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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991_05_16 Board of Architectural Review Minutes MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW MEETING OF MAY 16, 1991 IN THE SENIOR CENTER, TOWN CENTER 740 WEST BOSTON POST ROAD MAMARONECK, NEW YORK Present: E. Robert Wassman, Chairman Robert M. Immerman, member Joan F. Williams, member Pamela T. Washington, member William Jakubowksi, Building Inspector Elaine Price, Councilwoman Steve Altieri, Town Administrator Mary Farrell, Recorder CALL TO ORDER The meeting commenced at 8:05 P.M. • ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS Last Meeting - The regular meeting scheduled for April 18, 1991 was postponed. Approval of Minutes - There were 2 minor changes to the Minutes of the March 21, 1991 Meeting they were so noted and were approved as amended. APPLICATIONS PRESENTED 1. Boston Post Road improvements from Hommocks Road to Rock Ridge - Town of Mamaroneck The Chairman said that the first order of business on the agenda is the Boston Post Road improvements on the sidewalks from the area of the corner of Hommocks Rd. to the corner of Rock Ridge Rd. , Town of Mamaroneck. He said we received plans prepared by the Town introducing the subject of improving the sidewalk and planting areas. This is an initial effort on the part of the Town of Mamaroneck, subject to BAR review and recommendation. This idea was recommended by the Long Range Planning Committee Report. Certain recommendations were set forth there as objectives for the improvements of the entire Post Rd. area. The plan does not deal with any of the particulars that the BAR will address at subsequent hearings. That would be (1) nature of planting, (2) dimensions and (3) type of trees. Principally we need to bring forth and discuss the issue whether this plan can be accomplished at this location or if it needs to be relocated to some other initial effort. The objectives of the BAR and the Town Council is to improve the entire Boston Post Rd. area and that this is an initial step towards that ' goal and the BAR feels it is a very important one. Mr. Steve Altieri stated he felt what they wanted to accomplish this evening is some general presentation of concept and whether this plan is moving in the right direction. This is the first step, and if conceptually the plan is favorably considered by this Board, we would like to have the State Department of Transportation give it a preliminary look because they will have to approve the plan and issue a permit to do the work. We will be working within their right of way so they must review the plans and issue the permit. Mr. Jakubowski said the State also controls the walkways and the curbs for size, pitch and type of finish. The Chairman said that the Board has not had an opportunity to make any input on this. We cannot see this plan being accomplished in this fashion because of the conditions that exist out there which are (1) the area, (2) the dimensions are incorrect and (3) the elevations are not shown. The Board feels that we cannot properly rule on this application tonight. We thought the purpose of this meeting was to bring it to the attention of the community and to the property owners who are adjacent to the area we have selected. There are many comments that we could make about this plan but I do not think that the plan is ready. Mr. Altieri said that he thinks that those comments are very important. He also pointed out to the BAR that the details on the plan are requirements that are mandated by the State Department of Transportation on curbs and sidewalks. The Chairman said he attended that hearing and he did not get the impression that they had any such requirements. The Chairman raised the question about New Rochelle and other communities. Mr. Altieri said New Rochelle is a had example because City roads are not State roads so we would have to use some other examples such as Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye etc. The Chairman asked if the Long Range Plan was submitted to the State with other than concrete or brick surface than would that plan not be approved? Mr. Altieri said he thinks that would be a good possibility. He also said that he could have that confirmed. He did follow the State specifications to do the draft. Mr. Jakubowski said he felt that the State would not object to a brick feature but not for the sidewalk itself. The Chairman said they are not looking for the entire area to be brick but that there be a planting bed for the trees and something more decorative than a concrete slab. He said what we are trying to accomplish in the long run is a footprint for establishing an aesthetic approach to the entire Post Rd. If it is essential to submit to the State to get the right to work there, then right now we are not seeing the whole picture. Mr. Altieri asked what do you need? Mr. Immerman said we must go back to the Master Plan Document as a place to start which lays out the guidelines of space and relations. Although there are questions as to curb cuts etc. , the Master Plan talked about Post Rd. design concepts and policies. We must then look from one end to the other from Mamaroneck to Larchmont Village and put together total possibilities. I think we are asking the Town to bring to the BAR, a plan or concept that follows the guidelines that the document is trying to set out. He then pointed out various aspects in the plan such as street trees (various kinds)and the sidewalk improvements. He did point out that much of the road is not a pedestrian walking/village feeling that you have within the Larchmont Village but the Town might want to consider Weaver St. and Post Rd. , particularly as impacted by the additional 66 dwelling units on the motel property, as something that may have Village character. Once again I feel we need a comprehensive uniform diagram that then will let each piece fit into it appropriately. Mr. Altieri indicated that the town prepared this; with a look toward how much we have to expend to prepare the plan. We do not profess to have on staff architects to do glorious designs that one might want to see. The other thing to consider is that we will have to maintain this property. You can point to a lot of very attractive sidewalk treatment and designs but if you cannot maintain it, it's not pretty anymore and it can actually look worse. We have had to balance all of these things when we prepared this plan. The Chairman said that this request from Councilwoman Price was an initial opportunity to make a statement as to how the Post Rd. sidewalk area was going to be treated. I asked for the perimeters of the set back and what the conditions of the entire Post Rd. were, so that we could along with trying to make the determination of the best architectural aesthetic appearance; see what functional and physical relations we should try to accomodate and make it as uniform as possible. This plan partly brings to light some things that we hoped it would bring to light, for example the effective curb cuts ,however, we feel that we cannot approve this plan tonight. Mr. Altieri said you can give us some indication of what you would like to see, so we can make the appropriate revisions. In terms of the curb cuts: whatever curb cuts are existing would remain. There are a couple we would like to consider an alternate treatment of; but essentially those curb cuts would remain. I don' t know if the curb cuts are the most critical issue. The Chairman said they feel it is important and that this plan does not show where the existing curb cuts are. They feel it should show the cuts. Mr. Jakubowski said he hoped that the curb cuts would be removed. He hoped that this meeting would provide some of the people directly affected by the work, the opportunity to review this plan. They would then state their own opinion regarding that area behind the sidewalk which the Town hopes to restore to a landscaped area and would also direct entrance or egress into the stores, thru set locations, as opposed to along the broad frontage of the stores. Ms. Washington made a comment that she like the idea of moving the trees from directly on the street and placing them to the inside and having the curb or the walking portion close to the street. She would like to have it more like the property across the street because if there were a car accident and you hit the curb you would soon hit the tree - killing the tree or in the winter, with snow, when they salt the road it would leak into the planting bed and stunt the growth of the tree. This would cost the Town more money by having to replace the trees. The Chairman said that he thinks the matter of encouraging the adjacent property owners to support a plan like this along the entire Post Road would be relative to how attractive and how much improvement this is going to be to the area and what is involved. He didn' t think this plan reflects that detail and he thinks there is a lot more to be done. He again stated that we are not in position to approve this plan or give input until the total plan is submitted. Ms. Williams said we have a great opportunity to do something good here. We would not necessarily have to start with this particular section if that is a problem and; we don't know yet what's going to happen at the Motel. Mr. Altieri said we have given you a concept and we feel that this area was the best place to start because it was the area which was in most need of improvement and repairing. Mr. Jakubowksi said; "I like to make one point here, this was not a result of a building permit or application. It has not been directly referred to the BAR from one of the Town Boards, so therefore, at this point, it is informal and there is no approval or denial of what you do. At this time, this was the best public means for the merchants, who are directly affected by this, to meet with us and have input on what they thought of the whole plan" . The BAR stated what we need now is a more defined plan listing existing conditions and a diagram of the confines of the Town. Mr. Jeff Meaghan, who represents Mrs. Novak and her son Robert Novak, stated; it's not that they are not willing to cooperate but that they are disturbed that no one had the courtesy to come to them with a plan. The Chairman said it is not his position to defend the Town but just to bring them up to date, this plan is not more than three weeks old. The Master Plan was approved by the Town and there were public hearings on it. The pictures of the improvements on Post Rd. were displayed in the Town offices. Therefore, anyone who wished to see what was in mind for the Town' s improvement could have attended any of those meetings and seen them. Funding is always a question and just recently some money has been obtained to start on this phase of the Master Plan. What was requested of this Board was to input and advise the Town what would be desirable in the way of improving the side walks, tree planting etc. . They had to chose one spot and they picked a spot that they thought might really be improved by this plan and they had to know what restraints there would be being that this a State highway. A meeting was set up two weeks ago with the State Highway Representative and at that meeting a discussion came up of the impact of what we were thinking of doing and the Town laid this plan out to the best of its ability. We had an announcement of this meeting to discuss this plan and invited you to it. So what I am saying is that nothing was done behind anyone's back. We did not do anything ahead of time and all we did do was put the plan together so we could show it to you. As you know part of this plan is on your property, so we cannot do it without your approval. If we are going to help the Town put this plan together I would like to know what some of the input will be. Mr. Meaghan, "what points would you like to see addressed" . Mr. Meaghan stated that the two major concerns are (1) Trees that would affect the commercial visibility of the Building and (2) the curb cuts. Mr. Jakubowski said at one point, there was another plan which involved closing part of Hommocks Rd, and creating some off street parking. That plan involved the closing of curb cuts and that plan was given to the Novaks some time ago. Mr. Meaghan said the main part of that plan was not about the curb , cuts but about Old Hommock Rd. It discussed the back exits and the residents along Hoimnocks Rd. but did not center at all on the frontage of the property. Mr. Jakubowski said this plan which has been discussed and given to the Novaks had total direction toward eliminating the use of the Boston Post Rd. frontage of the Novak's building for parking. It had removal of the curb cuts and the installation of parking at another location at the end of Hommocks Rd. The Chairman said that this is a legal matter and it is a matter for the Town Attorneys to settle. The Plan also cannot be approved by the BAR because it does not reflect the proper conditions, nor does it have the approval of the parties who's help is needed to support it. Mr. Altieri said we feel that this is the worst strip of Post Rd. There is no intention by the Town to move ahead without the approval of the merchants and that is why they were given letters inviting them to this meeting. That was also why there was a public notice three years ago when we filed for the grant application to improve the strip of the Boston Post Rd. area. That public notice was a requirement of the County when we filed for the grant application. This is an initial concept and the Town Board is looking to the BAR for some direction as to what additional detail and information will be required to improve on this plan. In the back of our mind is also the safety concern; (1) there are a lot of children in this area and (2) it is also a heavily trafficked street. We do not want to lose sight of these safety concerns. There are a variety of areas which we can expand on and then bring it back to the BAR and the merchants. The Chairman said in the mean time one of the State requirements is the tree size. Due to truck traffic along Post Rd. , the tree limbs must be a certain height and another consideration is that we do not obscure store windows. So, therefore, the type of tree is important and there will be a lot of consideration given to this. Mrs. Novak stated that she would not like to see trees there but that bushes would be okay. She feels the trees would limit her visibility. Mr. Jakubowski said the height of the trees are usually 13 ' above the street along the curb and 8' above on the sidewalk and pedestrian areas for safety reasons. The Chairman made mention that the nursery informed him that if there are low lying limbs that kids have a tendency to play on them. So, there are a lot of things to be considered here. Ms. Washington said that she would like to see a drawing that would reflect the existing trees. Mr. Novak states that Blockbuster Video and his store share a common sign with different logos. He states that he has a financial interest in the signage and any obstruction of this sign is a hardship to his business. He continued to say that the State made the 1st curb cut - they gave them no warning. He also said that there are 3 curb cuts presently and in 40 years there has been no problem (no accidents) . Mr. Metzner who is a CZMC liason said having less pavement and more landscaping would be favorable to the CZMC. Mr.Jakubowski told Mr. Patsas who represents Dunkin Donuts that it would have some impact on Dunkin Donuts. Mr. T. Nolan who represents Blockbuster Video said he had a glimpse of the plan for the first time and he applauds the effort of the Town. The sidewalk could definitely use improvement. He then said that they have the least to lose. Mr. Immerman said that there should be a Comprehensive Study done and . in turn a Comprehensive Plan submitted. Then we could see how everything is ' going to to be effected and how it would fit into the whole plan. Mr. Jakubowski said that to do a comprehensive study it would have to go out to contract or possibly have a summer intern work on it. Mr. Altieri said what we can give you is a (1) Photograph panarama and/or (2) as built drawing which would cover properties from Tristar Ford to McDonalds. Mr. Burdie said he would just like to make suggestions that certain guidelines be drawn up and maybe try a pilot program. The Chairman adjourned this matter pending resubmission to the Board. 2. Rainbow Colour Lab Boston Post Rd. Block 407 - Lot 192 - Sign Relocation Mr. Fisher's application is to move a sign from the current location. Ms. Williams said that she felt there should be some kind of conformity for the total shopping center. She would not object to the color if it was all white. Mr. Fisher said the colors and the design is a trademark of his business. Mention was also made of the neon sign in the window and Mr. Jakubowski did say that a notice did go out to all stores to remove the neon signs from the windows. Mr. Jakubowski then informed Mr. Fisher that the neon sign can be put on a back wall or a side wall. After a discussion and motion it was recommended that relocation of . Rainbow Colour Labs sign be granted with condition that neon "One Hr Processing" sign not be displayed in the front window at the new location. The BAR approved the application with exception noted above. 3 . James Dandry (TriStar Ford Truck Division) 1380 Boston Post Rd. - Block 409 - Lot 194 New Car Sales Mr. Burde was present to represent Mr. Dandry. The Chairman stated that this is a Type II action and that it is a site plan application. He then said that our only role this evening would be to make recommendations to the Planning Board. We will make recommendations to you and to the Planning Board and- that is what we will vote on tonight. Mr. Immerman stated that he felt that he did not want to see all the trees removed as in the plan and that some thought should be given to more landscaping on this project. The BAR recommended approval of this application with the exceptions noted below: 1. Sign 30 square feet - 15' high 2. Pole and light cuts and parking lighting 3 . Taxus Densiformus at South side interior lot line on an acceptable plan. 4. Increase off street loading area to allow on site auto carrier unloading 5. Trees at North line (evergreen) half way back 6. Address curb details at parking near front and planters 7. Screening along South side frontage to be at least 2 approved trees and low plants The meeting adjourned at 10:40 p.m.