Town of Eastchester, NY: Minutes, Architectural Review Board Meeting, February 1, 2007

2 EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD MEETING

FEBRUARY 1, 2007

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MINUTES OF THE

EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD MEETING

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10 HELD AT: Eastchester Town Hall

40 Mill Road

11 Eastchester, New York 10709

February 1, 2007 7:00 p.m.

13 BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Rose Marie Brescia, Chairperson

15 Enda McIntyre, Member

Laura Raffiani, Member

16 Maria Bonasia, Member

Fernando Papale, Member

EASTCHESTER EMPLOYEES IN ATTENDANCE:

LOUIS REDA, Deputy Town Attorney

21 MARGARET UHLE, Director of Planning

JAY KING, Building Inspector

24 DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

25 COLONIAL ROAD

25 BRONXVILLE, NEW YORK 10708

(914) 469-6353

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD -

The Chairman: Calls meeting to order.

Ms. Uhle: Believes Mr. Papale and Mr.

4 McIntyre are planning to attend meeting but are

running late.

The Chairman: Present.

Ms. Raffiani: Present.

Ms. Bonasia: Present.

9 APPLICATION 06-90, 92 BROOK STREET

Mr. Cotugno: John Cotugno, architect for

11 applicant. Explains they received two small

variances for parking and aisle width.

12 Explains main body of building stays as it is.

States they have to knock off about ten feet on

13 the right side of the building in order to

accommodate the parking area. Indicates

14 they're squaring off the building in the rear

left-hand corner. States parking would be on

15 the right. Explains it would be a white framed

wood store front. States they will reuse some

16 of the stone to go around on the other side.

States there replacing the windows. States

17 siding will be cream color. States he provided

a landscape plan.

The Chairman: Asks if stone comes around

19 the side also.

20 Mr. Cotugno: States yes. States they

will have dark green shutters and new windows.

21 States all the windows will be consistent.

22 Ms. Raffiani: Feels this cleans building

up nicely.

The Chairman: Asks about lighting.

Mr. Cotugno: Explains there will be sign

25 lighting, hanging lights in conjunction with

the sign and everything else will be indoors.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD -

Ms. Raffiani: Asks that they put the

3 lighting up before the board goes up so there

will is no conduit on the outside.

The Chairman: Feels they did a nice job

5 keeping the character of the building. Feels

keeping the stone makes a big difference and

6 adds to the neighborhood.

7 Ms. Bonasia: Likes the combination of

the siding color and the stone. Asks if the

8 two angles of the roof are on the same angle.

9 Mr. Cotugno: Explains it's the same

angle. Explains it's a Dutch colonial.

Ms. Bonasia: Feels this has nice

11 character to it.

12 The Chairman: Makes a motion to open the

public hearing.

Ms. Raffiani: Seconds motion.

(All aye.)

(No comments.)

The Chairman: Asks if they are proposing

17 a fence above the retaining wall at the rear

property line.

Ms. Uhle: Explains she wanted to look at

19 the landscape plan in more detail and she can

talk to the Planning Board about the fence.

The Chairman: Makes a motion to close

21 the public hearing.

22 Ms. Raffiani: Seconds motion.

23 (All aye.)

24 Ms. Uhle: States they are retaining a

consulting engineer regarding the grading,

25 drainage plan.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD -

2 The Chairman: Asks if the sidewalk is

all concrete.

Mr. Cotugno: States the existing

4 driveway is not staying. Explains there is a

public concrete sidewalk and then a blue stone

5 walk to the building and to the parking.

6 Ms. Uhle: States they have a handicapped

parking spot and they are not showing any drop

7 curbs to get from that spot to the front door,

which is something that needs to be revised.

Mr. Cotugno: Explains walkway is exactly

9 level but they will check that.

10 Ms. Uhle: Asks that they make sure it's

noted on the plan.

The Chairman: Makes a motion to pass

12 Application 06-90 to the Planning Board as is

except for the landscaping issues.

Ms. Uhle: States ARB should recommend to

14 the Planning Board they consider a fence at the

rear property line.

Mr. McIntyre: Seconds motion.

(All aye.)

18 APPLICATION 07-04, 68 PARK AVENUE

Mr. Carris: Emanuel Carris. Explains

20 they are proposing to put in a new one family

house on a conforming lot, no variances, no

21 other requirements. States they are doing this

as of right, meeting all the setbacks and lot

22 coverage and lot size. Explains this project

is being built on a poured concrete foundation

23 and house is a modular house that is being

constructed by Westchester Modular homes.

24 Explains the model is shown in the package the

way it was intended to be built and he modified

25 it so there are additional windows in the rear

to get more light on the first and second floor

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD -

and to provide a mechanism for getting out of

2 the basement via a staircase and a door to a

rear patio. Discusses photographs. States

3 east elevation is where the property is located

and on either side of the lot there are two

4 houses and along that entire block most of the

houses are clad and vinyl siding. States the

5 houses across the street have a collection of

siding and stucco. States the facade should

6 match in terms of materials. States he felt

the garage under the residence is appropriate

7 for this location and site. Shows material

samples. States siding color is desert tan,

8 roof is driftwood, shutters will be bordeau

luver vinyl shutters, rear deck will be

9 pressure treated lumbar, front portico will be

concrete stairs with pressure treated rails and

10 posts and retaining walls will be a liberty

stone a pre-fab wall and color is either a

11 chestnut or brandy.

12 The Chairman: Asks if retaining wall is

the full height.

Mr. Carris: Explains it starts about

14 eight inches above the finished driveway as it

begins and driveway goes down slightly and

15 retaining wall goes out. States at the very

highest retaining wall is five foot six.

The Chairman: Asks if they are going to

17 put any fencing or a railing on the retaining

wall.

Mr. Carris: States they are planning on

19 putting plantings so there isn't anybody

falling over. States they haven't decided

20 whether they wanted to put any railing on

there.

Ms. Raffiani: Feels they should have a

22 landscape plan showing that because it's a

safety issue.

Mr. Carris: States he suggested they put

24 some kind of a low railing but they haven't

decided because they are still trying to figure

25 the budget. States he felt it would be most

appropriate to put shrubs on either side so

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD -

nobody could get close to the edging.

Mr. Papale: Asks if retaining wall will

3 be on both sides.

4 Mr. Carris: States yes. States

initially applicant didn't want a retaining

5 wall they wanted a berm but he told them it

didn't look nice.

Ms. Uhle: States building code doesn't

7 require a railing as long as it isn't along a

walkway. Explains if it was adjacent to a

8 walkway it would be required.

9 Ms. Raffiani: States Planning Board will

ask for a landscape plan.

Mr. Papale: Discusses windows on side.

Mr. Carris: Explains they didn't want to

12 put any windows on that side. Explains it

faces north and they won't get any more light.

The Chairman: States bedroom two and the

14 master bedroom only have a double window and

there is no cross ventilation.

Mr. Carris: States there is no way to do

16 that.

17 The Chairman: Feels it's stark. States

even downstairs they could put some windows in

18 the living room and family room.

19 Mr. Carris: States he broached the

subject with the owners and Westchester Modular

20 and he believes it was a matter of cost.

Explains in the living room they didn't have

21 enough wall space so they didn't want to insert

some kind of wall opening for a window. States

22 in the master bedroom there wasn't any place to

put a very large bed if they put a window.

23 States he felt they could put two windows in

but it was a matter of cost and they did want

24 to put it in.

25 Mr. Papale: Discusses facade. Suggests

doing something that cuts the facade in two.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD -

2 Mr. Carris: Explains he suggested where

the two boxes meet an offset so there is a

3 shadow line, but because of the manufacturing

process it was not an easy process. States he

4 will broach the subject again. Feels if they

could get some kind of shadow line there that

5 would work.

6 The Chairman: Feels the front elevation

is very nice. Discusses side elevation. Feels

7 it's unappealing.

8 Mr. Carris: States he will recommend a

horizontal strip.

The Chairman: Feels they could use

10 another window or two.

11 Mr. Carris: States he will discuss it

with the manufacturer and home owner.

Ms. Bonasia: States she's disappointed

13 with the design. Hopes she doesn't see too

many of these houses around.

Mr. Carris: Feels this house fits in

15 with the neighborhood's pattern.

16 Ms. Bonasia: Hopes they could do

something with the other elevations.

Mr. Carris: States facade here doesn't

18 do it justice, it's too single dimensional and

doesn't have the fla