CVS Reps Peppered By North Castle Planning Board Queries
There were no fireworks but there were plenty of questions about a proposal to bring a CVS Pharmacy to the Armonk Shopping Center during the April 9 North Castle Planning Board meeting.
Eden Enterprises LLC, which owns the center, must obtain site plan approval from the planning board and a special permit from the town board to open the CVS with a separate retail food space operated by another business.
Several residents attended the planning board meeting on Monday evening, although it was not a public hearing. Looking to allay fears that the chain pharmacy could be out of character with Armonk’s downtown,the applicant’s attorney, Alfred DelBello, said his client wasn’t looking to transform the former A&P “into a big box store.” A&P moved out of the space in mid February.
At 17,389 square feet, the CVS would be smaller than the supermarket, he said. The project also calls for 2,497 square feet of retail space that would be operated by another business.
Two small vans or box trucks would be making daily deliveries with items such as newspapers and drinks, while a larger CVS trailer truck would deliver once a week to the store, DelBello said.
Engineer Paul Vitaliano said his client wants to create a drive-through window toward the rear of the property and repave and restripe the parking lot. The plan is to maintain the same 160 parking spaces that are currently on site, he said.
Other improvements planned include reconstructing the sidewalk entry from Main Street and replacing the railing at the Main Street entrance, Vitaliano said. The developer also wants to add a sprinkler system to CVS and the proposed adjoining retail store.
Another change would be to install a new façade for all of the shopping center’s businesses and a wood fence to provide screening. Not only does the applicant want to keep the current vegetation on the site, additional trees would be planted, Vitaliano said.
Planning Board Chairman Robert Greene said the developer’s representatives should meet with two planning board members and the Architectural Review Board to discuss plans for the new façade and signage.
In response to a question from Greene, DelBello said CVS’ proposed daily hours of operation would be 7 a.m. to midnight.
“It’s not going to be a 24-hour store,” DelBello said.
Greene said he was concerned about the 25-foot height of proposed outdoor light poles. Planning Director Adam Kaufman said that height was “reasonable.”
Planning Board member Steve Sauro said he did not like the look of the proposed shopping center façade. The façade should have “more of a New England look.” DelBello said the developer would be willing to discuss the façade with the ARB.
Greene said he also wanted the developer to make improvements to the Maple Avenue entrance to the shopping center. The entrance should be “more attractive, safer (and) wider,” Greene said.
The planning board and DelBello agreed to a request from Jeff Baker, an attorney representing the Concerned Citizens of Armonk, for the planning board to delay its’ recommendation to the town board for another 30 days.
Concerned Citizens originally filed an appeal with the town to force Eden Enterprise to obtain site plan approval and a special use permit. In late February, the plan was revised to include the retail space requiring the permit and site plan approval.
Last week the planning board voted unanimously to declare itself lead agency for the environmental review of the project.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
