Zoning change sought for senior building in Yonkers
Attorney Albert Pirro of the White Plains-based law firm Abrams Fensterman LLP has gone before the Yonkers Planning Board representing a developer that is seeking a zoning change to allow construction of a 102-unit senior citizen affordable apartment building at 221-223 Buena Vista Ave. in Yonkers. The zoning matter had been referred to the Planning Board by the Yonkers City Council.
The developer is Two Twenty One Buena Vista Group LLC and it is located at 88-92 Sedgwick Ave. in Yonkers. It wants to develop three vacant lots totaling 0.47-acre with an eight-story building that would offer a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments for seniors. The lots originally were in the A Zoning District that would allow for high-density apartments but was rezoned to the UR-MD District when downtown rezoning was done in 2010. The developer’s zoning petition asks that the lots be brought back into the A Zoning District.
senior apartment building.
“Prior to the time that this property was zoned to urban residential low density there was a building immediately across the street which we face which is nine stories in height and was zoned under the A Zoning District at that time,” Pirro said. “You’ll note that where we’re located on Buena Vista is virtually at the end of Buena Vista, only a few lineal feet from the park at the end of the street and within a reasonable distance to public transportation and also conveniently located to various retail facilities in the downtown area.”
Buena Vista Avenue is 50 feet wide. Under the A Zoning District the permitted height of buildings above the average grade as measured at the centerline of the street on which they front can be 1-1/2 times the width of the street. The building is proposed to be 75 feet tall, which complies with A Zoning District requirements.
Pirro noted that the board had prepared a list of about 20 matters about which it wanted information. Planning Board Chairman Roman Kozicky said these included a need for a traffic study, giving the fire department assurances that its requirements are being met and clarifying the number of required parking spaces.
Pirro said that all required parking would be provided on-site and he said that they were providing one more space than would be required, which he said would be either 53 or 54 spaces.
The building would sit on terrain that slopes down to Metro-North railroad tracks and Kozicky said that study is needed to be sure the tracks would be protected from mudslides or other disturbances in view of recent mudslides and track washouts caused by heavy rains.
The zoning petition said that the project will not only provide affordable units to seniors but will also incorporate sustainable features such as low-flow plumbing fixtures, Energy Star appliances, individual high-efficiency electric heat and cooling and LED lighting.
The petition said the project is supported by both the city’s Comprehensive Plan and its 2010 Downtown Master Plan.
The Planning Board passed a resolution declaring itself lead agency for the environmental review of the project. It was expected that the review of the zoning petition would continue at next month’s meeting of the board.