NEW WINDSOR - A 172-home project has been proposed on more than 400 acres of land southwest of Shaw Road.

The developer of Apple Ridge, a community of single-family homes, intends to preserve 332 of the 418 acres, according to a draft scoping document the Planning Board filed with the New York State Department of Conservation in November.

The scoping document identifies what should be studied to determine if the project could negatively affect the environment. The document said project construction could expose bedrock and impact the groundwater supply. The development could also affect "locally significant vegetation" and wildlife.

The report stressed that the project should preserve as many natural features as possible, especially wetland space. Animal habitats should be avoided "to the greatest extent possible," including that of the timber rattlesnake, Indiana bat and bog turtle. NYSDEC lists both the Indiana bat and the bog turtle as endangered and the timber rattlesnake as threatened species.

Other factors that the document identified as areas of study are the increased demand for community services, emergency services and fire protection. The new homes would require the construction of a water and sewer system as well.

The project will require 23 permits or approvals listed in the document, including approval from the Town of New Windsor, the New Windsor Highway Department, the Orange County Health Department and Division of Environmental Permits, the New York State Department of Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Repeated calls to the project sponsor, Steven Esposito, and Planning Board Chairman Jerry Argenio were not returned.

The document is available on the town's website, www.town.new-windsor.ny.us.

aspadaro@th-record.com