OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

New Rochelle Planning Board Meeting – June 23, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, June 23, 2026
BodyNew Rochelle, New York
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, June 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:19:59

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Good evening and welcome to the June 23rd, 2026 planning board meeting of the city of Neurishelle.

0:12

There'll be two portions of the meeting.

0:15

The first portion of the meeting is open to public comment where we'll hear applications from applicants.

0:21

And if any members of the public would like to comment on those applications, you can come up to the podium.

0:27

You'll have three minutes to make your comments and just fill out a state your name and address for the record, and you can fill out a card with your name and address as well and provide it to Benito.

0:38

The second portion of the meeting is items for uh referral or administrative purposes.

0:44

You're welcome to stay, but there won't be a public uh comment portion for that part of the meeting.

0:49

Um so with that, we'll start with uh the roll call.

0:53

Yes.

0:54

Uh Jim Brown.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Isabella Kuala Marquez is out.

0:58

Sylvia Hamer.

0:59

Here.

0:59

Doug Housen.

1:01

Yes, sir.

1:02

Doug Lance, uh sorry, John Lancer.

1:05

Here.

1:05

Kate Mercado?

1:06

Here.

1:07

Christine O'Connell.

1:08

Here.

1:08

And staff members with the CIA, Jeff Bream, Deputy Corporation Council, Paul Vaca, Commissioner Buildings, Kevin Kane, Director of Planning and Sustainability, and myself, Benito Seja, Senior Project Manager.

1:21

Okay.

1:23

And we did have minutes that were approved at the technical meeting.

1:27

So we'll move on to item two.

1:31

And we have a few applications that are adjourned.

1:35

Um application 2.2, application PB 3-2026 by Clayton Mattis for site plan approval to convert an existing non-conforming office building to a place of worship with a ground floor sanctuary for 191 occupants at 3 the Boulevard Block 815 lot 9 in an R1 HIST zone district is adjourned to the July meeting.

2:00

And an item 3 3.1 was uh approved at the technical meeting.

2:06

Administrative amendment regarding PB 1-2026 by Ona Preparatory School for a previously approved site plan to construct bleachers with a press box, bathrooms, concession, and a ticketing stand at an existing athletic field at 255 Wilmot Road, Black 3001 Lot 1, and R1 20 zone district.

2:23

So with that, we will sorry, we should note that also uh item 2.1.

2:28

Oh, and 2.1.

2:28

Okay.

2:29

Yeah.

2:29

Yeah, 17 2025.

2:31

Uh the board voted to dismiss this application.

2:34

This is the application that Congress place.

2:36

Uh so the board uh voted to dismiss this application at the technical meeting.

2:40

Right.

2:40

Okay, thank you.

2:42

Uh so we'll move to item 2.3, application PB7-2026 by Darlin Alvarez for a site plan approval for a proposed gaming and drinking establishment for 113 occupants at 355 Huguenot Street, block 437 lot nine in a DB Vanguard overlay zone district Hi.

3:07

Um good evening, members of the boards.

3:10

Uh my name is Dallin Arvarez.

3:11

I'm the engineer applicant record for the proposed gaming and gaming and drink and drinking establishment for 355 Hogan Street.

3:21

I'm here with the owner, um, Sebastian Pagan.

3:24

Um in the in our last meeting, we have some questions from you.

3:31

I prepare a small sheet with the questions and answers.

3:37

So we mentioning some changes.

3:41

So one of the comments was location of the ref the refused area.

3:45

As it was uh showing before the refused area was support was um uh supposed to be located in the front yard.

3:53

That location was changed now.

3:57

So we allocate a space for the refuse area.

4:02

Um the premises.

4:07

So um right here.

4:11

So as of now, there is no dumpster to be outside on the front yard.

4:15

That was one of the comments.

4:18

Going back to the questions and answers.

4:23

The hours of operations um Monday through Thursday will be from 11 a.m.

4:28

to 11 p.m.

4:30

Friday um and Saturday will be from 10 a.m.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████18%
Procedural███████████11%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Water And Wastewater Management█████5%
Public Health████4%
Public Safety███3%
Disability Rights███3%
Historic Preservation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

New Rochelle Planning Board Meeting – June 23, 2026

The New Rochelle Planning Board met on June 23, 2026, at 12:15 PM UTC (evening local time) to consider several site plan applications, administrative amendments, and extensions. The meeting included public comment periods, board discussions, and votes on four major applications. The board approved all items with specific conditions.

Consent Calendar

  • Application PB 3-2026 (Clayton Mattis – conversion of office to place of worship at 3 The Boulevard) was adjourned to the July meeting.
  • Application PB 1-2026 (Ona Preparatory School – bleachers, press box, etc. at 255 Wilmot Road) was approved at the technical meeting.
  • Application PB 17-2025 (Congress Place) was dismissed by the board at the technical meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Anthony Marciano (Century 21 Marciano, broker) spoke in favor of Application PB 8-2026 (three townhouses at 516 Pelham Road), stating that the city desperately needs townhouses to allow residents to stay in New Rochelle. He expressed 100% support for the project.
  • No other public comments were made on any application.

Discussion Items

Application PB 7-2026 – Gaming and Drinking Establishment (355 Huguenot Street)

  • Applicant Darlin Alvarez presented revised plans addressing previous board concerns: refuse area moved inside, hours of operation (Mon–Thu 11 AM–11 PM, Fri–Sat 10 AM–2 AM, Sun 10 AM–10 PM), private security on duty, delivery schedule, and no front-yard parking except for deliveries. A no-parking notice will be posted.
  • Board members discussed the need for a curb cut to allow delivery trucks to pull into the front area, conflicting with DPW’s requirement to replace the curb. The board agreed to condition a review of the curb cut with DPW.
  • The storefront will have clear glass with advertisement stickers; the interior layout includes a bar and gaming areas separated by age restrictions (wristbands for under 21).
  • Trash will be stored inside in city-approved containers and picked up every 24–72 hours; ventilation and air conditioning were recommended to control odors.
  • The board thanked the applicant for addressing earlier concerns.

Application PB 9-2026 – New Restaurant (72 Center Avenue)

  • Architect Robert Stanziali presented plans to combine two commercial spaces into a restaurant with two fire areas (A and B) separated by a two-hour fire wall. The left side (fire area A) will be a nighttime bar/dining area with occupancy limited to 49 to avoid sprinkler requirements; the right side (fire area B) will be a breakfast/lunch operation. The two areas cannot be occupied concurrently.
  • Refuse storage will be in the rear of the building, not on the sidewalk.
  • Board members questioned noise mitigation for upstairs apartments; the applicant plans to spray-foam ceilings and use resilient channels to meet STC requirements.
  • The building’s exterior will be cleaned and existing storefronts replaced.

Application PB 8-2026 – Three Attached Townhouses (516 Pelham Road)

  • Attorney Mark Blanchard and architect Tom Abalama presented a three-story building with three for-sale townhouses, replacing an abandoned auto repair shop. The building includes a basement with playroom, first-floor two-car garage, elevator to all floors, and a rooftop terrace with pergola, green roof, and solar panels.
  • The board had granted variances for three units (code allows two) and other density/area relief.
  • Board members raised concerns about the floor plan: the elevator consumes space, making bathrooms tight and closets shallow (18 inches). They requested adaptive design for aging in place, such as grab-bar installation and clearances for walkers, to be integrated into the next plan iteration.
  • The board praised the sustainability features (green roof, solar) and required them to remain as conditions of approval.
  • The garage doors were changed from carriage-house style to modern doors per board feedback.
  • The applicant agreed to work with the building department on accessibility improvements.

Administrative Amendment PB 15-2024 – Subdivision Reapportionment (99 Wilmot Road and 97 Beverly Road)

  • Applicant Joshua Goldberg requested approval to add four rain gardens to manage stormwater runoff from the shared driveway. The rain gardens replace the originally approved 100% impervious concrete surface. Maintenance responsibility lies with the owner of 97 Beverly Road, with shared maintenance agreements among the three properties.
  • The board approved the amendment.

Administrative Amendment PB 16-2025 – Two-Family Dwelling Extension (122 Pershing Avenue)

  • Architect Eric Wilson returned for a time extension and minor design changes. The front facade was revised to break up the monolithic appearance: the left side was pushed back four feet, roof forms were adjusted, and a jog on the second floor was eliminated. The board previously requested a higher-end garage door, which was provided.
  • Wilson argued to keep an extended roof over the garage, supported by brackets, which the board accepted.
  • The board approved both the administrative amendment and the time extension.

Key Outcomes

  • PB 7-2026 (Gaming establishment): Approved (motion, second, all ayes). Conditions include: repair damage to right-of-way, install fire sprinklers, review curb cut with DPW, and return for administrative amendment if needed.
  • PB 9-2026 (Restaurant): Approved (motion, second, all ayes). Conditions: repair damage to right-of-way, fire areas A and B shall not be occupied concurrently.
  • PB 8-2026 (Townhouses): Approved (motion, second, all ayes). Conditions include: right-of-way work permits, sewer/health department approvals, $263 per additional dwelling unit recreation fee, fire sprinklers, landscape bond, maintain rooftop green space and solar panels, improve accessibility to the greatest extent practicable (to be reviewed by building department), and return for administrative amendment if needed.
  • PB 15-2024 (Rain gardens): Administrative amendment approved (motion, second, all ayes).
  • PB 16-2025 (Two-family extension): Administrative amendment and time extension approved (combined motion, second, all ayes).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the June 23rd, 2026 planning board meeting of the city of Neurishelle. There'll be two portions of the meeting. The first portion of the meeting is open to public comment where we'll hear applications from applicants. And if any members of the public would like to comment on those applications, you can come up to the podium. You'll have three minutes to make your comments and just fill out a state your name and address for the record, and you can fill out a card with your name and address as well and provide it to Benito. The second portion of the meeting is items for uh referral or administrative purposes. You're welcome to stay, but there won't be a public uh comment portion for that part of the meeting. Um so with that, we'll start with uh the roll call. Yes. Uh Jim Brown. Here. Isabella Kuala Marquez is out. Sylvia Hamer. Here. Doug Housen. Yes, sir. Doug Lance, uh sorry, John Lancer. Here. Kate Mercado? Here. Christine O'Connell. Here. And staff members with the CIA, Jeff Bream, Deputy Corporation Council, Paul Vaca, Commissioner Buildings, Kevin Kane, Director of Planning and Sustainability, and myself, Benito Seja, Senior Project Manager. Okay. And we did have minutes that were approved at the technical meeting. So we'll move on to item two. And we have a few applications that are adjourned. Um application 2.2, application PB 3-2026 by Clayton Mattis for site plan approval to convert an existing non-conforming office building to a place of worship with a ground floor sanctuary for 191 occupants at 3 the Boulevard Block 815 lot 9 in an R1 HIST zone district is adjourned to the July meeting. And an item 3 3.1 was uh approved at the technical meeting. Administrative amendment regarding PB 1-2026 by Ona Preparatory School for a previously approved site plan to construct bleachers with a press box, bathrooms, concession, and a ticketing stand at an existing athletic field at 255 Wilmot Road, Black 3001 Lot 1, and R1 20 zone district. So with that, we will sorry, we should note that also uh item 2.1. Oh, and 2.1. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, 17 2025. Uh the board voted to dismiss this application. This is the application that Congress place. Uh so the board uh voted to dismiss this application at the technical meeting. Right. Okay, thank you. Uh so we'll move to item 2.3, application PB7-2026 by Darlin Alvarez for a site plan approval for a proposed gaming and drinking establishment for 113 occupants at 355 Huguenot Street, block 437 lot nine in a DB Vanguard overlay zone district Hi. Um good evening, members of the boards. Uh my name is Dallin Arvarez. I'm the engineer applicant record for the proposed gaming and gaming and drink and drinking establishment for 355 Hogan Street. I'm here with the owner, um, Sebastian Pagan. Um in the in our last meeting, we have some questions from you. I prepare a small sheet with the questions and answers. So we mentioning some changes. So one of the comments was location of the ref the refused area. As it was uh showing before the refused area was support was um uh supposed to be located in the front yard.

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