Town of Eastchester, NY: Minutes, Architectural Review Board Meeting, October 4, 2007

2 EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD MEETING

OCTOBER 4, 2006

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X

MINUTES OF THE

EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD MEETING

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X

10 HELD AT: Eastchester Town Hall

40 Mill Road

11 Eastchester, New York 10709

October 4, 2007 7:00 p.m.

13 BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Rose Marie Brescia, Chairman

15 Enda McIntyre, Member

Laura Raffiani, Member

16 Maria Bonasia, 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 ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD - 10/4/07

3 Mr. McIntyre: Calls meeting to order.

4 Ms. Uhle: States Mr. Papale may not be

able to attend meeting and Ms. Brescia will be

5 late. Calls roll:

6 Mr. McIntyre: Present.

7 Ms. Raffiani: Present.

8 Ms. Bonasia: Present.

Pledge of Allegiance.

APPLICATION 07-67, 737 WHITE PLAINS ROAD

13 Mr. Georgianis: Steven Georgianis,

architect for the project. States with him is

14 Mr. Gus Dinapolis, attorney for the project.

15 Mr. Georgianis: Shows revised design.

16 Mr. McIntyre: States last time he was

struck by the starkness of the project. Asks

17 architect to address the changes regarding the

aesthetics in terms of finishes.

Mr. Georgianis: States they are not

19 changing the materials from what was presented

last time. States horizontal banding will be

20 brick, major panels will be iface and store

front material is bronze duronautic aluminum.

Mr. McIntyre: Asks if they just

22 heightened the vertical element at the middle

section.

Mr. Georgianis: States yes. States they

24 also recessed each individual panel. Explains

before everything was on one plain. States

25 brick columns and piers extend full height of

facade.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD - 10/4/07

Mr. McIntyre: Asks if it's a brick

3 veneer or actual brick units.

4 Mr. Georgianis: States columns would be

brick.

Mr. McIntyre: Asks if underneath the

6 windows it is brick.

7 Mr. Georgianis: States band at the

bottom is brick.

Mr. McIntyre: Asks if they are using

9 true bricks.

10 Mr. Georgianis: States yes.

11 Mr. McIntyre: Asks if some form of

lighting is represented in the stucco panel

12 above the windows.

13 Mr. Georgianis: Explains they are like a

wall wash. States it would be a bronze

14 aluminum almost like a sconce with a down

light.

Mr. McIntyre: Asks what consideration

16 has been given to any future signage.

17 Mr. Georgianis: Shows location where

signage would go. Explains it would be limited

18 to above the window area.

19 Mr. McIntyre: Explains they would like

to have consistency with the signage and

20 illumination of the signage.

21 Mr. Dinapolis: Explains the direction

they are going regarding the signage is an

22 individual pin mounted letter. States every

sign that goes on the building will be the

23 same.

24 Ms. Raffiani: States that needs to be

shown on the plan.

Mr. Dinapolis: States they cannot do

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD - 10/4/07

2 that yet because they don't have any tenants.

3 Mr. Georgianis: States when they submit

the plans to the building department on the

4 elevation sheets they could show that.

5 Mr. McIntyre: Explains this is the forum

to do that.

Mr. Dinapolis: Explains signage is a

7 very, very negotiated part of a lease. States

they cannot put something on a plan and stick

8 to it when they don't have the tenants yet.

9 Ms. Raffiani: States board is looking to

see where the specific designated sign area is,

10 they are looking for something agreed upon

regarding the colors.

Mr. Dinapolis: States they cannot do

12 that right now because they would be

restricting themselves.

Ms. Uhle: Explains board could say all

14 signs have to be consistent and all signs have

to come back to the architectural review board

15 for approval.

16 Mr. McIntyre: Discusses signage.

17 Mr. Georgianis: States sign panel is

twenty-eight inches high and width of each sign

18 panel is thirteen eight, that's the area they

could place each individual sign.

Mr. McIntyre: Explains board would like

20 applicant to look at the sign ordinance and

outline the maximum area that this sign could

21 be.

22 Mr. Georgianis: States he could indicate

within each sign panel the maximum.

Ms. Uhle: Explains sign law is clear

24 sign could only be eighteen inches high,

letters could be sixteen inches and length

25 could be seventy-five percent.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD - 10/4/07

Mr. McIntyre: States board would like to

3 see that incorporated into this application.

Asks if they have thought about directory signs

4 at all.

5 Mr. Dinapolis: States they will not have

directory signs.

Mr. McIntyre: Asks what they are

7 proposing for the aluminum.

8 Mr. Georgianis: States it's a bronze

color.

Ms. Uhle: Asks that they show the colors

10 when they go to the Planning Board.

11 Mr. Georgianis: States he will show all

the materials and colors. States aluminum is

12 bronze, iface is in the beige family and brick

is a soft color.

The Chairman: Asks that they see a

14 typical section through the soffit that exists

through the signage band.

Mr. Georgianis: States it's an eight

16 inch recess.

17 Mr. McIntyre: Asks if that's where they

proposed the down lights for the signage.

Mr. Georgianis: States yes.

Mr. McIntyre: Asks if there will be any

20 signage in the windows.

21 Mr. Dinapolis: States absolutely not.

22 Ms. Raffiani: Discusses signage.

Explains sign manufacturers like to put the

23 letters on a panel. Feels it would be better

if they designed a panel area that's consistent

24 for every store that they could slip a sign

into.

Mr. Dinapolis: States they really like

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD - 10/4/07

2 the way the decorative letters look.

3 Mr. McIntyre: States the boundary of the

sign based on the sign ordinance should be

4 indicated on each of the sign panels, lighting

should be indicated also, they would like a

5 section through the facade showing the eight

inch soffit where the lights would be.

Mr. Georgianis: States that is indicated

7 on the floor plan.

8 Mr. McIntyre: Explains he would like it

to be clear cut. Discusses lighting. Asks if

9 there is any drainage on the front of this

building or if all drainage is on the inside,

10 no gutters.

11 Mr. Georgianis: States that is right.

12 Mr. McIntyre: Asks if there is any roof

mounted equipment or air conditioning equipment

13 that will project above the line of the

parapet.

Mr. Georgianis: States no. States each

15 individual store will have it's own unit in the

HVAC space. Explains the unit that's going up

16 on the roof is very small.

17 Mr. McIntyre: Explains if there is any

roof mounted equipment it should not protrude

18 beyond the line of the parapet. Asks height of

parapet now.

Mr. Georgianis: States he cannot tell

20 the height right now. Shows location where

each small unit will be mounted on the roof.

Mr. McIntyre: Explains this is something

22 that should be more clearly represented.

23 Mr. Georgianis: States unit will not be

visible from the street.

Ms. Raffiani: Explains the Planning

25 Board is going to need a set of plans.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD - 10/4/07

Mr. McIntyre: States there is no section

3 through the building right now and there should

be as part of the Planning Board application.

4 Explains ARB is trying to make this look as

nice as it could be.

Mr. Georgianis: States he is too.

Ms. Brescia: Explains this is a very

7 unique spot to be able to do something like

this and once one spot looks better it will

8 encourage others to do more. Feels applicant

needs to do something that reaches out and

9 grabs someone and they have the advantage of

the parking. Feels making this as attractive

10 as possible only works to the applicant's

benefit.

Mr. McIntyre: Feels this is an

12 opportunity to create a boutique feel as

opposed to a strip mall.

Mr. Dinapolis: Explains in twenty years

14 that has been a vacant lot and an eyesore and

now the applicant has come along and is

15 building on it according to the law. States

they will listen to whatever suggestions this

16 board has but whatever the brick color is it's

certainly better than a big, ugly vacant lot

17 with six foot high weeds and a rotten fence.

Feels all of that needs to be kept in mind when

18 we're looking at whether the nail will go

perfectly in the side of the building. States

19 the site right now is a disaster on

Eastchester's biggest thoroughfare. Feels this

20 makes the area much more beautiful.

21 Ms. Raffiani: Feels goal should not be

to make it better than what's there. Feels

22 that's a low standard to shoot for.

23 The Chairman: Asks if they are thinking

of adding an awning to add a little interest to

24 this facade.