Peekskill Common Council Work Session – May 4, 2026
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Peekskill Common Council Work Session – May 4, 2026
The Peekskill Common Council held a work session on Monday, May 4, 2026, starting at 6:45 p.m. in the Common Council Chamber. The meeting featured presentations on the city's comprehensive plan update and a proposed 158-unit affordable housing development at 418 N. Division Street, followed by discussion of several routine agenda items, liaison reports, and an executive session.
Comprehensive Plan Update
- Presenter: Daniel D’Oca, principal and co-founder of Interboro Partners, along with project manager Justin Paul Ware. Planning Director Carol Samuel introduced the team.
- Overview: The "PeekSkill Plan" will replace the 1981 comprehensive plan with a 16-month process to guide growth, land use, transportation, housing, resiliency, and economic development.
- Engagement Structure: A Steering Committee (5-6 city-appointed officials/staff), a Resident Advisory Committee (12 members, selected by lottery from volunteers; 50 applications received in one week), Thematic Working Groups (transportation, housing, economic development, sustainability/resilience), and Community Ambassadors (informal, trusted community leaders; 6 already expressed interest).
- Outreach Concerns: Councilmembers emphasized the need for intentional outreach to underrepresented communities, including churches, non-English speakers (Spanish translation available at events), and those without internet access. Planning Director Samuel assured that staff would engage with community groups and hold office hours. Councilwoman Chang requested that the planning director be available for direct meetings with groups that request them.
- Business Community: Business owners can participate as ambassadors, in the economic development working group, or through surveys and public events. The team confirmed that the Resident Advisory Committee must be city residents, but thematic working groups may include outside experts.
- Next Steps: The application for the Resident Advisory Committee remains open through mid-June. Saturday, May 9, the team will present at Mothrs Yay and share the waterfront public realm plan.
418 N. Division Street – 158-Unit Affordable Housing Proposal
- Presenters: Kathleen Bradshaw (Stag Group), Joseph Thompson (local architect), Robert Treger and Brian Newman (Newman Design Architects). The site is the former White Plains Linen site at North Division and Highland.
- Project Details: 158 units (100% affordable), six stories with stepbacks, 197 residential parking spaces (27 for non-residential), approximately 5,200 sq ft of retail/artist workspace, a community recreation space (1,900 sq ft, open to public), and 43,329 sq ft of open space. The building includes a green roof, photovoltaics, and high-performance energy envelope to reduce utility costs.
- Affordability: Targeted at 50%, 60%, and 70% Area Median Income (AMI). Rents range from $1,362 (studio at 50% AMI) to $2,491 (two-bedroom at 70% AMI). The developer noted that 60% AMI is the "sweet spot" for Peekskill, citing examples of teachers, social workers, and police officers.
- Council Feedback: Councilmembers praised the improved design and stepbacks. Concerns included:
- AMI Range: Councilwoman Talbot requested inclusion of 80% AMI to accommodate dual-income families. The developer agreed to review with HCR.
- Senior Housing: Not feasible due to HCR requirements for a dedicated building.
- Parking for Neighbors: The building adds four on-street parking spaces on Constant Avenue; no existing spaces removed.
- Shade Study: Councilman Facel requested a shade study for neighbors; developer confirmed it is in development.
- Lottery and City Preference: The developer cannot restrict the lottery to Peekskill residents due to county discrimination policies, but they will conduct outreach in local libraries and community groups to help residents apply.
- Sidewalk Width: Increased to 10-10.5 feet with 5-foot planting beds.
- Next Steps: The project will go to the Planning Commission for recommendation, then to formal public review. The council requested a shade study and review of 80% AMI.
Street Closure – North Division Street
- Applicant: Rubens Cafe requested closure of North Division Street for outdoor dining and entertainment on Fridays (3–11 p.m.), Saturdays (3–11 p.m.), and Sundays (2–10 p.m.) from May 15 to November 1, 2026. The street would close one hour before and one hour after those hours.
- Discussion: Councilwoman Talbot noted the closure would start at 2 p.m. on Fridays (previously 5 p.m.) and questioned compliance with the city's noise ordinance (10 p.m. on weeknights). The mayor directed staff to check the noise ordinance, consult with other businesses on the street, and bring a resolution at the next meeting.
Sewer – NYSEFC Wastewater Planning Grant
- Presenter: Dave Rambo (Water/Sewer Department). The city will apply for a $50,000–$100,000 planning grant to study inflow and infiltration in the sewer system. There is no additional cost as it falls under an existing agreement with Barton & Loguidice. Council approved moving forward.
Water – Dam Evaluation Engineering Services
- Presenter: Dave Rambo. Every 10 years, the city must submit a dam safety assessment to NYS DEC. Barton & Loguidice was the lowest bidder at $38,500 (Labella bid $93,000). The council authorized the award.
Planning – NY PLAYS Grant Application
- Presenter: Sam (Planning). The city will apply to the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for a grant to upgrade the Riverfront Green playground for full accessibility, including new play equipment and a year-round accessible bathroom. The planning department is taking the lead to piggyback on existing waterfront redevelopment grants.
Legal – Local Law for Red Light Cameras
- Presenter: Eric (City Attorney). After securing home rule legislation in October 2025, the city is preparing a local law to establish a red light camera program (up to 12 cameras). The accident data used to select intersections is being updated.
- Council Input: Councilmembers suggested additional intersections: South & Division/Brown, and Washington & Hudson. Councilman Facel requested warning signs at city entrances rather than at each camera. The attorney will also investigate whether to allow school bus camera enforcement (separate local law needed). A public hearing will be scheduled once revised data is obtained.
Police – Community Crime Prevention Grant
- Presenter: Chief Renwick. The Peekskill Police Department received a $50,000 grant from NYS DCJS (through Senator Harkham's office) for community-based violence intervention and prevention, including overtime for community policing and equipment. No local match required. Council accepted the grant.
Council Liaison Reports
- Councilman DeGrugio reported on a successful full-moon walk in DePew Park and an upcoming Youth Bureau meeting.
- Councilman Passis reminded of the BID meeting on May 5.
- Councilman River praised the Cherry Blossom Festival and Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
- Councilwoman Chang reported the Human Relations Commission lacks a quorum (needs new members) and discussed planning for Juneteenth.
- Councilwoman Talbot raised concerns about the condition of garbage cans at Fleischmann Pier and questioned whether short-term rentals are complying with tax laws.
- Mayor McKenzie thanked the Rotary for the Cherry Blossom Festival, noted the Cinco de Mayo event, and requested further investigation into a "no turn on red" policy citywide. Enforcement of electric bike/scooter laws was discussed, with the city attorney noting challenges but agreeing to look into new regulations.
Executive Session
The council voted to enter executive session to discuss matters concerning the medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person or corporation, as well as matters leading to appointment, employment, promotion, etc.
Meeting Transcript
Committee of the whole meeting for today, May 4th, 2026. We have two presentations from our planning department along with a short agenda. And then we have executive session for discussion of matters concerning the medical, financial credit, or employment history of a particular person, persons, or organ or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person, persons, or corporation. So at this time I'm going to turn it over to our city manager. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Good evening. Good evening. First up, I would like to ask Carol Samuel our planning director if she would introduce uh 418 North Division Street update with the 418 North Division Street LLC. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Good evening. If you don't mind, we're gonna switch uh presentations and go to the second one first. This was like a last-minute change. Um if that's okay with you all. Sure. Um and I'm introducing both. So um, you know, I I we're very happy to be able to have this conversation with you this evening with Interborough, um, and for you to meet uh some of the team, the principal, um uh Dan uh Diaca and uh Justin Paul Ware, who is our project manager, so you can start to get to know them more personally. Um we're very excited to be working with the team. We were very struck by their commitment to engagement and their kind of thinking outside the box for that kind of um approach to engagement, which we want you to hear a bit about this evening. Um this evening, they're just really presenting to you about the comp plan the structure, um, a little bit of the public engagement, and uh the resident advisory committee, which it bears repeating, they will they will go into it in more detail, which is an opportunity for residents to uh help lead the project and uh be a voice for their community, but also a conduit to their community because we're gonna be counting on them to be doing a lot of things, reaching out as well as as providing uh feedback as one piece of the structure of governance. And so we're very excited. We we will just um also bears repeating this Saturday, we'll be at Mothers Yay staff will be uh to present um the uh comp plan to um help people understand what they can do with the uh community advisory committee, but also to present the waterfront public realm plan. Um so we we will see everyone on Saturday and then probably at other events going forward. So let me first introduce um uh uh Dan Dioka and um from Interborough. And let's do you want to share this now? Yeah, I think so. Sure, uh thank you, Carol. Um good evening, Mayor McKenzie and Council. So happy to be here. Uh so my name is Dan Dioko. I'm a principal of of Interborough, also co-founder. So we're an urban planning and design firm. We're based in Brooklyn, although I live in Duchess County. Uh so we'll be uh leading the uh the preparation of the PSGL plan. Could not be more excited about about that. So at Interborough, we uh we really focus on helping cities translate community input and data and all that good stuff into implementable plans. So we've done this work all across the country. So excited to be um doing this work here in Peakskill at this moment. We have a um a pretty big team, um, which you could you could see here. So we've got Ty Lin, who's gonna lead the transportation work and the traffic safety work, Bureau Haphold, um, also based out of New York City, who will lead the resilience work, BJH advisors who will focus on economic development and housing strategy, and the Pace Land Use Law Center, who will support with zoning, land use and implementation. Um what is uh the peak skill plan? I think you all know. So just a quick reminder in really simple terms. Um it's a community-driven effort to create a new comprehensive plan to guide the city's future growth, investment and development. Once completed and adopted, the peak skill plan will replace the city's last comprehensive plan, which was last updated in 1981, together with residents, businesses, and local leaders, the plan will shape key priorities, including land use, transportation, housing, resiliency, sustainability, economic development. So it'll answer questions like you know, where should growth happen and where uh should it be more limited? How do we align housing, transportation, and economic development? How do we protect what makes PSK great while planning for the future? So the process is gonna take uh about 16 months, and at the end of the process, peak skill will have a very clear land use framework to guide growth and development, strategies for housing, transportation, all the stuff you see on the screen. Um, and so we're looking to produce a plan that's not just a document, but really a tool for everyday decision making. And uh so we've got a couple different phases, prepare is kind of the phase we're in now, moving into uh an analysis phase.
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