UPDATES in May

Frustrated Business Owner to Sue Sleepy Hollow
Peter Grotto (in photo by S. Stowe) is suing the village of Sleepy Hollow and its zoning board for continuing to block his attempts to turn the old Tappan Motors building at the intersection of Route 9 and New Broadway into the new home for Grotto Plumbing and Heating, Inc. (“Business Owner Threatens Lawsuit,” February 2008.)

The village says Grotto’s plans provide too little parking to meet the zoning code and, therefore, has denied repeated requests for the variance he needs to complete the work begun nearly a year ago.

Grotto’s architect, David Barbuti, adjusted the design of the building after the zoning board rejected the variance request in January. In March, when he presented the new design, the board said the changes were still insufficient. Grotto must now wait six months before he can bring his case before the zoning board of appeals. Meanwhile, he continues to pay $10,000 a month in mortgage, taxes and insurance, in addition to the cost of maintaining his business in Yonkers.

Grotto has received permits to do much of the renovation that is taking place on the building. In fact, village architect and building inspector Sean McCarthy has expedited certain permits to accelerate the approval process. McCarthy also moved up last month’s public hearing before the planning board.

A number of residents attended the meeting to urge the board to sign off on the project, even though it does not have the authority to rule on zoning matters. Josephine Blancheta said the corner where the building sits has been a “disaster” for the 30 years she’s lived in Sleepy Hollow. “It’s a joy to see that that corner is being developed and will look as good as the other building being developed there,” Blancheta said.

Mrs. John Cimino of Sleepy Hollow said it was unfair to continue to prolong the approval process. “Why is it that the senior citizen housing passed so quickly and this is being made into such an ordeal?” she asked. “These people bought this thing a year ago. Something must be done because it’s becoming a financial burden.”

Prof. Nicholas Robinson, chairman of the planning board, said that reducing the square footage of the building by removing a piece of it would eliminate the need for a parking variance. But Barbuti said the work involved in decreasing the building’s size — and the reduced amount of useable space — would be financially prohibitive.

“Cutting off a section of the building after someone has purchased the building, you may as well give him his money back,” Cimino said. “It’s not fair to hold them up and make them go broke. If you wanted to get rid of it, you should have done it when it was vacant.” — Andrea Kott

Hudson River Grants for 200K Awarded to Tarrytown
Tarrytown has received a $100,000 Hudson River Estuary Grant through the New York state Environmental Protection Fund. This funding, granted on behalf of the Department of Environmental Conservation, will help restore Andre Brook, a tributary of the Hudson River adjacent to Pierson Park.

In addition, another $100,000, also from the Environmental Protection Fund, was given to the village for the acquisition and development of riverfront land. This funding will go toward enhancing Tarrytown’s Scenic Hudson RiverWalk project through expanded educational opportunities, environmental stewardship and natural habitat restoration along the Hudson River.