Members Present:
Eileen Kuster-Collins Chairperson
T. Robins Brown
Mary Mathews
Maggie McManus
Paul Curley Alternate Member
Lisa Buckley Alternate Member (item 7)
Absent:
Donald Yacopino Building Inspector
Toma Holley Member
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The Minutes of the April 20, 2011, Nyack Architectural Review Board Meeting have been approved. Note: The address in Item 8, Sixth Avenue, is incorrect. The correct address is 90 Sixth Avenue.
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1. 142 Fifth Avenue. Matt Burke. Application to alter roof line. The applicant revised the drawings based on board member comment from the prior month. The present submission complies with zoning requirements.
No public comment. Motion by Member McManus, seconded by Member Brown to close the public portion; approved by a vote of 5-0
Motion by Member Brown, seconded by Member Mathews to approve the application with the following notation, as stated by the applicant: The second-story window is the same size and height and will align with the height of the existing second-story window.
Approved by a vote of 5-0.
2. 90 Sixth Avenue. Kier Levesque for Gregory Miller. Continuation, application for the construction of a single-family dwelling. Building inspector noted that the existing variances from the last application still stand and, additionally, a variance is required for a second car parking in the front yard.
Board’s comments to this application: there was majority consensus that the house still felt too massive and too vertical for the lot; the height is still imposing;, the hardscape in the front yard with the lengthy staircase is not appropriate for the lot, and suggested to the applicant that the second story be a roof line with dormers to minimize the height on the property.
There were two letters submitted by adjacent neighbors, Marc Comito and Laurie Steinhorst. Mr. Comito urged the Board to not agree to the application, feeling that the revised proposal did not address all the Board’s concerns, and he again questioned the calculations on the property and is requesting Zoning Board review. Laurie Steinhorst continues to object to the obstruction of her river views. She agreed that dropping the roof line would help make it seem less imposing on the property. She was concerned that the present proposal would make the streetscape feel overcrowded and agreed that perhaps moving the house back to get two cars stacked in the front would be preferable to having the entire front of the house be a parking lot. She also mentioned that she was concerned about the safety of the driveway for cars coming around from Grand Avenue, and noted that the photos submitted were from her first-floor windows.
No further public comment. The applicant will take Board comments into consideration, and the application remains open.
3. 168A Main Street. Lauren Conroy for The Playroom. Application for a parallel sign. The sign complies with zoning requirements.
No public comment. Motion by Member McManus, seconded by Member Mathews to close the public portion; approved by a vote of 5-0.
Motion by Member McManus, seconded by Member Mathews to approve the application with the following condition, as agreed to by the applicant: The background color of the sign will be a matte green and the lettering color will be a matte white with matte white trim around the perimeter of the sign.
Approved by a vote of 5-0.
4. 160 North Midland Avenue. Dennis Lynch for Nyack Hospital. Site plan application for a fourth floor addition on west side of building. There are variance issues which are being dealt with at the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Board consensus: The Board had no objection to the proposed location for the addition of a fourth floor. Board members all agreed that the proposed irregular window placement, building materials, and overhanging cantilever on three sides was problematic. The proposed window pattern is unrelated to the existing building. The proposed materials are new materials on a building that already has many material types. The nonalignment of the windows and the lack of rhythm with the application of the surface materials was problematic, and the Board has requested that the architect review the elevations to see if any better solutions can be offered. The Board was also concerned about the cantilevering of the new floor out over the existing structure.
The architect stated that the cantilevers were driven by the programmatic requirements of the interior plan. The codes require minimal corridor clearances and to accommodate all the needs of the new intensive care unit, the building needs to jut out. He also stated that the brick to match existing could not be used due to weight issues with the cantilever.
No public comment. The application remains open and the architect will return with additional elevations for further review.
5. 32 Front Street. Jane Slavin for Wesley and Ruth Chin. Site plan application for a second floor addition and request for recommendation to Zoning Board of Appeals. The application requires three variances for front yard, side yard and combined side yards.
No public comment. Motion by Member McManus, seconded by Member Mathews to close the public portion; approved by a vote of 5-0.
Motion by Member Mathews, seconded by Member Collins to approve the application with the following conditions, as agreed to by the applicant: The drawings will be resubmitted with all notations on materials, including stucco foundation, stone façade applied to chimney and sides of entry stair, materials on the roof, et cetera, for record. Also to be included on the drawing is a large note on all foundations, stating that the height of the proposed foundation is not to exceed the height of the existing foundation and may not be higher than either of the adjacent houses; per Board recommendation, the applicant has agreed to widen the entry porch to improve the proportion relative to the façade.
There is a positive recommendation to the ZBA for the required variances.
Approved by a vote of 5-0.
6. 51 North Broadway. Dwayne Bodie. Parallel sign application. The proposal does not comply with the code which limits phone numbers and web sites to ground floor windows and doors, so the applicant has submitted an alternate sign which excludes those two items.
No public comment. Motion by Member Brown, seconded by Member Mathews to close the public portion; approved by a vote of 5-0.
Motion by Member Brown, seconded by Member McManus to approve the application with the following condition: That the proposal without telephone number and web site is the approved signage.
Approved by a vote of 5-0.
7. 66 South Franklin Street. Maggie McManus. Application for two ground floor window signs. The signage complies with zoning requirements.
Member McManus recused herself as the applicant. Alternate Member Buckley reviewed the application. No public comment. Motion by Member Brown, seconded by Member Mathews to close the public portion; approved by a vote of 5-0.
Motion by Member Brown, seconded by Member Mathews to approve the application as submitted. Approved by a vote of 5-0.
Let the record show the meeting ended at 9:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Eileen Kuster-Collins
Chairperson