City Council

City of Mount Vernon, New York l ROOSEVELT SQ. RM. 104 CITY HALL, MOUNT VERNON. NEW YORK 10550 VIA FACEBOOK.COM/MOUNTVERNONNY Meeting Agenda - Final Monday, January 13, 2025 5:30 PM CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS - ROOM 206 City Council Special Meeting City Council Special Meeting Meeting Agenda - Final January 13, 2025 A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY OF THE MOUNT VERNON CITY COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2025. Scheduled for 5:30 pm in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, Mount Vernon, New York. *** This meeting was held in the City Council Chambers, with virtual participation via ZOOM and CMVNY Facebook. The meeting was not closed to the public. *** PRESIDING: Danielle Browne, President OTHERS: Nicole Bonilla, Deputy City Clerk; Antoinette Anderson, Legislative Aide; Johan Powell, Asst. Corporation Counsel CALL TO ORDER / PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council President Danielle Browne called the meeting to order and provided general house-keeping n'iles, including encouraging citizens to share tlie meeting on social media and what to do "in case of emergency". Slie tl'ien asked a Councilperson to lead the council in the Pledge of Allegiance. REFERRAL SESSION Roll Call administered by Deputy City Clerk Nicole Bonilla REPORTS OF ST ANDING COMMITTEES AND ACTION THEREON To the Council: FINANCE AND PLANNING City Council: A Resolution Authorizing tl'ie Amendment of Ordinance No. 10, Adopted by the City Council on January 8, 2025, Entitled "A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mount Vernon Issuing a Notice of Completion and Scheduling a Public Hearing on the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement and Zoning Petition for the Proposed Downtown Transit Oriented Aits District (DTOAD)" OTHER BUSINESS/CLOSING COMMENTS Page 1 of l JAN i 3 2825 SPECIA A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE AMENDMENT OF ORDINANCE N0. 10, ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ON JANUARY 8, 2025, ENTITLED "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOUNT VERNON ISSUING A NOTICE OF COMPLETION AND SCHEDULING A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FINAL GENERIC ENVIRONMENT AL IMP ACT ST ATEMENT AND ZONING PETITION FOR THE PROPOSED DOWNTOWN TRANSIT ORIENTED ARTS DISTRICT (DTOAI))" The City of Mount Vernon, in City Corincil convened, does hereby ordain and enact: WHEREAS, the City of Mount Vernon ("City") and 20 S. 2nd Square CMV, LLC ("Petitioner") entered into a Land Disposition Agreement, dated July 2, 2021, as amended ("Agreement"), in connection with the development of approximately 340,000 square feet of mixed residential development and other amenities, approximately 320 mixed-income residential apartments [mixed market rate and affordable housing], and rip to 18,000 sqriare feet of non-residential community space ("Development Project"),, and WHEREAS, to facilitate the Development Project, Petitioner submitted a Rezoning Petition for Zoning Map and Text Amendment, dated December 3, 2021, seeking to rezone approximately forty-one (41) tax parcels ofproperty between East 1st and East 2nd Streets and between South 1st and South 3rd Avenue ("Property"), including certain City-owned parcels, as a new transit-oriented district to be called the DowntownTransit Oriented Arts District ("DTOAD") ("Zoning Petition," together with the Development Project, the "Proposed Action"); and WHEREAS, the Property is currently located in the Downtown Business (DB) and Multifamily Residence (RA/IF-10) zoning districts; and WHEREAS, the Proposed Action is a Type I Action, and Petitioner, pursuant to the Agreement, agreed to conduct a full environmental review in connection with and pursuant to SEQRA and its implementing regulations; and WHEREAS, the City Corincil is embarking on a study to create a Comprehensive Plan for the Mount Vernon East Downtown Area; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan process, on January 24, 2024, the City Council adopted a Downtown Vision Report; and WHEREAS, the Proposed Action shall be consistent with the Downtown Vision Report, which recommends medium (up to 12 stories) to high density (up to 15 stories) for the area of the City in which the Property is located; and WHEREAS, the City Council adopted a Resolution on January 26, 2022, declaring its intent to act as Lead Agency under SEQRA for the Proposed Action; and i  WHEREAS, the City Council adopted a Resolution on June 28, 2023, issuing a Notice of Completion and scheduling a public hearing on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement ("DGEIS") for the Proposed Action in accordance with SEQRA (6 N.Y.C.R.R. Section 617.9(a)(2)); and WHEREAS, the DGEIS examined the potential significant adverse environmental impactsof the Proposed Action; and WHEREAS, the City Council held public hearings on the DGEIS on August 9, 2023, and December 13, 2023, and accepted written comments on the DGEIS through December 27, 2023; and WHEREAS, Petitioner has reduced the scale and footprint of the Proposed Action in response to public comments on the DGEIS, which modifications are described and studied in a Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement ("FGEIS") that was submitted to the City Council on August 13, 2024; and WHEREAS, as modified, the Proposed Action currently consists of approximately 307,932 s.f. of mixed residential development and other amenities, including 272 mixed-income residential apartments, approximately 15,630 s.f. of community facility space (including outdoor courtyard space for the arts), jll,630 s.f. of community facility space], and 109 parking spaces; and WHEREAS, the FGEIS examines the potential significant adverse environmental impacts of the Proposed Action, including the proposed DTOAD zoning code and zoning map amendments, as well as the proposed site-specific Development Project; and WHEREAS, even though SEQRA does not reqriire a public hearing or public comment period on the FGEIS, the City Corincil has determined to hold a public hearing aiid accept public comments given the interest regarding the Proposed Action and the Project modifications following the DGEIS, as well as that a public hearing is otherwise required for the Zoning Petition; and WHEREAS, the City Council, its independent consultants, and special counsel reviewed the FGEIS to determine whether to accept it as complete for the purpose of distributing it to the priblic; and WHEREAS, the City Council, its planning consultants, and special counsel identified deficiencies in the FGEIS; and WHEREAS, on October 11, 2024, the City Council provided Petitioner with written comments on the FGEIS, and directed Petitioner to address the Council's comments in a revised FGEIS; and WHEREAS, the City Council's comments related to, other things, among parking, the elimination of the artist live/work units, and visual analysis of the other potential development sites within DTOAD; and WHEREAS, on October 31, 2024, Petitioner resubmitted a revised FGEIS, which addressed the aforementioned comments; and WHEREAS, the City Council, its planning consultants, and special counsel reviewed the resubmitted FGEIS for completeness; and WHEREAS, Petitioner made a presentation to City Council on December 9, 2024, regarding the FGEIS; and WHEREAS, tlie City Council raised additional comments on the FGEIS during the presentation, including with respect to parking, public access to community facility space, and arts programming; and Page 2  -""'2"r"'a!"""'i.'CJ':-'j J;Ea!A[ WHEREAS, on December 10, 2024, the City Council directed Petitioner to respond to the additional comments raised during the presentation in a further revised FGEIS; and WHEREAS, on December 13, 2024, Petitioner resubmitted the FGEIS, which was revised to address the aforementioned comments; and WHEREAS, tlie City Corincil, its planning consultants, and special counsel reviewed the resubmitted FGEIS for completeness; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Corincil of Mount Vernon, as Lead Agency under SEQRA, hereby determines that the information submitted in the FGEIS, dated December 13, 2024, is complete for the purpose of l'iolding ajoint priblic hearing on the FGEIS aiid Zoning Petition; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council directs that the FGEIS, and the Notice of Completion and Notice of Public Hearing for the FGEIS relative to tl'ie Proposed Action, shall be filed, priblished, and circulated in accordance with the requirements of 6 N.Y.C.R.R. Section 617.12, notifying the priblic, among other things, that (i) the City Corincil shall hold a Public Hearing on the FGEIS on [February 12, 2025] February 11, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall, 1 Roosevelt Square N, Mount Vernon, New York, 10550, and at such other times and dates thereafter to which the hearing may be adjourned, wliere priblic comment will be heard regarding the FGEIS, and (ii) written comments on the FGEIS are reqriested, and will be accepted by the City Council at least up to ten (10) days following the close of the Public Hearing; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk, with the assistance of the City Council's consultants and special counsel, shall arrange to publish the Notice of Completion and Notice of Public Hearing at least fourteen (14) calendar days in advance of the hearing date in a newspaper of general circulation, as well as priblished as required in the Environmental Notice Bulletin; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk, with the assistance of the City Corincil's consultants and special counsel, shall anange to have copies of the FGEIS filed with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Mount Venion Public Library, and tlie Office of the Clerk of the City of Morint Vernon for public review; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk, with the assistance of the City Council's consultants and special counsel, shall arrange to have the FGEIS and a copy of the Notice of Completion and Notice of Public Hearing circulated to all involved and interested agencies; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that tlie City Clerk, with the assistance of the City Council's consultants and special counsel, sliall arrange to have the FGEIS posted on the City's website at https://cmvny.com/; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, tliat City of Morint Vernon staff, consultants and/or special cormsel shall take all steps necessary to implement tliis Resolution and to take such otlier and further action as may be necessary to enable the City Council its to meet obligations as Lead Agency or as otherwise might be appropriate in its role as Lead Agency; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk, with tlie assistance of the City Council's consultants and special counsel, the public notice shall also arrange to fulfill requirements set forth in Article XI of the City of Mt. Vernon Zoning Code regarding the Public Hearing for the Zoning Petition, which Hearing shall be held jointly with the SEQRA Hearing [February 12, 2025] on Tuesday, Febtuary 11, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall, I Rooseveit Square N, Morint Vernon, New York, IO550; BE IT FURTHER Page 3  , lllli.:y.ll].,i.JQ =::r., X.il, S)\"',af7'-m,:f":':a RESOLVED, that while the City Council is amenable to the SEQRA process continuing for the Proposed Action sitnultaneously with the City's Comprehensive Plan process, especially in light of the adoption of the Downtown Vision Report, the City Council reserves its discretion not to issue a final SEQRA deternnination or other approvals for the Development Project and the Zoning Petition until such time as the Comprehensive Plan process is completed or otherwise to the satisfaction of the Council; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall take effect immediately. New Matter Underlined Deleted Matter in Brackets [ ] 0 o (QC 30 S(O o a) LL(:) z co o.i3 8 0. APPFIOVED CLa:l Dept. Mayor Page 4