Planning Board Turns Down 100 Pondfield Road Developer's Preliminary Site Plan Approval Citing Unaddressed Issues
By Carol P. Bartold
Jul. 15, 2015: Pondfield Court LLC representative Matthew Pisciotta, associate at the law firm Zarin and Steinmetz, appeared before the Bronxville Planning Board at its July 8 meeting to request that the board authorize preparation of a draft preliminary site plan approval to develop the former Morgan Manhattan Storage building at 100 Pondfield Road into eleven condominium units and a fourteen-space parking garage.
"We believe we have worked through all the conditions set by the board for a preliminary site plan approval that were placed on the conditioned negative declaration that was approved," Pisciotta stated. The board adopted the conditioned negative declaration at its June meeting. The mandatory 30-day public comment period on the declaration remains open until Friday, July 24, 2015.
The planning board declined to take action at the meeting toward granting a preliminary site plan approval. Planning board chairman Eric Blessing cited the still-open public comment period as well as the conditions on the conditioned negative declaration that Pondfield Court LLC has not completely addressed.
Safety issues arising from limited ingress and egress to the landlocked building remain as a primary, unresolved issue for planning board members. An alley, approximately 15 feet wide, provides the only vehicular access to the building.
"I can't, in good faith, make a commitment about this unless I have a few things clearly locked up in my mind," Rene Atayan, board alternate, said, adding that issues surrounding fire and emergency vehicle access to the building at all times must be, and have not been, solved.
Matters of property use and easement rights, still under discussion between the developer and Mosbacher Properties Group, owner of properties adjacent to 100 Pondfield Road, have not been resolved. "We would like to make sure that our tenants and their way of doing business is not encroached," said Mindy Schmidt, senior property manager with Mosbacher.
"Until a court of competent jurisdiction tells us how this easement is designated," Schmidt stated, "Mosbacher's position would be that it's premature for you to give a preliminary site plan approval without getting specific information."
Schmidt further noted that agreements must be reached about what specific safety measures the developer is authorized to install on the property. Pondfield Court LLC has proposed a system of warning signs and in-pavement lights activated by bollards to be installed in the easement driveway. Schmidt pointed out that all of those items would be installed on Mosbacher-owned property.
Pisciotta stated that the developer has also submitted a plan showing placement of all safety features outside the property.
"So that involves village land," noted planning board member Adrienne Smith. "You have neither locked in and it's a bit of a problem at this point. I hate to say this, but I'm just not understanding the inability to work toward some kind of concrete solution."
Village consultant Marilyn Timpone-Mohamed of Frederick P. Clark Associates advised the board, based on the incomplete answers to the conditions on the conditioned negative declaration, to exercise caution in granting any approval for the project.
With the board's concurrence, Blessing suggested that Pondfield Court LLC address all of the conditions to the board's satisfaction before it authorizes drafting a preliminary site plan approval.
The Bronxville Planning Board will meet on Wednesday, September 9, at 7:30 pm in the trustees room at Bronxville Village Hall.
Pictured here: The roof of the former Morgan Manhattan Storage building.
Photo by N. Bower
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Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
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