Tuesday’s Planning & Zoning meeting will again have an early start at 4:00pm. The Jan 4, 2022 meeting will be held on Zoom, which will be the case for P&Z meetings in the foreseeable future. Attendance has soared since P&Z meetings, which often run up to eight hours, migrated online.
The meeting will kick off with a new pre-application for a 3-1/2 story, 27- unit 8-30g affordable housing development at the corner of Mill Street and South Water Street in Byram.
The application includes both retail and residential uses.
This commercial and residential proposal is for 111 Mill Street, currently a 2-story building home to Byram Smoke Shop and offices above, and 9 South Water Street, which is an empty lot.
Downtown Byram is already under increased pressure for development, compounded by the transformational redevelopment of North Main Street in Port Chester, NY, with multi-story apartment buildings.
Parking in Byram is at a premium, which was brought up at the Dec 21, 2021 P&Z meeting by Byram Neighborhood Association land use chair Al Shehadi when the commission reviewed Macelleria Italian Steakhouse’s application for an outdoor dining deck for 75 patrons. Macelleria is located directly across the street from this proposed development.
Prior to the Dec 21 meeting, P&Z reviewed a pre application for a storage facility on the former Hasco factory on South Water Street. Residents said they would prefer to see a use that would enhance downtown Byram’s walkability, if not a water-related use.
And while some 8-30g projects in Byram and Chickahominy have been approved with tight parking, what’s unique about this Mill Street/So Water St application is that the 27 residences would rely on use of the William Street municipal parking lot behind Rosina’s.
If not for the state affordable housing statute, 8-30g, which exempts applications from local zoning requirements except under rare circumstances, the requirement for the development would be 27 spaces.
The permitted number of stories is 2-1/2; proposed is 3-1/2; the existing building with Byram Smoke Shop is 2 stories.
The permitted max height is 35 ft; the proposed building height is 45-1/2 ft high. Existing height is 35 ft.
The first floor retail would again be home to Byram Smoke Shop, plus a gym and 5 apartments. The second floor is proposed to have 9 units. The third floor is proposed to have 9 units. There would also be a penthouse with 4 units.
The retail use would have 5 parking spots. The residential units, as mentioned, would rely on the William Street lot and on street parking.
The parcels are locate in the LBR-2 (Local Business Retail) and COZ (Coastal Overlay) Zones.
The property owner is 111 Mill Street LLC, registered to Dale Antonik. The attorney representing the applicant is Casey O’Donnell.
The parcels are not located in an area of Special Flood Hazard. (There already is a pending application before P&Z for 9 South Water Street for a two story building with retail below and two residential units above, plus seven parking spaces.)
According to the Assessor’s office:
9 South Water Street from 111 Mill Street LLC to Metamora Realty Advisors LLC on July 2, 2021 for $500,000
9 South Water Street from Metamora Realty Advisors LLC to 111 Mill Street LLC on July 2, 2021 for $1,800,000
111 Mill Street from 111 Mill Street LLC to Metamora Realty Advisors LLC on July 2, 2021 for $1,300,000
111 Mill Street from Metamora Realty Advisors LLC to 111 Mill St LLC on July 2, 2021 for $1,700,000
Note: While the commission does take public comment on pre-applications, the idea of a pre-application is to dedicate about 20 minutes to the item so the applicant gets enough feedback to determine whether to pursue the application.
See also:
P&Z Watch: Commissioners, BNA question appropriateness of self-storage facility on waterfront Nov 11, 2021
P&Z Watch: Macelleria Asked to Restripe Parking Lot before Proceeding with Large Outdoor Dining Deck Dec 26, 2021
