuance of a permit by the town”. The “substantial impacts” mentioned in the law include impacts on “natural resources, noise, traffic, cultural or aesthetic resouces, existing patterns of population concentration, and community or neighborhood character”. To protect the health, safety and well-being of Mamaroneck residents, the town is attempting to control large scale projects located just outside of its borders. The Town Board is empowered to grant a permit only “upon th finding that the impacts associated with the project can be mitigated, and that all such mitigationi measures have been incorporated into the plan for the project.” This new local law may get its first test in the IKEA case, if that very unpopular project should go forward.
If Mamaroneck attempts to regulate a development outside of its borders, it is certain to face a court challenge from the IKEA developer and the Mayor of New Rochelle, who is willing to level an entire community to get his bright IKEA. For a copy of the Mamaroneck law, contact [email protected]