1 25 1 https://sleepyhollow.localarchives.org/files/original/3bd6a462ae012a718faec393f5ec7878.pdf 4e290320211bae8499f4e8e8aa21cd45 PDF Text Text PLANNING BOARD OF THE VILLAGE OF NORTH TARRYTOWN X Public Hearing held in accordance with the provisions of Section 114 of the Private Housing Finance Law of the State of New York, as amended, to consider the application of North Tarrytown Realty Associates for approval of a plan of a proposed federally-aided redevelopment companies Section 221 (d) (3) housing project to be constructed on Disposition Parcel 1 in the Valley Street Urban Renewal Project, Project No. UR-NY-14-1, North Tarrytown, New York. X Village Hall North Tarrytown, New York May 20, 1970; 7:30 P.M. BEFORE: THE PLANNING BOARD: Anthony Gasparovic, Chairman Kneeland Moore Louis Gemmell Fred Fredericks ALSO 7RESENT: Sante J. Chessari, Esq., Village Attorney Walter Webdale, Executive Director Henry Halprin, Esq., Special Counsel of Land Disposition Jacob Ward, Esq., Attorney for Applicant Ronald Unger, Esq., Associate of Mr. Ward �2 MR. GASPAROVIC: posed to be here tonight? Is everyone present here that is supAnyone missing, Mr. Webdale, as far as you're concerned? MR. WEBDALE: go on without him. Mr. Halprin isn't here yet, but we can He's the Special Counsel for the Village. MR. GASPAROVIC: Is he required to be here? I'd like to start the meeting, but we have one hour. The meeting will kindly come to order. I will call the roll call of the members of our Board. (The roll called indicated that Mr. Windas was not present.) MR. GASPAROVIC: Mr. Norman Windas called me by phone about an hour ago and he said it's impossible for him to attend this meeting. We have a quorum now and we may proceed. Mr. Chessari, will you read the notice for the reason of this meeting? (Mr. Chessari read the published notice as follows:) MR. CHESSARI: "NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Plan- ning Board of the Village of North Tarrytown will, in accordance vlth the provisions of Section 114 of the Private Housing Finance Law of the State of New York, as amended, hold a public hearing on May 20, 1970 at 7:30 P.M., at the Board Room, Village Hall, 28 Beekman Avenue, North Tarrytown, New York, to consider the -«'••«*• <mu t �3 application of North Tarrytown Realty Associates, a redevelopment company organized pursuant to Article V of the Private Housing Finance Law of the State of New York, as amended, for approval of a plan of a proposed federally-aided redevelopment companies Section 221 (d) (3) housing project to be constructed on Disposition Parcel 1 in the Valley Street Urban Renewal Project, Project No. UR-NY-14-1, North Tarrytown, New York. "Disposition Parcel 1 is a parcel of approximately 2.399 acres in area generally bounded by Cortlandt Street on the west. College Avenue on the north and Valley Street on the east, and is more fully described as follows: "Beginning at a point said point being the intersection of the southerly side of College Avenue with the westerly side of Valley Street; Thence running along the dividing line of the herein described parcel and the westerly side of said Valley Street south 24 degrees 31* 50" west a distance of 395.54 feet and south 13 degrees 351 30" west a distance of 132.76 feet to the line of laud now or formerly of B & R Rosenblatt; Thence running ala \g the dividing line of the herein described parcel and •-\nd now or formerly of Rosenblatt, Mosiello, and Boyce north 33 tfagraes 20' 0 ) " west a distance of 102.04 feet to the line of ^nd now or formerly of Blumner; ing l: Thence running along the divid- ne of the herein described parcel and land now or formerly �4 of Blumner north 18 degrees 04' 10" east a distance of 2.10 feet, north 62 degrees 06' 20" west a distance of 31.67 feet, south 25 degrees 00' 00" west a distance of 26.82 feet to the dividing line of the Town of Mount Pleasant and the Town of Greenburgh; Thence running along the dividing line of the herein described parcel and along the1 dividing line of the Town of Mount Pleasant and the Town of Greenburgh north 61 degrees 34f 40" west a distance of 16.40 feet sduth 55 degrees 40 ' 20" west a distance of 4.65 feet to a point; Thence running along the dividing line of the herein described parcel and land now or formerly of Balbes north 62 degrees 06' 20" west a distance of 80.14 feet to the easterly side of Cortlandt Street; Thence running along the di- viding line of the herein described parcel and the easterly side of said Cortlandt Street north 25 degrees 00' 00" east a distance of 475.06 feet to the southerly side of College Avenue; Thence running along the southerly side of said College Avenue north 37 decrees 06' 40" east a distance of 224.05 feet to the point or place of beginning. "Any person or organization desiring to be heard will ba afforded an opportunity to be heard. "Dated: May 8, 1970." MR. GASPAROVIC: Mr You have all heard this notice. Now, Sante Chessari, as Village Attorney, have these notices been �5 duly published in accordance with the law? MR. CHESSARI: Yes, they have. MR. GASPAROVIC: purpose of hearing. Now the proposal on the report of Sante Chessari or Henry Halprin of Halprin and Goler, Special Disposition Counsel of the Village of North Tarrytown. MR. WEBDALE: Seeing that he's not here, do you want me to explain? MR. CHESSARI: Yes. MR. WEBDALE: The purpose of the hearing is to approve the site plan and the jumbo plan of the proposed redevelopment in the urban renewal area in the Village of North Tarrytown. This was submitted to the Planning Board on April 28. Under Article V of the Private Housing Finance Law of the State of New York, it is required that a limited private company who is dealing in the construction of a building with federally-aided mortgage or state-aided mortgage must seek the approval of the Board on the site plan. The plan that is before you was drawn in conformity to the urban renewal plan which was adopted approximately ten years ago by the Village of North Tarrytown. The plan calls for a nine-story, fireproof structure containing 162 units with 162 parking places. �6 This meets the requirements of the urban renewal plan which calls for a building of not more than 176 units, a building of not more than eleven stories high, and the setbacks and the site plan also agree with the regulations set forth in the plan. Upon your review of this plan and seeking comments from people in the community, it can then be approved by this Planning Board and sent to the Village Board for their final approval and the disposition of the land to the developer. MR. GASPAROVIC: I want a report, Mr. Webdale. Have you got another report to make? MR. WEBDALE: No. MR. GASPAROVIC: Is that it? MR. WEBDALE: Yes. MR. GASPAROVIC: The hearing will open now. The first speaker, a speaker of North Tarrytown Realty Associates, who is to speak on the use that the property is to be put. MR. WARD: Unger and Ward. My name is Jacob B. Ward of the firm of I represent the developers of this proposed project, and I'd like to briefly explain the nature of the undertaking. This is a project which is to proceed with FHA financing, and the applicition is made pursuant to 221 (d) (3) of the FHA Ules and Regulations. The project, as was indicated by �7 Mr. Webdale, is a nine-story, fireproof structure, and all of the requirements that are to be met, in fact they exceed the requirements of the zoning plan as well as the code and FHA requirements. In the development of this plan, we have worked closely with the Village Board. We, of course, had to proceed with our preliminary drawings and final drawings with FHA for their approval, and at this time we have a final commitment from FHA to go ahead to build this project. It will be a planning project and, as indicated, will contain 162 apartments. The probability, as indicated perhaps previously, or perhaps some of you are not aware of it, is that under FHA rules, although this has been processed as 221 (d) (3), the closing on the project, the final closing will go under Section 236 of FHA. Now both sections are just numbers perhaps to some, but they entail requirements to rent limits and to income limits with respect to the tenancy of the project. The developers have agreed previously, and we restate their agreement, that they will comply with all of the priority requirements insofar as tenancy is related, insofar as the tenancy of this project is related. I don't know if there are any further items that you'd like to know about this, but I can tell you it's been a long period of time, as you well know, Mr. Mayor. There have been �8 many changes. Significantly enough, even the price changed from what it was originally contemplated from $2,300,000. to a 4,000,000. project due to the increases of costs in the passage of time. We believe that within the designed cost of limitations we have presented here what will be a fine project and one that will be a credit to the community. I'd like to say a little bit about the sponsors and owners. We have an association of two firms. The Blitman Construction Corporation has been in the construction business for over 45 years and has been in housing construction that same period of time and has worked in all of the federal and state programs. It has built many thousands of apartment dwellings. Kavy and Kaverwitz builders. are also architects as well as They've been in housing and housing construction ap- proximately the same period of time. Mr. Kavy is an owner of this project and will operate it with the same kind of care and diligence that he has with all of his other projects. has built 'aany and has never sold one. He So his intention here is to build something for investment, to retain it; and when that happens, you can be assured that the investor is looking to build something that will stand up and be something that will not be a discredit. Are there any questions? �9 MR. GASPAROVIC: The questions will be asked at a future time. MR. WARD: Thank you. MR. GASPAROVIC: Is there anyone in this room who wishes to speak in favor of this project? (No response) MR. GASPAROVIC: The Chair sees none. Is there anyone in this room who wishes to speak against the project? (No response) MR. GASPAROVIC: The Chair sees none and recognizes none. The Building Department has sent recommendations to the Planning Board after checking the plans, although the Building Department at the present time is kind of dismayed. haven't gotten the specifications. weeks for them. the New York HUD I still I've been waiting three But the plans have been sent to New York to Bureau, and they are checking the plans. As soon as they check on them, I will be able to report on.it as far as the Building Department. MR. WARD: I expect Mr. Kavy and his assistant, Mr. Edelson to be here and we'll make sure you get the specifications because they are in with FHA. �10 MR. GASPAROVIC: On the inspection of the plans, especially the site, the Building Department finds that the plans are in accordance with the comprehensive plan and also the plan on our approved map which is what we call R-6 area for multifamily high-rise. The Building Department finds that you are in accordance with the setback lines which are 20 feet off the property line from all the street areas. The Building Department also finds that you have sufficient parking area, a parking area which originally was 1.2, but where we changed it to one parking space per family. So you are not in violation there. We also find that the parking area is in accord with the traffic problem in the Village of North Tarrytown. You have the northbound street, which is Cortlandt Street, and you have two entrances and exits there, and you have four on Valley Street, which is a southbound street. I also have checked with the Water Department and I find that the Water Department wrote as follows: "Village of North Tarrytown Planning Board. your request, we submit the following: As per The project area is bounded by an eight-inch water main in Cortlandt Street, eightinch wain in College Avenue and six-inch water main in Valley �11 Street with a static pressure of 180 pounds per square inch. "The project area is also bounded by a ten-inch sanitary sewer in Cortlandt Street, eight-inch sanitary sewer in College Avenue and a fifteen-inch sanitary sewer in Valley Street. "The southern portion of the project also contains a three by two box culvert fop storm water, "In my opinion, the above-mentioned facilities are adequate for the proposed project. Very truly yours, John A. Biros, Water and Street and Sewer Commissioner and Superintendent ." So as far as utilities are concerned, we find that there is no objection there. As far as the height of the building, we find that according to our zoning ordinance 100 foot is required. I also see there that it says nine stories, but actually it's ten. Now is the first story not counted because part of it is below? MR. WARD: It's partially below grade. MR. GASPAROVIC: Is that where the boilers are? MR. WARD: Yes. MR. GASPAROVIC: I see. According to our zoning ordinance, you must have fifty square feet of open area per tenant. In checking, I find you �12 have approximately a little over 8,000 square feet required, and you have about 14,000 square feet; so you're in accord with that. As far as the Building Department is concerned, and also as Zoning Inspector, I find you are in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the zoning ordinance. Now, I would like each member of the Planning Board, if there are any questions, to ask them. Mr. Fredericks, do you want to start? MR. FREDERICKS: When first we looked this over and the plans, it was a six-story building with 162 families. Now it's nine or ten stories. They are not counting one story where the boilers are, but that's right at street level and it's ten stories up. I don't think we should go ten stories up. I think the highest we ought to go, if anything, - we said six - I think the highest we should go is eight stories. pand a little bit, they've got room. If they have to ex- That 14,000 square feet, say, where they require 8,000, maybe they could put something en the side so they could keep the height of the building down. Let's not get into big tenements around here. MR. MOORE: Mr. Chairman, I'd like to ask whether there is anything magic about 162 units. If we can drop it two �13 floors, let's say theoretically, which would knock outr roughly maybe thirty units, - MR. GASPAROVIC: Thirty-two units approximately. MR. MOORE: Yes. Why is it not practical f^om a standpoint of our Board, assuming that we all feel thXs way, that from the standpoint in keeping with the esthetic value of the Village and characteristics of the Village. A nine- story high unit of this type is a pretty big unit and is just not what we think is desirable for the Village overalX and traffic flow and the people involved, the families th^re. What happens if we bring it down by thirty units? Wa went through a great deal before, as you know, and this goes over many years. I've been here before. We worVced very har<l to keep from having this Village get into the Bronx type idea with the nine, ten, eleven-story building, and i^: started out at eleven, and we fought long and hard in an effort to bring it down so we would not lose the feeling of the Village and yet accommodate families. New, suddenly, it's creeping back up again ^ and my qae.".t:i.on hare is to whomever is involved, why can't w e bring it doi. i t«7o floors from where it is and build it that way so we dor.'t get into this high-rise again. MR. GASPAROVIC: Do you want to answer that "7 �14 MR. WARD: I think in the many years that I've been involved with this project there have been others who have been involved a much longer time. Explorations were made, if you will recall, probably from a twelve-story building at one time to 2 six-story buildings - not one - and finally to the plan and project and plans we now have. After a good deal of thinking and work, the twelvestory was abandoned. The six-story was then thought about and worked on, and we wound up with what were 2 six-story apartment houses, at least in thinking, which technically and in other ways was really to a large extent an abortion. not 162 units; it was closer to 130 units. It was As time went by pnd we tried to process these six-story units within the confines of mortgage limitations and costs with FHA, we just could not do it. N'->w there is no magic to the number 162. But in trying to pursue a plan and not to crowd a site with two buildlegs and to pursue a plan that might be feasible, because the risk now is upon the developers, we developed not a semifireproof, but a fireproof structure, and not a Bronx structure - Ironx structures are in fact six-story structures; in fact, in New York City they are going back to semi-fireproof k.«nd of construction, red brick - but something which in our -* •'! • i �15 estimation and in talking to the trustees would be a project that was eye-appealing as well as economically possible. Now you cannot drop two stories. You cannot drop one story. If you want to abandon this plan, you are at this stage now: We are at the stage where having worked a year on this and having all of your final drawings and having a final commitment, we must be ready to move within thirty days or we lose that commitment. If we lose that commitment, the project that went from $2,300,000. to $4,100,000. just cannot be built. not be built. It will And you will have no project, and for possibly the next ten years you're going to have vacant land for anything at all. I don't say that in any sense, please, as a threat. But it's just that we're at that stage. We're just there now, and there is nothing really that we can do. We have over the loag period of time studied it. Vie went back with the 2 six- stories and tried to work it out. And it couldn't work out under FEX. We did not go to 162 apartments because we wanted 162 or we wanted twelve more than 150. scale. But there is an economy of Frankly, we could have come in here and asked for the eleven stories because that would make it much more feasible �16 and less of a risk. But we did not do that because in our sounding with the trustees, as the Board was constituted at that time, they felt that nine stories was suitable and would be the most that should be built here. I can tell you, and he's not here, the builder is not here, from the time he started processing - and it worked very quickly once we got the clearance on these plans and on this concept; it's approximately a year - costs have gone up twenty percent. And at lunchtime he said, "I don't know what I'm getting into." Now all we have to do is delay it and I know what we're getting into. We're getting into no project at all. Now, we have had comments, and please bear with me, I understand and appreciate the fact that you don't like height You will also understand that if we covered a lot more of the land, there would be some - I don't say it would be this Board but there would be some here in the Village who would say, and perhaps by their likes properly, that you've covered too much land, there is no open space, there is no play room. We have tried to meet all of the possibilities as best wa can and, frankly and honestly, gentlemen, I know of no way, no other way of doing this project if it's to be done. Now there is the need for the housing. -as investors. & -m 1M I It's true we're here There is a ninety percent mortgage. But there �17 is Four Hundred or Five Hundred Thousand Dollars of a-» investor's money riding on it plus the risk that he wil l be able to meet the construction costs. play games. So he's not in here Just to And on that risk he's here because he be lieves in that project. I assure you that building six-story buildings, semifireproof, he could knock them out like that (snap of"~ fingers). You and I know it's a much easier thing to do and in -many ways much costlier. But it's the FHA and the other people and all things we have to meet. In doing this, I think and I hope we've come up with the best kind of house and somethi-ng that I think once you see it go up, you'll see approving t t would not have been an error. Are there any further questions? MR. GASPAROVIC: MR. GEMMELL: Mr. Gemmell. Mr. Gasparovic, I want to jol -n the other members of the Planning Board in expressing my regret that we have to go to this height and I would like to ask two*- questions, one of any of the Village trustees, as to whether or not we have fire equipment to handle a fire in a building of this type. MR. ARGATE: At present we do not, but at Mfonday night's meeting we received bids on a 100-foot ladder*-truck, aid ve are in the process of advertising the bond issk.ue, and �18 will make any recommendation to the Fire Committee and a selection of bid and order one of the trucks. So by the time the building is completed, we will have a truck and ladder of that height. I'm sure there is no problem with the Department of Water, the village pressure and the pumper. MR, GEMMELL: Board's. The other question is really not this It's whether or not the Board of Trustees will re- consider the entire project at some risk in possible further delay in looking into the possibility of examining other alternatives, to the building of a smaller floor height. MR. GASPAROVIC: MR. WEBDALE: Mr. Webdale. I'd like to make a couple of comments. I think esthetically we are in an area where there are presently two buildings that do exceed the six-story height, Margotta Courts and the new building going up in the Village of Tarrytown itself. Also, we find that in today's thinking, as our society is becoming more and more dense, we prefer normally in urban areas to have a building go up high rather than cover the land. We try to get as much open space as possible. So I think that esthetically what this developer has designed does well fit that general neighborhood of the Village of North Tarrytown. �19 Secondly, the point of delay has got to be stressed very much. The developer has told you that the delay will seriously threaten his FHA mortgage. struction costs are today. half percent a month. We know what the con- We know they are going up one- FHA has ceilings and maximum costs that you can spend a unit. If the project exceeds the maximum cost per unit, the project will not be funded by FHA. means there will be no money available. This There will be no construction on the site. The second factor, this project is ten years old. Another branch of the federal government has stated if this project is not developed with all due speed and developed according to the guidelines which were established by the Village of North Tarrytown back in I960, they will cease the project. This will mean the Village of North Tarrytown will have to pick up the interest on almost a million dollars worth of funds outstanding, both federal and local. We are at a very critical stage after ten years' development. We have an urban renewal plan which has been adopted by the Village. The redeveloper has met every con- dition of the urban renewal plan. and building codes. We have met local zoning The redeveloper has met all the require- ments of these codes. �20 I would strongly urge you gentlemen to approve this plan because what Mr, Ward has said, that we may he sitting with a piece of vacant land for many years to come, is not just idle talk. We also may be sitting with the debt service on a sizable bond issue which the Village will have to pay out of their own pocket because the federal government will back out of this project, MR. GASPAROVIC: Are there any more questions to be asked of the Board members? (No response) MR. GASPAROVIC: If none, I will consider that we have an executive session in my office, (The members of the Planning Board retired to have an executive session.) (After the executive session, the Planning Board reconvened.) MR. GASPAROVIC: again. The Planning Board is in session We have in executive session discussed the matter. We discussed it with the Board of Trustees and also with the builders and the architects, and it is time now that I call for a vote. Mr. Gemmell.MR. GBKMELL: I vote to approve. �21 MR. GASPAROVIC: Mr. Fredericks. MR. FREDERICKS: Approve. MR. GASPAROVIC: MR. MOORE: Mr. Moore. I abstain. MR. GASPAROVIC: Gasparovic votes in favor. That is three voting in favor of approval of the plan and one abstaining. Any other questions? (No response) MR. GASPAROVIC: It's been carried and it will be presented to the Board of Trustees that we approve the plans as submitted by the architect at this date. The meeting is adjourned. * * * * * * � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Planning Board Minutes & Resolutions-1970 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource MINS_PLAN_1970-05-20 Subject The topic of the resource Planning Board Minutes & Resolutions-1970 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970