Town of Eastchester, NY: Minutes, Planning Board Meeting, May 28, 2008

2 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD MEETING

MAY 28, 2008

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6 MINUTES OF THE

7 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD MEETING

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11 HELD AT: Eastchester Town Hall

40 Mill Road

12 Eastchester, New York 10709

May 28, 2008 7:00 p.m.

14 BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Chairman Raymond DelSavio

16 Robert Pulaski, Member

James Bonanno, Member

18 EASTCHESTER EMPLOYEES IN ATTENDANCE:

MARGARET UHLE, Director of Planning

20 ROBERT TUDISCO, Deputy Town Attorney

JAY KING, Building Inspector

21 KERI OUELLETTE, Assistant Planner

23 DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

25 COLONIAL ROAD

24 BRONXVILLE, NEW YORK 10708

(914) 469-6353

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 5/28/08

The Chairman: Calls meeting to order.

Pledge of Allegiance.

Mr. Pulaski: Calls roll:

Mr. Bonanno: Present.

The Chairman: Present.

Mr. Pulaski: Present.

Mr. Pulaski: States Town Planner

8 Margaret Uhle is present.

9 Ms. Uhle: States Ms. Cascione and Mr.

Cermele are not able to make tonight's meeting.

The Chairman: Explains any votes this

11 evening need to be unanimous. States if it is

not unanimous the applicant will come back to

12 the next meeting.

APPLICATION 07-72, 344-356 WHITE PLAINS ROAD

15 Mr. Alemzadeh: Hossein Alemzadeh from

Design Profile Architects. Explains project is

16 the facade restoration of the existing building

which contains several commercial stores and a

17 supermarket. States they are taking out the

chain link fence which is to the southerly

18 property line and replacing it with a stockade,

re-striping the parking lot which will increase

19 the number of handicapped parking. States

majority of the project is the facade

20 restoration of the three facades of the

building, the front, the side and part of the

21 back.

22 Mr. Pulaski: Makes a motion to open the

public hearing on Application 07-72.

Mr. Bonanno: Seconds motion.

(All aye.)

Resident: Asks if the entire fence is

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 5/28/08

being replaced or just a portion.

Mr. Alemzadeh: Shows location of chain

3 link fence. States the entire south portion of

the property line where the chain link fence is

4 located will be changed to a stockade fence.

5 Ms. Uhle: Explains they are not

proposing to change the fence on the eastern

6 side or the rear of the property, just have it

remain.

Resident: Explains the reason why he,

8 his wife and a few neighbors attended tonight

is that the fence hasn't been maintained or

9 repaired for a number of years. Explains the

boards are warped and nails are sticking and

10 it's a hazard to children. States the fence

being exposed to the elements of weather the

11 fence tends to shrink leaving gaps which

becomes an issue as far as privacy for the

12 people that own homes in those back yards.

Explains right now there are several slots that

13 are missing and just as clearly as he could see

into the back yard of the parking lot people

14 could see into his back yard. Asks if they

could have that fence changed possibly to a

15 solid white vinyl so both property sides would

have the benefit of having something more

16 appealing to look at. Explains with that type

of fence they won't get the debris flowing in

17 from the parking lot, garbage bags, potato

chips. States people who work in those stores

18 tend to have their lunch in the back and they

leave their debris there. States the

19 landscapers blow that parking lot at seven,

seven thirty every morning and the debris blows

20 into the back yards. States their main concern

is the privacy.

Ms. Uhle: Explains the existing chain

22 link fence is not a legal fence anymore so the

decision was they will match the existing

23 fence.

24 Mr. Hollander: Martin Hollander,

representative for the owner. States the rear

25 fence the neighbors are referring to a number

of those sections are new. Explains there may

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 5/28/08

be some sections where over the winter some

2 pieces may have come out and they could take

care of that. States owner of this property

3 has owned it since the Fifties. Explains this

is being done to fix up the property. States

4 they have no objection to changing sections of

the fence.

Mr. Smith: Matthew Smith, 78 Howard

6 Avenue. States he reside directly behind

C-Town. States he took pictures today of the

7 fence on the east side of the property.

Submits pictures. States a lot of the boards

8 of the fence are out, some of the pieces have

been cut off and it's very weathered. States

9 neighbors were surprised to hear that they were

only suggesting to replace the fence on the

10 south side to match the fence on the east side

given the condition of the fence on the east

11 side.

12 The Chairman: Asks height of existing

fence.

Mr. Alemzadeh: States six feet.

Ms. Uhle: States ARB referred this with

15 a positive recommendation with the proposed

architecture and signage and asked that the

16 applicant provide additional information with

regard to the lighting. States she spoke with

17 the architect about some issues the building

department had and they have addressed those.

18 Explains there is a dumpster there that has

been overflowing and the building department

19 asked that they provide a larger dumpster with

a trash enclosure with some type of screening

20 around it. States they noticed on the northern

end of the building tenants are pulling out

21 garbage cans and those also tend to be messy

and overflowing so they asked those tenants be

22 required to locate their trash in the dumpster

so it's all consolidated and there are not

23 stand alone trash cans. States there is an

issue with regard to existing tents located in

24 the rear parking lot, those either need site

plan approval or they need to be removed

25 because Mr. King is worried about safety issues

with those tents.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 5/28/08

The Chairman: States as a condition of

2 approval prior to the issuance of any permit

those tents need to be removed.

Ms. Uhle: Explains they asked them to

4 provide some additional parking spaces because

they are doing re-striping in the parking lot.

5 Explains the handicapped spaces they show do

not meet the state building code requirements

6 which require an eight feet aisle not five

foot. States that's something they could

7 easily do. Explains on the proposed site plan

for the entrance and exit on Cypress Road they

8 show two way traffic, but if you look at the

aisle widths and angles of the parking lot it

9 should be one way and they did address that.

States they addressed all of the comments she

10 made to them.

11 The Chairman: States HSBC never complied

with the lighting.

Ms. Uhle: States that's a condition the

13 board could make.

14 The Chairman: States prior to the

issuance of a permit they need to comply with

15 the lighting. States they have excessive

lighting. States he is making it a condition

16 before this gets approved that that needs to be

brought into compliance.

Resident: States they have a letter that

18 himself and Matthew had residents sign

indicating they want fence to be a six foot

19 high white vinyl fence.

20 Mr. Bonanno: Makes a motion to close the

public hearing on Application 07-72.

Mr. Pulaski: Seconds motion.

(All aye.)

The Chairman: Explains whenever there is

24 stucco on the outside they put some type of a

base so the stucco doesn't get abused and

25 damaged.

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 5/28/08

Mr. Alemzadeh: States they could raise a

2 portion of it as a chair rail with maybe a

stone or hard surface to protect that. States

3 on the side where they put the shopping carts

there is a protective rail.

The Chairman: Asks color of the anodized

5 aluminum.

6 Mr. Alemzadeh: States brown aluminum.

7 The Chairman: Asks if all the metal will

be exactly the same color.

Mr. Alemzadeh: States yes.

The Chairman: Asks color of railing.

Mr. Alemzadeh: States galvanized steel.

The Chairman: Asks if that could be

12 duronautic bronze also.

13 Mr. Alemzadeh: Feels that is too much

maintenance.

The Chairman: States it's easier to

15 maintain the bronze. Discusses signage.

16 Mr. Alemzadeh: States they would like to

do back lit lighting. States most likely that

17 is what they will introduce to all the tenants.

18 Mr. Bonanno: Asks if metal storage shed

in the back of the building will remain as is.

Mr. Alemzadeh: States it will remain as

20 is.

21 Mr. Bonanno: Feels it looks very old

compared to the new facade.

Mr. Alemzadeh: Explains if the board

23 could issue some sort of stipulation to tell

them the board wants it removed, they would

24 love to remove it.

25 Mr. Bonanno: States in the back of the

building there is also a storage shed covering

DINA M. MORGAN, REPORTER

1 EASTCHESTER PLANNING BOARD - 5/28/08

the cans.

Mr. Alemzadeh: States if the board could

3 put something in writing they would love to

have them remove it.

Mr. Hollander: States he would be very

5 pleased if as a condition those big boxes had

to be removed. Explains it belongs to C-Town.

Mr. Pulaski: Discusses putting in wheel

7 stops. Feels that is a benefit to the health

and safety of the people who will be using the

8 stores. Strongly requests that they consider

that.

The Chairman: Asks if parking lot will

10 be removed.

11 Mr. Alemzadeh: States no.

12 The Chairman: Asks if any of the grades

will change.

Mr. Alemzadeh: States no.

Mr. Pulaski: Feels this application is

15 great and dressing up a shopping center that

needs attention and will benefit the look of

16 the town and hopefully draw in more customers

to the shopping center. Discusses fence. Asks

17 that the applicant consider submitting a good

hardy wood fence that will go the whole length

18 of the back of the property and side of the

property and now they will have a quality job.

The Chairman: Asks if they considered

20 putting planters down toward the southern end

of the building.

Ms. Uhle: Feels planters may become

22 obstacles and attractive nuisances for

cigarette butts and garbage.