understanding the process
PROCESS OVERVIEW
The Village has studied the Freightway site before, and those prior studies remain part of the public record. What is different this time is where we are starting.
We are not beginning with a developer proposal, a selected project, or an approval process already underway.
We are beginning with a Village-led environmental and planning review conducted before any developer is selected or any specific project is on the table. The GEIS process allows us to study a wide range of scenarios, evaluate real impacts, and define the standards and thresholds that must be met before any future consideration of the site moves forward.
Public participation is also being invited at the earliest possible stage, while the study itself is still being shaped.
This is Scarsdale driving its own process, on its own terms.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Oct 27, Final Scope Approval and School Analysis Information Session
BoT Work Session at 6pm on Oct. 27th
Future Meetings
BoT Public Meeting on DEIS – Dec. 3 – time TBD
BoT Public Meeting on DEIS – Dec. 10 – time TBD
BoT Public Meeting on DEIS – Dec. 15 – time TBD
PAST MeetingS
May 28, 2026: Learn what is Beginning
At this meeting, the Village Board began the NYS-mandated environmental review process by declaring its intent to serve as Lead Agency and circulating the required notice to involved and interested agencies. The Board also released an initial outline of the topics and methodologies that will guide the review, introduced the purpose of the planning effort and how it differs from previous efforts, and launched the project website with background information, documents, a video introduction, and an opportunity to share early feedback.
June 16, 2026: Understanding the Process, Key Topics, and Initial Community Input
At the June 16 Board of Trustees Work Session, the Village continued its review of the Freightway planning and environmental review process, including how the process works, what topics will be studied, what data will be used for the analyses, and how community questions and priorities will be considered along the way.
The meeting also included a focus on the potential impacts of redevelopment on the school district, including what information has already been gathered, what additional information is being reviewed, how school-related questions will be evaluated, and an opportunity for initial public input on the process and school-related topics before the summer. This was the first discussion focused on potential impacts to the school district, with additional opportunities for public input to follow.
Public comments and questions will continue to be accepted until 5 pm on September 14, 2026, through in-person sessions and online participation. If you missed the meeting, see the presentation here and you can still share feedback online here.
July 14, 2026: Board of Trustees Meeting
The Village Board issued a Positive Declaration and formally circulated the draft GEIS Scope.
The draft GEIS Scope formally identified the topics to be studied as part of the environmental review as well as the methodologies to be used for those studies. This Scope built on the preliminary list of topics released at the end of May and formally circulated the list to other governmental agencies for their comment.
July 28, 2026: Public Scoping Session 1
The public was invited to comment on the draft GEIS Scope and share questions, concerns, topics, and local conditions they believed should be considered as part of the study.
The session included general comments as well as discussions around specific topics.
August 11, 2026: Public Scoping Session 2
This second public scoping session provided another opportunity to comment on the draft GEIS Scope before it was finalized.
Public input helped ensure the study reflected the questions that mattered most to the community and addressed the issues that needed to be understood before future decisions were made.
UPCOMING EVENTS