II. Project Description
II. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
A. Project Location and Description The Project Site is located in close proximity to the Hudson River near the northern end of the Village of Ossining, Westchester County, New York. (See Exhibit II-1, Regional Location and Exhibit II-2, Site Location.) The site encompasses three tax parcels (tax lots designated as Section 3, Block 1, Lots 24, 24B and 42), totaling 8.2 acres (See Exhibit II-3, Tax Map) and is located off of an extension of North Water Street. It is bounded by: a mix of light industrial uses (Diamond Dairy and Clear Cast Technologies), an undeveloped Village-owned property, and undeveloped land to the north; the Metro-North railroad tracks and a light industrial use (Castle Plumbing) to the west; auto-related uses to the south; and primarily residential uses to the east.
Currently, the Project Site is located within two zoning districts. Two non-contiguous portions of the project site totaling 4.725 acres in area are zoned PRD Planned Residence District. The remaining 3.45 acre central segment of the site is zoned WD-2 Waterfront Development District – East Side of the Railroad Tracks.
The proposed project involves the rezoning of the PRD portion of the site to WD-2 and the construction of 132 total units (one of which is for the living quarters of an on-site superintendent) in four buildings, including: the renovated Brandreth Pill Factory building containing 24 units; an adjacent annex building with 40 units; a 56-unit plateau building; and 12 townhouse units to the west at the base of the plateau. See Exhibit II-4a, Illustrative Site Plan and Exhibit II-4b, Layout Plan.
The plan includes a total of 325 parking spaces to be provided on-site, 118 of which will be located in a garage as part of the plateau development, and 126 of which will be located in a garage next to the annex building. The townhomes will provide 12 garage spaces. There will be an additional 23 surface parking spaces at the plateau building, 28 surface parking spaces at the Mill Building, and 18 surface parking spaces near the townhouses. The 325 parking spaces to be provided exceeds the minimum off-street parking requirements of two spaces per two-bedroom unit (see §270-26(H) of the Zoning Ordinance).
The former one-story office building of the Brandreth Pill Factory (located west of the front elevation of the Mill Building) will be restored and used as a museum, exhibiting the Pill Factory’s history through photographs and displays of site-related artifacts. This museum will be open to the public during established hours of operation. It is the Applicant’s intention to arrange to have the facility maintained and operated by an appropriate non-profit organization.
Access to the Project Site is from North Water Street, then over a 20-foot wide Village street crossing Village property. This section of roadway is referred to as the North Water Street Extension. Although the deeded width of the North Water Street Extension is 20 feet, a substantial portion of the street’s pavement is wider than 20 feet. After the terminus of the public street, the access drive runs in a generally northerly direction over private property owned by third parties, before reaching the Project Site. The Project Site is benefited by
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Exhibit II-1 REGIONAL LOCATION HIDDEN COVE ON THE HUDSON Village of Ossining, New York
Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. - Planning and Development Consultants SITE
Exhibit II-2 SITE LOCATION 0 1000' HIDDEN COVE ON THE HUDSON Village of Ossining, New York
SOURCE: USGS - Ossining, NY Quadrangle Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. - Planning and Development Consultants M
METRO
NO
R TH CONRAIL
HUDSON RIVER
89.14-1-11
89.18-1-6
MAT IL DA REET ST T S
89.18-1-5
COM
MAL
ORTH N
NUE
AVE
NOWDEN S
AY ADW RO B
Exhibit II-3
T
S TAX MAP
0 500’
HIDDEN COVE ON THE HUDSON
Village of Ossining, New York
BASE MAP SOURCE: Village of Ossining Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. - Planning and Development Consultants E
R VENU E A 0 100’
section ‘b’
hudson river
stream
townhouses 12 units 29 parking spaces annex building 2.5 stories 40 apartments 126 parking spaces 4 stories residential proposed roadway mill building 2 stories parking 24 apartments 28 parking spaces 3-4 stories
metro north railroad
section
‘a’
plateau buildings 56 apartments water street 141 parking spaces 6 stories
Exhibit II-4a ILLUSTRATIVE SITE PLAN HIDDEN COVE ON THE HUDSON Village of Ossining, New York
SOURCE: Gruzen Samton Architects LLP Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. - Planning and Development Consultants 0 40’
Exhibit II-4b LAYOUT PLAN HIDDEN COVE ON THE HUDSON Village of Ossining, New York
SOURCE: Petruccelli Engineering Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. - Planning and Development Consultants Project Description
access easements allowing use of the drive. An approximately 312-foot long portion of the proposed access drive to the property between the border of the property and Water Street will be provided by easements. The easement over the Santucci property will be a thirty foot wide easement. Access from the Santucci property to the Water Street dedicated roadway is currently by easement which is twenty feet in width. The applicant is requesting that the Village add a portion of adjacent property it owns to this section of the proposed access way to widen it to thirty feet.
Access to the Plateau Building will be off of Water Street. This access road (Road A) will be a private road owned and maintained by a Condominium Association. The Condominium Association would be responsible for routine maintenance, snow removal, etc. of Road A. The width of the road will be between 24 and 28 feet with curbs on each side and the road will have a maximum grade of 10%. See Exhibits II-4c and II-4d, Access Improvement Plan.
The drive and the North Water Street Extension serve as access to several substantial ongoing commercial enterprises including Diamond Dairy, Clearcast Technologies and Castle Plumbing. The Applicant will seek to reach a shared maintenance agreement with the other users of the privately-owned portion of the roadway.
B. Proposed Action The Proposed Action calls for the rezoning of the PRD portion of the site to WD-2 and the corresponding amendment to the Village Zoning Map. This rezoning, which would allow for a uniform zone throughout the property, provides greater opportunity for the reuse of the Brandreth Pill Factory building, and for the provision of a mix of residential housing types on the site.
The WD-2 zone states that no one use shall exceed 70% of the total project. While the goal of encouraging mixed-use development is appropriate for the core downtown area, it is less desirable for the Project Site, which is relatively isolated from the Village’s business district. Therefore, the Proposed Action also calls for the Village Board to waive this requirement and for a text amendment to the WD-2 zone to state:
The Planning Board may modify or waive the requirement for provision of a mix of uses in those cases where it determines that the overall objectives of the WD-2 zone would be better served by such modifications or waiver. The Planning Board shall base its decision with respect to a particular site on factors including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) The location of the site in relation to the Village’s downtown area; (b) The relationship of the site to the Hudson River; (c) The physical characteristics of the site, including its topography, vegetation, wetlands and other natural features; (d) The character of surrounding land uses, especially to the extent that they are residential or include existing buildings that house multiple types of uses;
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Exhibit II-4c ACCESS IMPROVEMENT PLAN-1 HIDDEN COVE ON THE HUDSON Village of Ossining, New York
SOURCE: John Collins Engineers, P.C. Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. - Planning and Development Consultants 0 24'
Exhibit II-4d ACCESS IMPROVEMENT PLAN-2 HIDDEN COVE ON THE HUDSON Village of Ossining, New York
SOURCE: John Collins Engineers, P.C. Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. - Planning and Development Consultants Project Description
(e) The appropriateness of the site for accommodating a mix of uses due to the configuration and/or condition of an existing building on the site that is to be adaptively reused as part of a proposed project; and (f) The nature and patterns of access to the site.
1. Zoning Compliance As outlined in the following table, the proposed development meets the zoning standards of the WD-2 zone.
Table II-1 Zoning Summary Required Proposed Minimum Parcel Size 40,000 sq. ft. 8.2 acres Maximum FAR(1) 1.0 0.73(1) 18 units per acre, with no dwelling unit to contain 132 units, which do not contain more than Maximum Net Density more than two-bedrooms two-bedrooms (or 147 units) Plateau Building - Six stories (66 feet) Mill Building – Four stories (50 feet) Maximum Building Height Six stories or 72 feet Annex Building – Four stories (44 feet) Townhouses – 2½ stories (38 feet) 2 parking spaces per Parking Spaces Per Unit 2-bedroom unit 325 spaces (or 264 spaces) (1) The gross floor area of on-site residential buildings of 261,602 square feet, divided by the lot area of 8.2 acres, or 357,192 square feet.
The Applicant is seeking an area variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. As per §270-46(B) of the Zoning Ordinance, the Village Law states that “[n]o building permit shall be issued for the construction or alteration of any building upon a lot without access to a street or highway as stipulated in Section 7-736 of the Village Law.” This Section states that:
No permit for the erection of any building shall be issued unless a street or highway giving access to such proposed structure has been duly placed on the official map or plan, or if there be no official map or plan, unless such street or highway is (a) an existing state, county, town or village highway, or (b) a street shown upon a plat approved by the planning board as provided under the provisions of this article, as in effect at the time such plat was approved, or (c) a street on a plat duly filed and recorded in the office of the county clerk or register prior to the appointment of such planning board and the grant to such board of the power to approve plats. Before such permit shall be issued such street or highway shall have been suitably improved to the satisfaction of the planning board in accordance with standards and specifications approved by the appropriate village officers as adequate in respect to the public health, safety and general welfare for the special circumstances of
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the particular street or highway, or alternatively, and in the discretion of such board, a performance bond sufficient to cover the full cost of such improvement...
Since a portion of the access to the Project Site is by easement, a potential question exists as to whether the issuance of building permits for the proposed buildings will comply with the Village Law and the Zoning Ordinance. To resolve the issue, the Applicant will apply to the Zoning Board for an area variance from the requirements of Section 7-736(3) of the Village Law and Section 270-46(B) of the Zoning Ordinance or, in the alternative, for an interpretation that the proposed access is permitted under those statutory provisions.
2. General Layout/Architecture/Access/Internal Road System The project’s design is sensitive to its natural environment. The proposed buildings are located to curve with the topography of the land. The buildings’ design is proposed to be in keeping with the color, scale and heights of the other buildings in the hillside. The plateau buildings collectively form a crescent shape consistent with the shape of the hill. The curving nature of the massing of this six-story structure, as well as the use of glass allows for the views out to the Hudson River. The broken roofline also contributes to these views. The roofline of this structure remains below the tree line of the crest of the hill beyond the site. The broken-up nature of the architecture allows for the minimization of the massing of the structure.
Along the base of the west facing sloping hill, the 2½-story townhouses offer an architectural variety of scale for this multi-family community. Overlooking a landscaped green, these homes incorporate bay windows, private garages/entrances, and balconies. A landscaped garden area linking the mill building and the townhouses provides a cloistered oasis for passive recreation. The architecture of the townhomes is also curved and broken up to minimize the massing of the overall structure. The historic mill building and extension building will undergo a complete restoration. The elevator building will be connected to a new parking garage via a one-story courtyard addition housing the lobby, clubhouse and other resident amenities. Many apartments have bay windows and balconies. Brick of a consistent color to the mill building is utilized for the annex and extension buildings.
The goal is to articulate a strong architectural design character which is attuned to the natural character of this riverfront location. The project utilizes smooth and wire-cut brick, cast stone sills and lintels, bay windows, ornamental fence and balcony railings, earth-tone color variations, projecting cornices, roofline variations and stoops which help to break down the overall mass of the buildings. Sustainable design elements include low emissive windows, high efficiency appliances and heat pump units.
Approximately 1.6 acres, or approximately 20 percent, of the Project Site will be preserved as open space. The topography and landscaping of the project site will provide interior buffering between buildings as well as buffering from adjacent uses. A detailed landscape plan will be submitted during the site plan review process. On-site amenities
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will include a clubhouse and swimming pool. In addition, the Village of Ossining has a recreation fee of $7,500 per dwelling unit. As such, the proposed 132 units would generate up to $990,000 in recreation fees.
3. Target Market and Affordability The target market for the proposed one- and two-bedroom units will be empty nesters, young professionals, and young couples. The proposed units will be sold at market rate.
The Village of Ossining Village Board adopted an “Affordable Housing Policy Statement” on April 18, 2006 (the “Policy”) and released draft affordable housing guidelines, dated May 3, 2006 (which it did not adopt as a law or regulations). The Village is currently considering a draft Affordable Housing Law in connection with the ongoing review of the proposed Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Amendments. The Policy recognizes the existence of a shortage of affordable housing in the Village and in the County of Westchester in general.
The proposed development will create no new demand for affordable housing and, in the Applicant’s opinion, will have no significant impact on the affordability of the existing housing stock. However, if the Affordable Housing Law is adopted and applicable to the Project when it receives approval, the Project will comply with the regulations. If adopted in its current form, the Affordable Housing Law would require 10 percent of the Project’s dwelling units to be affordable – that is, affordable to individuals or families earning 80 percent or less of the Westchester County median household income – or, in the alternative, that a contribution be made to an affordable housing fund to assist in the development of affordable housing units.
C. Project Purpose and Need The primary purpose of the project is to provide a high quality residential development in close proximity to downtown Ossining. A key element of this development is the renovation and reuse of the historic Brandreth Pill Factory building. The overall design of this reuse and new construction is intended to be sensitive to its environment and the surrounding natural features, while also benefiting the community by providing housing and generating local tax revenue for the community. The provision of the proposed new residences makes available additional purchasing power to assist in the revitalization of the Village’s downtown.
It is the Village’s stated policy to rejuvenate the downtown through new commercial and residential development. It is an objective of the WD-2 zone to provide a variety of intensive riverfront-related uses, including residential. The zone also states that “mixtures of residential and certain nonresidential uses at relatively high densities are considered… more likely to be appropriate in this portion of the Village than others, given the economic and environmental value of the riverfront in Ossining.”1 It is a stated recommendation of the Village of Ossining Main Street and Waterfront Plan to provide housing that can take advantage of waterfront views, especially for the Brandreth Pill Factory.2
1 Village of Ossining Zoning Code, §270-22 A.(5) 2 Village of Ossining Main Street and Waterfront Plan, Task 5 Vision Plan, Draft January 1995; p.17.
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D. Reviews and Approvals As outlined in Table I-2 of the Executive Summary, the required reviews and approvals are as follows:
Involved Agencies – Ossining Village Board – Rezoning / Zoning Amendment/LWRP Consistency Finding Ossining Planning Board – Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan; Tree Removal Permit Ossining Zoning Board – Variance from Section 7-736 of Village Law Village Department of Public Works – Curb Cuts Village Building Department – Blasting Permit Westchester County Health Department – Water and Sewer Army Corp Of Engineers – Nationwide Permit NYS Department of Environmental Conservation – SPDES Permit for Stormwater; Protection of Waters Permit NYS Department of State Division of Coastal Resources – Approve amendment to LWRP, as needed
Interested Agencies – Village Waterfront Advisory Council – Advisory Role with respect to the LWRP Village Historic Review Commission – Advisory Role Metro-North Railroad – General DEIS Review Scenic Hudson – General DEIS Review Westchester County Planning Department – Advisory Role under GML 239m NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation – Historic and Archaeological resources review
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