| Subscribe-Free! Advertise Calendar Letters Obituaries | ||||||||||||
|
Front Page Subscribe-Free News Index Calendars FEATURES Eye on Sports Larchmont's Reading New:Dine & Wine Lauren's Kitchen Career Doctor Teen Health Tax Advice Tech Talk Travel COMMENTARY Editorials Op-Ed Letters View from Albany LOCAL GUIDE Local Directory New to 10538? Local History Dining Out/In Photo Galleries Weddings & Births Obituaries Advertise Contact Us About Us OUR SPONSORS: • Clotilde, Dress Shop • Community Markets • Coughlin Group, Insurer • Dune Road Beachwear • Emelin Theater • Farm Share, Food Co-op • Houlihan Lawrence Realty • John J Fox Funeral Home • Kenise Barnes Fine Art • Larchmont Plumbing • Dr. Joel F. Levy, Dentist • Rye Arts Center • Sardegna Restaurant
|
2 New Apartment Buildings & A Bank Proposed for Larchmontby Judy Silberstein (February 8, 2005) A 59-unit apartment development on North Avenue, behind and parallel to Palmer Avenue, and a Commerce Bank on Chatsworth Avenue were on the table at the Village of Larchmont Planning Commission on Monday, February 7. For both projects, Monday’s hearing was only a first formal step in a review process that is likely to be lengthy. North Avenue ApartmentsThe proposed apartment project, presented by Richard A. Esposito of Esposito Builders in Peekskill, would consist of two three-story buildings to be built on North Avenue behind and parallel to Palmer Avenue on a property currently owned by Frank Webers of Collins Brothers Movers, and used to park large moving vans. The main access to the apartments would be from the road near 2097 Palmer Avenue that runs between a shopping center (Guitar Center, Almarc, etc.) and the former Greenhouse Hair Salon.
The buildings would look down on Interstate 95 and the Metro-North train tracks, but the developer said he would be requesting approval for a large wall to deaden the sound and block the view. There would be parking under each building and an improvement of the road that now runs parallel to the tracks. Mr. Esposito had been to the Planning Commission with a similar proposal over a year and a half ago, but it has taken him a while to get the necessary easements from the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which owns adjacent property. When asked, Mr. Esposito said he had tried, so far unsuccessfully, to purchase the MTA land in order to erect three buildings and to improve the layout. Moderate income housing units might be part of the package, the number to be worked out as the review process proceeds. This is likely to be a selling point, given that the Village of Larchmont has been under pressure for years to contribute “its fair share” of new affordable housing units to the area, and has so far come up with none. Mr. Engel commented that, in this case, three buildings would be better than two. He explained later that the proposed buildings might serve as a noise barrier to protect nearby houses from thruway and train noise. Commission members expressed some concern about access by emergency vehicles, such as large fire equipment that might need to pass through the underground parking garage of one building to access the other in case the alternate access was blocked. Mr. Esposito said he would make sure that the garage and road were adequate.
"I think this would be a direct enhancement of the area,” said Mr. Esposito. "It would be good for the commercial district, adding potential shoppers in walking distance to Palmer area stores, and for the surrounding community," he said. Carol Conolly, owner of Discovering Me Nursery School, which overlooks the proposed development, concurred with Mr. Esposito. “I would be for it—we don’t get all the business down here,” she said. The neighboring properties are all commercial and front onto Palmer with limited or no view of the proposed development. Across the trough that houses the tracks and the highway is the site of another proposed apartment development What’s next? The project will be subject to a full environmental impact review; Mr. Esposito will be developing further plans and amassing required documentation to make presentations before the various land use boards. The Planning Commission will ask to be the lead agency, so all findings and reports will channel back there. Commerce BankThe Commerce Bank would replace Dom’s Car Care, a gas station and auto repair facility at 107 Chatsworth Avenue on the corner of Franklin Avenue, one block down from Palmer Avenue. Sal Lagonia, attorney for the station’s owners, Nick and Dom Ianello, said Commerce approached his clients and they were now in very preliminary negotiations over a possible purchase of the property.
The gas station backs into the large brick building on Franklin owned by Verizon and has residential neighbors on the other side that front on Vanderburgh Avenue. Across Chatsworth are apartments and commercial buildings ranging from one to four-stories. The site, owned by the Ianello family for 23 years, has functioned as a gas station for over 40 years, according to a long-term neighbor, Tom Connell. Current operations are from 6 am to 10 pm, 7 days a week. The bank’s attorney, Janet J. Giris, a partner with DelBello, Donnellan, Weingarten, Tartaglia, Wise & Wiederkehr, LLP, informed the Planning Commission that the bank would operate from 7:30 am to 8:30 pm.
The proposed bank would include a 29,000 square-foot building with two drive-through bays and six on-site parking slots. Commerce is looking into leasing 15 additional parking spots from the lot at 1890 Franklin Avenue, which would be sufficient to accommodate the bank’s employees. Commission members were concerned about zoning and traffic. The gas station’s placement on Chatsworth pre-dates many zoning restrictions in the Village of Larchmont, pointed out Commissioner Ralph Engel. “You are violating all sort of zoning laws, including curb cuts, coverage, signage. I suggest you look at the zoning code,” he recommended. Commissioner Chris Verni was more concerned about the drive-through bays. “Traffic driving around somebody’s house will not be desired,” he commented. Ms. Giris noted that Commerce “does not generate the same peak hour traffic” as other banks, because of its extended hours. “They like to describe themselves as ‘America's Most Convenient Bank,’ “ she said. Neighbors are just starting to hear about the bank’s plans. Tom Connell, who lives on Vanderburgh Avenue, was reserving judgment based on the proposed building’s height. “It’s only one story now; if the building is high, I wouldn’t be too happy about it,” he said. But he was not opposed in concept, he said. “Quite honestly, they did a very good job on the Greenhaven bank.” New Banks Joining Existing BanksMr. Connell was referring to the Commerce branch recently erected at the site of the Crab Shanty restaurant on the Boston Post Road in the Village of Mamaroneck. Another Commerce Bank is going up in Town of Mamaroneck, where the Castro Convertible store, vacant for a number of years, was demolished last Friday. Commerce, which has expanded from 97 banks in 1998 to 319 in 2004, has plans to build more than 55 facilities in 2005, 25 to 30 of these in New York and Connecticut, according to a recent press release. (See: Commerce News)
And Commerce isn’t the only banking concern expanding into the Larchmont and Mamaroneck area, which already has a number of existing banks. In Town of Mamaroneck, the new Commerce will be down the street from a new Webster Bank and across from a new North Fork branch and the existing Chase Manhattan Bank. (See: Pace of Change Revs Up on Boston Post Road ).The Bank of New York and Wachovia have Larchmont facilities a few blocks down the Boston Post Road. The Chatsworth Commerce would be within a block of a Bank of America, Chase, Bank of New York, Citibank and Wachovia branch. It’s way too early to know exactly what’s in store for Commerce Bank in Larchmont. “Our development plans are preliminary at this point,” commented John Tolomer, senior vice president with Commerce Bank, via email. The bank does not yet own the land, and the architectural rendering displayed on Monday night was just for illustrative purposes. “Our goal is to cooperate with town officials for the mutual benefit of all parties,” he said.
|
Powers Boy Transferred to NJ Hospital Rains Fail to Dampen Mam'k Street Fair More Articles ↓ CAREER DOCTOR: I'm About To Be Fired! LETTERS: -Feld's Budgets Exceed 4% Cap Children's Librarian Retires After Reassignment Biagi Kicks Off Against Latimer for Assembly Star Tax Rebates Coming for 2008 Parent Voices Wanted: Online Drug, Alcohol Survey Big Family Swims for Cancer Cure: July 26 U-10 Mustangs Score Perfect Soccer Record U9-B Blue Pumas Undefeated Dining Review: Sardegna TEEN HEALTH: Hot, Hazy, Humid? Hydrate! BIRTHS: Yisrael Mendel WEDDINGS: Riley & Sutherland Snow & Morgan OBITUARIES -Lee -Shapiro -Colin -Perri -Doherty -Mucci -Degen -Dean Boy Out of Coma; Charges Reduced on Driver Historic Win: Tigers Are State Champs Washington Sq Man Arrested on Drug Sales Photos: MHS Prom Ends Year With Fanfare Redone CAP Center Looks to Expanded Fall Program Families Flock to Museum Explore-a-Thon Little League Award Goes to Kahn & Schmitt Designer One Wins Blue Division Cancer Support Team Gala Celebrates 30th Year LAX Senior Girls Score at First Travel Tourney Mam’k School Board Okays $40.6 M Bond for Fall DINE & WINE: 500 Cake DWI Driver Identified Manor Boy Unconscious 9-Year-Old Hit; Teen Charged With DWI MHS Baseball Wins Region, Goes on to State Commerce & Crumb Rubber Are At VOL Board NY Senate Race: Who's Most for Tax Reform? Turf Field Named for Holocaust Survivor Rockefeller Awards Go to A.Wachs & B.Roberts Girls Go For Scout Gold - And Get It HMX Musicians Win Festival "Esprit" Trophy OP-ED:The Bench - A Father's Day Tribute LETTERS: -Feld's Budgets Exceed 4% Cap Mam'k Teachers & School Board OK Contract Town Hears Namibian Plea, Reviews Reval Study Assembly Votes to End I-95 Toll at Larchmont Six Grants Go to Benefit Day Laborers Chatsworth Elementary Revs Up Recycling LMC-TV Celebrates Silver Generations Join Tribute to Mamaroneck's War Dead KidFest Leads Up to Redo of Children's Library Feld Enters NY Senate Race Against Oppenheimer Special Ed Director Boyle Named Chats Principal Slain Umpire Honored at All-Star Game As Flint Park Floods, New Field Stays Dry TOM Parking: Bill Advances, Deck Delayed Larchmonter Going to Morocco on Fulbright MHS Grads Bike Across USA For Cancer Cause Murray Gets Kids Walking to School Teens Recognized For Their Service Farm Market Opens With New Vendors: May 31 School Budget Approved by 68% of Votes MHS Closed in Face of "Non-Specific" Threats TOM Seeks Grants to Redo VFW, Add Affordable Units Teens Talk, Adults Listen On Drinking & Drugs Memorial Day Celebrated With Essay Contest Locals March With Navy, Marines In VOL Parade Spano Says Communities Must Rely on Grass-Roots Schools Foundation Gala Raises Over $87K St. John's Gives Bishop $35K for Tanzania Lowey and LFD Chief Announce $73K Grant Trivial Pursuit? HMX Handles the Challenge Photos: Chats' Carnival Undaunted By Rain Sheldrake Fest Conquers Parking, Weather BOOK REVIEW: Three Cups Of Tea TECH TALK:Composting Is Easiest Way to Recycle FOOD Q&A WITH LAUREN: Peanut Butter Muffins Eye on Sports: Squirts at the Garden TRAVEL: Hamburg's New Immigration Museum TMFD Spans 100 Years Where is the Class of 2007? Larchmont Calendar of Photos Tax Calculator: Where Do My Property Taxes Go? Larchmont Scenes for Desktop Screens |
||||||||||
| Front
Page | Terms of Service
| Contact
Us | About
Us | Guiding Principles
LARCHMONTGAZETTE.COM - Copyright © 2002-2008 Larchmont Gazette LLC- All Rights Reserved |
||||||||||||