AvalonBay Phase II is approved

After months of meetings, AvalonBay Phase II has cleared a major hurdle.

The village Planning Board gave the planned 165-unit addition final approval at a June 3 public work session in the mayor’s office. The building will be at 80 N. Centre Ave., at the former Rockville Racquet site, across the street from the existing 349-unit AvalonBay complex on Banks Avenue.

The Planning Board had given AvalonBay a list of conditions for its approval at a meeting on May 26, including a request to see if the predicted increase in traffic at the intersection of Sunrise Highway and North Centre Avenue can be reduced. An initial traffic study — when the proposed Phase II development totaled 177 units — concluded that it would complicate the morning rush hour at the intersection by adding 1.2 southbound cars per sequence of signals. The Board of Zoning Appeals scaled the project back to 165 units in January.

“The mitigation that was proposed was to put a left-hand turn signal there to allow the flow of traffic to move through, which it couldn’t otherwise do in the existing conditions,” said Michael Faltischek, the attorney for AvalonBay. “And that’s what the applicant was requested to seek an opinion from the [New York State Department of Transportation] on.”

The intersection’s signal can only be changed by the DOT.

The BZA gave AvalonBay a “conditioned negative declaration” — which means there are no more required environmental studies — but the developer must follow any state or village recommendations to reduce the project’s impact on traffic. If it does not, the BZA can start the environmental review process again.

So far, the only guidance AvalonBay has received from the DOT was a Dec. 23 letter indicating that the DOT would not change the traffic light because it is synced with other signals. The Planning Board requested that AvalonBay ask the DOT for a more formal, definitive opinion.

“We will make every effort to get that mitigation,” said Faltischek.

Planning Board Chair Donna Joyce also asked that Avalon try to preserve a tree on the east side of the property. “It would be nice,” she said. “They’re beautiful. They’re mature trees.”

AvalonBay has agreed to plant the largest trees possible — with trunks 4½ to five inches in diameter — on the property.

The planning board also asked that AvalonBay install a system to recycle rainwater to irrigate plants, as well as street surveillance cameras, as requested by Police Commissioner Charles Gennario.

“My buddy Chuck Gennario — every case that comes before us, he wants a video surveillance system,” said Joyce. “And I like to keep him happy.”

Phase II should be open for tenants in spring 2017.