80°
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – A proposal that would revamp the way gas stations are zoned along Central Park Avenue is back in the hands of the Greenburgh Town Board.
After a final review, the Greenburgh Planning Board gave a positive recommendation to the zoning code change this week, setting the stage for a town council vote as soon as next week.
If approved, the proposal would reverse a decades-old attempt to rid Central Park Avenue of gas stations and clear the way for a Cumberland Farms convenience store and pumping station to set up shop along the road.
“The board took a look and we didn’t feel like there were any additional comments to make,” said planning board Chairperson Frances S. McLaughlin. “We had no problem with the latest revisions.”
The Greenburgh Town Council has been fussing over the amendment for months. Currently, gas stations along the busy corridor aren’t in compliance with town code. If left untouched for more than six months, they are closed forever.
But with the proposed revision, current owners would have a chance to update and legalize their property while formerly abandoned properties, like the boarded up station at Old Army Road and Central Park Avenue, would have a chance to reopen.
In March, the Greenburgh Town Council referred the plan to the planning board at the request of the chairperson.
McLaughlin said the town council had addressed several of the planning board’s minor suggestions to the plan, including the elimination of private pumping stations and the addition of a common building height requirement.
In the past, the planning board has also recommended the addition of sidewalks and landscaping in front of potential buildings.
“We just wanted to make sure our earlier recommendations were incorporated,” McLaughlin said.
But the goal of the piece, town officials say, is to give gas stations a chance to become in compliance with the town code and allow the development of other stations in the future.
The town has heard a proposal from Cumberland Farms to resurrect the station at 682 Central Park Avenue. McLaughlin said the planning board is in favor of gas stations along the road.
“This is one of three major corridors in Greenburgh and gas stations should be a permitted use,” she said. “We didn’t see a reason why it shouldn’t be.”
Supervisor Paul Feiner said the town board is expected to vote on the rezoning plan as soon as Wednesday’s meeting.
Comments (5)
"We can't win with Bob! He's against everything I'm for."
And so he (Bernstein) should be!
Whereas Bob puts in the hours, looks at the whole picture, and suggests the better way, your efforts are limited only to producing a headline, a sound or video byte and then on to tomorrow's headline. Yes residents would prefer not to see vacant boarded-up stores which is the obvious conclusion and one not needing door to door "research" polling neighbors to substantiate. i.e. "Do you favor leaving the site vacant and boarded up?" "Duh, can I get back to you on that Paul?"
Nor is Bernstein against seeing the site occupied (by Cumberland) in what you characterize as "opposition to you". But making changes that affect other properties is what this disagreement is all about. It's not always about you. And, given that the Resolution changed many times, in half "action steps" is proof alone that your initial desire to pass it in its earliest form(s) was more of your erratic, hit and run, never look beyond the surface, superficial approach to dealing with complicated Town code changes. This irreverence for not only creating good law but your lack of desire for following the law is why you continue to earn failing marks as Town Supervisor.
In this most recent article (you could substitute any of your churlish foot stampings: "mommy are we there yet") you continue to diminish the importance that the details play only because you are incapable of sitting still long enough to understand the problems that your "business as usual" approach brings to the table. Instead, you feel compelled to seek the votes of fragmented, increasingly marginalized publics by finding a topic that appeals to their (extended families with votes) narrow sensibilities. Thus, while the best solution to today's problem remains under your radar, you are already jumping on the next bandwagon to promote electric pumping stations, student newscasts, holocaust living histories and finding a home for homeless dogs.
What you don't talk about are yesterday's strike outs or the topics left on base.
Bernstein is correct that the last mile in the gas station Resolution has yet to be trod by your Team.
The proposed language creates grievous harm for existing Central Avenue gas stations. If you were truly concerned about local businesses (which you really aren't) you would not be trying to win against Bernstein; rather you would be trying to score a win for the Town.
Hal Samis
I agree with Bob. Paul, get back to your social media and your shallow, self serving expression of concern. You are at best useless, at worst, damaging.
It's not me you can't win with Paul, it's every single person who spoke out against what Paul was doing here, except of course, for the one person, who spoke in favor, which was the lawyer for Cumberland Farms. Paul was told time and again that the requirement that Cumberlnd's competitors get special permits within six months was misguided and would result in gas stations in Edgemont being forever boarded up, but he refused to listen. In fact, he refused even to allow his fellow board members even to discuss it. Nor was he or any of his colleagues willing to explain why this six month requirement was being imposed or why it made any sense. This failure to listen , to pay attention to detail, to think through the ramifications, is what residents see all too often from Paul and his colleagues. If Paul would spend even a quarter of his time reading through his proposals, and thinking about residents' comments and criticisms, as he does issuing press releases congratulating himself on what he thinks he's accomplished, he may well win thanks even from his staunchest critics. But he won't and he doesn't.
We can't win with Bob! He's against everything I'm for.Last year I spoke with many Edgemont residents who are upset at the boarded up gas station. The abandoned gas station, at the gateway to some beautiful homes in Edgemont, leaves a bad impression on residents and visitors. If Cumberland Farms is not allowed to open up chances are that this abandoned station will stay abandoned for many years--hurting property values in Edgemont.. The station has already been closed for a long time.
We need to encourage new businesses to replace boarded up, vacant stores and businesses. We need a healthy business district on Central Ave.
Edgemont residents and commercial property owners and businesses should know how I'll conceived this proposed zoning change is for our community. While it will allow for Cumberland Farms to reopen the gas station it abandoned four years ago at the corner of Old Army Road, it will prevent any competing gas stations along Central Avenue from ever reopening should they fail within the next six months to apply for a special permit and then close for six months or longer. Applying for such a permit could cost tens of thousands of dollars which, given the current state of the economy, these gas stations cannot afford. Greenburgh won't force them to close, but if they close for six lonths or longer, or are already closed, they will remain permanently boarded up. Thus, this measure will likely add to the eyesores and blighted conditions along Central Avenue in Edgemont, not reduce them. This calamity could be easily avoided by eliminating the requirement to get a special permit within six months, but every effort to get town officials,none of whom live in Edgemont, to remedy this situation, was ignored.