Planning Board

City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Meeting Minutes December 6, 2023 MEETING MINUTES PLANNING BOARD REGULAR MEETING For December 6, 2023 A regular meeting of the City Planning Board was held on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, a t 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 comments via in-person attendance and Zoom. The Chair asked the staff to start the live streaming of the meeting on Facebook. The Chair read the meeting notice into the record then indicated that the roll call was the first item on the agenda. ROLL CALL The Chair called the roll: in addition to Chairman Darryl Selsey, attending were the following Commissioners: Ms. Vivien Salmon, Ms. Helene Njenga, Mr. Charles Whites, and Mr. Frank Trolio. Mr. Jamael Thompson arrived after roll call. Also attending were Katherine Mella, Associate Commissioner, Maria Pace, Secretary to the Planning Board, Will Hyland, Senior Planner, and U. Nkechi Nwachukwu, land use counsel. 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 November 1, 2023. There being no further changes, Commissioner Whites made a motion to approve the minutes for November 1, 2023, seconded by Commissioner Salmon, and carried by a vote of 5-0. 1 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Meeting Minutes December 6, 2023 PUBLIC HEARINGS Adjourned 3.1 Case No. PB-22-1: 24 Locust Lane (Section 159.81, Block 2032, Lot 2) in the R1-7 Zoning District. This application has been adjourned to the January Planning Board meeting to allow the City Engineer and consultants to make a determination regarding how best to address drainage and stormwater retention issues. A copy of the Arcadis memo regarding the “Raynor Avenue and Burkewood Road Preliminary Flooding Evaluation” is available on the City’s website at https://cmvny.com/DocumentCenter/View/7797/Raynor-Avenue- Preliminary-Flood-Evaluation-Memo. Closed Public Hearing 3.3 Case No. PB-23-5 & 6: 405 South Fifth Avenue (Section 169.31, Block 3091, Lot 1) in the RMF-6.75 Residential District Regarding public notice, the Board previously received proof of mailing, proof of publication in the Journal News, and proof of initial sign posting for the application. The Board also received an Affidavit of Sign Posting stating that on November 11, 2023 a sign was posted at the site giving notice of the Planning Board’s December 6, 2023 meeting. The Board also received photographs showing that the sign posting on the property provided notice of today’s meeting. The Applicant is Derri Kreshnik, who is being represented by Mr. Shahin Badaly, PE. The Applicant is requesting to subdivide the 10,500-sf property into two 5,250 sf lots and is also requesting site plan approval. The Applicant proposes to construct two single-family townhouses on each lot (for a total of 4 single-family townhouse units). There will be 2 spaces in the garage under each unit (for a total of 8 parking spaces). SEQRA Determination – The proposed action is an unlisted action under SEQRA. The Planning Board assumed Lead Agency status at its meeting on October 4, 2023. The Chair asked if the Planning Board had read the prepared draft resolution and if they had any additional comments; there were none. It was confirmed that granite curbing, a camera plan and lighting plan were all included in the resolution. There was some discussion regarding when the Planning Board declared itself as lead agency; this was verified to be at the October 4, 2023 meeting. The Planning Board then completed Part II of the Short Environmental Assessment Form (SEAF). 2 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Meeting Minutes December 6, 2023 The Chair made a motion to issue a Negative Declaration based on the review and completion of SEAF Part II, seconded by Commissioner Whites and carried by a vote of 5-0. The Chair then made a motion to approve the draft resolution as written, seconded by Commissioner Trolio and carried by a vote of 5-0. Continued Public Hearing 3.4 Case No. PB-23-7 & 8: 454 South Ninth Avenue (Section 169.38, Block 3047, Lots 14 and 15) in the RMF-6.75 Residential District Regarding public notice, the Board previously received proof of mailing, proof of publication in the Journal News, and proof of initial sign posting for the application. The Board also received an Affidavit of Sign Posting stating that on November 11, 2023 a sign was posted at the site giving notice of the Planning Board’s December 6, 2023 meeting. The Board also received photographs showing that the sign posting on the property provided notice of today’s meeting. The Applicant is Derri Kreshnik, who is being represented by Mr. Shahin Badaly, PE. The Applicant is requesting site plan as well as subdivision approval and to reapportion two existing vacant lots (lots 14 & 15) consisting of 10,500 sf and 2,525 sf, respectively. The site is located on the west side of South Ninth Avenue to the north of Sandford Blvd. The Applicant is proposing to subdivide the total 13,025 sf property into 4 lots to build an attached two-family residence on each lot (for a total of 8 units). SEQRA Determination– The proposed action is an unlisted action under SEQRA. The Planning Board assumed Lead Agency status at its meeting on October 4, 2023. Mr. Shahin Badaly submitted revised plans for lighting, cameras and granite curbing. The Chair asked if the Commissioners had any further questions or comments; they did not. The Chair then asked if there were any public comments. Mrs. Annette Shands, who lives next door to the property, asked if the application had been submitted to the Westchester County Planning Board. Mr. Badaly said that if the application is approved the applicant would then submit a sewer plan to the County. 3 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Meeting Minutes December 6, 2023 Land Use Counsel indicated that the General Municipal Law (GML) requires that certain applications be referred to the County Planning Board and staff will review the file to ensure compliance. The Chair then advised Mr. Badaly that the application will remain open until the next Planning Board meeting on January 10, 2024. Mr. Badaly said that he will add callouts to the landscaping plan and lighting plan and ensure that there will be a 60-day retention period for the physical and cloud-based storage of the security/camera system. Commissioner Salmon asked who is responsible for changing the lights. Mr. Badaly said the owner is responsible for cleaning the snow, landscaping and changing the lights. The Chair then said that further discussion of the application would be adjourned to the January 10, 2024 meeting to allow time for the Planning Department to review the file for compliance with the GML referral process. Commissioner Whites then made a motion to adjourn discussion to the January 10, 2024 meeting, seconded by Commissioner Njenga, and carried by a vote of 5-0. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS 4.1 Review and Approval of 2024 Calendar of Planning Board Meeting Dates After the Planning Board reviewed the 2024 meeting schedule, an adjustment was made to move the May 1 meeting to May 8. Commissioner Salmon made a motion to approve the dates, seconded by Commissioner Njenga, and carried by a vote of 5-0. 4.2 Westchester County Planning Board Statement on Affordable Housing Notification After the Planning Board reviewed the letter, it was recommended to track more affordable housing developments in Mount Vernon. The Chair then made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Trolio, and carried by a vote of 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:26 pm. 4 City of Mount Vernon Meeting Date Planning Board Meeting Minutes December 6, 2023 Note: Work Sessions will be open to the public but closed to public participation subject to the Open Meetings Law, [Section 105 of New York State Public Officers Law, Article 7]. Note: Items listed on the agenda are subject to change and amendments and/or additions may be placed on the agenda. James Rausse, Planning Commissioner Marlon Molina, 2nd Deputy Planning Commissioner cc: Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Mayor Building Department Corporation Counsel City Clerk 5