Village amends hotel agreement to nix sidewalk

The Village of Woodbury agreed to amend the developer’s agreement with Aeon Properties, which received conditional site plan approval to open a hotel on Estrada Road at the April 16 Woodbury Village Planning Board meeting.

During the July 10 village board meeting, Woodbury Village Attorney Kelly Naughton reported that after meeting with Village Highway Superintendent Robert Weyant and Mayor Andrew Giacomazza, they determined that a sidewalk was not necessary along that section of Estrada Road.

Trustees James Freiband and Matthew Fabbro objected to the amended agreement. Freiband said he disagreed with Weyant because of the size of the hotel and its proximity to the village’s central business district.

“There should be some effort made to service the walking public to make the Village of Woodbury a walking-friendly place. In the past, the plans for developments have been very negligent in terms of looking out for pedestrian traffic,” Freiband said.

During the meeting, Freiband also addressed a resident’s question about whether the proper time and due diligence was taken to review the matter by saying that the issue was reviewed by the planning board and they had a professional consultant come in and recommend sidewalks and a bus.

The village is also seeking bids for the replacement of air conditioning units at Village Hall. According to Woodbury Village Treasurer Desiree Potvin, there are issues with the wiring of the current system and fixing the issue was important because of the building’s use as a public emergency room.

The board acknowledged the Planning Board appointment of new counsel, Bleakley Platt. Trustee James Freiband said he objected to the appointment because the firm is based in Westchester County and would cost applicants increased fees to compensate for extra travel time.