Questions Raised About Widening Route 6 Near Somers Commons

Somers officials wary of Route 6 widening

From NCNLocal.com January 12, 2001

SOMERS - The widening of Route 6 to make way for a major development project is raising concerns among Somers residents and town officials.

Union Place, a commercial development proposed by Carmada Realty Investments of Carmel, a major developer in Putnam County, is planned for 300 acres across Route 6 from Somers Commons. The project involves several parcels, including Mahopac Farm and several residential properties.

The project is still going through a lengthy environmental review process through the Town of Carmel and is not expected to break ground for several years but it is already the subject of concern among Somers Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy and the town board, who discussed the proposal at their Jan. 6 meeting.

"One of the real concerns we have about the traffic analysis in the DEIS (draft environmental impact study) is that they were basically leaving much of the traffic mitigation to others, and that's a significant concern," Murphy said.

Murphy has requested a meeting with Carmel town officials, the Department of Transportation and the developer to further review the impact of the project.

Somers resident Jay Taylor, of Baldwin Place, told board members the widening of the road would be detrimental to the town and urged town officials to craft a resolution opposing it.

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"There will be more traffic, noise and light pollution, more crime and litter for sure," Taylor said. "We have all these problems but no tax revenue for Somers or Westchester. For Putnam, Mahopac and Carmel it's a great deal - put an unsightly development on the far side of the county that impacts people who are not voters or taxpayers and benefit from property and sales tax."

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