Planning Board

City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Agenda August 3, 2022 MEETING MINUTES PLANNING BOARD REGULAR MEETING for August 3, 2022 A regular meeting of the City Planning Board was held on Wednesday, Au gu st 3, 2022, at 6:30 PM in the Memorial Room on the Second Floor of City Hall. Applicants and members of the public were permitted to attend and make public comment via in person attendance. The Chair read the meeting notice into the record then indicated that the roll call was the first item on the agenda. The Chair asked the staff to start the live streaming of the meeting on Facebook. ROLL CALL The Chair called the roll: In addition to Chairman Darryl Selsey, attending were the following Commissioners: Mr. Frank Trolio, Ms. Helene Thompson-Njenga, Mr. Jamael Thompson, Mr. Charles Whites, and Mr. Lesly Zamor. (Mr. Whites and Mr. Zamor attended via zoom). Also attending were Maria Pace, Secretary to the Planning Board, U. Nkechi Nwachukwu, land use counsel, Katherine Mella, Associate Commissioner and Bob Galvin, Planning Administrator. The Chair indicated that there was a quorum present and opened the meeting at 6:30 pm. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Chair asked if the Commissioners had an opportunity to review the minutes of July 13, 2022, and if there were any corrections. There being no changes, the Chair asked for a motion to approve the minutes for July 13, 2022. The motion was made by Commissioner Trolio, seconded by Commissioner Thompson and carried by a vote of 6 – 0. 1 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Agenda August 3, 2022 Adjournment 3.1 Case No. 5-2021 1 Wartburg Site Plan Application for Assisted Living Building at the Wartburg Campus (Section 165.42, Block 2160, Lot 1; Section 165.50, Block 2194, Lot 4; Section 165.51, Block 2194, Lot 5) - Request for a one-year extension of Site Plan Approval The Chair indicated that the Applicant has submitted a letter withdrawing the application for a one-year extension for the Wartburg Assisted Living Facility. Continued Public Hearing 3.2 The Chair read the description for Case No. 7-2021 2 Wartburg – Independent Living Building at the Wartburg Campus (Section 165.42, Block 2160, Lot 1; Section 165.42, Block 2160, Lot 1; Section 165.50, Block 2194, Lot 4) - Request for a one-year extension of Site Plan Approval The Chair indicated that Mr. Null, the Applicant’s Attorney, submitted a letter at the last meeting and has provided the Board with a revised letter for this meeting. Mr. Null reviewed the revised letter and indicated that Applicant’s Arborist is Sav-A-Tree which will provide continuing tree maintenance. He also stated that there would be no rock blasting. He also indicated that the Applicant is comfortable with both conditions in the resolution. The Chair asked if there were any members of the public who would like to comment. There were no comments. The Chair asked for a motion to close the public hearing. Commissioner Thompson made the motion to close the public hearing, seconded by Commissioner Thompson-Njenga. The motion was carried by a 6-0 vote. The Chair read the specific conditions from the resolution into the public record. A change was made to Condition #6 from an annual report to a bi-annual report (by the Applicant’s Arborist). The Chair made a motion to grant the one-year extension of site plan approval for the Wartburg Independent Living Facility, seconded by Commissioner Thompson and carried by a vote of 6 – 0. New Public Hearing 3.3 The Chair read the description for Case No. 16 – 2022 145 North Fifth Avenue (Section 165.54, Block 1121, Lot 26) located in the Neighborhood Business (NB) Zoning District The Chair introduced Applicant’s Engineer, Mr. Shahin Badaly. 2 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Agenda August 3, 2022 Mr. Badaly described the application which is for the conversion of the current building to a day care center. The conversion creates a separation between the first and second floors. There will be an elevator for occupants of the second floor. The day care center would be on the first floor with access to drop off and pick up from the driveway. There is an easement next door to provide egress for a maximum of 75 children from the driveway. The hours of the center would be 7 am to 7 pm. There are no outdoor facilities. Any such facilities would be off-site. Pickup and drop off will be scheduled by the day care center with parents and/or guardians. The schedule will be staggered in 15-minute intervals. The day care center will need to receive a license from New York State. The building is fully ADA accessible. There would be no cooking or kitchen facilities in the building. The Chair asked how many employees will be at the day care center. Mr. Badaly indicated between seven and ten employees. Ms. Joseph was introduced as the owner and operator of the day care center. She indicated again that the maximum number of children would be 75. The Chair asked what children will be accessing the services? Ms. Joseph said that the majority will be from Mount Vernon, approximately 70 – 75%. The balance would be from the Bronx, etc. The Chair asked if there will there be any after school or nutritional programs? Ms. Joseph indicated that they must provide a supplemental menu and keep snacks on-site. Commissioner Thompson had a question about the driveway. How do you manage the cars coming in and out? Mr. Badaly said that not everyone will be entering and leaving at the same time. Commissioner Trolio asked if there is any way to create a direction in the driveway so that cars can enter the driveway and turn around to exit. Mr. Badaly indicated that it could be done. A dedicated person could provide traffic control in the driveway. The Chair asked about the breakdown of the children and their schedules. Ms. Joseph indicated that there are 30 full time coming in from 7:00 am – 9:30 am and the peak time 8:30 am – 9:00 am. There are 25 after school children. They are trying to consolidate current programs into this day care center location. Commissioner Thompson-Njenga was concerned about traffic. There is a school down the hill (Our Lady of Victory). What about inclement weather? 3 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Agenda August 3, 2022 Commissioner Thompson asked about the food pantry that they run? Ms. Joseph indicated that their food pantry is in the Bronx and will remain in the Bronx. The food pantry cannot be located in Westchester. Commissioner Zamor indicated that he was concerned about the traffic and double-parking. Commissioner Whites agreed with Commissioner Zamor. The Chair opened the meeting up for public comment. Public -- Dina Perriello: She indicated that she represented the neighbors in the area. Driveway is not totally Mr. Kahn’s (the owner). She discussed that it was congested because of the schools. The Board should visit the locations. She is also concerned about the garbage. Ms. Perriello asked the operator why you would want to move to this location and how long have they had the day care? Ms. Joseph answered by stating that she has worked with her mother (who started the organization) since the fifth grade. She has been operating the day care since 2014. The program tries to funnel children to local schools and helps with scholarships and academic readiness. The Chair said that it sounds like a great program, but the amount of vehicular traffic will exacerbate the traffic problem. Commissioner Thompson asked the owner, Mr. Ray Kahn, how long has he owned the building? Mr. Kahn responded 12 years. The Chair asked how long has the building been vacant? Mr. Kahn answered 12 years. His survey shows the driveway as being on his property. The Chair asked Mr. Kahn if he had a copy of the easement? Mr. Badaly indicated that he would research it. In reference to the Traffic Study for the site, it will include the flow of traffic in and out of the driveway and during busy peak hours. Commissioner Trolio said that he should address the curb cut with a fence. The Chair indicated that the applicant requests an adjournment to conduct the traffic study. The traffic issue is especially important. Mr. Kahn asked what is better: a building that can service children or an abandoned building? 4 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Agenda August 3, 2022 The Chair said that there is lots of congestion in the area. The Board needs to consider what is beneficial to everyone. The Chair asked for comments from Police, Fire and DPW. The concern is that the location may not be able to sustain the operation. Mr. Badaly will look into what the issues are. Public – Ms. Dina Perriello: The Armory is only temporarily closed; its programs may open again causing more traffic. The Chair made a motion to adjourn the public hearing until the Applicant’s Engineer can have a traffic study conducted., seconded by Commissioner Thompson. The motion was carried by a vote of 6-0. Adjournment The Chair read the description of Case No. 17 – 2022 300 Nuber Avenue (Section 169.24, Block 4057, Lot 2) located in the R2-4.5 Zoning District. The Chair indicated that the Applicant has requested an adjournment to provide a revised set of drawings including additional considerations of the surrounding neighborhood for the proposed two-family development. Continued Public Hearing 3.5 The Chair read the description of Case No. 18 – 2022 210 West Lincoln Avenue (Section 165.61, Block 1076, Lot 14) located in the Neighborhood Business (NB) District. The Chair asked Applicant’s Engineer to review the status of the application. Mr. Badaly stated that the DPW and Water Department have not responded for request for comments. The Chair asked the Planning Administrator to reach out to the agencies again. Mr. Badaly mentioned that County Chair around the corner from the subject property was purchased by the applicant, Westside Party Rental. County Chair is operated independently from Westside Party. The last two businesses at the property operated illegally. It was a warehouse, but zoning has changed. The Chair said that it would be helpful to have the Building Department provide the zoning. Currently the location appears to be non-compliant with zoning. Mr. Badaly said that the two locations of Westside Party are two large local employers. The proposed use at 210 West Lincoln includes a sales office with walk-in customers and accessory storage for the party rentals. He will get the necessary documentation from the Building Department. 5 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Agenda August 3, 2022 The Chair asked Mr. Badaly to work with counsel and the Planning Department in obtaining this information. Mr. Badaly indicated that the applicant will donate funds and work with the Tree Surgeon to plants trees on the adjacent property. Mr. Galvin, the Planning Administrator, indicated that the Planning Department has received comments for the Water Bureau which have been provided to the Applicant. There being no other business, the Chair made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Trolio and carried by a vote of 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:26 PM. Maria Pace Secretary to the Planning Board Bob Galvin, AICP Planning Administrator 6