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Record of Proceedings

New Rochelle HLRB Meeting Summary - December 10, 2025

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, December 10, 2025
BodyNew Rochelle, New York
SessionMeeting Portal
DateWednesday, December 10, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
26:36

Good evening, everyone.

26:39

We've been signaled to start.

26:42

Welcome to this evening's City of Neurchale Department of Development Historical and Landmarks Review Board working agenda tonight.

26:51

Um public meeting hearing.

26:54

And uh it's Wednesday, December tenth, two thousand twenty-five, and we're in the council chambers, and we have a quorum of four tonight.

27:03

Uh I think we uh don't have minutes tonight, so we're we're gonna st uh that's item one point one.

27:10

We have no minutes to approve tonight.

27:13

Uh so we go to item two, public hearing.

27:16

Item two point one, uh HLRB five dash two oh two five by Walter Nestler.

27:22

I'll take attendance first.

27:23

Oh, I'm sorry.

27:24

Yeah, sure.

27:25

Yeah.

27:25

Uh Rosetta Bofamante here.

27:28

Lucia Elliott is out.

27:30

Jim Fleming.

27:31

Jim is here.

27:32

Keith Gordon, here.

27:33

Leanne Merchant.

27:34

Here.

27:35

Balkies Raised CUNY is out.

27:37

Don Richards is out, and staff members uh with us today, Kevin Kane, director of planning and sustainability, and myself, Benito Seha, senior project manager.

27:48

Thank you, Benito.

27:49

I sorry about that.

27:50

I uh just know we have a quorum, and that was the most important thing.

27:54

Um again, public hearing two point one application HLB five two oh two five by Walter Nestler for a certificate of appropriateness to construct a below ground pool with a paved area surrounding it and install a four-foot black aluminum picket pool enclosure fence along with four foot high evergreen hedging planted outside the fence at ten Manhattan Avenue block eight two five, lot fifty-one in an R one historic zone district.

28:23

And it's adjourned till further notice.

30:00

And then this is the plan set with the 20 panels on the front and the four on the back on the two different planes.

30:09

These are the uh panels we use.

30:11

Um they're Q cells, they're black on black, uh flush mounted.

30:18

That's all I got.

30:26

Photo, okay.

30:27

Um that one is from the front, the street view of the front of that.

30:31

Okay, yes.

30:32

Okay, I have a picture here.

30:34

Uh oh, from the other well, basically it's uh the the main roof on the front is is uh facing what direction can you can you show the uh site plan again for the roof view?

30:54

No.

30:56

This one?

30:57

Yeah.

31:02

If I'm reading it correctly, north is toward you actually with that.

31:07

The front of the house is north, is that what you're saying?

31:09

Oh, which direction is the is the front of the house facing?

31:13

It's uh south south.

31:16

South side.

31:16

It is south.

31:17

Okay, and yeah, so um this to me is one of those cases where uh the roof um is set back far enough.

31:27

And it's at an angle where it minimalizes the visual.

31:32

Uh it's obviously the best place for the panels to be placed for it to work, I mean to me.

31:38

Uh and um it it gets diminished somewhat by the angle of the roof and the setback from the street.

31:47

I mean, would anybody uh the back is just whatever it's gonna be, four panels.

31:54

Uh and it does take up most of the roof, leaving the uh access panel uh access paths around it.

32:03

Uh and it's good that it takes up most of the roof because it's less visually um uh uh uh disruptive when when it's consistent like that.

32:13

Uh anybody have any opinion?

32:16

Just again, can you give me the color of the roof again?

32:19

The shingles that we're going to be um installing are granite black shingles.

32:24

I have a sample if you'd like to.

32:26

As opposed to the cedar colored asphalt now.

32:29

And the panels are black on black.

32:31

So it's all gonna mesh.

32:35

Uh any other comments?

32:36

No, I think it looks good.

32:37

Uh does anybody say we can get the Elaine?

32:41

If you could come up to the podium, you have to come up to the podium.

32:44

Oh, I didn't have a question.

32:45

Yeah, do you come to the point?

32:47

Thank you.

32:48

I just want to make sure I can see um Elena Harrison Cowie um 70 Hunter Avenue.

32:56

I I just wanted to because right now that the roof is kind of brownish.

33:00

Did you say that the roof will now be black and then the panels on top will be black?

33:04

Yes.

33:04

Oh, okay.

33:05

Yeah, okay.

33:05

Thank you.

33:07

That was important, yes.

33:10

Uh anybody want to make a motion.

33:12

I think we're okay with it.

33:15

I'll make a motion.

33:16

We um uh with regard to this um our only hearing tonight.

33:23

Um I uh move that we pass this uh one as presented.

33:27

Do we have a second?

33:29

Yes.

33:30

Second.

33:31

All in favor?

33:32

Aye.

33:33

Motion passes.

33:36

All right, thank you guys.

33:37

Thanks for your patience.

33:38

It's all in black, so motion to adjourn the meeting.

33:44

So moved.

33:45

Second.

33:45

Second.

33:46

All in favor?

33:47

Aye.

33:47

Aye.

33:49

Thank you, everyone.

33:51

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████84%
Procedural█████████16%
Summary of Proceedings

New Rochelle Historical and Landmarks Review Board Meeting - December 10, 2025

The New Rochelle Department of Development Historical and Landmarks Review Board (HLRB) met on December 10, 2025, in the council chambers. Chairperson Benito Seha presided with a quorum of four members present (Rosetta Bofamante, Jim Fleming, Keith Gordon, Leanne Merchant). Staff members Kevin Kane and Benito Seha were also present. The meeting's single public hearing addressed a Certificate of Appropriateness for a residential solar panel installation. A previously listed application for a pool project was adjourned without discussion.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1.1 (Minutes): No minutes were presented for approval.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Elena Harrison Cowie (70 Hunter Avenue): Ms. Cowie spoke to clarify the color scheme of the proposed solar project. She asked the applicant to confirm the existing brownish/cedar roof would be replaced with black asphalt shingles to match the proposed black solar panels. The applicant confirmed this, and Ms. Cowie indicated that the clarification resolved her concerns.

Discussion Items

  • Item 2.1 (HLRB 5-2025) - Pool Project Adjourned: Chair Seha read the agenda item for a Certificate of Appropriateness for a pool, paving, fence, and hedging at 10 Manhattan Avenue in the R-1 Historic Zone. He immediately stated the item was "adjourned till further notice" and the board took no further action on it.
  • Solar Panel Installation (Un-numbered Agenda Item): The board conducted a public hearing and deliberated on an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for a residential solar panel system, which the Chair referred to as "our only hearing tonight." The applicant presented a plan set featuring 20 Q Cells black-on-black flush-mounted panels on the front roof plane and 4 panels on the rear plane. The applicant confirmed the existing roof would be replaced with "granite black" asphalt shingles to create a cohesive all-black appearance. Board members noted the south-facing roof was sufficiently set back from the street and angled to minimize visual impact, and that the uniform coverage of the roof surface by panels was less visually disruptive than partial coverage.

Key Outcomes

  • Adjournment of Pool Application: Application HLRB 5-2025 (10 Manhattan Avenue) was continued to a future date without board deliberation or public comment.
  • Approval of Solar Panel Application: A board member moved to approve the solar panel installation as presented. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously with all present members voting in favor.
  • Meeting Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned immediately after the vote.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. We've been signaled to start. Welcome to this evening's City of Neurchale Department of Development Historical and Landmarks Review Board working agenda tonight. Um public meeting hearing. And uh it's Wednesday, December tenth, two thousand twenty-five, and we're in the council chambers, and we have a quorum of four tonight. Uh I think we uh don't have minutes tonight, so we're we're gonna st uh that's item one point one. We have no minutes to approve tonight. Uh so we go to item two, public hearing. Item two point one, uh HLRB five dash two oh two five by Walter Nestler. I'll take attendance first. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, sure. Yeah. Uh Rosetta Bofamante here. Lucia Elliott is out. Jim Fleming. Jim is here. Keith Gordon, here. Leanne Merchant. Here. Balkies Raised CUNY is out. Don Richards is out, and staff members uh with us today, Kevin Kane, director of planning and sustainability, and myself, Benito Seha, senior project manager. Thank you, Benito. I sorry about that. I uh just know we have a quorum, and that was the most important thing. Um again, public hearing two point one application HLB five two oh two five by Walter Nestler for a certificate of appropriateness to construct a below ground pool with a paved area surrounding it and install a four-foot black aluminum picket pool enclosure fence along with four foot high evergreen hedging planted outside the fence at ten Manhattan Avenue block eight two five, lot fifty-one in an R one historic zone district. And it's adjourned till further notice. And then this is the plan set with the 20 panels on the front and the four on the back on the two different planes. These are the uh panels we use. Um they're Q cells, they're black on black, uh flush mounted. That's all I got. Photo, okay. Um that one is from the front, the street view of the front of that. Okay, yes. Okay, I have a picture here. Uh oh, from the other well, basically it's uh the the main roof on the front is is uh facing what direction can you can you show the uh site plan again for the roof view? No. This one? Yeah. If I'm reading it correctly, north is toward you actually with that. The front of the house is north, is that what you're saying? Oh, which direction is the is the front of the house facing? It's uh south south. South side. It is south. Okay, and yeah, so um this to me is one of those cases where uh the roof um is set back far enough. And it's at an angle where it minimalizes the visual. Uh it's obviously the best place for the panels to be placed for it to work, I mean to me. Uh and um it it gets diminished somewhat by the angle of the roof and the setback from the street. I mean, would anybody uh the back is just whatever it's gonna be, four panels.

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