[00:00:04]
3 0 1 UP.UM, WELCOME TO THE PLANNING BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 13TH, 2025.
UM, WE'LL START WITH ROLL CALL PLEASE.
UH, BOARD MEMBER RICHARD BASS HERE.
BOARD MEMBER ERNESTO VIRO HERE.
VILLAGE ATTORNEY LINDA WHITEHEAD HERE BUILDING INSPECTOR CHARLES MOZZI HERE.
[II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
UM, SO NEXT WE HAVE THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.WE HAVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR FEBRUARY 13TH, 2025 MEETING, WHICH I BELIEVE WE CAN APPROVE.
WE SHOULD HAVE A QUORUM FOR THAT.
DOES, UM, ON THE QUESTION YES.
UM, THE DECEMBER 19TH MINUTES, WE'RE PROBABLY NEVER GONNA BE ABLE TO GET APPROVED BECAUSE BOTH OF THE ALTERNATES WERE HERE.
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE CAN JUST, WE HAD FIVE, WE HAD FIVE PEOPLE HERE, SO IF WE GET ONE OF THE ALTERNATES HERE, WE MAY BE ABLE TO OH, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO.
SO, BUT AGAIN, AND WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS BEFORE, THERE'S NO LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR THEM TO BE APPROVED.
IT'S REALLY FOR PURPOSES OF CLEANING UP ANY MISTAKES.
SO THEY CAN GO ON THE WEBSITE MARK DRAFT, RIGHT? WE HAVE 'EM AS DRAFT, RIGHT? RIGHT.
I FIGURED EVENTUALLY WE'D HAVE EITHER DICK OR TOM AND MYSELF AND DA, DAVID AND PATRICK, BUT YEAH, TO SEE LET'S HOPE FOR THAT MIRACLE DAY AND THEN WE'LL SQUARE THIS AWAY.
SO, SO LET'S, UM, FINISH UP WITH THE FEBRUARY 13TH, THE MEETING MINUTES.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THAT MS. REVIEWED THEM? NO COMMENTS, BUT I'LL ABSTAIN FROM THE VOTE BECAUSE I WASN'T PRESENT IN FEBRUARY.
UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS EITHER.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY 13TH? SO MOVED.
RICHARD AND WHO SECOND THAT SECOND.
AND ALL IN FAVOR A AYE, EVERYBODY EXCEPT FOR DAVE.
AND WE'RE GONNA SKIP OVER THE, SO SIX, NOTHING IN WHAT ABSTENTION CORRECT.
AND WE'RE NOT, WE'RE GONNA SKIP OVER THE, UH, DECEMBER MEETING MINUTES 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL A MEETING WHERE WE HAVE THE RIGHT CONSTELLATION OF PEOPLE.
[III. OLD PUBLIC HEARINGS]
SO NOW WE'RE GONNA GO ON TO, UM, OLD PUBLIC HEARINGS THIS EVENING.WE ACTUALLY, WE ORIGINALLY HAD FIVE OLD PUBLIC HEARINGS THIS EVENING, BUT, UM, THE, FOR THOSE WHO MAY HAVE COME FOR THE PEARL STREET APPLICATION, UM, THAT GOT PULLED BY THE APPLICANT LITERALLY THIS AFTERNOON, UM, THEY WANT TO CORRECT SOME ITEMS. SO WE WILL NOT BE REVIEWING THAT APPLICATION.
THAT'S NUMBER FIVE ON THE AGENDA FOR THOSE OF YOU WATCHING.
SO WE'RE GONNA DO ONE THROUGH FOUR.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO THE FIRST ONE WE HAVE IS SUBDIVISION APPROVAL APPLICATION OF MORGAN FLESIG AND MARGARET LAVENDER FOR A LOT.
LINE ADJUSTMENT FOR PROPERTY AT 1 0 1 AND ONE 11 SCENIC DRIVE.
SAID PROPERTY IS IN THE R 10 ZONE DISTRICT AND IS KNOWN AS 4.20 DASH 15 DASH THREE AND 4.20 DASH 15 DASH FOUR L THREE ON THE VILLAGE TAX MAPS.
AND, UM, I'LL JUST SAY THAT THIS IS A FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD LOT LINE CHANGE, WHICH WE ACTUALLY APPROVED A YEAR AGO.
UM, MANY PEOPLE ON THE BOARD NOW, WE'RE NOT THERE FOR THAT.
BUT, UM, THE REASON IT'S BACK IS THAT THE APPROVAL EXPIRED.
SO WE'RE HERE SIMPLY, UM, BEING ASKED TO REAPPROVE WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE BACKGROUND FOR EVERYONE HERE.
UM, SO DOES ANYONE ON THE BOARD HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS? NO.
ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS APPLICATION? UM, OKAY.
SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS.
UM, AND IF THE BOARD IS PREPARED, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GRANT APPROVAL.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO REAPPROVE A PRE PRELIMINARY AND FINAL APPROVAL OF THE SUBDIVISION APPLICATION OF MORGAN FLESIG AND MARGARET LAVENDER FOR A LOT LINE ADJUSTMENT FOR PROPERTY AT 1 0 1 AND ONE 11 SCENIC DRIVE.
KATE AGAIN? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.
UM, SO THAT'S UNANIMOUS AND, UH, SO IT'S PASSED.
UM, SO NEXT UP IS A SUBDIVISION APPROVAL AND APPLICATION OF TWO FULTON STREET LLC FOR THE CREATION OF A NEW BUILDING LOT LOCATED AT TWO FULTON STREET.
SAID PROPERTY IS LOCATED IN THE R DASH 7.5, IS KNOWN AS SBL 4.1 40 DASH 1 46 DASH 16 AND 17 ON THE TOWN OF GREENBURG
[00:05:01]
TAX MAPS.AND, UM, JUST BY, UM, INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT, WE'VE REVIEWED THIS APPLICATION OF THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MEETINGS.
OUR CONSULTING ENGINEER HAS INDICATED HE'S COMFORTABLE WITH THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FOR NEW IMPROVEMENTS, THAT THE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FOR NEW IMPROVEMENTS WILL WORK, AND FURTHER DETAIL WILL BE REVIEWED AT THE TIME OF THE BUILDING PERMIT, UM, APPLICATION FOR THE NEW HOUSE.
SO, UM, IT, THE APPLICANT IS HERE.
DO, DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING AT THIS POINT? NO.
JOSEPH CROCKWELL, I'M THE ARCHITECT.
UM, WE WERE HOPING TO DO SECRET TO AN IE.
SO GUESS THAT'S THE NEXT STEP AND THEN, YEAH.
SO DOES ANYBODY ON THE BOARD HAVE ANY FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS APPLICATION? NO.
UM, WE REQUESTED OUR PLANNER PROVIDE A DRAFT NEG NEGATIVE DECLARATION AND PRELIMINARY SUBDIVISION APPROVAL RESOLUTION.
UM, AND THAT WAS CIRCULATED TO EVERYONE ON THE BOARD.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR ADDITIONS TO THAT DOCUMENT? NO.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT A NEGATIVE DECLARATION DETERMINING THAT THE ACTION WILL NOT RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AS SET FORTH IN THE DRAFT PROVIDED? SO MOVED.
OKAY, RICHARD, AGAIN, WHO SECONDS THAT SECOND.
ALRIGHT, WE GOT ERNESTO IS SECONDING THAT.
UM, THANK YOU AND I BELIEVE OUR PLANNER AND ATTORNEY MAY HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON YOUR PROPOSAL.
UM, SUBDIVISION, WAS THAT, SORRY, WAS THAT JUST THE RESOLUTION FOR THE NEG DECK? WE SHOULD DO TWO.
WE HAVE A SECOND PART TO THIS.
WE'RE DOING PRELIMINARY SUBDIVISION.
SO I GOT A LITTLE AHEAD OF MYSELF.
UM, SO NEXT WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE PRELIMINARY SUBDIVISION APPROVAL WITH THE CONDITIONS AS SET FORTH IN THE DRAFT RESOLUTION.
DO I HAVE, UM, A MOTION FOR THAT? SO MOVED, DAVE SAID.
WE'RE ALL ON COMPETITION TONIGHT.
THAT FAST UNANIMOUSLY AS WELL.
SO NOW I CAN SAY, UM, THAT OUR, UH, PLANNER OR VILLAGE PLANNER AND ATTORNEY MAY HAVE SOME COMMENTS ON YOUR PROPOSED SUBDIVISION PLAT, WHICH THEY WILL PROVIDE TO YOU.
BUT FOR TONIGHT, THE TWO, UH, MEASURES HAVE PASSED.
SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE GOOD TO GO TO THE NEXT STEP.
SO WE CAN GO TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT? YES.
THAT SAYS DO I NEED ANYTHING FROM, WE'LL GET YOU THE RESOLUTIONS, YOU WILL NEED THE N DECK AND THE RESOLUTION, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT REQUIRE THOSE.
AND THEN WE COME, WE'LL GET THEM TO YOU.
WE HAVE 180 DAYS TO GET BACK HERE, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH.
CAN WE DO THAT? YOU GET TO, WELL YOU CAN ACTUALLY, ON PRELIMINARY YOU CAN GET SIX MONTH EXTENSIONS UNLIMITED.
SO, UM, AND WE ALL KNOW THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS SLOW.
I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHERE TO GO.
NO, I JUST GOTTA GO TO COUNTY AND IT WOULD BE A MYLAR PLAT THAT I WOULD TAKE TO THEM.
I THINK THAT'S ALL WE NEED TO KNOW.
SO THIS WE'LL BE BACK, IT DOESN'T HELP DEPARTMENT FIRST, SHE FINDS LAST.
SO OUR NEXT OLD PUBLIC HEARING IS SITE PLAN APPROVAL AND APPLICATION OF 5 5 5 WARBURTON AVENUE LLC FOR A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT IN ADDITION TO AN EXISTING BUILDING CREATING THREE COMMERCIAL SPACES AND 15 RESIDENTIAL UNITS ON TWO EXISTING BUILDING LOTS LOCATED AT 5 5 5 WARBURTON AVENUE AND 15TH SPRING STREET.
SAID PROPERTY IS IN THE CC ZONING DISTRICT.
IT IS KNOWN AS SBL 4.30 DASH 22 DASH ONE AND 34 ON THE VILLAGE TAX MAPS.
SO AGAIN, UM, BY WAY OF BACKGROUND ON THIS APPLICATION, WE'VE REVIEWED IT OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL MEETINGS.
WE PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED A NEGATIVE DECLARATION UNDER CCRA AND THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS HAS GRANTED THE NECESSARY VARIANCES.
UM, THIS APPLICATION, UM, HAS MADE AN ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION REFLECTING THE ARCHITECTURAL CHANGES REQUESTED BY THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD, ALSO KNOWN AS A RB, AS WELL AS SOME REVISIONS ON THE ENGINEERING DRAWINGS REQUESTED BY OUR CONSULTING ENGINEER.
SO THE ARCHITECTURAL REVISIONS WERE SUMMARIZED BY THE APPLICANT AT THE LAST MEETING AND, UM, WE, WE RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL MEMO FROM OUR CONSULTING ENGINEER WITH A NUMBER OF COMMENTS.
HOWEVER, I'LL NOTE THAT, UM, HE INDICATED THAT NONE OF THESE AFFECT THE SITE PLAN AND INSTEAD SHOULD BE ADDRESSED PRIOR TO THE ISSUANCE OF A BUILDING PERMIT.
SO THEY'RE NOT GONNA HOLD UP THE NEXT STEP
[00:10:01]
IN THIS PROCESS.SO, UM, AT THIS POINT, DO I HAVE ANY, UM, DO BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR THE APPLICANT? NO.
UM, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH CLARIFICATION ON THE LIVE WORKSPACE.
UM, IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION BECAUSE, UM, YOU'RE THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE APPLICANT, UM, LATER THIS EVENING ON ANOTHER PROJECT ON WAR BURTON AVENUE AND REFERENCED, UM, THIS LIVE WORKSPACE AS WELL AS ANOTHER ONE ON MAIN STREET AS EXAMPLES THAT THE PLANNING BOARD HAD APPROVED.
UM, WHICH JUST LED ME TO DOUBLE CHECK MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE HAD APPROVED ON THIS PROJECT.
SO, UM, I WANTED TO ASK YOU JUST TO EXPLAIN THE LAYOUT OF THE LIVE WORK UNIT IN THIS PROJECT.
I LOOKED AT THE PLANS, THEY WERE A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING.
I I KNOW WHAT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS MM-HMM
BUT COULD YOU JUST EXPLAIN THE LAYOUT? SURE, OF COURSE.
I'M CHRISTINA GRIFFIN, UH, ARCHITECT FROM, UH, CHRISTINA GRIFFIN, ARCHITECTS IN HASTINGS.
AND I'M GONNA SHOW YOU LAYOUT.
UM, WE, UH, IT IS A ONE BEDROOM LAYOUT AND I'LL SEE IF I CAN GET IN A LITTLE CLOSER HERE.
SO YOU CAN SEE A BLOW UP OF THAT UNIT.
SO THERE'S A STOREFRONT THAT IS, UH, ON SPRING STREET AND THERE IS, THERE ARE STAIRS THAT LEAD UP TO A LOFT.
AND THAT IS ON AN UPPER LEVEL THAT HAS A LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM, KITCHEN.
AND THEN OFF THAT LEVEL IS A FULL BATH, CLOSET AND BEDROOM.
SO IT'S LIKE A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT WITH THE WORKSPACE BELOW.
AND WE DID, WE MADE, UH, THE REASON WHY WE, UM, IT'S LAID OUT THIS WAY IS BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S A, THE ENTRANCE TO THE UNIT IS ABOVE.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE A PRIVATE ENTRANCE AND IT'S ALSO ACCESSIBLE BY, BY ELEVATOR FROM THE GARAGE.
AND THEN THERE'S THIS, UH, STOREFRONT ENTRANCE BELOW AND UNDER THE, THE, UM, THE STAIRS IS A SMALL, UM, HALF BATH.
THERE'S JUST A NOTE ABOUT THAT.
THERE'S A BATHROOM UNDER THE STAIRS.
THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT.
AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS PRECISELY THE DISTINCTION THAT I WAS MAKING AT THE LAST MEETING.
SO I WANTED TO VERIFY THAT THAT WAS, 'CAUSE THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFERENCE OF THIS LIVE WORKSPACE THAN WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED ON THE OTHER PROJECT.
WE'LL GET TO THAT LATER IN THE EVENING.
BUT IT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE.
IT IS A COMPLETE, I MEAN, THE SPACES ARE CONNECTED, BUT THEY'RE ON DIFFERENT LEVELS AND THEY'RE ACCESSED, UM, THROUGH DIFFERENT MEANS.
AND, UM, SO I THINK IN FOR SURE, THIS WAS A DIFFERENT CASE, UM, THAN OTHERS BEING PROPOSED.
I WILL SAY ALSO, UM, JUST NOTE THAT THE, THE STOREFRONT SPACE THAT'S PART OF THE LIVE WORK IS ON, UM, SPRING STREET ON, UH, IN A PLACE WHERE THERE CURRENTLY ISN'T A, UM, COMMERCIAL SPACE.
AND IT'S, UH, GOING TO BE NEXT TO ESSENTIALLY WHAT'S GONNA BECOME THE GARAGE OPENING TO THIS, TO THE, TO IN THIS BUILDING.
SO THE CONDITIONS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN, UM, THE MAIN STRETCH OF OUR, OF, OF WILTON AVENUE.
UM, AGAIN, WE CAN GET TO THAT LATER, BUT I JUST WANTED, WHILE WE'RE ON THIS PROJECT, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE ALL CLEAR ABOUT WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED HERE.
AND I THINK IT'S VERY HELPFUL.
UM, CHRISTINA, IF YOU COULD SHOW EVERYONE THE ELEVATIONS, 'CAUSE WHEN I RE-LOOKED AT IT, IT WAS CLEAR THAT, SO THE LIVING SPACES ALL START ON THAT UPPER LEVEL.
THERE'S NO LIVING SPACES ON THE STREET LEVEL.
THE ONLY THING THAT'S CONNECTED TO A LIVING SPACE IS THAT VERY SMALL, UM, STOREFRONT SPACE AS YOU MENTIONED.
SO, UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE, OTHER THAN YOUR COMMENT THAT YOU WERE MAKING THAT SAME COMMENT? I DON'T REALLY LIKE IT.
I THINK THIS, IT REALLY WORKS THE WAY IT'S LAID OUT HERE AND THE SEPARATION ON THE UPPER FLOOR PRIVACY, BUT YET NOT INTRUSIVE INTO THE COMMERCIAL STOREFRONT.
UH, THE ONE THING I'D ADD IS THAT GIVEN, UM, OUR CONCERNS THAT WE EXPRESSED ON THE OTHER PROJECT, WHICH AGAIN, WE WILL, WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THAT.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT IN OUR RESOLUTION THAT WE NOTE THAT THIS, IT CANNOT BE USED FOR LIVING SPACE.
THAT IT IS MEANT TO BE EITHER SOME SORT OF COMMERCIAL SPACE OR WORKSPACE.
UM, THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT, THAT'S, UM, CODIFIED IN OUR RESOLUTION.
SO IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT IT, IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE OTHER, UM,
[00:15:02]
SITE THAT THIS CLEARLY BE FOR THOSE PURPOSES.AND THE FACT THAT IT'S CONNECTED TO A LIVING SPACE WORKS IN THIS CASE 'CAUSE IT'S SEPARATED.
I THINK THAT'S, DOES EVERYONE, DOES ANYBODY HAVE FURTHER COMMENTS OR VERY CLEAR, VERY HELPFUL FOR ME TO SEE THIS IN RELATION TO WHAT YOU GUYS BROUGHT UP ABOUT THE OTHER PROPERTY LAST TIME.
WELL THAT WAS MY ONE COMMENT ON THE SITE PLAN.
UM, THERE ARE SOME DIMENSIONS WHEN YOU GO BACK AND, UH, SOME OF THE, WHEN I WAS LOOKING VERY CAREFULLY, SOME OF THE, UM, THE LEVELS OF THE DIFFERENT FLOORS, THEY WEREN'T ALL MATCHING UP.
SO I'M SURE THAT'LL GET WORKED OUT IN THE FINAL PLANS, BUT THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS, YOU KNOW, GOT CLARIFIED.
SO WITH THAT, LET'S SEE WHERE WE ARE.
SO WOULD ANY MEMBERS OF, THIS IS STILL A PUBLIC HEARING, SO I'D LIKE TO INVITE ANYONE, UM, FROM THE PUBLIC WHO WANTS TO SPEAK OR MAKE A COMMENT, PLEASE COME UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF, MAKE ANY COMMENTS.
DO WE KNOW WHEN THE DEMO WORK, THE PLAN TO BEGIN? OR, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T WAIT TO YES, I CAN'T WAIT.
I GUESS I WANT THIS NOW IN OUR VILLAGE, I ASKED THIS LAST TIME AND I GOT A DIRTY LOOK FROM BUDDY
SO, UM, I'LL JUST SAY WE, WE'VE ASKED OUR PLANNER, WELL, DO YOU WANT, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.
IS THERE, DOES ANYONE KNOW THE QUESTION? SO THE, UM, ONCE THEY GET THE SITE PLAN APPROVAL, THEY, AS LONG AS THEY FOLLOW THE ITEMS OF THE RESOLUTION AS FAR AS TRUCKING ROUTES, SITE SAFETY, DUST NOISE, AND ALL THE OTHER PROTECTIONS ITEMS THAT GO ALONG WITH THAT, THEY CAN APPLY FOR IF THEY WANTED TO.
THEY CAN APPLY FOR A DEMO PERMIT FIRST.
AND THAT WHILE WE'RE WORKING OUT OTHER ITEMS, WE HAVE TO WORK OUT DRAINAGE WITH DOUG THAT REALLY BUILDING NEEDS TO COME DOWN FIRST TO DO FURTHER TESTING OF THE SOILS.
BECAUSE THERE'S SOME INCONSISTENCIES THAT WE KIND OF EXPECTED IN THIS SITE BECAUSE IT'S BEEN THROUGH SO MANY DIFFERENT OCCUPANCIES OVER THE LAST 200, YOU KNOW, 150 YEARS.
SO, UM, IF THEY CAN, THEY CAN CHOOSE TO DO IT IN EITHER WAY.
THEY, LIKE, IF THEY WANT TO WAIT FOR THE BUILDING PERMIT AND DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, OR THEY WANT TO COME FOR A DEMO PERMIT FIRST, AND THEN WE CAN DO THAT AS LONG AS THE ITEMS THAT THE RESOLUTION ARE MET, WE'D BE HAPPY TO, UH, DEMO PERMIT'S VERY EASY.
IT'S GONNA BE RELATIVELY EASY FOR US TO ISSUE AS LONG AS THEY CAN PROVE THAT THEY'RE SHOWING EVERYTHING IS IN ORDER WITH THE RESOLUTION.
AND IF YOU REMEMBER SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THEY HAD, THEY ACTUALLY GAVE YOU THE DEMOLITION PLAN YES.
BECAUSE THEY WERE ASKING FOR PERMISSION BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY MIGHT GO AHEAD WITH THE DEMOLITION.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING IN ADVANCE.
AND THANK YOU BUDDY FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
SO WE, WE'VE ASKED OUR PLANNER TO DRAFT A SITE PLAN APPROVAL RESOLUTION WITH CONDITIONS, WHICH WE ALL HAVE.
UM, AND DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR REVISIONS OR ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS TO CONSIDER TO WHAT WE HAVE? I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THE, UM, CONDITION THAT THE, THE, THE COMMERCIAL WORKSPACE BE ONLY THAT AND NOT BE PERMITTED TO BE USED FOR ANY RESIDENTIAL USE.
WE'RE ALSO ADDING A CONDITION REGARDING THE, UM, HAN COMMENTS.
'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE HIS MEMO WHEN THE DRAFT WAS PREPARED.
SO THAT'LL ALSO BE SORT OF THE STANDARD RESOLUTION THAT OR CONDITION THAT WE PUT IN ABOUT ADDRESSING ALL OF THE CONSULTING ENGINEERS COMMENTS TO HIS SATISFACTION.
AND SOME OF THESE THINGS WILL BE BEFORE BUILDING PRO? YEAH, THEY'LL BE AT DIFFERENT, AT DIFFERENT, AT DIFFERENT STAGES, DIFFERENT MM-HMM
SO THEY'D HAVE TO, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO DEMO IN ORDER TO DO MORE TESTING IN ORDER TO GIVE US THE SUB SOILS SO THEY COULD RECALCULATING DRAINAGE.
SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE A PROCESS.
UM, SO WE'LL BE ADDING THOSE CONDITIONS.
UM, AND, AND I ALREADY NOTED WE'RE GONNA ADD A CONDITION THAT THE WORKSPACE IS WITH WORK UNIT CANNOT BE USED FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES.
SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO GRANT SITE PLAN APPROVAL WITH CONDITIONS? DID YOU ASK FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? I'M SORRY.
PATRICK AND WHO SECOND THAT
IT LOOKS LIKE THAT WAS UNANIMOUS
[00:20:01]
AS WELL.YEAH, LET'S GET THIS ONE DONE.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE ANOTHER OLD PUBLIC HEARING.
IT'S, UM, SITE PLAN APPROVAL AND VIEW PRESERVATION ADVISORY FOR THE A 5 68, THE FEW PRESERVATION, THE ADVISORY'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ON THERE.
OH, THE FEW PRESERVATION'S DONE.
THAT'S MY FAULT THAT IT WAS AN OVERSIGHT.
DO YOU WANNA EXPLAIN HOW THAT WORKS? SURE.
SO FOR THE PUBLIC, SO THEY UNDERSTAND, AND THAT WAS MY FAULT AND WHAT I GAVE YOU.
BUT IT'S GOOD TO, WHEN IT CAME HERE FOR VIEW PRESERVATION ADVISORY, WE REALIZED THERE WAS NO IMPACT ON THE VIEW AND THAT THEY WERE ELIGIBLE FOR A WAIVER THAT WE DO WITH US, THIS BOARD AND THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS.
SO I, AFTER THE MEETING I DRAFTED, I, I DRAFTED THE WAIVER, UH, A WAIVER APPLICATION AND MYSELF, THE CHAIR OF THE PLANNING BOARD, THE CHAIR OF THE ZONING BOARD BOTH SIGNED OFF ON IT AND THEY DID RECEIVE THE WAIVER.
SO THERE IS NO PRESERVATION REQUIRED FOR THIS PROJECT? YES, YES.
SO THANK YOU FOR WALKING US THROUGH THAT PROCESS THERE.
THAT'S A NICE FEATURE OF OUR REGULATIONS THAT WE CAN, UM, WHEN IT'S SOMETHING THAT SIMPLE THAT WE, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MM-HMM
SO, UM, SO THE APPLICATION AT 5 68 WAR BURTON, UM, IN WAR BURTON HASTINGS, LLC FOR THE RE RENOVATION TO AN EXISTING COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TO INCLUDE FOUR APARTMENTS, TWO LIVE WORK, AND A ROOFTOP DECK WITH A BULK HEAD AT 5 66 DASH 5 68 WILBURN AVENUE.
SAID, PROPERTY IS LOCATED IN THE CC ZONING DISTRICT AND IS KNOWN AS SBL 4.302426 AND TWO SEVEN ON THE TOWN OF GREENBURG TAX MAPS.
SO THE APPLICANT HAS MADE A SUBMISSION, UM, TO ADDRESS BOARD COMMENTS FROM OUR PRIOR MEETING.
AND WOULD LIKE THE APPLICANT LIKE TO, UM, PRESENT THE CHANGES.
YES, I AM SUZANNE LEVINE, PROJECT ARCHITECT FOR 5 68 WARBURTON, LLC.
UM, LARRY MICHAEL ESI, THE MANAGING DIRECTOR IS HERE AS WELL.
UM, WE'D LIKE TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS WE SUBMITTED, INCLUDING CHANGES TO THE SITE PLAN AND THE ROOF PLAN.
I KNOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT LIVE WORK AND WE'LL GET THERE, BUT I THOUGHT I'LL JUST TAKE YOU THROUGH THE CHANGES.
UM, FIRST TO THE SITE PLAN, WE ARE WORKING WITH DTS PROVIDENCE, UH, IQ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, AND ALSO, UH, A CONSULTING ARBORIST AT MILLER TREE AND TURF SPECIALISTS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THE, WE, WE TOOK A LOOK AT TRYING TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE STORMWATER ON THE SITE.
UM, AND, UH, WHAT'S PROPOSED IS A STORMWATER PLANTER IN THE BACK OF THE PROPERTY, UM, WHICH WE SUBMITTED.
UH, UH, WE ALSO HAVE A, A LANDSCAPE PLAN NOW, UM, TO, TO GO ALONG WITH THAT.
UH, IN ADDITION, WE ARE PROPOSING TO REMOVE SOME OF THE, UH, THE CONCRETE PAVING THAT'S IN THE BACK AND REPLACE IT WITH PERMEABLE PAVERS.
UM, THIS IS THIS STORMWATER PLANTER.
IT'S A BIO RETENTION, UH, PLANTER.
IT WILL, UH, YOU KNOW, FILTER OUT THE SEDIMENT BEFORE IT ENTERS THE STORMWATER EXISTING BELOW GRADE STORMWATER SYSTEM.
UM, IN DOING THIS, WE HAD THE, THERE'S TWO TREES IN THE BACK THAT WE HAD LOOKED AT, UH, THE, AND, UM, THEY HAVE BEEN DEEMED BY THE, A ARBORIST AS NOT VIABLE.
WE SUBMITTED THE ARBORIST, UH, LETTER REGARDING THE TREES.
UM, YOU MAY RECALL IT'S A VERY STEEP, UH, SHEER CLIFF IN THE BACKYARD THERE TO DROPS, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, AND IT'S A VERY DARK AREA.
SO WE ARE PROPOSING THE STORMWATER PLANTER IN LIEU OF PLANTING, UM, 50% OF THE DIAMETER OF THE TREES REMOVED.
'CAUSE UH, IT'S NOT A GOOD, UH, SITE FOR YOU.
ACTUALLY, CAN I USE THIS? THERE WE GO.
UM, YOU KNOW, STARTING, OH NO, IT DOESN'T WORK ON THE SCREEN.
WELL, YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE THE STORMWATER PLANTER, AND THEN YOU SEE THE GRADE STARTS TO GO UP VERY STEEPLY THERE.
UM, THAT IS, UH, THAT IS THE, THE ROCK, THE ROCK WALL.
AND, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, IT'S NOT A GREAT PLACE TO PLANT TREES.
SO THAT'S, UM, AND WE RECEIVED A MEMO FROM HAN THIS TODAY.
UM, UH, HAN ENGINEERING, THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THE STORMWATER SYSTEM AND, UM, PENDING, UH, A SUBMISSION OF A DETAIL SECTION THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE PLANTER.
UM, THEY, THEY DON'T SEEM TO HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THAT.
UM, WE TOOK A LOOK AT THE ROOF DECKS, UM, UH, AND, UH, WE WILL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THAT LATER.
BUT THE SITE PLAN SHOWS THAT WE HAVE SET THE ROOF DECKS BACK 10 FEET FROM THE BACK OF THE BUILDING, UH, THAT, THAT PUTS THE, THE BACK OF THE ROOF DECKS, UM, 40 FEET FROM THE PROPERTY LINE TO CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF A BUFFER BETWEEN WHITMAN STREET
[00:25:01]
AND, AND THE ROOF DECKS.WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED DETAILS OF THE RAILINGS AND HOW THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE DIVIDED IN SOME INSPIRATION IMAGES TO GO THROUGH.
YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, IS THIS, I'M JUST, I'M, OOPS, VERY GOOD.
WELL, THIS IS OUR ZONING DATA AND I DON'T KNOW.
THE ZONING, UH, THE ZONING DATA HASN'T, TR HASN'T CHANGED.
WE'VE JUST NOTED THAT WE ARE ADDING, UH, WE'RE TAKING AWAY THE IMPERVIOUS, UH, 273 SQUARE FEET OF IMPERVIOUS CONCRETE SLAB IN THE BACK.
UH, AND WE ARE REPLACING IT WITH, UH, 365 SQUARE FEET OF PERMEABLE PAVERS, AS WELL AS A HUNDRED.
THE, THE STORMWATER PLANTER, WHICH IS ABOUT 135 SQUARE FEET.
THE PROJECT IS COMPLIANT IN ALL RESPECTS EXCEPT FOR PARKING, AS YOU KNOW, WHICH WE'RE REQUESTING A, A WAIVER FOR.
UM, AND I KNOW WE'RE, UH, WE'RE GONNA GET INTO TALKING ABOUT LIVE WORK AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO LOOK AT THE STREETSCAPE, UM, UH, AS WE, AS WE START TO DISCUSS IT.
UM, I THINK ONCE, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS FACADE, WHICH WAS, UH, DESIGNED BY PETER GI ASSOCIATES, UM, I THINK WHAT WHAT WHAT DISTINGUISHES IT? YOU, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT RECALL THIS BUILDING IS THERE, THERE ARE 10, THERE'S ONE BUILDING WITH, WITH 10 UNITS ATTACHED.
AND WHEN WE START TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER STOREFRONTS, WE SEE A TYPICAL STOREFRONT.
WE SEE BIG STOREFRONT WINDOWS, A LOT DISPLAY SPACE.
WE SEE DOORS GOING DIRECTLY INTO, UH, THIS IS CONTINUING DOWN THE BUILDING DOORS, GOING DIRECTLY INTO THE COMMERCIAL SPACE WITH A SEPARATE DOOR GOING TO THE UPSTAIRS RESIDENTIAL.
BUT WHEN THEY WERE, WHEN THEY DESIGNED THE FACADE OF THIS BUILDING, THEY, THEY BROUGHT UP THE SILL OF THE WINDOW A LITTLE BIT.
THEY DIVIDED THE WINDOWS, I WOULD SAY THEY ALMOST GAVE IT A LITTLE BIT OF ALMOST A RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER WITH THE DIVIDED LIGHTS.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL, IT'S VERY ELEGANT, AND IT'S CONDUCIVE TO WHAT THEY USED IT FOR, WHICH IS OFFICE SPACE.
UM, AND I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE GONNA PICK A BUILDING IN THE DOWNTOWN TO DO LIVE WORK, THIS BUILDING'S VERY CONDUCIVE TO IT BECAUSE IT'S SET UP TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BUFFER BETWEEN THE OFFICE SPACE AND THE PUBLIC WAY.
UM, IT HAS A MORE QUIET, ELEGANT FACADE.
IT HAS A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, IT'S SORT OF, UH, I THINK IT INVITES, UH, A LIVE WORK USE.
AND I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THE INTERIOR OF THE SPACE.
UM, AND, AND I I WANNA MENTION ONE MORE THING.
UM, WHAT ALSO IS DIFFERENT IS THAT THERE IS NO ENTRANCE DIRECTLY INTO THE TWO OFFICE SPACES ON EITHER SIDE.
THERE IS A CENTRAL ENTRANCE THAT WAS CREATED, UM, UH, THROUGH THE RENOVATION TO ENTER INTO A LOBBY SPACE.
SO IT'S, IT ACTUALLY SERVES THE PURPOSE OF BEING A, LIKE A PUBLIC AND A PRIVATE ENTRANCE AT ONCE.
YOU COME INTO A LOBBY SPACE AND THEN YOU TURN RIGHT AND YOU GO TO, UH, HERE WE HAVE A CONFERENCE ROOM ON ONE SIDE, UH, UH, AND THESE ARE THE WINDOWS FACING THE STREET.
AND ON THE OTHER SIDE IT'S A RECEPTION AREA.
AND, UM, AND YOU ENTER THESE SPACES, SORRY, I'M SO SORRY.
UM, THESE ARE THE TWO ENTRANCES FROM THE STREET, AND YOU ENTER INTO A VESTIBULE AND, AND THIS IS THE, THE RECEPTION AREA.
AND THIS IS THE CONFERENCE ROOM.
AND THEN THE EXISTING BUILDING HAS TWO SEPARATE STAIRS GOING UP TO THE COMMERCIAL SPACE UPSTAIRS AS WELL.
UM, AND SO IT'S REALLY IDEALLY SET UP FOR A LIVE WORK UNIT BECAUSE YOU CAN, YOU CAN COME IN, YOU CAN EITHER ENTER THE WORKSPACE ON RIGHT, OUR RIGHT OR LEFT, OR YOU CONTINUE
[00:30:01]
THROUGH OUR LOBBY TO OUR NEW STAIR AND ELEVATOR CORE.UM, WE STARTED, I'M, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS, WE'RE ALL KIND OF TRYING TO EXPLORE WHAT LIVE WORK IS AND WHAT IT MEANS TO DOWNTOWNS, AND THANK YOU FOR POINTING US TO THAT ARTICLE.
IN, IN PLANNING MAGAZINE BY, IT WAS BY A FORMER, UM, PLANNING COMMISSIONER IN NEW YORK CITY AND DISCUSSING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MERITS OF, OF, OF BRINGING RESIDENTIAL USES TO, TO DOWN TO COMMERCIAL AREAS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE MORE WE LOOKED INTO IT, UH, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S REALLY JUST A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT THERE ABOUT LIVE WORK AND HOW IT IS REALLY BECOMING A TREND WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND WITH ADAPTIVE REUSE TO, UM, TO HELP CREATE MORE HOUSING UNITS AND TO HELP, UH, ALLEVIATE UNDERUTILIZED COMMERCIAL SPACES.
UM, AND I'M JUST GONNA JUST TAKE YOU THROUGH A FEW THINGS.
I KNOW, UM, WE MAY WANNA TALK ABOUT CODE.
WE MAY BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THE BUILDING CODE AND PLUMBING CODE AND WHETHER WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THAT.
AND, AND I'LL, AND I WILL GET THERE.
I, BUT LET'S JUST DEFINE A LIVE WORK UNIT.
UM, IT, IT IS SIMPLY A LIVING.
IT'S WHERE THE LIVING AREA AND THE WORK AREA ARE INTEGRATED IN ONE SPACE.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIVE WORK UNITS.
UM, YOU CAN HAVE ONE THAT'S A SINGLE SPACE.
YOU CAN HAVE A LIVE WORK UNIT THAT IS SEPARATED BY A FLOOR OR BY A WALL.
YOU COULD HAVE A LIVE WORK SPACE THAT'S ON THE SAME PROPERTY, BUT NOT IN THE SAME SPACE.
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S, UH, AS I STARTED LOOKING AT, UM, MUNICIPALITIES THAT WERE CHANGING THEIR ZONING CODES TO ALLOW LIVE WORK, IT'S WAS REALLY UP TO THE MUNICIPALITY, HOW THEY DEFINED EACH SPACE AND HOW THEY REGULATED EACH SPACE.
UM, BUT IN NEW YORK STATE, UH, THE, THE, THE BUILD IT, IT, THE, THE TERM LIVE WORK ENTERED THE BUILDING CODE IN 2016.
THESE HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF LIVE WORK UNITS.
UM, THIS IS TAKEN FROM THOMAS DOLAN ARCHITECTURE, WHO WAS REALLY THE PIONEER OF LIVE WORK IN, IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.
UH, STARTED, UH, YOU KNOW, BUILDING THEM AS A, AS A, AS A SORT OF, UM, COMMUNITY RESOURCE BACK IN THE EIGHTIES.
AND IT'S STILL EXTREMELY ACTIVE, HELPS WRITE REWRITE MUNICIPALITY ZONING CODES.
YOU CAN SEE THE ONE ON THE LEFT IS SIMILAR TO 5, 5 5, WHERE WE HAVE KIND OF A LIVING SPACE ABOVE IN A COMMERCIAL SPACE.
BELOW, UH, THE ONE TO THE RIGHT IS A COMBINED OFFICE SPACE AND LIVING SPACE TOGETHER.
UM, SO AS THE NEW, AS THE NEW YORK STATE, THE BUILDING CODE DEFINES LIVE WORK.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT THE, THE UNIT WE'RE PROPOSING IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THEIR DEFINITION.
THEY DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH INFORMATION.
I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT DEFINES IT IN TERMS OF, UH, IT LIMITING THE SIZE OF THE ENTIRE UNIT.
DOESN'T WANT IT GREATER THAN 3000 SQUARE FEET.
IT, UM, UH, THE SIZE OF THE NON-RESIDENTIAL AREA CAN'T BE GREATER THAN 50% OF THE UNIT.
BUT IF IT'S 10% OR LESS, YOU'RE ACTUALLY JUST DEALING WITH A DWELLING UNIT.
UM, OUR TWO LIVE WORK UNITS ARE AT 16% AND 14%.
SO WE MEET THE DEFINITION OF LIVE WORK ACCORDING TO THE CODE.
UM, AND IT SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THE NON-RESIDENTIAL AREA SHOULD FUNCTION, UH, SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE FIRST OR MAIN FLOOR.
UM, WHAT I DON'T HAVE UP HERE IS, UH, WHAT WE DID LOOK INTO IS THAT IT ALSO SAYS THAT IT HAS TO COMPLY WITH PLUMBING CODE.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LOOKED UP THE TABLE AND YES, THE, THE, UH, THE, THE OFFICE SPACE OR THE STUDIO SPACE, UM, OR THE, LET'S JUST CALL IT THE WORK AREA, REQUIRES A SINK IN A TOILET.
AND THE DWELLING REQUIRES A FULL BATH, WHICH WE ARE PROPOSING AS LIKE A TYPE B UH, BATH.
BUT IT DOES NOT SAY WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE IN THE WORKSPACE.
IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE NEXT TO THE WORKSPACE.
IT CAN BE, UH, IT CAN BE WHERE WE HAVE IT, WHICH IS JUST BEYOND THE CORE.
AND THE CORE IS VERY IMPORTANT AS WE DESIGNED IT.
THE CORE IS PULLED FORWARD IN THE BUILDING TO ALLOW MORE USABLE SPACE BEHIND IT ONCE WE START MOVING THAT CORE BACK.
UM, IT REALLY INTERRUPTS THE SECOND BATHROOM FOR ALL THE, FOR ALL THE UNITS.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON THAT.
SO WE BELIEVE THAT THE BATHROOMS AND THE UNITS ARE COMPLIANT WITH CODE.
UM, LIVE WORK UNITS ARE TOUGH BECAUSE THEY MIX OCCUPANCY AND THEY MIX USES.
AND THAT JUST SORT OF IS, IS A, CAN BECOME A HEADACHE FOR THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND FOR PLANNERS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
SO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE RETHINKING THE ESTABLISHED PLANNING AND BUILDING REGULATIONS TO TRY TO ACCOMMODATE THEM IN THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, MANY MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE RESI REVISED THEIR ZONING, UH, LAWS.
UM, AND WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE IN NEW YORK
[00:35:01]
THAT I JUST CAME ACROSS NEWBURGH, UM, IN THE HUDSON VALLEY.REV REVISED THEIR ZONING CODE TO ALLOW FOR LIVE WORK UNITS IN SIX ZONING DISTRICTS.
AND THAT'S WAS REALLY TO STIMULATE, UH, YOU KNOW, UNDERUTILIZED SPACE IN THEIR, IN THEIR COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL AREAS.
UM, LIVE WORK UNITS ARE A VALID FORM OF MIXED USE.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'RE USED TO, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE KNOW MORE PEOPLE ARE WORKING FROM HOME, WE'RE RE KIND OF ASSESSING, YOU KNOW, WE ALL LOVE, UH, LIKE THE MOM AND POP SHOPS IN THE DOWNTOWN, BUT THIS LIVE WORK ACTUALLY ACCOMMODATES PEOPLE WHO LIKE ARTI, WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SORT OF ARTISANAL OR, OR, YOU KNOW, OFFICE USES THAT THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, LOVE TO BE IN THE DOWNTOWN AND BE ABLE TO DO, BUT MAYBE CAN'T AFFORD A F LIKE A FREE STANDING SPACE.
UH, AND THE RENTS INVOLVED IN THAT.
I DID, I DID, YOU KNOW, REACH OUT TO BARB PRIMAN.
WE HAD A GREAT CHAT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE STATE OF THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND, UM, AND YOU KNOW, SHE, SHE EMPHASIZED THAT PEOPLE DO LOOK FOR SMALLER SPACES BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD THE BIGGER RENTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, ENTREPRENEURS STARTING, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SMALL BUSINESSES.
UM, AND, UM, SHE ALSO THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO THE DOWNTOWN AS A, AS A DIFFERENT, AS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF USE.
UM, AND I'LL JUST THROW IN THERE THAT I TALKED TO ARTHUR REALA AS WELL, WHO'S ALSO VERY, UH, REALTOR, VERY INVOLVED IN THE DOWNTOWN.
UH, AND HE TOO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GREAT USE OF THE SPACE.
HE SAID AN APPROPRIATE USE OF THE SPACE.
UM, THREE TYPES OF LIVE WORK UNITS.
IF THERE'S NOT ONE SINGLE TYPE, WE CAN HAVE THE TYPE OF 5, 5 5 THAT HAS A LOFT SPACE.
WE CAN HAVE A TYPE THAT HAS, UH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE GI SELFIE HAS WITH THE OFFICE SPACE IN FRONT, AND THEN A GLASS WALL WITH OFFICE SPACE BEYOND.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER NOTICED THE PEOPLE WORKING IN THE SPACE BEYOND, BUT IT'S, IT REALLY DOES WORK AS A BUFFER.
UM, THIS IS SUPPORTIVE LIVE WORK UNITS IN DOWNTOWN HASTINGS.
AND I USE THE WORD, I MAY HAVE MAYBE NOT, SHOULDN'T HAVE USED THAT WORD APPROVE, BUT FOR 5, 5 5.
BUT 5 5 5 WAR BURTON IS IN THE CC DISTRICT AND 55 MAIN STREET, WHICH WAS A FEW YEARS AGO, WHICH WAS ONE OF OUR PROJECTS.
UM, IT'S A PODIATRIST ACROSS FROM ADJACENT TO CITIBANK.
AND IT'S A LITTLE, IT'S A LITTLE BUILDING.
WE GOT APPROVAL BECAUSE THE, UM, THE GENTLEMAN LIVING THERE WANTED TO OPEN A RECORDING STUDIO.
WE GOT APPROVAL FOR A SINGLE ENTRANCE FOR THE RECORDING STUDIO AND THE RESIDENCE.
YOU ENTER THE, THE SPACE AND IT'S A SHARED SPACE WITH THE RECORDING STUDIO AND THE LIVING SPACE.
AND I BELIEVE A SHARED BATH, IS THAT RIGHT? THERE WAS A TWO BATHS.
THERE'S TWO BATHROOMS. TWO BATHROOMS. BUT BUT THEY WERE BOTH ACCESSIBLE FROM BOTH AREAS.
THERE'S A, THERE'S ONE BATHROOM THAT'S CLOSER TO THE LIVE WORK, I MEAN, TO THE WORK.
AND THEN WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE RESIDENTIAL UNIT, THERE'S ANOTHER MORE PRIVATE PRIVATE, YEAH.
THE WORK AREA IS ALSO THE LIVING AREA.
THE WORK AREA IS ALSO THE LIVING AREA.
IT'S A SORT OF A, IT'S A HYBRID AND THAT'S WHAT LIVE WORK IS.
IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S WHAT WORKS FOR THE PERSON WHO'S UTILIZING IT.
THAT PARTICULAR SPACE IS A VERY, IT'S A VERY UNIQUE WELL MELTED SPACE.
I HAVE SOME COMMENTS ON THAT SPACE.
WELL, YOU KNOW, NOT SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE IT'S, IT HASN'T EMPTY.
IT NEVER, IT DIDN'T GO THROUGH.
IT DIDN'T, UH, IT DIDN'T GET CONSTRUCTED.
NO, IT WAS APPROVED, BUT IT WAS APPROVED.
YEAH, IT WAS APPROVED, BUT IT WAS NEVER BILL THE OWNER.
UM, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THESE VERY QUICKLY, BUT THIS IS, UH, YOU KNOW, IN OUR LETTER TO YOU, UM, LIVE WORK UNITS, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT SUPPORTS LIVE WORK UNITS IN DOWNTOWN HASTINGS.
THEY'RE SUPPORTED BY THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY PLANNING BOARD.
AND, UH, AS YOU KNOW, THEY WROTE A LETTER REGARDING 5, 5 5 THAT THEY APPRECIATED THAT THE APPLICANT PROPOSES TO PROVIDE A LIVE WORK UNIT THAT WOULD SERVE AN UNDERREPRESENTED TYPE OF USE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE HASTINGS IN ITS OWN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN THE COUNTY, UH, PLANNING BOARDS, UH, WHAT THEY CALL WESTCHESTER 2025, UM, THOSE, THOSE ARE THEIR LONG RANGE PLANNING GOALS.
THEY SPEAK TO DIVERSE TYPES OF HOUSING.
THEY SPEAK TO TRANSIT ORIENTED HOUSING, THEY SPEAK TO MORE HOUSING, AND THEY SPEAK TO BRINGING INTO THE DOWNTOWN TO, UH, SIMULATE THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF STRUGGLING, STRUGGLING BUSINESSES.
AND IT'S, IT'S A NEW CONCEPT, BUT I THINK IT'S HERE.
UH, I THINK WE TOUCHED ON A LOT OF THESE.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION, UM, UH, WHO, WHO SUPPORTS SMART GROWTH.
UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF A BUZZWORD YOU, YOU HEAR AROUND IN PLANNING CIRCLES, BUT IT'S DEFINED AS RETROFITTING COMMUNITIES
[00:40:01]
TO OFFER MORE CHOICE, BOTH IN TERMS OF HOUSING TYPE AND PRICES, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS.THIS APPROACH TO GROWTH AND PLANNING CAN NOT ONLY DELIVER DYNAMIC, ATTRACTIVE COMMUNITIES WITH GREATER CHOICES FOR CONSUMERS, BUT IT CAN BE A POWERFUL TOOL FOR OPEN SPACE AND HABITAT PRESENTATION, UH, PRESERVATION.
WE'RE ALMOST AT THE END, LET HER CONTINUE BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF COMMENTS.
I'M ALMOST AT THE END 'CAUSE I JUST WANNA SHOW YOU, UM, UH, THERE ARE LOCAL EXAMPLES.
UH, UM, WE SPOKE WITH YOUR CONTACT AT, UH, I'M SORRY, WHAT, WHAT PACE? LAND USE CENTER PACE, LAND USE CENTER, UH, WHO GAVE US, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME IDEAS OF, UH, LOCAL LIVE WORK, UH, DEVELOPMENTS.
UH, PEAK SKILL ARTIST LOFT HAS 28 LIVE WORK SPACES.
THE LOFTS ON MAINE AND PEAK SKILL.
I I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT WE ARE NOT OBJECTING TO LIVE WORK.
I AM OBJECTING TO LIVE WORK IN THAT LOCATION.
SO THE CASE TO BE MADE LIKE WE'RE BOUGHT INTO LIVE WORK, WE'VE, WE HAVE APPROVED LIVE WORK.
SO JUST, JUST TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THE, WHAT THE, UM, UM, THAT'S GREAT.
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION IS HERE.
IT'S ABOUT, THAT'S, THAT'S FOR SITE PLAN.
IS THIS THE RIGHT SITE FOR IT? OKAY.
WE CAN GO BACK TO, LET'S GO BACK TO THE STREETS.
WE'RE THROWING A LOT OF THINGS AT THIS THAT ARE NOT ACTUALLY, I APPRECIATE THE, THE, UH, THE LESSON ON THE WORK.
THAT'S NOT THE CONCERNS THAT WE RAISED THE LAST MEETING.
UM, THE, THIS BOARD AND THE COMP PLAN SUPPORTS LIVE WORK YEAH.
MORE PEOPLE LIVING, UH, IN THE DOWNTOWN IS A GOOD THING.
THE CONCERN THAT YOU HAVE NOT ADDRESSED IS THE BOARD'S CONCERN ABOUT THE PEDESTRIAN RETAIL EXPERIENCE ON WAR BURDEN.
AND THAT IN YOUR WHOLE PRESENTATION YOU DID NOT ADDRESS AT ALL.
WELL, I THINK THE STREET SCAPE WAS, THAT'S WHAT WAS MEANT TO, BUT I DIDN'T LET HIM FINISH.
UH, I, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE HELPFUL TO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I, IT WAS NOT MY UNDERS, I WASN'T, THE CONCERN WE HAD WAS CHANGING THE, THE SCALE AND EXPERIENCE ON MORE BURTON AND YOUR, YOUR DESIGN AS OF LAST TIME AND NOW THIS TIME STILL HASN'T ADDRESSED THAT CONCERN THAT AS WE WALKED DOWN THE STREET, THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE IS MAINTAINED AND THAT IT DOESN'T INTRODUCE A RESIDENTIAL, UH, EXPERIENCE.
THAT WAS THE CONCERN OF THE BOARD.
YOU HAVE NOT ADDRESSED THAT AT ALL.
WELL, UH, SHOWING US A, A COUPLE PICTURES OF THIS, UH, HASN'T ADDRESSED THAT.
AND I THINK I'LL LET THE BOARD SPEAK FOR ITSELF, BUT THAT CONCERN STILL STANDS.
I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THIS IMAGE.
'CAUSE I DID START WITH THAT BECAUSE I THOUGHT THIS DID ILLUSTRATE THAT IF YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE OFFICE SPACE IN A, A STREET FACADE ON WARBURTON, THIS IS THE PLACE TO DO IT BECAUSE THAT'S THE EXISTING USE.
AND I WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, ALSO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE ENTRANCES THAT IT WAS SET UP FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF A BUFFER BETWEEN THE STREET, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE BIG DISPLAY WINDOWS, BUT YOUR CURRENT DESIGN WOULD NOT HAVE, WOULD NOT STOP ME FROM OCCUPYING THAT, UH, THAT STOREFRONT FOR RESIDENTIAL USE.
IT, YES, THERE WOULD BE RESTRICTIONS ON THE OFFERING PLAN, JUST LIKE YOU JUST PUT INTO THE PLANNING BOARD RESOLUTION, YOU KNOW? YEAH.
I MEAN, I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, WHAT RESTRICTIONS WOULD YOU PUT IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T RESIDENTIAL? I THINK THE PROBLEM IS THE DESIGN INVITES IT TO BE USED IN A WAY THAT WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT.
SO I THINK TO RICHARD'S POINT, THE DESIGN IS THE PROBLEM.
I SAID THIS LAST TIME, I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY SEPARATED.
AND I THINK THE, THE, THE, THE POINT ABOUT HOW WE NEED TO SUPPORT HOUSING IN THE DOWNTOWN, THIS IS A BOARD THAT COMPLETELY SUPPORTS THAT.
SO THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE FOR US.
IN FACT, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO ADD HOUSING EVEN WHEN IT CREATES SOME FRICTION AROUND, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE AMOUNT OF DENSITY THAT WE'RE WILLING TO SUPPORT IN THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, BUT I THINK TO RICHARD'S POINT, WE, WE REALLY WANT, UM, A DESIGN OR I, I ACTUALLY WANNA INVITE OTHERS TO SPEAK, BUT I, I DO WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY OTHER POINTS AND THEN WE CAN GET BACK TO THOSE.
I MEAN, JUST THE, THE POINT BEING THAT IF EVERYONE'S ON BOARD WITH LIVE WORK AND EVERYBODY'S CONCERNED ABOUT THE PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE, JUST WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE STREET THAT'S IN THE CENTRAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, I FEEL LIKE IF YOU'VE, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO, YOU KNOW, PINPOINT ONE STOREFRONT VERSUS ANOTHER, ANOTHER IN THE SAME DISTRICT.
UH, AND, AND QUESTION THE LIVE WORK USE.
'CAUSE IF IT'S, IF IT'S OKAY ON SPRING STREET, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S OKAY ON MAIN STREET, BUT IT'S
[00:45:01]
NOT OKAY JUST IN THIS ONE BUILDING, I GUESS I JUST WOULD TRY LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS ALREADY IS THE SPACE.IT'S NOT THE USE, IT'S THE DESIGN OF THE SPACE.
AND AGAIN, SAYING THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE, WE HEAR YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT HEARING US.
THE DESIGN OF THE SPACE, UH, EVEN IF WE PUT RESTRICTIONS ON THE APPROVAL, IT THEN DEFAULTS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS, UH, TO ENFORCE, UH, AND DO BED CHECKS, UH, ON THE CO IF THERE'S A VIOLATION.
I'M UNCOMFORTABLE SETTING OUR DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS UP IN THAT WAY.
YOU HAVE A DESIGN, UH, CRITIQUE.
YOU'RE NOT HEARING THE BOARD PROPERLY.
WELL, ONE THING YOU DID SAY AT THE LAST MEETING WAS MAKE THE SPACES BIGGER AND WE FEEL MAKING THE SPACES BIGGER INVITES RESIDENTIAL USE.
THESE, THESE SPACES AS DESIGNED ARE SMALL OFFICES.
YOU CAN'T FIT A, A PULLOUT COUCH IN THERE.
WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU CAN FIT IN THERE IS WHAT WE SAW IN THE CURRENT USE.
YOU CAN FIT DESKS, YOU CAN FIT DISPLAY SHELVES, YOU CAN FIT LIKE A THERAPIST'S OFFICE.
IT IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO RESIDENTIAL USE.
AND THE, AND NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, I GUESS IT COULD HAVE THE, THE, THE, THE BUILDING INSPECTOR AND THE PLANNING BOARD CAN PUT THE RESTRICTIONS ON IT, BUT REALLY IT'S UP TO THE, THE OWNER OF THE BUILDING AND THE OFFERING PLAN.
AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE LISTED SEVERAL RESTRICTIONS THAT WE PUT ON PUT, BE PUT ON THE UNIT SO THAT IT WOULDN'T BE USED FOR RESIDENTIAL USE.
SO I'M GONNA BE MEAN AND SAY, UH, YOUR, YOUR CLIENT IS WILLING TO RISK THE CO FOR BOTH BUILDINGS IF A VIOLATION, UH, OCCURS BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONLY ENFORCEMENT, BECAUSE YOUR DESIGN ALLOWS ME TO MAKE IT A LIVING ROOM OR A TEA ROOM ROOM OR A PLAYROOM KIDS, THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE FOR OUR MAIN STREET.
SO IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT YOUR CLIENT'S PROPERTY TO HAVE IT ENTIRELY VACATED BECAUSE IT'S A CO VIOLATION, THEN MAYBE WE MIGHT CONSIDER THAT.
BUT YOU'RE DESIGNED DOESN'T SATISFY US.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.
I MEAN, I THINK THE IDEA IS THAT THEY WOULD OFFERS, I THINK OTHER PEOPLE NEED TO NEED TO CUT IT.
BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE JUST MAKE, JUST IF THERE'S ANY OTHER THINGS THAT YOU WANNA INFORM US ON THIS, UH, THAT YOU'VE CHANGED OR ANYTHING ELSE.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CONVERSATION AS A BOARD, BECAUSE I WANNA INVITE OTHER COMMENTS JUST TO FINISH THIS ONE CON CONVERSATION THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE RESTRICTIONS ON THE DEED AND THERE COULD OR, OR THE, OR THE RENTAL.
I, I DON'T, I'M NOT READY TO GO INTO THAT BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO DISCUSS HOW WE FEEL AS A BOARD.
I WANT OTHERS TO WEIGH IN HERE.
I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THIS IS NOT THE APPROPRIATE PLACE FOR A LIVE WORK.
I WILL SAY THAT NOTHING THAT I HEARD TONIGHT CONVINCES ME OTHERWISE, BUT IN ANY CASE, I WANNA OPEN IT UP TO MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS.
SO AS LONG AS YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO RECOVER.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA, DO YOU WANNA TALK? DO YOU, I JUST WANNA MENTION GO AHEAD, YOU GUYS PLEASE GO UP AND IS THAT, WE HAVE A, WE DID FURNITURE LAYOUTS AND WE'VE LOOKED REALLY CAREFULLY OF HOW THIS COULD BE USED.
AND I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN HASTINGS 42 YEARS, HAS ALWAYS BEEN, IT'S BEEN AN OFFICE FOR LIKE 50 YEARS OR SO.
SO, UM, THE PEDESTRIAN EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU GO DOWN THE SIDEWALK HAS ALWAYS BEEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU HAVE A VERY QUIET FACADE.
AND, AND SOMETIMES THEY USED TO HAVE THEIR BLINDS DOWN EVEN.
BUT WE, WE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS LIVE WORK TREND IN OUR, IN THE HOUSES WE DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE.
SO THIS IS A COMMON TREND THAT WE FEEL THAT THIS SERVES THAT NEED.
AND, AND ALSO BY BRINGING, UM, BY DOING THIS, WE'RE ABLE TO BRING FOUR UNITS IN TO THE DOWNTOWN.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT WHEN YOU BRING RESIDENTS IN THE DOWNTOWN THAT HELPS SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES, THERE'S A WAY TO DEVELOP THIS BUILDING WITH HOUSING WITHOUT IT BEING THIS DESIGNED.
SO I THINK THAT ARGUMENT JUST DOESN'T SIT WITH ME BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S AS THOUGH THE ONLY WAY TO DEVELOP THIS AS HOUSING IS TO DO IT AS YOU'RE PROPOSING.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S THE CASE.
SO, UM, ANYWAY, I, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT TO, IF, IF THAT'S THE FINAL POINT, THEN I WANNA MAKE SURE, UM, WHY DON'T WE START ON THIS END AND WELL, I WAS GONNA ASK EITHER, AND RICHARD, ARE THERE PARTICULAR DESIGN ELEMENTS THAT YOU FIND LIKE PROBLEMATIC OR, OR TROUBLING? AND COULD YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE ARE? YEAH, WHAT I, I THINK YOU WEREN'T HERE.
I WASN'T YOUR LAST, LAST YEAR.
SO, SO LAST MONTH, WHAT I SAID WAS THE, THE MAIN ISSUE I HAVE IS THAT BECAUSE IT'S CONNECTED, UM, DIRECTLY ON ONE FLOOR TO THE LIVING SPACE IN THE BACK, IT'S ESSENTIALLY GOING TO BE THE FRONT LIVING ROOM.
IT COULD BE HOME OFFICE, IT COULD BE SOMEBODY'S, YOU KNOW, GO AND KIDS GO PLAY IN THERE.
I GOT IT'S GOING TO, GIVEN THE LOCATION OF LIKE YEAH.
[00:50:01]
ACTUALLY HAVE A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE NEED TO PAY EVEN MORE ATTENTION TO A, A PLAN FOR THE DOWNTOWN TO ENSURE ECONOMIC VITALITY.BUT I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL IN THE SPACES THAT WE DESIGN, UM, IN THE CORE CORRIDOR.
UM, SUPPORT ECONOMIC VITALITY.
AND WHAT RICHARD WAS POINTING OUT IS AS A CERTAIN STREET STATE SCAPE EXPERIENCE THAT, UM, THAT PROJECTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE AS OPPOSED TO CURTAINS AND SOMEBODY BEHIND THERE USING THAT AS THEIR LIVING ROOM.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH THIS DESIGN, UNLIKE THE OTHER EXAMPLE, WHICH IS SEPARATE, IT'S ON A SEPARATE LEVEL MM-HMM
UM, THIS IS THAT YOU, IT WOULD HAVE LIKE FRENCH DOORS GOING INTO THE APARTMENT.
SO I GUESS SEPARATE LEVELS IS ONE EXAMPLE OF A DESIGN THAT WOULD MITIGATE THAT CONCERN.
ARE THERE OTHER EXAMPLES THAT WOULD ADDRESS THAT? ONE OF THE OTHER ISSUES WE RAISED WAS THAT PARTICULARLY THE, THE UNIT ON THE LEFT HAS ONLY A LIGHT WELL, UH, UNTIL YOU GET ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK.
AND SO WE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE LIGHT THAT WOULD BE OFFERED TO THE DINING AND LIVING AREA, AND THE ONLY WAY TO PROVIDE THAT LIGHT IS BY OPENING UP THE SPACE BETWEEN THE WORKSPACE AND THE LIVING AREA.
SO YOU ARE, YOU, YOU'RE, IN ORDER TO HAVE LIGHT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM, YOU HAVE TO, UM, YOU HAVE TO HAVE CONNECTIVE, MORE CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN YOUR LIVING ROOM.
AND THE WORKSPACE THEN, THEN HAS BEEN EXPRESSED WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH AS A BOARD, I THINK.
AND THAT, THAT ALSO HASN'T BEEN ADDRESSED.
I MEAN, WE, I THAT'S A DARK LIVING ROOM, RIGHT? YEAH.
UM, OR IT'S AN EXTRA LARGE LIVING ROOM BECAUSE YOU'VE OPENED UP THE DOORS MM-HMM
UH, SO MIKE, I COME FROM THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE.
I WAS ON THAT COMMITTEE BEFORE COMING TO THE PLANNING BOARD, KNOW ART VERY WELL.
I'M ALL ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND FINDING OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD IT.
UM, I JUST THINK THE DESIGN IS THE ONLY ISSUE HERE BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING MY COLLEAGUES HAVE EX HAVE EXPRESSED.
UM, I'M WONDERING IF PERHAPS FOR ME PERSONALLY, IF THERE, IF THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF CLOSING THAT WALL COMPLETELY AND DOING THE TOP WITH GLASS TO ALLOW FOR LIGHT TO GO THROUGH, THEREFORE IT COMPLETELY BIFURCATING BOTH SPACES.
YOU HAVE THE ENTRANCE HERE AND THEN YOU HAVE THE ENTRANCE ON THE OTHER SIDE, BUT YET THERE IS NOTHING THAT WOULD ALLOW THOSE SPACES TO INTERMINGLE EXCEPT FOR THAT BAND OF GLASS AT THE TOP.
WELL, YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY MAKING IT UP BECAUSE THAT IS ACTUALLY WHAT EXISTS.
THERE IS IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM RIGHT NOW, UM, IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS THERE IS ON ONE SIDE, WELL, THAT'S A POCKET DOOR ON SIDE, THERE'S A BAND OF HIGH GLASS.
I'M SEEING A POCKET DOOR, RIGHT? OH, NO, I MEANT IN THE EXISTING SPACE, THE EXISTING OFFICE SPACE.
THEY HAVE A BAND OF HIGH GLASS AT THE CONFERENCE ROOM TO LET LIGHT IN.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT TO ME PERSONALLY ADDRESSES MY CONCERN ABOUT JUST SEEING LIKE A, THAT SPACE OPEN.
YOU'VE GOT YOUR PRIVATE LIFE GOING ON BACK THERE, AND YOU'VE GOT THE RETAIL, WHICH TO ME, WE WANNA, AND I WAS JUST PERUSING THE COMPREHENSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AS IT WAS TALKING ABOUT THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR AND US, THAT BEING THE ECONOMIC VITALITY THAT WE WANNA BRING TO IT.
SO BECAUSE OF THAT, I WANT TO PRESERVE IT.
AS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID, I APPRECIATE THE INTENT TO CREATE MORE HOUSING.
IF THERE'S A WAY THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT THE DESIGN, THEN IN MY OPINION, IT WOULD GO A LONG WAY.
MY THOUGHT IS THE STATE REGULATION HAS A MINIMUM ALLOCATION OF 10% OF THE SPACE.
IT'S SORT OF WHAT YOU SAID, 14 TO 16 MM-HMM
SO IT'S GETTING REALLY CLOSE TO BEING DEFINED AS A DWELLING.
SO I THINK IT'S LIKE, TECHNICALLY BY THE STATUTE, IT IS ABOVE THAT, BUT IT'S GETTING REALLY CLOSE AND I THINK IT'S TEASING OUT A LITTLE BIT OF WHY WE'RE SENSING IT AS A MORE OF A DWELLING AND FEELING LIKE IT'S MORE OF A DWELLING AND SEEING IT AS MORE OF A DWELLING.
BUT, UM, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHAT'S NOT LIVE WORKSPACE TODAY.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT WOULD LIVE THERE JUST, IT SEEMS REASONABLE THE WAY IT'S SET UP.
THEY WOULD JUST SEE IT AS A, A CONTINUOUS SPACE.
SO I JUST, I'M NOT YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
IT'S FUNCTIONALLY HOUSING WHERE YOU, YOU DO SOME WORK IN THE CORNER, RIGHT? YEAH.
YEAH, NO, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO ALL THE GREAT POINTS THAT MY CLEATS HAVE MADE.
AND, UM, I'M LEARNING FROM BOTH YOU AND EVERYONE HERE, AND I HOPE WE CAN FIND A SOLUTION TO, UH, OUR CONCERNS.
PATRICK, I ALREADY SPOKE, SO I'M GOOD.
RICHARD, YOU WANNA ADD ANY, SO I THINK, UM, WHAT YOU'RE HEARING IS THAT THERE ISN'T SUPPORT FOR THE CURRENT PROPOSED, UM, LAYOUT AND, UM, CONCEPT OF THIS PROJECT WITH THE LIVE WORK, THE RATE UNCHANGED
[00:55:01]
FROM THE LAST MEETING.UM, I JUST WANNA EMPHASIZE IN MY COMMENTS THAT I, MY, MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE LOCATION OF THIS IN THE CORE OF OUR DOWNTOWN.
I THINK IF THIS WERE DOWN ON THE EDGES ON EITHER ENDS OF WARBURTON, IT WOULD BE, I THINK, I THINK IF WE WERE TO PASS, UM, SOME FORM OF NEW ZONING THAT WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS AS SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA ATTRACT, I WOULD ENCOURAGE US AS A VILLAGE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INDICATE WHERE WE SEE IT AS THE MOST APPROPRIATE.
UM, IT'S ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE CORE OF OUR DOWNTOWN.
AND I THINK IT IS DEFINITELY FEASIBLE TO, UH, DEVELOP HOUSING IN THIS LOCATION WITHOUT THIS PROPOSAL.
SO I THINK THAT ARGUMENT DOESN'T HOLD FOR ME.
UM, I THINK WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO, TO ACHIEVE TWO GOALS AT ONCE, WHICH IS TO, TO PRESERVE THE, OR AT LEAST ENHANCE THE ECONOMIC VIBRANCY OF OUR DOWNTOWN AND ENCOURAGE HOUSING.
IN FACT, ONE, I MEAN FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT, I WONDER BY, BY SELLING THE UNITS AS INCLUDING THE, THE COST OF, OF OWNING THIS SPACE, WHICH MAY NOT, IT, IT MAY ACTUALLY MAKE THE HOUSING MORE EXPENSIVE IF YOU SEPARATED IT AND MADE IT.
UM, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT THE, THE LEGAL, UM, YOU KNOW, STRUCTURE THAT IT WOULD TURN IT INTO IF YOU MADE THOSE, UM, RENTED COMMERCIAL SPACES.
BUT WHATEVER IT IS THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO USE THAT AS A BUSINESS TO, IT WOULD BE MORE OPTIONS FOR CONSUMER, FOR, UM, POTENTIAL USERS OF THAT SPACE TO CHOOSE THAT AND NOT FORCE, UM, A NEW, UH, PERSON WHO'S LOOKING TO, I'M ASSUMING THESE ARE GONNA BE FOR SALE TO BUY A SPACE THAT INCLUDES THIS.
SO I, I ACTUALLY THINK THE, THE AFFORDABILITY PART COMES INTO, INTO MY CONCERNS TOO.
'CAUSE YOU'RE NOW GONNA HAVE SOMEBODY WHO HAS TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD, UM, THAT AMOUNT OF SPACE AND THAT USE.
SO, UM, AND CAN YOU JUST SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THERE? I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, UM, DESIGNED AS COMMERCIAL SPACE FLEXIBLE, UM, THAT IS SEPARATE FROM THE LIVING SPACE.
IT, IT, IT COULD BE SOLD OR, OR RENTED OUT TOGETHER.
BUT I WOULD, I THINK, I THINK ERNESTO, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO POINTED OUT YOU COULD, I THINK IT WAS YOU RIGHT? THAT, UM, YOU COULD ENTER THOSE SPACES THE WAY IT'S CURRENTLY CONFIGURED, BUT JUST HAVE THE, UM, THAT WHAT I, WHAT I COULDN'T SEE IS THE CONTIN, THE OPENING THERE BETWEEN THE COMMERCIAL SPACE AND THE LIVE SPACE.
RIGHT? I MEAN, IDEALLY, UH, I'M SORRY.
UH, THE RETAIL SPACE WOULD BE A LITTLE BIGGER IDEALLY, BUT IF YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE LIVE WORK, UH, MODEL WORK, THEN PERHAPS IT'S, IT'S ABOUT CUTTING OFF ACCESS TO THAT RETAIL SPACE.
YOU HAVE THE DOOR ON THAT SIDE AND THIS SIDE, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IT EXISTS NOW.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHY IT, I GUESS IT PRESERVES THAT THAT RETAIL EXPERIENCE, YOU'RE SEEING OFFICE TO CONFERENCE TABLE, IT'S NOT AS ATTRACTIVE AS, YOU KNOW, UH, RETAIL GOODS, BUT IT'S, IT'S RETAIL, UH, IT'S A STOREFRONT.
UM, SO TO ME THAT IS PERHAPS THE MOST EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION, BUT I'M NOT THE ARCHITECT.
AND, AND AS THE OWNER YOU KNOW, THE OWNER MAKES A DECISION ON THIS OR THE ARCHITECT, UM, TO PROPOSES DESIGN SOLUTIONS.
IT MAY BE THAT THAT ENTIRE LOWER FLOOR NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO MAKE AN ECONOMIC VIABLE, IT NEEDS TO GO BACK TO REMAIN COMMERCIAL.
I'M NOT GONNA OPINE ON THAT, BUT THAT'S ANOTHER OPTION THAT HASN'T BEEN EXPLORED.
UM, AND IT IS, IT SHOULD BE A VIABLE SPACE BEING LOCATED WHERE IT IS.
I, I PERSONALLY THINK IF WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OTHER EXAMPLES OF THE DOWNTOWN AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE PERMITTED OR NOT, I THINK I WILL SAY THAT I THINK HASTINGS HAS MADE SOME MISTAKES IN SOME OF THE, UM, SPACES THAT WE'VE ALLOWED TO BE CREATED.
AND SO I WANNA SAY SPECIFICALLY ON THE PODIATRIST BUILDING, I, IF I HAD BEEN ON A PLAN ON THE PLANNING BOARD WHEN THAT FIRST GOT APPROVED TO BE BUILT THAT WAY, I WOULD'VE HAD HUGE OBJECTIONS TO THE BUILDING OF THIS BLOCK THAT BASICALLY CAN'T SEE INTO MM-HMM
IT'S A, IT'S A HIDEOUS ADDITION TO A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL BUILDING.
AND IT WAS ALREADY IN USE LIKE THAT FOR YEARS.
SO WHEN THAT APPLICANT CAME TO US AND ASKED, YOU KNOW, FOR PERMISSION FOR SOMETHING KIND OF OUT OF THE BOX, THE SPACE WAS ALREADY BLOCKED OFF IN THE STREET AND IT WAS AN EYESORE.
'CAUSE IT'D BEEN VACANT FOR A LONG TIME.
SO I'LL JUST TELL YOU WHY I VOTED TO APPROVE THAT CONCEPT, BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WOULD GO FORWARD AND AT LEAST PUT THAT BACK INTO ACTIVE USE.
WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR DOWNTOWN.
THAT ONE IS NEXT TO CITIBANK, KIND OF ON THE GATEWAY TO OUR DOWNTOWN.
SO IT IS ANOTHER, IT'S A DIFFERENT CONDITION.
I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN THAT.
AND SO, AND THEN JUST JUST ONE MORE CLARIFICATION.
YOU'RE OPEN TO A LIVE WORK UNIT HERE, BUT YOU JUST WANT THE,
[01:00:01]
THE COM THE, THE WORKSPACE SEPARATE FROM THE LIVING SPACE, BUT IT CAN STILL BE CONSIDERED A LIVE WORK UNIT.AND THE REASON I ASK IS BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO CREATE A COMMERCIAL, THE WAY IT'S SET UP, IT IT WITH, IF WE PRESERVE THE FACADE WITH THE TWO ENTRANCES, WHICH YOU MUST ENTER AND THEN GO IN, UH, TO THE, LET'S SAY THERE'S A COMMERCIAL ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, OR MAYBE IT'S ONE COMMERCIAL THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT IS NOW.
UM, IT JUST POSES DIFFERENT ISSUES IN TERMS OF BATHROOMS, BATHROOMS BEING IN THE SPACE.
SO IF IT'S A SEPARATE COMMERCIAL SPACE, ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE LOOKING AT A, A GIGANTIC, YOU KNOW, A DA BATHROOM FOR, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, IT REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S CHALLENGING.
SO, BUT I JUST, YOU KNOW, SO IF IT, BUT IF IT'S STILL CONSIDERED LIVE WORK, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT CAN, IT CAN BE, I THOUGHT THAT I'M STILL VERY SKEPTICAL THAT LIVE WORK IS THE RIGHT, UM, USE IN THIS LOCATION.
UH, I MEAN, I'M OPEN TO YOU COMING BACK WITH SOMETHING ELSE.
I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE IT TO REMAIN COMMERCIAL AND HAVE HOUSING BE DEVELOPED SEPARATELY.
BUT AGAIN, IF YOU COME BACK WITH A DESIGN THAT JUST SOMEHOW WORKS, YOU KNOW, LET'S HEAR IT.
BUT RIGHT NOW I FEEL THAT IT SHOULD REMAIN COMMERCIAL AND NOT EVEN BE, I FEEL LIKE IT GETS VERY MUSHY WHEN YOU CALL IT LIVE WORK.
I, I'M NOT SURE THERE'S ANYTHING YOU CAN THAT WOULD BE PROPOSED AS LIVE WORK THAT WOULD REALLY KEEP IT, UM, COMMERCIAL ENOUGH IN THAT SPACE.
I DON'T KNOW IF OTHERS FEEL THAT WAY.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A STRONGER APPLICATION WOULD BE ONE WHERE THE COMMERCIAL SPACE THERE WAS, THERE WOULD BE CONFIDENCE THAT IT WOULD REMAIN COMMERCIAL.
AND, AND, UM, AND BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.
I MEAN, I I CREDIT WHAT YOU'VE SAID, THAT THAT LIVE WORK, YOU KNOW, THERE AND ELSEWHERE IN DOWNTOWN IS CONSISTENT WITH A LOT OF THE GOALS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
UH, THE DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, I WAS ON THAT COMMITTEE AND I KNOW ECONOMIC VITALITY DOWNTOWN IS SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT, A LOT OVER THE COURSE OF TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
UM, SO, UH, WHAT THE WEATHER, IT'S SEGREGATED COMMERCIAL OR, OR LIVE WORK IN SOME FASHION.
YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M HEARING FROM MY COLLEAGUES IS THAT WE, WE WANT TO KNOW THAT COMMERCIAL PORTION OF IT WILL BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES AND THAT'S HOW IT'LL READ, YOU KNOW, TO, TO PEDESTRIANS, UM, ON, ON THE SIDEWALK, UH, IN DOWNTOWN.
SO I'M, I'M HOPEFUL THAT, UM, YOU CAN FIND A WAY FORWARD.
'CAUSE I THINK THE POTENTIAL IS INTERESTING THERE.
UM, DO WE WANNA TALK ABOUT ROOF DECKS OR ARE WE DONE? WOULD YOU LIKE TO, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE DONE.
I THINK, YEAH, I THINK, 'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME BACK TO US ANYWAY 'CAUSE YOU GOT A VERY CLEAR ANSWER ON THE OVERALL CONCEPT.
SO I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE HAVE YOU, I GUESS IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW IF YOU, YOU ARE STILL HAVING HESITATIONS ABOUT ROOF DECK.
CLEARLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE RESIDENTIAL ON THE SECOND FLOOR AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN AT THE FIRST FLOOR, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I JUST BROUGHT IN SOME EXAMPLES.
UM, AND, UM, SAVE IT FOR THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
WE'LL JUST, YOU'LL HAVE, YOU'LL HAVE, WE WON'T SUBMIT THE ROOF, ROOF DECK MATERIAL AGAIN.
I MEAN, WE HA IF IT DOESN'T CHANGE, WE CAN.
I MEAN, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE IT ALL IN ONE BECAUSE, UM OKAY.
AND IT'S JUST ELECTRONIC ANYWAY, SO JUST INCLUDE IT IN THE PACKAGE.
AND I THINK YOU SAID YOU WERE TALKING TO A NEIGHBOR ON THAT STREET ALREADY ENGAGING A NEIGHBOR ABOUT THE YEAH, WE DID FOR OUR VIEW STUDIES.
WE, WE WENT AND, AND DID SOME VIEW STUDIES FROM 33 WHITMAN RIGHT ABOVE.
SO NOBODY HAS ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR THEM ON THE INFORMATION THEY PROVIDED ON THE ROOF DECKS AT THIS POINT? NOT NOW, NO.
JUST SO THAT THEY COULD RESPOND TO THAT NEXT TIME IF THERE WAS ANY.
AND I WANNA MAKE SURE, IS THERE ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS PROJECT? NO.
SO AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, THE NEXT, UM, ITEM THAT WAS ON OUR, ORIGINALLY ON OUR AGENDA, THE PEARL STREET APPLICATION IS NO LONGER, UM, UNDER REVIEW FOR THIS EVENING.
SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS 'CAUSE WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DISCUSSION ITEMS. UM, AND IT'S NOT TOO LATE, SO I KNOW.
WE'RE GETTING TO THE, THE ALSO IMMEDIATE CONVERSATION.
I KNOW SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE COMP PLAN BEFORE WE GET
[V. DISCUSSION ITEMS]
TO THE COMP PLAN.UM, THE FIRST DISCUSSION ITEM ACTUALLY IS A, IS A, A FAIRLY, UM, BENIGN, HOPEFULLY IT'S A SHORT ONE.
UM, SO IT'S A REFERRAL OF PROPOSED LOCAL LAW D OF 2025.
AND I'M GONNA TURN OVER TO LINDA TO EXPLAIN TO US, UM, WHAT WE'RE READING, TRYING TO READ.
SO, UM, JUST VERY SIMPLY, UM, ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, NEW YORK STATE CHANGED THE
[01:05:01]
VILLAGE LAW, TOWN LAW, CITY LAW, WHAT ARE CALLED THE ENABLING STATUTES TO ELIMINATE WHAT WAS A LIMITATION ON THE NUMBER OF EXTENSIONS YOU COULD GET FOR FINAL SUBDIVISION APPROVAL.SO STATE LAW USED TO READ YOUR FIN CONDITIONAL FINAL APPROVAL WAS GOOD FOR 180 DAYS, AND YOU COULD GET TWO 90 DAY EXTENSIONS.
THAT LIMITATION WAS REMOVED IN THE STATE LAW 10 YEARS AGO.
HOWEVER, YOUR CODE, WHICH ORIGINALLY FOLLOWED THE STATE LAW, WAS NEVER REVISED TO, TO ELIMINATE THAT LIMITATION ON EXTENSIONS.
SO THAT'S WHAT THIS, THIS LAW WOULD JUST ELIMINATE THAT LIMITATION AND MAKE IT AGAIN, MATCH UP WITH STATE LAW.
WE WANT EXTENSIONS
SO I, DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, ARE WE, WE, WE VOTE ON IT OR WE JUST, WE JUST SUPPORT IT.
SO I DID A MEMO, UM, LAST TIME, INCLUDING RICHARD'S CONCERNS.
AND, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST BASICALLY GET THE CONSENSUS TO THE BOARD AND THEN GIVE THEM, YOU KNOW, THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR, THEY'RE INTERESTED BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONES WHO DO THE SUBDIVISION APPROVALS.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD JUST BE HELPFUL FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT THIS BOARD HAS NO OBJECTION TO THIS OR THINKS THAT IT'S APPROPRIATE TO MATCH UP WITH STATE LAW.
DOES ANYONE HAVE OBJECTIONS? NONE.
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I DO THINK WE SHOULD BE MINDFUL OF TRYING TO MAKE THE PROCESS OF GETTING APPROVALS ON THINGS LIKE THIS NOT TOO ONEROUS.
AND SO JUST EXTENSIONS ARE FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD, BUT IF THEY, TO GO BACK AND REAPPLY BECAUSE THEY'RE EXTENSION RAN OUT, THAT, THAT JUST SEEMS SILLY.
I SUPPORT, UM, SIMPLIFYING THINGS FOR APPLICATIONS AND HAVING A MISMATCH WITH THE STATE LAW.
YOU HAVE, IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYBODY SUPPORTS IT, SO YOU CAN PUT THAT IN A QUICK MEMO TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
THEIR PUBLIC HEARING ON THAT IS NOT UNTIL APRIL 1ST.
SO, UM, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE LAST ITEM OF THE EVENING, WHICH IS A METEOR ONE.
WE'RE HERE TO, UM, DISCUSS OR COMMENT COMMENTS ON THE COMPREHENSIVE, THE DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH HAS BEEN UNDERWAY FOR THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR THAT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND, UM, AND I KNOW AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE SOME MEMBERS OF OUR, UM, PLANNING BOARD WHO WERE ON THE COMMITTEE.
UM, EVERYONE ELSE HOPEFULLY HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK.
AND I WANNA SAY THIS, WE, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST TIME, DAVE, I THINK YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS IN HERE THAT WE, WE THOUGHT, UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD ADEQUATE TIME TO REALLY GO THROUGH AND SHARE COMMENTS, AND WE WEREN'T SURE WE'D BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PACKED AGENDAS.
SO LET'S SEE HOW MUCH WE CAN GET THROUGH.
BUT IF WE FEEL THAT WE WE NEED MORE TIME AND IT'S GETTING LATE, WE COULD CALL FOR A SPECIAL MEETING TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION.
UH, I I THINK WE CAN'T, UNLESS WE ASK THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO WELL, TELL, TELL US ABOUT THE TIMING.
'CAUSE I THINK THEY HAVE A DEADLINE, BUT THEY HAVE SCHEDULED THEIR PUBLIC HEARING YEAH.
SO IDEALLY THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOUR COMMENTS BEFORE THAT.
YEAH, THAT'S IDEALLY, BUT THEY COULD, ALTHOUGH WE COULD STILL GIVE THEM COMMENTS AFTERWARDS, BUT IDEALLY THEY GET THEM AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR ANTICIPATED TIMING IS ON ADOPTION.
SO IT'S, IT'S ALREADY MARCH 13TH.
IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR US TO GET OUR MOST SUBSTANTIVE, UM, NO, YOU'RE JUST MAKING IT, UH, OUR MOST SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTS THIS EVENING.
AND LET'S SEE, I THINK WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO IT, BUT, UM, AS PROCESS, I WANTED TO PROPOSE THAT WE JUST GO THROUGH ONE BY ONE.
UM, BUT IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, IF WE WANNA KIND OF ALL, LIKE, IF THERE'S A CERTAIN TOPIC THAT ONE PERSON RAISES AND EVERYBODY ELSE WANTS TO HAVE A CHANCE TO WEIGH IN RATHER THAN WAITING ALL THE WAY TILL THE NEXT TURN, I THINK THAT'S FINE TOO.
UM, DO YOU ALL HAVE A PREFERENCE AND JUST, UM, YEAH, I WILL TAKE NOTES AND ALSO WATCH THE VIDEO TO TRY TO PUT TOGETHER A MEMO THAT I'LL CIRCULATE TO ALL OF YOU BEFORE IT GOES TO THE BOARD.
UM, SO I JUST ASK THAT YOU SPEAK CLEARLY AT ONE, AT A TIME SO THAT IF I, BECAUSE I WILL HAVE TO HELP, YOU KNOW, USE THE VIDEO TO HELP KIND OF MAKE SURE I CAPTURE EVERYTHING.
UM, SO I FEEL, I DON'T KNOW, IT FEELS LIKE MAYBE WE SHOULD START WITH PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T ON THE COMMITTEE.
UH, I, I, I'M SURE I'M SURE YOU HAVE, YOU BOTH HAVE COMMENTS YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE.
I, I, I CAN TO GIVE, PROVIDE A LITTLE CONTEXT.
[01:10:01]
WAY THAT, SO OBVIOUSLY IT WAS WRITTEN BY MJ ENGINEERING MM-HMMUM, AND, UH, LARGELY OUR SORT OF DETAILED WORK RELATED TO THIS WAS WE WERE BROKEN OUT INTO SECTIONS.
AND SO, SO MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE RES RESILIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY AND THE WATERFRONT SECTIONS ARE HIGH, AND MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE OTHER SECTIONS IS LOWER.
UM, AND I, I OVERALL, YOU KNOW, READING RICHARD GAY, GAY GOT US A RED LINE AND READING IT, MOST OF WHAT THEY DID WAS COPY EDIT IT TO MAKE IT, UH, LOOK AND, UH, AND FLOW BETTER, WHICH WAS ONE OF OUR LARGE OBJECTIONS TO IT.
UM, THERE, WERE THERE, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S PLACES WHERE MAYBE THEY TOOK SOME OF THE MEAT OUT, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THEIR OBJECT.
THEIR, UH, THEY HAVE OBJECTIVES THAT DON'T ALWAYS ALIGN WITH OURS.
SO, UM, BUT YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S, SO I THINK RICHARD AND IT'S CONTEXT.
RICHARD AND DAVID AND I WOULD HAVE VARIABLE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT EACH OF THE VARIOUS SECTIONS, I THINK.
UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, AND JUST TO CLARIFY, THE, THE REVISIONS AND WHAT WAS RED LINED WERE THE CHANGES FROM THE COMMITTEE'S DRAFT THAT WAS FORWARDED TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES IN SEPTEMBER.
AND THEN REVISIONS THAT WERE MADE THROUGH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REVIEW PROCESS, UM, AND STAFF AND MJ READING IT THROUGH I, SOME OF THE CLEANUP TYPE THINGS, UM, WERE SORT OF EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTING.
BUT THE, THE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES WERE THINGS, UM, THAT CAME FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
SO 'CAUSE IT ULTIMATELY IS THEIR DOCUMENT.
WELL, I WANNA SAY, UM, BY WAY OF LIKE INTRODUCING THE CONVERSATION HERE IS THAT, UM, WE ARE A VITAL BODY, THE PLANNING BOARD, IT HAS PLANNING IN OUR NAME TO REALLY, UM, LOOK AT THIS IN DEPTH AND MAKE SURE IT REFLECTS, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE, WE CONCERN OURSELVES WITH IN THIS, IN THIS ROLE THAT WE PLAY AS THE PLANNING BOARD.
UM, WE'VE ALSO, UM, EVEN IF YOU'RE NEW TO THE BOARD, YOU'VE STARTED TO SEE PATTERNS OF THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP, UM, THAT WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO THAT WE WANT, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE, UM, DOCUMENTED AS BACKING UP, UM, THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IN OUR REVIEW PROCESS.
AND, UM, AND SO I DO THINK I HAD VERY FRESH EYES ON THIS BECAUSE I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS.
IT ACTUALLY WAS NOT FORMALLY REFERRED TO US.
UM, THERE WAS ONE, UM, THE FORMER CHAIR OF THE PLANNING BOARD ATTENDED A MEETING, YOU KNOW, AS LIKE A SPECIAL INVITATION TO ATTEND A MEETING AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PLANNING BOARD, UM, AT ONE POINT, UM, A WHILE AGO.
BUT, UM, THIS IS OUR FIRST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS OUR FIRST REAL COMMENTARY AS A BODY ON THIS.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, THAT THE TRUSTEES HERE, I THINK WE'RE A VERY VALUABLE, UM, ENTITY TO COMMENT ON IT.
AND IT'S GREAT THAT THREE OF YOU WERE ALREADY INVOLVED.
SO, BY WAY OF THAT, I KNOW THERE A LOT OF YOUR THOUGHTS ARE EMBEDDED IN THIS.
UM, BUT THE REASON I SUGGESTED MAYBE WE START WITH COMMENTS FROM THOSE OF US WHO HAVEN'T BEEN PART OF THE PROCESS IS WITH FRESH EYES, WE MAY, WE HAVE, WE MAY HAVE SOME COMMENTS THAT, AGAIN, THAT YOU EITHER YOU WEREN'T ON THAT PARTICULAR SECTION OR, OR YOU CAN TELL US WHY IT'S NOT IN THERE, OR IT IS IN A WAY, UM, THEY WAY, UM, LAID OUT IN A WAY THAT, THAT WE SEE IN THE CURRENT VERSIONS.
SO, UM, I HAVE SOME COMMENTS, BUT I'M OPEN TO MAYBE ANY ONE OF, SO THE ONES OF US THAT WERE NOT ON THE COMMITTEE ARE ERNESTO, KATE, MYSELF, AND ALEE.
SO, UM, I'M HAPPY WITH YOU STARTING.
BECAUSE I HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, WRITTEN THAT I DID.
SO LET ME, LET ME KICK IT OFF.
I WILL KICK IT OFF AND, AND MAYBE, UM, YEAH, I HAVE A LIST HERE AND FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN AND LIKE, COMMENT ON IT OR, OR AMPLIFY OR, OR SAY, OH, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO YOU.
SO I'LL JUST START MY BULLETED LIST HERE.
UM, ONE IS JUST, THE FIRST ONE IS KIND OF SMALL, BUT I, I NOTICED THERE'S A TIMELINE THERE, UM, AT THE BEGINNING.
AND IT JUST NEEDS TO BE UPDATED TO MAKE SURE IT SHOWS THAT THE PUBLIC HEARING IS IN 2025.
IT SORT OF ENDS AND LOOKS LIKE THE WHOLE THING IS WRAPPING UP IN 2024, WHICH IS NOT, SO THAT'S A MINOR THING.
THIS NEXT COMMENT THAT I HAVE IS SORT OF A THEME THAT I, I FEEL, UM, REALLY NEEDS TO BE, UM, BROUGHT UP IN THIS DOCUMENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE DOCUMENT IS MUCH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, VISION AND GOALS AND CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DID NOT SEE, UM, IN TERMS OF THE WORDING THAT I THINK IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR HASTINGS IS AFFORDABILITY.
AND WHEN I SAY THAT, IT'S NOT AS THOUGH IT ISN'T SORT OF EMBEDDED IN DIFFERENT TOPICS, ESPECIALLY, THERE'S A LOT OF REFERENCE TO HOUSING, UM, AFFORDABILITY, AND ALSO
[01:15:01]
THE NEED FOR A MORE VARIETY OF HOUSING TYPES SO THAT WE CAN WELCOME DIFFERENT, UM, CONFIGURATIONS OF HOUSEHOLDS INTO THE VILLAGE OR, OR ALLOW PEOPLE, LET'S SAY, WHO NEED TO DOWNSIZE.THEY'RE AGING AND THEY WANT A SMALLER UNIT, ALL THOSE THINGS.
BUT I THINK WHAT'S MISSING, AND, AND I, I'M, I'M ATTUNED TO, YOU KNOW, THE BROADER CONTEXT OF NOT JUST WHAT HASTINGS STRUGGLING WITH, BUT BROADLY SPEAKING, IN OUR REGION, IN OUR COUNTRY, AFFORDABILITY IS A BIG ISSUE.
UM, AND, AND THERE'S A FEW PLACES WHERE I THINK THERE'S A LOST OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THAT AS SOMETHING THE VILLAGE NEEDS TO BE, UM, IN THE COMP PLAN, KIND OF EMBEDDING IN THE WAY THAT IT THINKS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT AREAS THAT ARE RAISED HERE.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT NEEDS TO GO INTO THE OVERVIEW.
UM, AND THEN ANOTHER, UM, UM, TO BE VERY SPECIFIC ON PAGE 29, UM, UNDER THE AGING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, WHAT I JUST MENTIONED, THERE'S SOME TALK ABOUT, UM, MAKING IT EASIER FOR, UM, OUR RESIDENTS TO AGE IN PLACE.
THERE'S NOTHING IN THERE ABOUT COST OF LIVING.
IT JUST, AGAIN, IT SAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD THEIR HOMES, BUT OVERALL COST OF LIVING.
AND, AND, UM, I THINK RELATED TO THAT, AGAIN, I REALLY SEE MISSING HERE IS THE, UM, AND I, I AM GONNA BE SPECIFIC IN A PLACE WHERE IT STRUCK ME AS ON PAGE 31, NEEDING TO TALK ABOUT THE HIGH BURDEN OF THE BURDEN OF HIGH TAXES IN HASTINGS DRIVEN MOSTLY BY SCHOOL TAXES.
UM, AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT'S MAKING IT UNAFFORDABLE TO MOVE HERE AND LIVE HERE AND AND TO REMAIN LIVING HERE IS THE TAXES.
AND THAT, AGAIN, THAT'S NOT MENTIONED.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF PLACES WHERE THERE'S A REFERENCE TO HOUSING IS EXPENSIVE, UM, BUT THE HOUSING IS EXPENSIVE PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE SCARCITY, WHICH IS DRIVING UP THE VALUE OF HOMES, THE, UM, THE ALSO THE HIGH, HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION THAT WE OFFER, WHICH MAKES THIS A VERY DESIRABLE PLACE TO LIVE.
UM, AND I THINK IT WOULD, IT, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THIS DOCUMENT TO MENTION THAT IT IS, IT IS BECOMING UNAFFORDABLE TO LIVE HERE FOR THOSE FACTORS.
I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE LAID OUT AND TAXES AS PART OF THAT.
UM, AND IT'S A LIVE ISSUE THAT THIS VILLAGE IS DEBATING RIGHT NOW.
SO IT'S SORT OF LIKE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
IF WE DON'T MENTION IT, I THINK IT'S REALLY A PROBLEM.
SO, UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT THE SCHOOL BOND THAT IS BEING DEBATED RIGHT NOW, BUT EVEN JUST IN GENERAL COST OF LIVING.
UM, AND THEN, SO NOW, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO LIKE MENTION A POINT RELATED TO THAT VERY CRITICAL POINT.
I THINK, SO I'M LIKE A DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT LEADER, AND WE INTERVIEWED, UM, PROSPECTIVE MAYORAL CANDIDATES.
AND LIKE I HAVE FOUND IT CONSISTENTLY LIKE A PROBLEM THAT WE CAN'T DISCUSS THE TAXES BECAUSE THERE'S THIS, UM, IMPLICIT AGREEMENT THAT THE BOT AND LIKE VILLAGE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT GET INVOLVED IN THE SCHOOL'S ISSUE.
AND THOUGH THE TAX BURDEN IS LIKE 70% SCHOOL TAXES.
AND SO I REALLY THINK THIS IS LIKE A SUPER IMPORTANT POINT.
AND I HAVE BEEN VERY FRUSTRATED ABOUT THE TOTAL INABILITY TO LIKE, BRING THIS ISSUE UP, EVEN THOUGH IT IS LIKE SUCH A RELEVANT ISSUE TO THIS ENTIRE PLAN, YOU KNOW, AND ALL OUR GOALS IN IT, AND ALL THE KEY KIND OF CONSIDERATIONS OF PEOPLE MOVING IN THE TAXES, AFFORDABILITY, AND STAYING HERE.
SO I, I IMAGINE IT'S LIKE A, BUT ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT THERE'S BEEN THIS LONG TIME MUTUAL AGREEMENT THAT APPARENTLY THAT, UM, ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LIKE VILLAGE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT GET INVOLVED IN ANY SCHOOL DECISIONS.
AND IT'S TOTALLY SEPARATE THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE COMP PLAN DISCUSSED.
THERE'S A REAL DISCONNECT BETWEEN, UM, THE BOARD OF ED AND THE VILLAGE.
UH, AS YOU SAID, THE, THE TAX BURDEN IS CLOSE TO 70%.
SO THE COMP PLAN TALKS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, TALKS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, UH, BUT RIGHT NOW THERE'S A DEBATE ABOUT PUTTING IN, UH, NON GRASS FIELDS THAT HAVE TO BE REPLACED EVERY SEVEN YEARS.
IT'S ANTI-US SUSTAINABILITY ABILITY NEXT TO WETLANDS.
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT RAISING THE TAX BURDEN MM-HMM
UH, AT A TIME WHEN, UH, THE FUNDING FOR THE FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE, ARE QUESTIONABLE.
SO THERE'S A REAL DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE VILLAGE AND THE BOARD OF ED.
AND WHETHER IT'S A LEGAL ONE OR A CULTURAL ONE, UM, I, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH, WITH BOARDS FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS.
I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND, NOR DO I RESPECT THAT, THAT DISCONNECT MM-HMM
AND WHETHER THERE'S A, A BULLY PULPIT OBLIGATION OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS OR A MORE LEGAL OBLIGATION, THERE SHOULD BE LESS OF A DISCONNECT.
AND I'VE BEEN WATCHING THE MAYORAL RACE AND THE OTHER PEOPLE RUNNING FOR OFFICE AND THEY DON'T ADDRESS IT BECAUSE IT'S
[01:20:01]
LIKE CHINA.WE DON'T RECOGNIZE CHINA UNTIL RICHARD NIXON RECOGNIZED IT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S A BIG COUNTRY.
IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, WITH A BILLION PEOPLE IN IT,
UM, IT'S, IT'S AN INHERENT PROBLEM IN THE COMP PLAN.
IT'S AN INHERENT PROBLEM IN OUR GOVERNANCE.
UM, WELL, IT'S A PROBLEM IN THE COMP PLAN BECAUSE IT'S AN INHERENT PROBLEM IN OUR GOV IN THE GOVERNANCE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I I, I WILL NOT POINT AT ANY FINGERS 'CAUSE NONE SHOULD BE POINTED, BUT THIS, THIS ISSUE CAME UP AND I BELIEVE THE LANGUAGE WE THAT WAS PROPOSED WAS, UH, FOSTER BETTER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE VILLAGE LEADERS, OR, YOU KNOW, CREATED SETTING COMMITTEE OR, OR WHERE THERE'S, WE THREW AROUND A LOT OF IDEAS AND IT IS NOTABLE IT'S NOT IN HERE.
BUT EVEN, EVEN, YOU KNOW, THE LAST MEETING WHERE I RAISED THE ISSUE ABOUT REYNOLDS FIELD, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PRIMING YOUR FACE, UH, THAT'S CONTROLLED BY THE BOARD OF ED.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S MAPPED AS SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO EITHER WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, BE CONSISTENT OR IT'S CHINA ALL OVER AGAIN.
AND I THINK, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS ABOUT LAND USE AND, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC VIABILITY AND VITALITY OF OUR VILLAGE, I THINK IT, IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
IT NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST NAMED, EVEN IF WE DON'T CONTROL THE ISSUES, IT'S OUR, OUR RESPONSIBILITY, UM, AS A VILLAGE TO NAME THE, AT LEAST NAME, THE ISSUES.
WE MIGHT NOT HAVE ALL THE SOLUTIONS, BUT WE HAVE TO, IF WE CAN'T NAME SOMETHING, THEN WE'RE REALLY IN THE DARK.
UM, SO, UM, SO WE, I THINK THAT IS DEFINITELY A VERY STRONG, UM,
I THINK IT SOUNDS LIKE PEOPLE ARE IN AGREEMENT ABOUT THAT FEEDBACK TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
THAT ONE THING WE DID TALK ABOUT THAT'S WORTH MENTIONING NOW, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF OUR, OF OUR HEATED CONVERSATION WITH THE ARCHITECT THIS EVENING,
AND THAT TO, TO, TO HAVE MORE COMMERCIAL TAXPAYERS, WE NEED A, A MORE DENSE DOWNTOWN.
RIGHT? WE NEED MORE BUILDING, WE NEED MORE COMMERCIAL SPACES.
WE NEED COMMERCIAL, COMMERCIAL SPACES THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL.
UM, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DID TRY TO INCORPORATE IN THE
AND THAT'S AN AREA WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE A, HAVE A, A LARGE ROLE IN AFFECTING THAT.
AND THAT, I'M GLAD YOU RAISED THAT.
UM, PATRICK, I THINK, UM, AND I MENTIONED IT EARLIER IN THE EVENING, I, I TO MY, THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD SUGGESTIONS ABOUT FURTHER STUDY AND THINGS THAT SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN.
YOU KNOW, SORT OF A ROADMAP FOR THINGS THAT, DATA THAT SHOULD BE COLLECTED MORE, MORE PLANNING, YOU KNOW, MORE GRANULAR PLANNING.
AND ONE THAT I THOUGHT WAS MISSING, UM, TO YOUR POINT IS I DO THINK THAT WE COULD HAVE A MORE COHESIVE, MORE REALLY IN DEPTH, UM, PLAN PUT TOGETHER FOR DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION.
NOT IN ANY WAY, I ACTUALLY THINK FEELS VERY PIECEMEAL.
SO THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY TO CRITICIZE.
I, I THINK A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE.
I'VE MOVED TO HASTINGS IN 2001.
I'VE SEEN A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT'S PIECEMEAL AND IT'S NOT, I DON'T SEE, I DON'T THINK BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO STEP BACK AND GET ASSISTANCE.
'CAUSE THERE ARE PROFESSIONALS THAT CAN HELP US CREATE A PLAN THAT TAPS INTO WHAT'S REALLY UNIQUE AND, AND WORKS FOR OUR VILLAGE.
SO THE ARTS AND CULTURE THAT WE ARE STARTING TO HAVE MORE RESTAURANT VITALITY.
UM, THERE'S CERTAIN TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT SEEM TO DO BETTER THAN OTHERS.
LIKE HOW DO WE MAKE IT, HOW DO WE ARTICULATE, OH, COME TO HASTINGS.
'CAUSE YOU ARE THIS MAKER SPACE OR YOU'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE IN THE CRAFTING, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE DIFFERENT CRAFTS, UM, BUSINESSES.
MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE CREATED A HUB FOR THAT.
AND I JUST THINK WE COULD BE MORE INTENTIONAL AROUND AN ECONOMIC VITALITY AND COMMERCIAL DOWNTOWN DISTRICT STRATEGY AND INCLUDING THE PHYSICAL CONDITION, THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, WHICH LEADS ME TO ANOTHER ONE.
I GUESS I'M JUST GONNA JUMP AROUND.
BUT I'VE BEEN EXCITED ABOUT TRYING TO IMPROVE THE HEART OF OUR DOWNTOWN AS MORE OF A, A WORKING PUBLIC SPACE.
UM, AND I'M CURIOUS, I BET THIS CAME UP IN THE PLANNING PROCESS,
I MEAN, WE DID, UH, WE DID TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO IMPROVE WARBURTON FOR COMMERCIAL, FOR SPECIFICALLY FOR PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC.
UM, UH, AND, AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT, UM, AND, AND, AND THE WAYS THAT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT, LIKE LOWERING THE SPEED LIMIT IS NOT ACTUALLY FIXING THAT PROBLEM RIGHT THERE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE OLD COMP PLAN, THE TRANSPORTATION, UH, PLANNING GROUP.
THIS COMP PLAN TALKED ABOUT, UH, MAKING IT MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY, MAKING ACCESS.
UM, BUT THERE IS, IT KEEPS BEING
[01:25:02]
APPROVED, BUT THERE'S NOT IMPLEMENTATION.I MEAN, IT'S OVER FIVE OR SIX YEARS WHERE, EXCUSE ME, UM, WHERE THERE WERE VERY, YOU KNOW, LOW HANGING FRUIT EXAMPLES OF HOW TO MAKE IT MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY TO BRING PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
AND 95% OF THOSE SUGGESTIONS, WHICH WERE ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF, OF TRUSTEES, HAS NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
UM, SO, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TWO AND A HALF YEARS ON, ON THE COMP PLAN.
I WAS THREE YEARS ON THE PREVIOUS ONE.
I WAS ON THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
IT'S LIKE ENOUGH OF THE VOLUNTEERISM, IMPLEMENT, IMPLEMENT, YEAH.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE OLD PLAN, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION WAS VERY HAPHAZARD THERE, YOU KNOW, IF THIS ONE IS ADOPTED, THERE SHOULD BE A SCHEDULE FOR THINGS AS SIMPLE AS, YOU KNOW, STRIPING, UH, THAT WOULD MAKE IT SAFER TO OR SLOW DOWN THE TRAFFIC, UH, AS OPPOSED TO CHANGING THE SPEED LIMIT TO 25 MILES AN HOUR.
SO JUST TRYING TO PUT THESE THINGS TOGETHER.
SO WE HEARD TONIGHT THE LIVE WORKSPACE DISCUSSION.
THIS PLAN SPENDS A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT ARTS AND CULTURE.
SO WHY WOULDN'T THERE BE SOME KIND OF LIKE REGULATION THAT, LIKE ON A CERTAIN SECTION OF THE TOWN, THAT THOSE LIVE WORKSPACES WOULD HAVE TO GO TO ARTISTS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, JUST TO TRY TO CONNECT THE THINGS THAT ARE GETTING TALKED ABOUT AS WE WANT MORE ARTS AND CULTURE.
WE DO WELL WITH GALLERIES AND THEY NAME A FEW THINGS, BUT WHO'S TO SAY LIKE, 'CAUSE MY FRIEND HEATHER'S GIVING UP HER REFILL ROOM SPACE 'CAUSE SHE CAN'T, SHE DOESN'T WANNA SIGN ANOTHER FIVE YEAR LEASE.
BUT WHAT COMES NEXT? THAT'S TOO BAD.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, HOW DO WE, WHAT'S, THERE'S GOTTA BE LIKE A COMMERCIAL POLICY THAT SAYS TO YOUR POINT ABOUT LIKE, WELL, THERE, THERE IS ZONING'S A LOT OF RESIDENTIAL TO BE ARTS AND CULTURE.
WHAT THERE THE ZONING, IT, IT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, A BACK DOOR, UH, RESIDENTIAL USE ISN'T PERMITTED, UH, ON, ON THE MAIN COMMERCIAL DRAGS.
SO THIS LIVED WORKSPACE IS KIND OF TRYING TO GET AROUND THAT BY SAYING WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY, BUT OUR CONCERN IS THAT THAT'S A ROUSE AND OUR DOWNTOWN IS PRETTY QUIET AS IT IS.
UM, AND TO NOW ENCOURAGE A LACK OF COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY THROUGH A, A SIDE DOOR OF, OF THIS TYPE OF, UH, OF DESIGN, UH, GOES AGAINST THE, THE ECONOMIC VITALITY WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE.
AND, AND I THINK WHAT'S, WHAT'S MISSING, I LIKED YOUR, I THINK, WHAT WAS THE WORD YOU USED? LIKE, IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT COHESIVE OR YEAH.
I THINK A GENERAL, UM, LIKE, COMMENT OF WHAT'S MISSING IS, AND, AND MAYBE IT'S JUST ANOTHER STEP, I, I I HEAR YOU ON LIKE, WE DO A LOT OF PLANNING AND WE NEED TO DO MORE IMPLEMENTATION, BUT I DO THINK IN THE DOWNTOWN WE NEED TO HAVE MORE OF A STRATEGY FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE REGULATE IT.
LIKE WE NEED TO ALLOW CREATIVITY AND LET PEOPLE IMAGINE HOW THEY WANNA USE SPACE.
AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS IT'S PERMITTED BY ZONING, LIKE LET IT HAPPEN, UM, NATURALLY.
BUT THE WAY, IN MY EXPERIENCE AND MY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE DURING COMMERCIAL REVITALIZATION, IT ALWAYS WORKS BETTER TO HAVE SOMETHING YOU'RE AIMING TOWARDS.
LIKE, WE WANT TO SEE MORE RESTAURANTS.
LET'S SEE, LIKE WHAT, WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO MORE RESTAURANTS COMING? OR WE WANNA SEE MORE CRAFT STORES OR, OR, OR ARTISTS, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
YOU WANT TO START, UM, CREATING LIKE A WELCOME SIGN FOR THAT AND THEN CREATE CONDITION TO TRY TO TRACK THOSE KIND OF BUSINESSES? HOW DO YOU SUPPORT THEM? YEAH.
I GREW UP IN INDIANAPOLIS AND THEY, THERE WAS A GROUP OF LEADERS IN THE REALLY THE EARLY SEVENTIES WHO SAID, WHO DECIDED THEY WANTED TO BE THE AMATEUR CAPITAL SPORTS OF THE WORLD.
AND SO THEY REALLY WENT ABOUT THIS STRATEGY.
SO THE NCAA'S HEADQUARTERED THERE, USA TRACK AND FIELD HEADQUARTERED THERE, THE PAN AM I THINK THEY STARTED WITH THE PANAM GAMES IN LIKE THE EARLY EIGHTIES.
AND IT'S REALLY BEEN A, IT'S BEEN THE ECONOMIC DRIVER COLD ALONG WITH A LOT OF, IN THE COLDS, WELL, THE COLDS LEFT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
BUT ANYWAY, IT'S A, IT'S A STRATEGY THAT'S REALLY WORKED.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT SOMETHING I THINK HASTINGS COULD, IN THIS PLAN, ARTICULATE, UM, THE NEED TO PUT TOGETHER A STRATEGY FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN THE, WELL I GO AHEAD.
ARTS AND CULTURE, THAT'S WHAT I READ COMING OUT OF IT.
I WAS GONNA SAY ON THAT TOPIC, YOU KNOW, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE COMMITTEE LOOKING AT DEMOGRAPHICS, UH, IN PARTICULAR RELATIVE TO THE OTHER RIVER TOWNS.
AND, YOU KNOW, RATHER THAN YOU, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT BEING A LITTLE MORE, I THINK STRAIGHTFORWARD ABOUT AFFORDABILITY.
WE TRY TO APPROACH THAT WITH DATA AND SAY, WELL LOOK AT THE MEDIAN INCOME.
IT'S SOME MULTIPLES OF, YOU KNOW, THE STATE, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, WHATEVER.
BUT AFTER LOOKING AT A LOT OF THAT RIVERTOWN, YOU KNOW, UM, DATA, I THINK RELATIVELY LATE IN THE PROCESS, WE IDENTIFIED THAT THERE'S A CITY TO THE SOUTH OF US, YONKERS, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS ENORMOUS AND WITH
[01:30:01]
SIGNIFICANT NEW DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES AND, AND RESIDENTS COMING IN.AND THERE COULD BE REALLY INTERESTING OPPORTUNITIES THERE TO, TO CONNECT WITH ALL THAT ACTIVITY AND BRING PEOPLE INTO OUR DOWNTOWN.
BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN INTENTIONAL ABOUT THAT OUTREACH.
AND IT'S HARD TO TALK ABOUT THAT RELATIVELY LATE IN THE PROCESS.
IT REALLY DIDN'T COME, COME INTO THE REPORT OR COME THROUGH.
BUT I THINK THAT IS MAYBE A BIT OF A MISSED OPPORTUNITY AND SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TEASED OUT AS WE START TO THINK ABOUT, WELL, HOW DO WE BRING MORE PEOPLE TO, YOU KNOW, TO DOWNTOWN? AND THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS VERY, VERY NEARBY WITH WHERE SOME, I THINK SOME PRETTY NATURAL CONNECTIONS AS WE TALK ABOUT RESTAURANTS AND RETAIL AND OTHER THINGS PEOPLE MIGHT, MIGHT LIKE.
AND I THINK IT GETS TO, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ASSETS THAT WE HAVE THAT COULD BECOME LIKE WE'RE KNOWN FOR.
SO IN THE, IN THE REPORT IT TALKS ABOUT HOW, UM, IT, IT CLAIMS THAT OUR FARMER'S MARKET IS LIKE THE BEST, OR WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY KNOW ABOUT THE BEST IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
BUT I MEAN, IT DOES, PEOPLE DO GET OFF THE TRAIN AND COME TO OUR FARMER'S MARKET.
SO HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE THAT? HOW CAN WE GET THEM TO STAY? AND WHAT ARE THE OTHER THINGS ANCILLARY TO THE FARMER'S MARKET THAT COULD, WHAT THIS POINT ABOUT YONKERS IS INTERESTING BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, MY PERCEPTION IS HASTINGS BEDROOM COMMUNITY IN NEW YORK CITY WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE WORKING EVERY DAY GOING INTO THE CITY.
WELL, THAT'S CHANGED, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND SO NOW WE'RE, WE'RE AROUND IN THIS MILIA A LOT MORE TIME, A LOT MORE LIKE PERSON HOURS AROUND THE VILLAGE.
YOU KNOW, BUT YOU CAN START TO SEE YONKERS AS A, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER PLACE TO GO AND FOR PEOPLE TO COME HERE AND VICE VERSA, RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAVING TO COMMUTE EVERY DAY.
WE TO NEW YORK, WE, WE, WE LOOK SOUTH TO GO TO WORK, BUT FURTHER SOUTH.
AND THEN AS, AS WE FRAME OURSELVES OUR IDENTITY, WE LOOK NORTH.
AND YOU'RE RIGHT, I THINK IT WAS THE LAST ONE OF LIKE SECOND TO LAST MEETING, WE, SOMEBODY WAS LIKE, WHY DON'T WE HAVE IT? ACTUALLY IT WAS, UH, DAVID, UH, OUR ONE CITIZEN ATTEND, UH, ATTENDANT, THE, THE ONE PERSON WHO CAME TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR MEETINGS.
OH, REALLY? SAID, YOU HAVEN'T SAID ANYTHING ABOUT YONKERS THIS WHOLE TIME.
AND I WAS LIKE, TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
AND HE FINALLY HAS A REALLY SUBSTANTIVE
YOU WAITED, YOU MADE IT TO THE END, YOU MADE IT TO THE END GOLDEN EGG.
BUT I, I THINK, UM, LIKE FOR, SO FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE ANOTHER EXAMPLE, THERE'S ARTS AND CULTURE, BUT YOU KNOW, GETTING BACK TO, YOU KNOW, BEING KNOWN FOR THE FARMER'S MARKET AND ARTISANAL THINGS LIKE MAYBE, AND, AND I'M THINKING AGAIN, WE WE'RE NOW LIVE DEBATING LIKE WHAT TO DO WITH SOME OF THESE SPACES THAT ARE COMING BEFORE US.
WELL, UM, COULD WE BE A PLACE WHERE WE ENCOURAGE LITTLE LIKE, UM, FOOD SHOPS? 'CAUSE I, I KEPT SEEING IN HERE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT PEOPLE TO SPEND MORE OF THEIR MONEY IN THE DOWNTOWN AND WE HAVE A LOT OF LIKE GIFT SHOP OR THINGS LIKE YOU'RE BUYING KIND OF DISCRETIONARY THINGS, BUT HOW CAN WE ATTRACT, UM, BUSINESSES THAT ARE SELLING SOMETHING THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S PRE HALF PRE-MADE FOOD THAT YOU BRING HOME.
UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE SPECIALTY THINGS.
I'M JUST, I'M JUST THROWING THINGS OUT THERE.
BUT I, I THINK WE JUST LACK, UM, A COHESIVE STRATEGY FOR WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT TO THE DOWNTOWN.
I GUESS THAT'S MY OVERALL POINT.
WELL, INCENTIVES GO A LONG WAY TO GETTING THAT STUFF.
ACTUALLY, IT JUST GOES BACK TO THE, THE MONEY PROBLEM.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT HAS TO HAPPEN.
'CAUSE A LOT, A LOT OF THOSE FOOD BUSINESSES HAVE REALLY SMALL MARGINS.
SO IT JUST, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE RENTS ARE LIKE DOWNTOWN AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT I THINK THAT WHEN THERE'S A COHESIVE LIKE, UM, THROUGH MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT THAT STARTS TO HELP EACH BUSINESS PUT THEMSELVES ON THE MAP BECAUSE THEY'RE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAT THE, THAT THE TOWN HAS MARKETED ITSELF FOR, THEN IT STARTS TO CREATE VALUE THAT'S NOT THERE WHEN THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO DO IT ON THEIR OWN.
SO THAT'S ONE WHOLE BUCKET THERE IS THE ECONOMIC VITALITY.
UM, I THINK A DOWNTOWN PLAN IS A OR DOWN, YEAH.
DOWNTOWN PLAN IS A GREAT IDEA.
I THINK THAT'S A REALLY EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATION DOWNTOWN.
WHAT TO HAVE ACTUALLY A, HAVE THE VILLAGE LEADERS ADOPT A, OR, YOU KNOW, COME UP WITH A COHESIVE PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN.
WE COULD GET, I THINK THE STATE WOULD APPLY TO THE STATE FOR SOME MONEY TO DO THE PLAN.
I MEAN, IT SHOULD BE LIKE AN IN DEPTH PLAN THAT LOOKS AT, YOU KNOW, OTHER DOWNTOWNS AND WHAT HAVE WHAT'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND PULLS OUT BEST PRACTICES.
WELL, AND I THINK HOUSING DENSITY AND HOUSING DIVERSITY IS CLEARLY PART OF THE SOLUTION AND THE APPROACH.
SO, AND THE, THE ONE THING THAT IS CLEAR IN THERE, AND THAT THERE'S EVEN BEEN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IS SORT OF LOOKING AT THE WHOLE DOWNTOWN AND, AND I ACTUALLY, AND PAT CLEARY AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT IT TODAY, IT'S KIND OF TWO SEPARATE PIECES BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT TOO MANY ZONING DISTRICTS RIGHT NOW IN YOUR DOWNTOWN, AND IT NEEDS TO BE SIMPLIFIED AND ALLOW MORE FLEXIBILITY IN USES.
WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, REALLY ON THE WARTON MAIN WARTON NORTH OF THE BRIDGE AND MAINE, YOU WANNA KEEP THOSE COMMERCIAL USES ON YOUR FIRST FLOOR, BUT MAYBE
[01:35:01]
ALLOW MORE RESIDENTIAL SOUTH OF THE BRIDGE.YOU WANNA BE A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBLE.
YOU CAN HAVE COMMERCIAL, YOU CAN HAVE MIXED USE, BUT YOU CAN ALSO HAVE ALL RESIDENTIAL, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT'S THERE NOW.
SO THERE'S GONNA BE A WHOLE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT ENCOURAGING MORE RESIDENTIAL IN THE DOWNTOWN.
UM, AND THAT'S IN THERE A LOT.
AND SO THERE'S GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT STEP TOWARDS THAT IS GONNA BE A STUDY OF WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING WITH THE ZONING.
ANOTHER PIECE OF THAT IS ELIMINATING THE CO THE CENTRAL OFFICE ZONE.
THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE BECAUSE NOBODY'S BUILDING OFFICE BUILDINGS ANYMORE.
UM, AND WE'VE ALREADY SEEN A COUPLE OF THOSE PROPERTIES GET REZONED TO RESIDENTIAL.
AND, AND SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S YOUR DOWNTOWN AND THEN IT'S YOUR SORT OF YOUR, UM, TRANSITION AREAS BETWEEN YOUR DOWNTOWN AND YOUR SINGLE FAMILY WHERE YOU WANNA ALLOW MULTIFAMILY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO LIVE WORK, THERE'S
AND THIS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT'S FROM A ZONING STANDPOINT AS OPPOSED TO THE SPECIFIC USES.
BUT THERE'S GONNA HAVE TO BE PART OF THE, ONE OF THE FIRST IMPLEMENTATION STEPS.
WELL, WE WERE ALL, IT'S GONNA BE THAT KIND OF A STUDY FOR THE DOWNTOWN.
AND WE WERE ALSO TOLD ON THE COMMITTEE, WE, WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT ZONING.
SO WE COULDN'T TALK ABOUT ZONING, WE COULDN'T TALK ABOUT THE SCHOOLS.
WE, WE HAD WHATEVER WAS LEFT AFTER THOSE TWO, YOU KNOW, CONCEPTS, WHICH OF COURSE WERE HUGE.
SO YEAH, I, I COMPLETELY AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, APPROACH TO ZONING IS GONNA DRIVE ALL THIS IN, IN DRAMATIC WAYS THAT, BUT THE, BUT THE PLAN DRIVES THE ZONING.
SO THE PLAN TALKS ABOUT ALLOW, YOU KNOW, MORE RESIDENTIAL, BRING MORE RESIDENTIAL TO THE DOWNTOWN.
SO YOU KNOW, YOUR ZONING THEN GETS CHANGED TO ALLOW FOR THAT.
SO REALLY THE ZONING IS PART OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN.
BUT PATRICK, YOU WANNA, WE WEREN'T ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT ZONING.
ONE, I WASN'T AT ANY OF THESE MEETINGS.
ONE IS THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A SORT OF A VISION DOCUMENT, AND IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE SPECIFIC LEGAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THE ZONING IS A SPECIFIC, AND THE SECOND IS THAT PREVIOUS COMMITTEES IN THE PAST HAD MADE VERY SPECIFIC ZONING RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH WERE VERY CONTROVERSIAL WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
AND THEREFORE THOSE DOCUMENTS WERE NEVER APPROVED.
DAVE, PATRICK ALASKA WAS W YEAH.
UM, THIS ABOUT FOOD TOWN,
I WANNA HEAR IT HAVE TO SAY, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, CREATING MORE HOUSING DENSITY, UH, THE FOOD TOWN AND CITIBANK SITES OR BADLY DESIGNED.
EVERY TIME WE WALK THROUGH THERE, MY HUSBAND, YOU KNOW, THE SUPERMARKET TURNS ITS SHOULDER TO MAIN STREET.
UM, BUT IMAGINE THAT BEING REBUILT WITH A RESIDENTIAL TOWER ON TOP WITH A HUNDRED UNITS.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU DO IN THE ZONING, IS YOU LOOK AT THOSE SITES AND SAY, OKAY, IF THIS USE WEREN'T HERE, I ONLY MENTIONED IT ABOUT 10 TIMES, WE COULD STILL, WE COULD STILL HAVE, WE COULD STILL HAVE A, LIKE IN NEW YORK CITY, YOU WOULD HAVE A SUPERMARKET ON THE GROUND FLOOR, BUT OR EVEN DOWN BELOW.
WHEN THAT, UH, SITE WENT, UH, BANKRUPT, I TRIED TO PULL TOGETHER, UH, A, A FARM TO TABLE, UH, GUY FROM, UH, KINGSTON AND, AND A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPER ON TOP, AND IT JUST WENT TO THE HIGHEST BID.
UH, THAT'S STILL IN PLAY, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD TAKE A COUPLE YEARS TO GO THROUGH THE PLANNING BOARD.
UH, THEY COULD OPERATE, BUT THAT'S WOULD BE A MAJOR, UH, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTIAL INPUT INTO THE DOWNTOWN MM-HMM
AND THE CURRENT ZONING DOESN'T ALLOW THAT.
SO I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT WILL BE LOOKED AT IN THIS ZONE, IN THIS, IN, IN THE IMPLEMENTATION, IS TO CHANGE THE ZONING ON THOSE PROPERTIES SO THAT THE MIXED USE WOULD BE ALLOWED.
MY STUDENTS AT HUNTER ALSO DID A DOWNTOWN PLAN.
UH, IT'S BURIED SOMEWHERE ON THE, UH, UH, UH, THE VILLAGE'S WEBSITE.
BUT IT TALKED ABOUT CREATING MORE DENSITY, ADDING ANOTHER FLOOR TO EXISTING BUILDINGS.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT.
DID YOU ALL TALK ABOUT AIR RIGHTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT? I MEAN, THAT'S A WAY TO MAKE MONEY FOR THE VILLAGE AND I DON'T KNOW.
THAT, THAT, THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL.
NO, BUT, UM, IT'S A GREAT IDEA.
I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S, THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF VIEW PRESERVATION DISTRICTS.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE EXACTLY YOU COULD WELL, THAT'S FIND THIS SPACE, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S LANGUAGE ABOUT CHANGING THE PRESERVATION.
WELL THEY, THEY MENTIONED THAT, BUT THAT SHOULD BE RE-LOOKED AT BECAUSE ALL THE VIEW PRESERVATION YEAH.
THE VIEW PRESERVATION IS, IS PROBLEMATIC.
UM, SO I THINK THAT THE LAST COMP PLAN CLAIMED THAT WE BASICALLY BUILT OUT ALL OUR LAND, WHICH IS REALLY NOT TRUE.
IT'S JUST BECAUSE IF WE FREEZE THE ZONING THE WAY IT
[01:40:01]
IS, WE'VE BUILT IT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT ON THE MARGINS, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT, IS THAT WE HAVE TO OPEN UP OURSELVES.JUST LIKE OVER THE YEARS, OVER THE DECADES AND CENTURIES AND HASTINGS, THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
SO WE, WE, WE HAVE TO CHANGE FOR NEW TIMES AND DENSITY IS ONE OF THEM.
I REALLY ENJOYED THE SECTION ON THE HISTORY.
SO I BET NATALIE BARRY WROTE WAS NICE.
YEAH, IT'S NICE HAVING ALI THERE.
I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED I COULD HEAR HER VOICE THEN.
I HAD A COUPLE THINGS ON THAT THAT I THOUGHT COULD BE.
UM, SO I, THAT WAS THE HISTORY AND PLACEMAKING.
UM, IT TALKED A LOT ABOUT BUILDINGS AND NOTABLE BUILDINGS, UM, AND, AND SPACES, BUT IT DIDN'T MENTION PEOPLE AS MUCH.
AND I THINK WE, WE HAVE A HISTORY A LOT.
OUR HISTORY IS A LOT ABOUT VERY INTERESTING, LIKE PEOPLE THAT WE, WE PAY TRIBUTE TO IN THE MUSEUM OF THE STREETS AND WE TALK ABOUT THEM, BUT THEY, THEY, MANY OF THE KINDS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE LIVED IN HASTINGS, I THINK COULD BE ADDED.
LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, THE CLARKS, WE HAVEN'T STREET NAMED AFTER THEM, BUT THEY'RE NOT MENTIONED IN THE COMP PLAN.
THEY'RE NATIONAL LIKE FIGURES.
SO THAT WAS ONE THING I THOUGHT COULD BE ADDED.
UM, AND THEN, YEAH, I DO THINK PUBLIC SPACE, THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SPACES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, INVITE CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND GATHERING.
I DO THINK TWO MAJOR ONES COULD BE IMPROVED.
THE ONE I JUST MENTIONED EARLIER, WHICH IS I THINK SOME REDESIGN OF THE VFW PARK.
I, THE, THE JAZZ, UM, CONCERTS HAVE BEEN GREAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE ALL GONE TO THE ONES IN THE SUMMER, LIKE EVERY SUNDAY THAT JAZZ CONCERT, BUT IT'S, IT'S LIKE NOT REALLY CONFIGURED.
YOU CAN BARELY SEE THE, UH, THE MUSICIANS BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE SLOPE OF THE HILL IS CONFIGURED.
SO I JUST THINK IT COULD BE REDESIGNED WITHOUT KILLING THE TREES.
'CAUSE THAT WAS THE BIG PROBLEM WITH THE LAST TIME SOMETHING WAS PROPOSED.
UM, YOU DON'T NEED TO CUT DOWN ALL THE TREES, BUT YOU COULD REDESIGN THE, THE, THE, LIKE THE MAIN PART OF THE GRASSY AREA TO MAKE IT MORE CONDUCIVE TO, UM, PEOPLE SITTING AND MM-HMM
AND, UM, BEING PART OF PUBLIC GATHERINGS AND ARTS AND CULTURE AS YOU MENTIONED.
SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO MENTION.
I THINK, UM, ALSO SOME INVESTMENT IN MCC CRAN PARK, WHICH AGAIN, IT'S THERE, IT'S USED, BUT IT COULD BE IMPROVED.
SO I WOULD, I'D JUST SAY THAT SHOULD, THAT SHOULD BE IN THERE.
IT, I MEAN, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HOW MCC CRAN PARK HAS A LOT OF, IS A, HAS A LOT OF PO OF POSSIBILITY AND IT IS NOT LIVING UP TO THAT POSSIBILITY AS PRESENT.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S ALREADY PLANS FOR SOME THINGS TO BE DONE IN MCCN, BUT SOME OF THEM RELATE TO SOME, UM, OTHER WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE THERE.
YEAH, I MEAN, I JUST, AGAIN, LINDA, I JUST WANNA LIKE SHARE LIKE AST, JUST READ IT FOR THE FIRST TIME.
I JUST WANNA SAY IT READ AS MORE LIKE, WELL WE HAVE EROSION OF THE SHORELINE, SO WE'RE REDESIGNING THAT.
BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT, I SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED THE CONTEXT OF HISTORY AND PLACEMAKING BECAUSE I THINK IT COULD BE A BETTER CIVIC SPACE.
SO THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM LIKE IMPROVING THE SHORELINE THAT'S LIKE RECONFIGURING IT SO YOU COULD HAVE MORE NO, YEAH, I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
WE DON'T GO TO MCCS BECAUSE IT'S THE, THAT THERE ACTUALLY ARE PLANS, BUT YEAH, CAN, BUT IT'S NOT IN HERE.
THIS IS, THIS IS COMMENTS ON WHAT'S IN THE PLAN AND WHAT WE WANNA SEE IN THE PLAN.
IF IT'S UNDERWAY, FINE THEN MENTION IT.
BUT IS THERE LIKE A REASON WHY THEY DIDN'T GO INTO LIKE MORE DETAILS LIKE THIS? IT, IT WAS KIND OF MISSING IT.
THEY WANTED TO KEEP IT VERY GENERAL.
I THINK WE GOT THAT GUIDANCE A LOT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR THEMES AND I THINK SPACE FOR THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO THEN IMPLEMENT STRATEGICALLY AND I THINK PREFERRED THAT THE COMMITTEE STAYED AWAY FROM A SPECIFIC SITE LIKE THE VFW OR A VERY SPECIFIC, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, AND THAT WAS WHY I THINK THAT WAS, I DON'T THINK ALL THE TRUSTEES AGREE WITH THE, UH, LACK OF SPECIFICITY.
NO, I THINK THAT'S WHY I'M RAISING IT.
I THINK A MORE INTERESTING PLAN IS ONE THAT MAKES FEWER RECOMMENDATIONS WITH MORE SPECIFICITY.
AND SO IT MIGHT BE THUMBS UP OR THUMBS DOWN WHEN IT GETS TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BUT WHERE IT DRIFTED, MAYBE BECAUSE WE'RE WORKING WITH CONSULTANT AND THEY WERE VERY, VERY GOOD.
THEY WERE WONDERFUL AND THEY GUIDED US THROUGH THE PROCESS AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE TERRIFIC.
BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK THE GENERAL TREND OVER THE COURSE OF TWO AND A HALF YEARS WERE MORE GENERAL VAGUE RECOMMENDATIONS.
WELL USUALLY CONSIDER DOING A STUDY ON AS OPPOSED TO APPROVE THIS, GET RID OF THIS, YOU KNOW? YEAH.
AND UM, AND I UNDERSTAND LIKE IT GIVES THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, YOU KNOW, SOME FLEXIBILITY TO, TO OPERATE, BUT IT'S THE TRADE OFF IS GET A MORE WATERED DOWN DOCUMENT THAT THAT IS HESITANT TO TAKE A REAL POSITION ON CERTAIN ISSUES.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE BFW, BUT NOT NAMING IT AS AN ESSENTIAL CORE LIKE GATHERING POINT.
AND IT'S, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S VERY VISIBLE IN OUR DOWNTOWN.
IT'S USED ALL THE TIME FOR GATHERING, FOR PROTESTS, FOR, FOR CELEBRATIONS, FOR MUSIC.
AND IT'S NOT CONDUCIVE TO THAT.
SO JUST NAMING THAT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY WHAT THE SOLUTION IS, BUT SAY, LIKE, IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED.
WE DIDN'T, YEAH, WE DIDN'T TALK, I DON'T REMEMBER ANY CONVERSATIONS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT VW.
SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT ACT.
[01:45:01]
UM, UH, AND I'D LOVE TO SEE MCC KRAN PARK ALSO, WHICH I THINK IS ANOTHER GREAT ADD.AND I, AGAIN, YEAH, I THINK WE JUST, WE WERE SORT OF PUSHED AWAY FROM SPEC THAT KIND OF SPECIFICITY.
AND I, I THINK THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET IT BACK IN THERE, RIGHT? WITH THE PLANNING BOARD, WE COULD SAY WE REALLY THINK IT'S, IT'S MISSING THAT IT STRONGLY, WE'VE GOT SEVEN PEOPLE LAST MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
I, THE OTHER THING I THINK IS WORTH MENTIONING, SO THE, THE CONCEPT OF WHEN WE HAD, WHEN THE COMMITTEE, OR THE COMMITTEE BY ITSELF, OR WHEN THE CONSULTANT ENGAGED WITH THE PUBLIC, THE PUBLIC HAS A VERY MIXED RESPONSE TO CERTAIN BUZZWORDS, RIGHT? SO THEY HAVE A, A, UM, THEY HAVE A, THEY HAVE A STRONG NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO POPULATION DENSITY AND THEY, THEY, WE, THEY VARY HAVE VERY HIGHLY VARIABLE REACTION TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, RIGHT? SO THEY GO, THEIR MINDS GO INTO DIFFERENT WAYS.
IT DEPENDS ON THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE.
AND SO, AND LIKE WE GOT A LOT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU, HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE TOWN AND THE VILLAGE OF THE FUTURE? AND THEY WOULD JUST BE LIKE, NO CONDOS, YOU KNOW, LIKE
UH, SO THERE'S, THAT IS, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE FOUND VERY, UM, I'M VERY HAPPY ABOUT WITH THIS BOARD IS THAT IT'S THAT WE, I'M SEEING PEOPLE MAKING PROGRESS IN THIS VILLAGE AND I'M SEEING THIS BOARD BEING SUPPORTIVE OF THAT, UM, AND BEING THOUGHT CHANGE.
UM, THE VILLAGE HAS SORT OF A VARIABLE MIXED RESPONSE TO THOSE.
AND LIKE, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO, THEIR VISION OF HASTINGS IS THAT IT STAYS THE SAME, RIGHT? SO THAT, I THINK THAT THAT IS VERY ALSO INFORMS THIS DOCUMENT.
AND WE TRIED TO PUSH BACK ON THAT AND, YOU KNOW, POLITELY AND TRIED TO MOVE THISS WAY THE DOCUMENT, PUSH THE DOCUMENT FORWARD.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S HELPFUL.
I THINK THAT THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL.
AND YOU HAD A DIFFERENT ROLE AS BEING COMMITTEE MEMBERS REPRESENTING, YOU KNOW, PUTTING TOGETHER A VERY, LIKE A COMPREHENSIVE LIKE PARTICIPATORY PROCESS.
THAT'S THE ONLY FAIR WAY TO DO A COMP PLAN.
BUT AS A PLANNING BOARD THAT'S NOW LIKE WE ARE, I THINK WE CAN EXERCISE SOME LEADERSHIP AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES TO EXERCISE SOME LEADERSHIP AND, AND THEY HAVE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE TAKEN A STAND ON SUSTAINABILITY AND RETROFITTING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT, UM, I THINK FOR SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING, WE JUST HAVE TO ARTICULATE WHY IT'S IMPORTANT AND, AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN STAND BY THAT.
WELL, I DO THINK ONE OF THE NICE STRONG CHARACTERS OF THAT DIFFERENTIATES HASTINGS FROM A LOT OF OTHER TOWNS IN WESTCHESTER IS THERE IS SOME SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY AND THERE IS SOME, AND I'LL, I ALSO KIND OF DESCRIBE IT AS AN OCCUPATIONAL DIVERSITY.
LIKE YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO DO LOTS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF JOBS HERE.
IT'S NOT JUST HEDGE FUNDS AND CORPORATE LAWYERS, RIGHT? SO IT'S, YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE DOING.
AND SO THAT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT MEANS YOU NEED DIFFERENT KINDS OF HOUSING AND DIFFERENT PRICE POINTS OF HOUSING.
SO I ALSO THINK THERE'S A WAY OF FRAMING THESE THINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN GETTING TRAPPED IN THESE BUZZWORDS.
BUT IT'S SORT OF LIKE, YEAH, THERE'S ALSO ARCHITECTS AND CITY PLANNERS, RIGHT? EXACTLY.
IT'S WORTH NOTING IF YOU READ THE DATA THAT IS GOING AWAY.
THAT'S THE PROBLEM, IS WE ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE UNAFFORDABLE FOR PEOPLE TO STAY WHO ARE IN THE DIFFERENT INCOME BRACKETS OR DOING DIFFERENT KINDS OF WORK.
UM, AND THEN THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD TO COME IN AND, AND BROOKLYN GET, IT'S NOT THE BROOKLYN, IT'S VERY, IT'S VERY UNAFFORDABLE.
LOOK, WE HAD TO LIVE SOMEWHERE
LET ME SEE IF I HAVE ANY OTHER, UM, BIG ONES THAT I MISSED.
UM, I HAVE SOME SMALL ONES THAT I CAN PASS ALONG LATER, BUT, UM, I ALREADY MENTIONED THAT HIGH TAXES, I ALREADY MENTIONED THAT.
UM, OH, THERE'S A PART THAT MENTIONS, UM, IN THE, I THINK IT'S UNDER THE ECONOMIC VITALITY SECTION ABOUT, UM, HOW THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVE ZONING FOR, UM, A MOVIE STUDIO.
AND THEY MENTIONED ELECTRICAL.
I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED TO SAY THE PLANNING BOARD APPROVED IT.
THAT'S REALLY CRITICAL 'CAUSE YEAH.
SO, UM, THAT'S A MISSING DATA POINT THERE.
UM, AND THEN I ALREADY, SO I HAD A LOT OF COMMENTS ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN, BUT WE'VE COVERED THAT.
UM, OH, I JUST FEEL, I WAS GLAD TO SEE THE RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A WETLANDS PRESERVATION LAW.
SO I WANNA JUST EMPHASIZE THAT.
UM, OH, THERE WAS A WHOLE SECTION ON RESILIENCY OR A PARAGRAPH ON RESILIENCY MAPPING, AND I THOUGHT, AND IT SEEMED TO BE BE MOSTLY ABOUT LIKE HAVING AN INVENTORY OF, UM, PLACES PEOPLE CAN GO OR LIKE ENTITIES THAT CAN STEP IN AN EMER.
WE'VE HAD QUITE A FEW EMERGENCY MM-HMM
LIKE NATURAL DISASTERS AND OTHER
[01:50:01]
KINDS OF THINGS, HEAT WAVES, FLOODS, UM, PANDEMIC HURRICANES.AND I THINK WHAT'S MISSING FROM THAT, WHICH IS I THINK IS A BIG CHARACTERISTIC OF HASTINGS AND COULD BE WRITTEN IN AS SOMETHING THAT WE LIFT UP AND SORT OF MAP OUT TO IS WE ARE, WE HAVE THIS CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE OF PEOPLE THAT LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER.
WE HAVE BASICALLY LIKE A MUTUAL AID KIND OF CULTURE, I THINK MORE THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES.
AND SO I THINK JUST NAMING THAT AND HOW CAN, HOW CAN THE VILLAGE, UM, TAP INTO THAT AND MAKE IT EVEN MORE FORMALIZED.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LIST OF THE OLDER PEOPLE IN THE TOWN AND THE VILLAGE MAKE SURE THAT THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION IS UPDATED.
BUT LIKE, WHAT ARE OTHER EXAMPLES? AND, UM, SO I, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT ADDED TO THAT SECTION SHOULD GET ON THAT LIST.
I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY'S AWARE THAT THE STATE HAS, UM, AMENDED ITS WETLAND LAW AND REGULATIONS SO THAT, UM, PRETTY MUCH IN THIS AREA, ALL WETLANDS ARE NOW STATE REGULATED.
THERE'S NO LONGER THE 12.4 ACRE MINIMUM THAT, UM, IS IN EFFECT HERE.
SO I'M CURIOUS BECAUSE THE ONE, YOU KNOW, IT MENTIONS WHEN IT GETS TO BERK ESTATE, WHEN IT INVENTORIES, ALL OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCE ARE PARK LAND AND RECREATIONAL SPACE.
TALKS ABOUT BURKE ESTATE AND IT SAYS THAT THEY'RE, UM, CONSIDERING ADDING A SKATE PARK.
IT DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE TURF FIELDS BEING PROPOSED.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT THAT'S UNDER CONSIDERATION AND THAT IT'S NEXT TO, UM, EXISTING WETLANDS.
THE TURF, UH, FIELDS WERE, WERE SUGGESTED AFTER, AFTER OUR OH, OKAY.
I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IN THE PLAN THAT THAT'S BEING, BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY NOTING SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S BEING PROPOSED.
SO IT NEEDS TO GO IN THERE AS, BECAUSE IT'S AS A SUCH AN IMPORTANT, JUST SOME, IT IS AN IMPORTANT THING.
SO, AND WE HAVE A WHOLE THING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, SO JUST NAMING IT.
UM, AND THEN I'M ALMOST DONE, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE LISTENED TO THE, THE BOARD OF ED DISCUSSION THE OTHER NIGHT, BUT THE INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED AND, AND WHAT'S IN THE COMP PLAN AND WHAT THE VILLAGES, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC POLICY IS THE REAL DISCONNECT, BUT YEAH.
YEAH, IT WAS FUN LISTENING TO IT.
SO I, I, I KNOW YOU ALL UNDERSTAND IT AND I KNOW THAT IT DOESN'T MAKE ANYBODY HAPPY, BUT THE VILLAGE HAS NO CONTROL OVER THE SCHOOL.
NO, WE, WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT, LINDA.
THAT'S NOT WHAT, WHAT WE WANNA SAY IS THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BERK ESTATE, IT'S SAYING WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED THERE.
IT SAYS ESCAPE PARK HAS BEEN PROPOSED.
AND THIS IS ABOUT NAMING THINGS THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER IN PLANNING, EVEN IF WE'RE IT DOESN'T MEAN, YEAH, IT'S JUST, IT'S FOR, IT'S A PUBLIC DOCUMENT.
I THINK, I THINK PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE AGREE.
I THINK WHAT WE WANT IS JUST BETTER COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TWO, THE TWO TOWERS.
I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING.
OR IF SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, RAN ON A MAYORAL CAMPAIGN OF BEING MORE AGGRESSIVELY INVOLVED, NOT JUST COMMUNICATION, BUT AGGRESSIVELY INVOLVED, THAT PERSON WOULD WIN HAND, HANDS DOWN OVER ANY CANDIDATE, BUT THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE IF THE BOARD OF ED AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ISN'T WILLING TO TAKE THEIR INPUT, THEY DON'T HAVE TO.
AND THAT'S, THERE IS REGULAR COMMUNICATION.
THERE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY MUCH SO.
I, I THINK THAT, THAT THE TEETH THAT I'M LOOKING FOR HERE IS THAT THESE ARE, THIS VERY COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROCESS WAS UNDERTAKEN FOR LAND USE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCY.
ALL THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT.
IT'S, IT'S A ROADMAP FOR A VISION FOR HOW WE WANNA SEE OUR TOWN.
IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT ABOUT EVERYTHING WE CONTROL.
IT'S ABOUT LAYING OUT THE ISSUES.
AND SO IF THE DOCUMENT SAYS TURF FIELDS ARE BEING CONSIDERED NEXT TO, AND, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE NAMED, I MEAN, IT'S IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH.
IT'S, IT'S LIKE WETLANDS THERE.
UM, AND THAT, AND, AND WE ARE A TOWN THAT IS CONCERNED ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY.
AT LEAST YOU CAN POINT TO THE DOCUMENT AND SAY IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.
YOU KNOW, THAT IN OUR COMP PLAN, WE'RE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT DECISIONS BE MADE AROUND REALLY CAREFULLY CONSIDERING THAT TYPE OF ACTION.
IT DOESN'T MEAN WE CONTROL, IT JUST MEANS WE, WE NAME IT.
UM, I HAVE LIKE A IMMIGRANT QUESTION.
THIS WHOLE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE VILLAGE GOVERNMENT, IS THAT LIKE EVERY TOWN? YEAH, THAT'S JUST HASTINGS.
NO, THAT'S LIKE STATE LAW KEEPS SEPARATE.
BUT THEY'RE, BUT THEY'RE NEIGHBORS AND, AND THE, THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SEPARATION, I THINK IS THE THING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS THE, THERE'S A LEGAL, UH, UH, PLAYING FIELD AND THERE'S A PSYCHOLOGICAL OR CULTURAL PLAYING FIELD.
AND OUR SCHISM, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS IN OTHER PLACES, BUT IT'S
[01:55:01]
BLACK AND WHITE IN THIS VILLAGE.AND IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, I WENT TO ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS AND AT THAT MEETING, A SCHOOL OFFICIAL MADE THE CASE THAT THE TAXES REALLY AREN'T GONNA BE THAT BIG OF A BURDEN, BECAUSE RECENTLY THE VILLAGE APPROVED, UM, THIS NEW, UH, UH, COMMERCIAL, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MOVIE STUDIO DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO, AND THEY CITED, THEY EXPECTED TAX REVENUE FROM THAT.
SO THEY BASICALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, THAT'S NOT BUILT YET AND WE DON'T KNOW YET WHAT THE TAX REVENUE IS, BUT THEY ALREADY INCORPORATED THAT INTO THEIR ARGUMENT.
SO THEY'RE TAKING THAT ARGUMENT AND, AND REFERENCING SOMETHING THE VILLAGE IS DOING IN A NON-CONNECTED WAY, YOU KNOW? YEAH.
AND, AND JUSTIFYING THE HIGHER TAXES, THE SUBSIDIZING THEIR EXPENSES REDUCTION.
SO I, THAT BLURRED LINE IS NOT ALWAYS KEPT.
SO THE LAST COUPLE THINGS ARE THAT I THOUGHT, UM, THE HISTORY OF THE QUARRY PARK SHOULD MENTION, AND THAT THIS, I FEEL STRONGLY LIKE THE HISTORY OF WHEN WE GET THINGS WRONG SHOULD AT LEAST BE MENTIONED.
AND THERE, UM, IT TALKS ABOUT HOW, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A QUARRY AND THEN EVENTUALLY, UM, IS NOW A PARK.
BUT THE MISSING PARK, IT SKIPS THE DUMP IT, IT SKIP THE DUMP IT.
OH, IT SAYS, I THINK IT SAYS THAT IT WAS A DUMP, BUT IT DOESN'T MENTION THAT IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL PARK AFTER IT WAS A QUARRY AND IT WAS GIFTED TO THE VILLAGE, AND THE VILLAGE TURNED IT INTO A DUMP.
SO I THINK THAT'S VERY REMINDER PAST CITY, NOT TO MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE.
KNOW, WE, WE, WE SHOULD'VE HAD POOR STEWARD, POOR STEWARDSHIP IN THE PAST.
I'M ALMOST, I THINK I HAVE ONE, MAYBE ONE MORE TRYING TO ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE EVA.
SEE, I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD HIGHLIGHTS.
I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD GOING TO THE DUMP.
THEN THE LAST, THE LAST THING IS, UM, THAT I WANNA MENTION IS THE, UM, I WON'T GET INTO THE WATERFRONT TONIGHT, BUT, UM, THE, THE FIT ON THE, I CAN TALK ABOUT THE WATERFRONT.
UM, AROUND THE, THE WHOLE SECTION ON WALKABILITY AND SIDEWALKS AND ALL THAT.
I, AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL MAKE IT IN HERE, BUT I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT WE SHOULD PUT A SIDEWALK ON FAIRLANE, WHICH IS THAT ROAD THAT GOES, UM, NEXT TO REYNOLDS FIELD.
CONNECTS TO SCARY LANE, THE LANE, THE DIRT ROAD, WHICH GETS CLOSED DOWN EVERY DAY AND THEN FORCES ALL THE TRAFFIC ONTO YEAH.
WE CREATE A TRAFFIC JAM BECAUSE WE CLOSE THAT DOWN AND THE EXCUSE IS THE KIDS HAVE TO BE SAFE WHEN THEY'RE WALKING.
WELL, WHY DON'T WE PUT A SIDEWALK THERE? SO I THINK IT SHOULD BE CROSSING, EVEN IF THE LANGUAGE JUST SAYS, LOOK AT CREATING A SIDEWALK THERE.
LIKE, IT'S NOT EVEN MENTIONED AT ALL, WE CALLED IT.
BUT THE SIDEWALKS, IT'S BEEN CALLED SEVERAL NAMES OVER THE YEARS.
MY DAY WAS THE DIRT ROAD SCARY LANE.
NOW I, I'VE THE STRAIGHT, STRAIGHT PAST CHEKA, THE, THE VILLAGE TRUSTEES, UH, APPROVED THE SIDEWALK AND TRAFFIC CALMING PLAN, INCLUDING ALL THE SIDEWALKS, UH, FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO.
OH, SO IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S OH, OH, OKAY.
IT JUST HASN'T, THEY JUST HAVEN'T DONE IT.
SO THERE'S SOME ISSUES SAYING WITH PARKLAND RESTRICTIONS AND THE COUNTY, BECAUSE ONE SIDE OF THAT ROAD IS, UM, IT, IT'S COMPLICATED, BUT IT HAS BEEN LOOKED AT THAT I CAN TELL YOU.
BUT 95% OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH WERE ADOPTED HAVE NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
SO THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT IS JUST LIKE THE WATERFRONT PIECE, I, I WASN'T SURE I, WERE YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE WATERFRONT? IT JUST FELT LIKE IT WASN'T VERY, UM, BUILT OUT.
WE HAVE A WHOLE PLAN READY TO GO.
WELL WE HAVE A A, WE HAVE AN RFP, IT'S ALL THERE ON THE WEBSITE.
BUT THAT'S SEPARATE FROM, IT'S SEPARATE.
THAT, SO THAT, I THINK IT JUST NEEDS TO BE NOTED THAT THERE'S A SEPARATE BECAUSE LINKED THINK IT'S NOT THE PLANS LIKE WITHIN THE COMPANY.
THERE'S UM, LIKE 2000 PAGES OF APPENDICES THAT YOU'RE NOT READING HERE.
IT LINKS TO, IT'S LINKED TO THE POINT.
AND IT WAS THE CHAIR OF THAT COMMITTEE THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, YEAH.
BUT JUST TO GIVE YOUR PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, ON 42 ACRES OF LAND, IF WE ONLY DID 25% LOT COVERAGE AT SIX STORIES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A MILLION SQUARE FEET OF DEVELOPMENT.
THAT MAY TOO MUCH, BUT THAT'S HOW YOU DO PLANNING ON THE WATERFRONT.
BUT WE WE'RE, WE'RE 20 YEARS FROM ANYTHING WE DON'T ACCESS, HAVE AN ACCESS PROBLEM, BUT YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE MANY YEARS AWAY.
I'M, I'M MORE INTO CONDEMNING IT ALL IN, IN LETTING SOMEONE DO IT, BUT THAT'S MY OPINION.
ALRIGHT, I GOT TO ABOUT TAX BURNING FOLKS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE, I KNOW WE'RE KIND OF FLAGGING HERE, BUT
[02:00:01]
I THINK WE GOT THROUGH A LOT.DREAM ONE, UH, REGARDING, UH, PLACEMAKING.
I WISH THE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT THE WATER TOWER.
DID YOU TALK ABOUT THE WATER TOWER? I THINK IT'S IN THERE.
OH, WE TALKED ABOUT THE WATER TOWER, YOU KNOW.
I COMMISSIONED HIM ON ANOTHER PROJECT I WAS WORKING ON.
UH, WHY DO WE NOT HAVE A PLACE MAKING WATER TOWER? YEAH, THAT'S COOL.
THAT'S THE HOTEL IN WILLIAMSBURG, RIGHT? IS THAT YOURS? IS THAT UH, OR NO, THAT'S THE ONE.
NO, WE, YEAH, WE TRY BY WE, UM, SO AGAIN, UH, I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE SOMETHING, UH, DONE THERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE WRITTEN ABOUT IT, BUT, SO RESTORATION OF THE WATER TOWER IS ACTUALLY IN THE CONSENT AGREEMENT.
RIGHT? SO WATER TOWER, JUST REMEMBER THE VILLAGE DOESN'T OWN THE PROPERTY.
WE DO HAVE THE RIGHT TO THE WATER TOWER HAS TO BE MOVED FOR THE CLEANUP.
'CAUSE SOME OF THE MOST CONTAMINATED AREAS UNDER THE WATER TOWER, BUT THERE IS A PROVISION FOR TEMPORARILY MOVING IT AND PUTTING IT BACK.
ALTHOUGH THERE'S BEEN SOME DISCUSSION WITH THE OWNERS OF THE WATERFRONT ABOUT WHERE IT GOES BACK.
BUT THERE, THIS HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN THE VILLAGE? THERE WAS 20, 20 18.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A WHOLE THING ABOUT PUTTING IT OUT, LETTING PEOPLE SAY IF THEY THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE THE VILLAGE SHOULD DO THAT, SHOULD KEEP IT, PUT IT BACK.
SO THERE, IT'S, IT, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S IN THE CONSENT DECREE.
IT'S, IT'S BEEN A BIG PART OF THE WATERFRONT DISCUSSIONS.
BUT IN TERMS OF LIKE PLACEMAKING, THE VILLAGE DOESN'T OWN THAT PROPERTY.
SO, ALTHOUGH THE CONSENT DECREE DOES ALSO INCLUDE A PART OF THE WATERFRONT BEING DEDICATED TO THE VILLAGE FOR A PARK.
THE PART WHERE THE WATER, THE PART SPECIFICALLY WHERE THE WATER TOWER IS.
I THINK THERE WAS A SECTION THAT TALKED ABOUT YOUTH AND GETTING YOUTH INVOLVED IN LIKE A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL JOBS.
UM, UH, THERE'S NOT REALLY MUCH FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO DO IN HASTINGS.
I MEAN, BESIDES SLICES, UM, I'M SPEAKING FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND I THINK INVESTMENTS IN REYNOLDS FIELD IS GREAT FROM A SPORTING ACTIVITY PERSPECTIVE, THE SKATE PARK AT BURKE, THAT, THAT WOULD BE PHENOMENAL.
BUT I KEEP WONDERING WHETHER THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT WOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO YOUNG PEOPLE, UH, COMING TOGETHER.
THE VFW, MY YOUNG, I THINK THE VFW KID GOES TO, TO MEET HIS FRIENDS AT THE VFW.
UH, BUT THEY JUST HANG OUT THERE.
SO I LIKE YOUR IDEA OF MAKING SOMETHING MORE INTENTIONAL, UH, FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
YOU MEAN OTHER THAN THE PAD
UM, PERHAPS, UH, CAN THE VILLAGE WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE TO UH, NOT JUST SUSTAINABLE JOBS, UH, UH, PLACEMAKING, UH, TO BEAUTIFICATION STUFF FOR HASTINGS WHERE WE GET YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED IN IT.
I'M COMING INTO THE VILLAGE, I'M COMING ON FERT AND I'M SEEING OUR BLUE SIGN.
THERE'S NO LIGHTS SHINING ON IT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S LOW HANGING FRUIT SOLAR, YOU KNOW.
SO I THINK I WONDER IF WE CAN GET OUR YOUTH INVOLVED BOTH ON THAT FROM PLACE MAKING ASPECT INITIATIVES, WORKING WITH THE VILLAGE, AS WELL AS CREATING SPACES FOR THEM TO COME TOGETHER, UM, AS YOUNG PEOPLE BESIDES SLICES PIZZERIA, WHICH IS A GREAT PLACE, DON'T GET ME WRONG.
AS FAR AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE DOWNTOWN, I KEEP WONDERING ABOUT THE COMMUTER LOT AND THAT BIG LOT
DID YOU GUYS THAT OKAY, I SEE, I SEE.
I SEE HEAD NOT TALKED A LOT, SO YEAH.
AGAIN, UH, UH, I REALIZE THE PIPE DREAM IS, IS THROWING A BUNCH OF SOIL OR SOME MEMBRANE THAT CAN KEEP US AWAY FROM THE BAD STUFF ON THE WATERFRONT AND THEN ACTIVATE IT IN SOME WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'LL EVER HAPPEN.
BUT THE PARKING LOT, THE COMMUTER LOT, I WONDER IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR SOMETHING TO BE DONE THERE.
UNDERGROUND PARKING MIGHT BE TOO MUCH TOO AMBITIOUS.
AND THEN YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL GREEN PARK THERE FOR EVERYONE TO USE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WATERFRONT.
ISN'T THERE A WATER DOWN THERE? YEAH.
OH, IS THERE, IS THERE WATER UNDER, IS IT? YEAH, THE STREAM RUNS UNDER THE STREAM RUNS.
SO JUST SO MAYBE, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU DO, YOU DO ONE STRUCTURE UP, RIGHT? YOU HAVE THAT ENTIRE SECOND LEVEL AS A OPEN SPACE FOR PEOPLE.
IF YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT IF IT'S IN THE, UH, NO, NO, I, YEAH, I THINK THAT SHOULD GO IN THERE.
I, WE, WE MORE CREATIVE USES FOR THAT COMMUTER LOT.
'CAUSE IT'S NOW TOO INTERESTINGLY, IT'S NOW TOO BIG, RIGHT? I MEAN THERE'S, IT'S NEVER FULL.
UM, EVEN ON TUESDAY, WHICH IS THE MANDATORY DAY WHEN EVERYBODY
[02:05:01]
HAS TO GO TO WORK IN THE CITY, EVEN TUESDAY IT'S NOT FULL.SO THERE'S DEFINITELY OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT.
I KNOW YOU WANNA, YOU WANT TO PUT A WHOLE DECK ON TOP.
DO YOU KNOW MOISTURE SOFTIE, UH, UH, DESIGN IN, IN MONTREAL? UH, IT CASCADES DOWN.
SO YOU COULD HAVE A TERRORIST, UH, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FROM THE WAR BURTON BRIDGE.
THERE HAVE BEEN PLANS FOR THAT AND HAVE PARKING UNDERNEATH IT THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AND THERE HAVE BEEN PLANS FOR THAT NOW AND THEN.
UH, SATURDAY'S FARMER'S MARKET, IT BECOMES A AWESOME PLACE TO BE.
I JUST KEEP WONDERING, GEE WHIZ, WHAT IF IT WASN'T A PARKING LOT? AND YEAH, WE INTENTIONALLY CREATED SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO THAT, BUT ALLOW FOR PARKING.
SO MAYBE A DECK, YOU KNOW, THAT RAMPS UP ONE LEVEL.
THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE GAVE A VERY GOOD PRESENTATION TO THE COMP PLAN COMMITTEE AND ADDRESSED THAT.
OH, DID IT LOT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT BEING ABLE TO PUT HOUSING THERE.
I RECOMMENDED THE VILLAGE ISSUE, AN RFP, UH, FOR AND TO INVITE PROPOSALS FOR THE LOT.
ALSO THE CON EDISON LOT, WHICH I THINK THEY DID.
I THINK THAT ONE IS ACTUALLY, THAT ONE HAS IS IT'S SMALLER.
I THINK THAT ONE'S FURTHER ALONG.
OH REALLY? I DIDN'T, YOUR HUSBAND AND I TALKED ABOUT THE CONED LOT ABOUT, UH, DOUBLE DECKING IT AND MAKING IT PARKING AND EXTENDING THE PARKING AND HAVING A, UH, PEDESTRIAN VIEW OF THE HUDSON.
UH, SO WE A WAY OF INCREASING PARKING IN THE DOWNTOWN BIG DREAMS CORNER OVER HERE.
AND I DO THINK RIGHT NOW THE, THE COMP PLAN SAYS LIKE, IMPROVE IT BY PUTTING MORE PLANTINGS IN AND, AND A BATHROOM OR SOMETHING.
BUT I THINK THIS MORE VISIONARY THAT I THINK BEING MORE VISIONARY ABOUT IT.
DID YOU TALK ABOUT GETTING RID OF THE TENNIS BUBBLE? I CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE TENNIS BUBBLE BECAUSE ONE OF MY CLIENTS OWNS IT.
HOW ABOUT YOU TWO? I DON'T REMEMBER TALKING ABOUT THE TENNIS.
IT'S PRIVATE LAND, RIGHT? I THINK IT'S PRIVATE PROPERTY, BUT I THINK I THERE ONCE AT A RESTAURANT AT THE TENNIS.
THAT USED TO HAVE A JAMAICAN PLACE.
I THINK WE, I MEAN, UNLESS, UM, KATE, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THINGS? NO, I DON'T.
AND ANGELA, YOU GUYS ARE, YOU'RE GOOD.
I WILL TRY TO WRITE THIS UP IN A SUMMARY AND, AND FOR PLEASE CAN CIRCULATE IT.
YOU PUT SOMETHING ABOUT FOOD TOWN IN THERE, SO
UM, BUT WE GAVE YOU A LOT OF GOOD STUFF TONIGHT.
I THINK WE, I THINK WE GOT LUCKY THAT THE NIGHT WASN'T TOO LONG AND WE COULD REALLY MM-HMM.
AND I WANNA CIRCULATE IT SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN ALL SIGN OFF ON IT AND IT CAN GET TO THE BOARD.
I WOULD LIKE SUPPOSED TO GIVE COMMENTS LIKE BY SECTION OR LIKE, ARE WE JUST GIVING IT THIS IS FINE, HOWEVER YOU WANT.
WELL WE CAN, WE CAN LIKE ORGANIZE ONCE SHE PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER, WE ORGANIZE QUESTION.
I MAY TRY TO ADJOURNING, I MAY TRY TO CATEGORIZE IT A LITTLE BIT.
UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING? SO MOVED.
WHO SECONDS IT? THERE'S MORE HO.