ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 25, 2021 Held virtually via videoconference using the Zoom platform Page - 1 - VILLAGE OF HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 25, 2021 A Regular Meeting and Public Hearing was held by the Zoning Board on Thursday February 25, 2021 at 8:15 p.m. with Boardmembers participating via Zoom, live-streamed via WHoH-TV (Channel 75, and online at WHoH-TV.org PRESENT: Chairman Matthew Collins, Boardmember Ray Dovell, Boardmember Joanna (via Zoom) Berritt, Boardmember Jeremiah Quinlan, Boardmember David Chen, Village Attorney Linda Whitehead, and Deputy Building Inspector Steven Stanislawczyk Chairman Collins: Good evening everybody, thank you for joining us for the Zoning Board meeting for today, Thursday, February 25th, 2021. As we've done as part of the pandemic, we are obviously meeting here remotely. I have some opening remarks which I'm going to lead with just to sort of lay the rules of the road for how this meeting will work and outline some specific guidance especially for the interaction of the board, but also for any members of the public who are going to wish to be heard tonight. So I'll just read this statement, then we'll get right into things. "Due to the public health and safety concerns associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the board is meeting via video conferencing using the Zoom platform in accordance with the governor's executive order 202.1. There is no public participation in person tonight. Rather, the public can watch the live meeting through Zoom, online, and on cable. Notice of tonight's meeting was published as required, and posted on the Village Web site. The Web notice included instructions for members of the public to access the meeting and participate in any public hearings. "For each application on the agenda this evening public comments will be taken at the appropriate time after the applicant has presented the plans and the board has asked any questions." And I'll signal when that time has arrived. "If you wish to comment on an application at the appropriate time, please do the following. Members of the public attending online by the Zoom app may use the 'raise-hand' feature at the appropriate time if you would like to make a comment. The feature is located at the bottom of your Zoom screen. Those attending via telephone can press 'star-nine.' The meeting host will see that your hand is raised or that you have pressed star-nine and will unmute those waiting, one at a time, so you ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 25, 2021 Held virtually via videoconference using the Zoom platform Page - 2 - can speak. "Lastly, comments can be e-mailed during the meeting to [email protected]. Any e-mail comments will be read into the record. Please note tonight's meeting is being recorded and a transcript will be provided at a later date." And because it's being recorded and because we're doing this via video conference as opposed to in-person, the challenge we're trying to overcome is to make sure we don't talk over one another. That's why I'm going to give you a few ground rules. Number one: "When you're given access to speak, please state your name and address. For boardmembers, please 'mute' yourself when you are not speaking. Boardmembers, I will call on you one at time to speak to avoid everyone talking all at once. If you wish to speak at any time when I am not calling on you, just raise your hand. You know, wave at me or use the raise-hand function. We will use roll call voting for purposes of board motions just to make sure that the record is clear." Thank you to everybody for your patience. I will say we've been doing this, I think, since May of 2020 and we have found a way to make it work. I am confident we'll do that again this evening. Steven, I know you're in place of Buddy tonight. How are we on the mailings? Dep. Bldg. Inspector Stanislawczyk: I've been informed by my staff that all the mailings are in order. Chairman Collins: All right, thank you Steven. Dep. Bldg. Inspector Stanislawczyk: You're welcome. I. AGENDA Chairman Collins: We are going to change the order up here a bit. We have five cases on the docket this evening, four of which are, I think, relatively straightforward at least as it relates to their complexity, and one that is not so straightforward. And I've discussed this with my fellow boardmembers. We're going to go ahead and move the opening case for 447 Warburton and save it actually until the end. We will begin therefore with case 06-21. Case No. 06-21 Eric Zamore & Molly Roberts 3 Edmarth Place ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 25, 2021 Held virtually via videoconference using the Zoom platform Page - 3 - Relief from the strict application of Village Code Sections 295-70E.1(c), w/295-55A & 295-70E.3(a)[1&2] for the addition of a new side covered entrance and stairs at their single-family dwelling located at 3 Edmarth Place. Said property is located in the 2-R Zoning District and is known as SBL: 4.30-20-23 on the Village Tax Maps. Non-conformity details are as follows: 1. Side Yard Setbacks to Covered Porch and Stairs: Existing - Side 1/Total of Both: 5.8 feet /11.7 feet ; Proposed – 5.4 feet /11.3 feet ; Required – 8 feet /20 feet {295-70E.1(c) w295-55A}; Variance Required – 2.6 feet/8.7 feet 295-55A Extension of an Existing Nonconformity 2. Building Coverage: Existing – 34.4 percent; Proposed – 35.6 percent; Required – 30 percent maximum {295-70E.3(a)[1]}; Variance Required – 5.6 percent; Development Coverage: Existing – 63 percent; Proposed – 64.7 percent; Required – 40 percent maximum {295-70E.3(a)[2]}; Variance required – 24.7 percent Chairman Collins: Before I dive into the variances the applicants are seeking, I'll just apologize in advance if I mispronounce any names. I'll do my very best. Case 06-21 is seeking variances for side yard setbacks related to a covered porch and stairs, and building coverage and development coverage. With that, I will turn it over to whomever is presenting on behalf of the applicant. Jill Anderson, Baldwin & Franklin Architects: I am the applicant. The owner, Molly Roberts – well, the owner's Molly Roberts and Eric Zamore, who are at the meeting – is going to be using screensaver to present the drawings. So I hope that will happen now. These photos, taken from Edmarth Place, show number three from the west and the east. Originally, the front door at the west side of the house was accessible through an open porch. Then when previous owners enclosed the porch they installed a rather narrow door, only 2 foot 8 wide, right at the east end of the porch. This makes finding the entrance door to the house difficult from the street. It requires walking through the constricted porch space in order to get to the front door. The next drawing, AB-1 – (Molly, are you moving? Great.) – we propose a new front door accessible directly from Edmarth Place within a 4-foot recess at the west side of the house, shown here on the existing floor plan. This door will open directly into the central hall and bypass the porch entirely. The proposed entry would be located within the existing window ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 25, 2021 Held virtually via videoconference using the Zoom platform Page - 4 - opening and will have a 4-foot wide stone platform and steps with a new open shed roof. The hatched areas illustrate the extent of the existing with side yard and front yard nonconformities. None of the proposed platform construction reduces the existing setbacks, however we do wish to install a small roof canopy over the entrance. This projects 5 inches into the existing side yard just so that the rain doesn't not drip on the platform. The next drawing shows the front existing elevation and illustrates the west side yard nonconformity. And the proposed platform steps and roof canopy are shown crosshatched. The next drawing of the existing west elevation illustrates the front yard nonconformity and the proposed changes are also shown crosshatched. The next drawing, we propose to remove the existing canopy porch door on the east side, but there are no changes proposed for the existing setbacks on this side. Now we come to the zoning analysis. We're asking for the following changes: a decrease on the west side yard setback from 5.8 feet to 5.4 feet which, due to the existing nonconformity, means a variance of 2.6 feet and an 8.7-foot combined side yard setback variance. The increase in lot building coverage would be 1.2 percent, requiring a variance of 5.6 percent, whereas the development increase in coverage of 1.7 percent will require a variance of 24.7 percent. And you'll see this analysis on your drawings, the site plan S-1 which is, I think, the next drawing. If we go straight on to A-1, the proposed first floor plan shows the new front door … Chairman Collins: Could we zoom in on that? Thank you.