NY Luxury Motors of Mt. Kisco Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoNation Inc., is before planning and zoning officials in both Bedford and Mount Kisco seeking approvals for plans to transform its Land Rover Mount Kisco dealership at 299 Kisco Ave., operating in what it describes as “a dated showroom and service building” into a new Jaguar/Land Rover retail facility and also create a new automotive service facility at 17 Norm Ave. in Bedford.
In a letter submitted by Charles W. Sabadash III, vice president of AutoNation Inc., the company was described as “America”™s largest automotive retailer, currently owning and operating 360 new vehicle franchises from coast to coast. AutoNation has sold over 11 million vehicles, the first automotive retailer to reach this milestone.”
Back in 2016, the Business Journal reported that AutoNation had signed agreements to acquire four dealerships, including five franchises, in Westchester County.
These included acquiring BMW Mount Kisco, Land Rover Mount Kisco and Jaguar Land Rover Larchmont/New Rochelle from The Premier Collection and White Plains Jaguar from DiSimone Imports. At that time, the acquisitions were reported to represent roughly $190 million in annual revenue with approximately 2,600 new and used vehicle sales each year.
At the time the transactions were announced, AutoNation said it planned to renovate the BMW facilities in Mount Kisco, along with relocating the Land Rover franchise in Mount Kisco and combining it with Jaguar in a new retail facility. AutoNation also said it would renovate and expand its Jaguar Land Rover facilities in New Rochelle and construct a new Jaguar Land Rover dealership in the White Plains area.
The new Jaguar/Land Rover dealership would be at the 299 Kisco Ave. site. The existing building is proposed to be demolished and a new one-story building erected. There would be showrooms, sales offices, service adviser areas and incidental space within the 9,463 square feet. All dealings with customers would take place at the facility.
Customers bringing cars in for service would drop them off in Mount Kisco and employees of the dealership would then drive the vehicles to the service facility in Bedford. Employees would return vehicles that are ready for customer pickup to the 299 Kisco Ave. site.
The applicant is seeking site plan approval, a wetland permit and other go-aheads from Mount Kisco.
The Bedford site has an approximately 23,861-square-foot, single-story structure previously used as a Verizon warehouse and garage. The structure has been vacant for some time.
The proposal calls for a complete renovation of the building, including raising the ceiling by three feet in order to accommodate the service bays. There would be 14 service bays and two wash bays inside the facility, as well as office space for service personnel. There would be 32 surface parking spaces for both vehicles awaiting service or transport back to Mount Kisco and employee parking. In addition, parking would be provided in each of the 16 bays for a total of 48 parking spaces.
It”™s anticipated that approximately 20 vehicles would be brought in per day for servicing. In addition, NY Luxury Motors anticipates that there would be one delivery of new vehicles via car carrier at the Bedford location each week. New cars would be made ready for buyers at the Bedford facility and then delivered to the Mount Kisco location where they”™d be turned over to the buyers. There would be no signs at the Bedford facility since it would not be designed to attract the public.
David Steinmetz of the White Plains-based law firm Zarin & Steinmetz wrote to the Bedford Planning Board, “The applicant maintains that this project will significantly improve the property, provide a source of local employment, and is consistent with local zoning.”
Site plan approval is being sought from the planning board as well as special permit approval from the zoning board to operate an automotive service station on the property.
