"Septic & Parking Area, Lakeland Jewish Center, Lake Mohegan, N.Y."

These are photographs of original documents in the Planning Board file for FBC's new development. They clearly show that the last documents approved by the town of Yorktown, NY, had 23 parking spaces.

Astonishingly, the building's septic and parking systems are designed for the following occupant loads (click on image below to enlarge):
"MAX OCCUPANCY - 80-100 PERSONS-3 HOURS-3DAYS A YEAR
USUAL OCCUPANCY 15-20 PERSONS-2-3 HOURS DAILY,
PARTY OR SUPPER - 80-100 PERSONS 3-4 HOURS ONCE A MONTH"

THERE ARE ONLY 23 LEGAL PARKING SPACES ON SITE TO SERVE THE 98 CARS (ON AVERAGE) THAT SHOW UP WEEKLY!

It's frightening to think that the septic and parking systems were designed to accommodate such a terribly modest occupant load; per this article in the Yorktown Examiner, the church accommodates 160-170 people on Sunday. Not to mention the additional loads totaling 4 to 6 days of septic and parking activity per week.

I hope the remediation of public lands required for the proposed new development takes into consideration the extreme overloading of the current septic and parking systems. It's a fact that organic waste plays a crucial role in the algae blooms that plague Mohegan Lake.

"wiith the exception of the rear yard..." -Al Capellini

It's still unclear how any part of the variance will be "of vast benefit for the community," or "very, very pleasing," aesthetically speaking.

Talking point: the development presupposes a new sewer connection. The developer proposes a private sewer connection, with no provisions for additional load from the community behind the new development.

It would seem prudent--at a minimum--to at least size the infrastructure to accept additional sewage load for the community it serves. This not only benefits the community, but also the health of the lake by allowing households to abandon septic systems.

Comments from the community are welcome below.