Neighbors on a relatively suburban road in the Village of New Paltz have long opposed a proposed renovation project at 7 Prospect Street. But as it became clear that the planning board was likely to approve an amended site plan, some of them focused their comments on adding further conditions to the approval.
The amended site plan was approved unanimously.
Seven Prospect and adjoining 5 Prospect have been under scrutiny from neighbors for at least two years, when Prospect Estates, LLC was granted the right to demolish a single-family home with a two-family dwelling; and an addition converting an existing single-family home into a two-family home.
Among the opposition from neighbors was the perception that the plans exploited a zoning loophole for an area that sits at the line of the B-2 (Core Business) and R-2 (Residential) districts. There were also concerns about the impact the project would have on the tranquility of the street by opening it up to college students, as well as the possibility that the project construction might have on adjoining properties.
At the meeting of the planning board on Monday, August 4, direct neighbor Alison Nash asked that a design element be changed.
“The placement of the front door to the addition is unusual, given that rather than facing the street, it is in the middle of the yard, directly facing all the bedroom windows to my house, which is right next door,” Nash said. “A large number of bedrooms and parking spaces at 7 (Prospect) mean that noise and lights of people and cars noisily coming and going throughout late hours of the night would create much disturbance. I am therefore asking that tenants be clearly informed that they are living in residential neighborhood and that quiet is expected after 11 p.m.”
The Planning Board addressed the extensive public-comment period, particularly those reviewed by code enforcement officer Mike Baden.
“I want to shout out to Mike and the building department, who went through and literally listened to all the public comment and public hearings to confirm that all the things that were cited as potentially omissions or errors in the plans were either incorrect and were correctly addressed in the plans or might need a change,” said Rich Souto, serving as chairman for the meeting as Zach Bialecki was attending remotely.
Among the conditions for approval are a maximum bedroom count of nine for the 2-family dwelling, with five in the front and four in the back. Other pieces of the puzzle, including setbacks and parking spaces, must be accurately depicted in the plans. And prior to a certificate of occupancy being granted, landscaping, drainage, and fill must be completed as approved.
Some of the concerns of Nash and others were valid, even if they were outside the purview of the planning board, Souto added.
“We’re trying to build a community that has a real mixture of people that live in it, and some of them own the home they live in, some of them rent the home they live in, and all kinds of people live in all kinds of those properties,” Souto explained. “We just want to ask that everybody maintain properties according to the character of the communities we’re all trying to live in and build together, and that we be responsive to the neighbors in ways that are reasonable.”
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