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WPCNR SOUTH END TIMES. By John F. Bailey. October 10, 2006: The decision as to whether Walgreen’s will be allowed to occupy the former Sports Page site on Mamaroneck road has been taken away from the Planning Board and given to the Common Council. The move comes after unprecedented Rosedale neighborhood protest to the city administration over the last two weeks on the matter.

1205 Mamaroneck Avenue, site of former Sports Page Restaurant. Planning, Law and Building switched jurisdictions and declared the Common Council the official approving agency on the Walgreen’s proposal in a letter to the Rosedale Residents Assocation Friday. Photo, WPCNR News.

The Building, Planning and Law Departments after further review of the Walgreen’s proposal to build a Walgreen’s outlet on the site of the old Sports Page Restaurant, have determined the matter is a Special S Zone Amendment which places the Walgreen’s matter under the jurisdiction of the Common Council, not The Planning Board.

The decision, comes about from the intervention by Mayor Joseph Delfino based on the Mayor’s recollection of previous matters involving the property according to a letter from the Commissioner of Planning  to the Planning Board.

The 10-page letter from Susan Habel  is dated October 6. The letter finds extensive fault with the preliminary proposal by Walgreen’s, including:

* The store footprint intrudes on former lots

* The landscaping on Dale Street has not been preserved

* The parking area is not enhanced and screened

* Unacceptable treatment of the steep slope in the rear of the property;

*  The Planning Department does not accept a fence on the top of the concrete retaining wall at the rear

* The Department of Planning spells out certain conditions that a B-2 business at this part of Mamaroneck Avenue has to meet, among them, “limiting the resuse of existing buildings and any expansion of existing uses within these neighborhood business areas to primarily neighborhood oriented uses,” and “ensure that all changes to and redevelopment of existing neighborhood business uses include adequatre off street customer and employee parking to prevent spill over of commercial parking into the abutting residential areas.”

The letter also states, “The Planning department finds that the informal application does not meet the requirements of the S Zone District,” and therefore it requires an amendment to the ordinance which can only be granted by the Common Council.

WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. October 10, 2006: Callers to WPCNR have complained that the Planning Board Agenda was not immediately available to them and information on what was on the agenda was withheld from them by the Planning Department when they asked for information about what was on the agenda.  They also complained the agenda  was not available on the website.

In the interest of open government, here is the Planning Board Agenda for this evening’s meeting which was available on the city website as of 1 P.M.  

The Common Council Special meeting for Tuesday afternoon has been moved to Wednesday, October 11 at 5 P.M., the agenda for that meeting is presently scrambled and unreadable on the city website. (WPCNR reported this to the Mayor’s Office as of 9:30 A.M. Tuesday morning.)

 As of 1 P.M.  Items on the Council agenda  for tommorrow’s meeting are still scrambled and unreadable. Other than the Pinnacle “Guarantee of Affordable Housing” extension request, the items for council discussion are not known at this time.

The Planning Board Agenda– take careful notes:

WHITE PLAINS PLANNING BOARD

CALENDAR FOR MEETING OF

OCTOBER 10, 2006 7:00pm

 

(232-06)     Walgreens – 1205 Mamaroneck Avenue (formerly Sports Page); B-2 (Neighborhood Business) Zoning District – Informal Review of Proposed Site Plan. Environmentally Sensitive Site.

 

SCHEDULE PUBLIC HEARINGS

 

(230-06)     Proposed Restaurant – 177 South Lexington Avenue (aka 2-4 East Post Road); B-3 (Intermediate Business) Zoning District – Special Permit Application.

 

(108-06)     28 Woodcrest Avenue; R2-4 (Residential One and Two Family) Zoning District – 2 Lot Subdivision Application. Environmentally Sensitive Site.

 

(109-06)     1 Hubbard Drive; R1-7.5 (Residential One Family) Zoning District – 2 Lot Subdivision Application.

 

(110-06)     83 Albemarle Road; R1-5 (Residential One Family) Zoning District – 2 Lot Subdivision Application.

 

(233-06)     39 Saxon Woods Road; R1-12.5 (Residential One Family) Zoning District – Site Plan Amendment for a Garage and House Addition. Environmentally Sensitive Site.

 

(105-06)     201 Beverly Road; R1-5 (Residential One Family) Zoning District – Three-Lot Subdivision. Re-notification due to lapse in activity.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

 

(106-05)     240 Rosedale Avenue; R1-12.5 (Residential One-Family) Zoning District – Final Five-Lot Subdivision Application, and Site Plan Applications for Three of the Lots. Environmentally Sensitive Site.

 

(247-05)Liberty Street; R2-4 (Residential One and Two Family Zoning District) – Site Plan Application for a Two-Family House. Environmentally Sensitive Site.

 

(228-06)     105 Woodcrest Avenue; R1-5 (Residential One-Family) Zoning District – Site Plan Application. Environmentally Sensitive Site.

OTHER MATTERS

 

(231-06)     Little Mt. Zion Holy Church – 230 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard; B-3 (Intermediate Business) Zoning District – Site Plan Amendment Application.

 

(229-06)     One North Broadway – Revised Lobby Plan and Amendment to the Special S- Zone. Common Council referral.

 

(235-06)     JPI – 300 Mamaroneck Avenue – Amendment to the Jefferson Approval for Parking and Residential Use. Common Council referral.

 

(101-05)     Beech Street Subdivision – Changes to the cul de sac.