Village Board Approves New Environment
Commission and Hires Zoning Consultant
by Harriet Kline
(October 22, 2002
)At its regular meeting on Monday, October 21st, the
Larchmont Village Board approved the formation of a
Village Environmental Commission and named a consulting
firm to assist in the revision of the Village Zoning
Code. Additional items concerned reports from committees
and the possibility of requiring sprinklers in home
construction.
New Environmental Commission
Mayor Bialo had proposed the formation of the Environmental
Commission in August and had sought comments from the
trustees and the public. Trustee Verni had expressed
some reservations at an earlier meeting, but on Monday
called the proposed commission an "excellent idea"
and said he, "had come to peace with earlier concerns."
Trustee Kolbert wanted some clarification on the organizational
structure of the proposed commission with regard to
"how is it going to work" with all the other
environmental organizations already in place (Coastal
Zone Management Commission, Friends of the Reservoir,
etc.). Mayor Bialo argued strongly that an environmental
organization focused specifically on the Village of
Larchmont was needed to advise the Board.
After some discussion, the Board unanimously approved
the draft of the Commission's mission statement and
agreed that the highest priority for the new Commission
would probably be the development of a federal and state
mandated plans for handling storm water. The plan, known
as "Phase 2 Storm Water Management"must be
prepared by March 10, 2003.
Zoning Consultants Hired
The other major item on the agenda concerned a topic
of interest to homeowners and architects, the zoning
code. This summer, the Board of Trustees placed a six
month moratorium on most variances for new construction
in the Village in order to consider possible revisions
to the existing zoning code. On Monday night, the Mayor
announced the firm of Abeles, Phillips & Shapiro
has been selected to work with the Village on the zoning
issues after a request for proposal process that also
involved three other firms. The Board unanimously approved
the selection and related expenditures.
News from the Arts, the Parks, and the Manor Inn
Other business on Monday evening included annual reports
from the various Village committees, commissions and
boards. Although most groups elected to submit written
reports via their trustee liaisons, Nili Asherie, Chair
of the Larchment Committee on the Arts, and Jan Feinman,
newly-elected Chair of the Parks and Trees Committee,
chose to present their reports in person.
New initiatives from the Arts Committee include working
with the Manor Park Society to bring the annual 4th
of July concert back to the park in 2003. Asherie also
announced hopes to bring the New Rochelle Opera Company
to the Village next summer.
The drought has made a dent in plantings this summer,
reported Mrs. Feinman, who also thanked the Parks and
Trees Committee members for their individual contributions.
In the coming year, the Committee hopes to focus on
developing a cooperative relationship with the Beautification
Committee, to continue park evaluations, and to prepare
an informational pamphlet about the many activities
of the Committee.
Trustee Feld, reporting on the work of the Zoning
Board, briefly mentioned that it had resolved the Manor
Inn issue by approving a proposal for the construction
of two private homes on the property. The Zoning Board's
earlier denial of approval had been overthrown in the
courts. Though the question of preserving the Manor
Inn had been discussed at length in previous Board meetings
earlier this year, there was no further comment on Monday
evening from the trustees or from community members.
Mayor Bialo took the opportunity of thanking the 160-plus
members of the committees, commissions and boards for
their contribution to the Village. He said, "The
Village could not function without the work of these
volunteers."
New Sprinkler Rules?
An additional piece of news came from Trustee Weiner
who proposed that a public hearing be held to discuss
the possibility of enacting legislation mandating the
installation of sprinkler systems in all new home construction.
The proposal, if enacted, would require approval by
the New York State Legislature. The motion to hold a
public hearing about this issue at the next regular
Board meeting on November 4th was unanimously approved.
Board office hours for Saturday, October 26th have
been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon. The next Board
meeting will be held on Monday, November 4th.
Harriet Kline has lived in Larchmont for 27 years.
She recently retired from work for an international
consulting firm where she initiated and managed a knowledge
management system.
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