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Tuckahoe Planning Board Approves Proposed Marriott Hotel Plan

TUCKAHOE, N.Y. - After more than a year of discussion and debate, the Tuckahoe Planning Board has approved the much-maligned hotel and restaurant proposal that will be erected on a contaminated former landfill on Marbledale Road.

The site of a proposed hotel and restaurant at 09-125 Marbledale Road in Tuckahoe has been classified as a brownfield, or contaminated

The site of a proposed hotel and restaurant at 09-125 Marbledale Road in Tuckahoe has been classified as a brownfield, or contaminated

Photo Credit: Google Maps screen shot
Dozens protested the proposed Marriott hotel site in Tuckahoe before the Planning Board met this week.

Dozens protested the proposed Marriott hotel site in Tuckahoe before the Planning Board met this week.

Photo Credit: Marbledale Road Environmental Coalition

Poll
Do you support the Marriott hotel proposal moving forward without a complete environmental review?
Final Results Voting Closed

Do you support the Marriott hotel proposal moving forward without a complete environmental review?

  • Yes.
    40%
  • No.
    60%

Despite a vocal, local collection of residents decrying the proposal - an online petition garnered nearly 3,000 signatures asking for a full environmental review of the former marble quarry at 109 Marbledale Road - the Planning Board voted three-to-two to move forward with the plan.

According to the Board, Bilwin Development has agreed to take care of cleaning up the contaminated site, where they have proposed erecting a Marriott hotel, complete with a restaurant on the 3.5-acre plot. The site was originally zoned for industrial use, but was rezoned for commercial use nearly a decade ago.

The location served as a marble quarry until the 1950s and was later used as a landfill for several decades. It has also been the site of an auto repair shop for some time.

Earlier this month, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation conducted radiation tests, noting that “samples were scanned with a gamma scintillator and G-M probe,” with all results remaining consistent with local background ranges. The present OSHA mandated site protection is at the lowest risk level, requiring work boots, safety goggles and hardhats.

Despite the DEC’s approval, the community has vociferously fought the possible development, hosting several rallies and protests and circulating protests that have net more than 2,600 signatures asking for a full environmental impact statement from both Tuckahoe residents and concerned citizens in neighboring towns.

Detractors have cited concerns over toxic contaminants being released into the air and water in southern Westchester if the Marriott and restaurant proposal moves forward.

“Developers may be using a technique called ‘dynamic compaction,’ a technique that entails a large weight of (several) tons, dropped repeatedly by a crane, to purposely send intense vibrations throughout the hazardous waste and ash,” according to the Marbledale Road Environmental Coalition.

“The site will be repeatedly hit with that heavy weight. When this occurs, there will be contaminated dust and vapor released. Buried chemical filled drums, containers and pressurized tanks, when hit with this technique, will breach. Dynamic compaction will disrupt the hazardous toxic waste.”

What do you think about the proposed Marriott hotel and restaurant plan being approved by the Planning Board? Vote in the poll and continue the conversation in the comments section and on Facebook. 

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