Citizens for an Informed Yorktown

 

 

Planning Board

May 19, 2014

 

Attending: Ann Kutter, John Savoca, John Kincart, Rich Fon, John Flynn, Darlene Rivera

 

1. Sierra Bella

Taken off agenda. No reason given.

 

2. Empire Hunan

(See Planning Board, 5-5-2014) The board reaffirmed its previous decision to require a site plan, even though the applicant’s architect, Michael Piccirillo, said his client would prefer to avoid doing one because of the cost involved. The board has no issues with the plan to subdivide the building but does want to see some aesthetic improvements made in the front of the building facing Commerce Street, and possibly more dumpsters in the rear. This may require some adjustments to the planned parking spaces.

 

Mr. Piccirillo will work with Mr. Tegeder on some site issues, including the use of porous pavements in some areas, and return to the board. The porous pavement would be used to meet the plan’s stormwater requirements. While Mr. Fon noted some bad examples of porous pavement, both in Yorktown and elsewhere, Mr. Tegeder and Mr. Flynn cited some positive examples and indicated that the bad examples might have resulted from poor installation.

 

3. Hudson Valley Islamic Center

The applicant returned to the board in response to complaints the Planning Department received from a Strawberry Road resident about the outdoor lights that were “spilling over” to Strawberry Road and which were also on beyond the time agreed to. The problem involves the center’s soccer field.

 

In response to the complaints, Mr. Riina presented a new lighting plan which would lower some lights along Strawberry and the eastern portion of the property from their current 25 feet height to 16 feet, the maximum height allowed in the town code. When neither he, nor Al Capellini could answer questions regarding who was using the soccer field  and when, both said that they would have a representative of the center attend the board’s next meeting to answer those questions. (Note: There are time restrictions on outdoor lighting in the town’s lighting code.)

 

The board was also concerned that the area being used for the soccer field was shown on the site plan as “overflow parking,” not a recreational use.  While the board appeared to have no problem with the recreation use, it felt that the site plan should more accurately reflect its actual use, and that if necessary, there might be a need for additional requirements, e.g., fencing, that would address neighborhood concerns.

 

4. Lake Osceola Realty

The board had objections to a new sign location proposed by the applicant and suggested both a new sign design and location. The applicant will meet with Mr. Tegeder and Associate Planner Robyn Steinberg to review an alternate placement that will address competing concerns: being visible so that it identifies the entrance to the site to first time visitors, while at the same time, not creating site distance issues for cars existing the site. When it appeared that the optimum location for the sign would involve placing it in the existing right of way, Mr. Tegeder said he did not see this as a problem. As for the design of the sign, the board suggested the applicant consider a monument style sign, similar to the once that the Mt. Kisco Medical Group has at its Commerce Street location.