Self-storage project straddles border between Elmsford and Greenburgh

A developer has been preparing applications for a project that would have to meet different criteria established by the Village of Elmsford and the Town of Greenburgh because it straddles both municipalities. Elmsford is one of six incorporated villages in Greenburgh.

Renard Management and its affiliate Asset Realty & Construction Group, Inc., want to demolish an existing building and put up a five-story self-storage building on property at 42 Hayes St. in the Town of Greenburgh and 44 Hayes St. in the Village of Elmsford.

Rendering of possible self-storage building on Hayes Street, Elmsford/Greenburgh. — Rendering of possible self-storage building on Hayes Street, Greenburgh/Elmsford.

According to Attorney David Steinmetz of the White Plains-based law firm Zarin & Steinmetz, both municipalities have zoned the site as light industrial, where a self-storage facility is a permitted principal use. However, Greenburgh and Elmsford have different criteria for what would be allowed under existing zoning.

In a preliminary discussion with the Greenburgh Planning Board, Steinmetz described the potential project as “a complicated project that shouldn’t be so complicated.” He said that the developer wanted to submit a formal application as soon as possible, but first needed feedback to best handle differences in what Elmsford and Greenburgh require.

Steinmetz described the site as being at an “interesting intersection.” The parcel has frontage on Hayes Street, Haven Street and Nepperhan Avenue.

42-44 Hayes Street, Elmsford/Greenburgh. Photo by Peter Katz — 42-44 Hayes Street, Greenburgh/Elmsford. Photo by Peter Katz

“The Elmsford code is far less restrictive and, in fact, we believe we can do the portion of the project that’s in Elmsford without the need for any variances. Conversely, the portion of the site that’s in Greenburgh is rather restricted in terms of bulk criteria and it would necessitate a number of variances,” Steinmetz said.

Site plan approvals also would be needed from both Greenburgh and Elmsford.

Steinmetz said that the developer has held conferences with staff of both municipalities and is convinced that the site would be a good one for self-storage. He said the developer has a marketing study showing there is a continuing demand for additional self-storage in the Greenburgh area. He said the building would contain approximately 140,000 square feet.

“As much fun as they know this application will be, they are here not for the fun of application but because there’s a clear demand for this use,” Steinmetz said.

Possible self-storage building, Hayes Street elevation.

Diego Villareale, associate principal with the site development consulting firm JMC, which is based in Armonk, said, “The building itself takes up a majority of the site and the balance really is parking area. There’s parking in front; there are a number of different curb cuts around the property. The parking access and loading would be on the southern portion of the property.”

Villareale said that the parking area, loading and front portion of the building would be located in Elmsford. The back portion of the building extends into Greenburgh and there are no parking or access points proposed on the Greenburgh portion of the site.

Villareale said that the building’s footprint would be just over 28,000 square feet and it would be a five-story building. He said that the new building would represent a significant improvement over the buildings currently in the area and the site would include updated landscaping.

Planning Board Chairman Walter Simon expressed concerns about creating too many self-storage facilities in the Town of Greenburgh, even though marketing studies may show that there is a continuing public demand for such facilities.

Steinmetz said that one of the things discussed with staff when looking at the Greenburgh bulk criteria was that other properties around Hayes, Haven and Nepperhan are legally noncomplying with those criteria.

”They’re all either noncomplying or preexisting nonconforming and noncomplying,” Steinmetz said. “We point that out simply to say that while we completely recognize that this … does not comply with Greenburgh zoning bulk, no one else in the area does either so we are hoping that your board, and really jurisdictionally the Zoning Board, can look beyond that and acknowledge why we believe the variances do not result in a detrimental impact to surrounding property owners and that the benefit to the applicant outweighs any detriment to the community.”

Steinmetz pointed out that the area where the project would be built is different from what most people visualize when they talk about Westchester because there are so many industrial-oriented properties.

“We’re hoping we can work together to improve this section of Greenburgh and Elmsford with an attractive, functional, minimally impactful building,” Steinmetz said.