Latest Mariani Gardens Plan Proposes Using Deed Restricted Area
Representatives for Mariani Gardens returned to the North Castle Town Board last week with another revised residential plan containing more multi-bedroom units but the town would need to allow the applicant to build in a conservation easement.
The latest proposal, a 50-unit luxury rental plan for the four-acre parcel at 45 Bedford Rd. in Armonk, calls for five four-bedroom units, six three-bedroom townhouses and 12 one-bedroom flats, said project architect Rob Aiello. The single-story flats are mostly in the deed restricted area on the east side of the property.
There would also be a 27-unit building that includes 19 one-bedroom apartments and eight two-bedroom residences toward the rear of the parcel closest to Route 22, Aiello said. Some of the apartments in the structure, identified as the C Building, would feature terraces, he said.
This iteration replaces a 49-unit version proposal that was submitted early last month. However, town officials gave that plan a cold reception even though it avoided the conservation easement mainly because it would likely attract fewer families with 34 one-bedroom units and only one three-bedroom residence.
An original 43-unit plan presented in June was similar to the proposal unveiled last week but the C Building was slightly taller with a smaller footprint and did not include terraces.
“There was a strong component to the critique last time we were here about sort of who would be here and you wanted more families, not millennials, not the one-bedroom, even though they’re bigger,” said attorney Anthony Veneziano, who is representing Mariani Gardens.
“Then there’s the optics where we convert some one-(bedrooms) to twos depending on what your feedback is to the overall plan,” he continued. “But that’s what you’re seeing, changing the social fabric of what’s in there because you didn’t want a one-bedroom apartment building downtown.”
Town officials indicated last month that they would be receptive to allowing the applicant to build in the deed restricted area. Veneziano said there have been discussions with the town about what would be fair compensation in a municipal benefits agreement.
It had been discovered in June that a portion of the site closest to Maple Avenue was subject to a conservation easement dating back to 1979 when the town deeded land to a previous property owner. The easement currently prohibits the development of buildings on what amounts to about one-third of the site.
“I’m not totally averse to some sort of modification on the deed restriction but it’s hard to me to visualize here how much of an impact it will have,” said Councilman Jose Berra.
Although board members signaled the latest plan is more to their liking, Berra said there are concerns regarding density and congestion near downtown.
Supervisor Michael Schiliro said the developer also has to resolve where to place the five affordable units on the site. Currently, those are proposed for the C Building but the town’s affordable housing ordinance requires that the 10 percent of the units that would be affordable should similar to the market-rate residences.
Director of Planning Adam Kaufman also pointed out that the four-bedroom units, identified as the A Building that would front Bedford Road, are turned in a way that they don’t appear to integrate well with the street. The property is across the street from the Bedford Road Historic District.
“I think we want to not turn our backs to that, and try to make the A units the transition so they face the road,” Kaufman said.
Officials complimented the applicant on the redesign of the C Building. Although its footprint is 3,000 square feet larger, the terraces help give it a more unique design.
“It’s a special hamlet and that’s a special vertical building,” Veneziano said. “That’s a nice-looking building for what it is. You don’t see that all the time and these terraces are really going to sell.”
The Town Board would have to approve a rezone from the current Nursery Business district to a multifamily designation for the project to advance.
The board confirmed its lead agency status last week. It also agreed to refer the latest proposal to the town Planning Board and the county Planning Department for feedback as long but will communicate that it does not fully embrace the proposal.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
