White Plains Planning Board delays vote on 11 Middle Road patio expansion because of steep-slope vote requirement

The White Plains Planning Board on Jan. 21 adjourned the public hearing on a site-plan amendment for an expanded patio at 11 Middle Road until Jan. 28 because the panel did not have the five votes required to adopt plans for an environmentally sensitive site.

The proposal, presented by structural engineer Kevin Munene on behalf of applicant Shahin Badali, would replace an existing rear brick-paver patio and deck with Bluestone pavers, extend the patio by about 300–320 square feet of additional impervious surface, and replace the front walkway with Bluestone. Munene said the design adds a Coltec stormwater retention chamber and a couple of area drains next to the new patio to collect runoff.

“The board cannot vote tonight unless they wanna turn it down because it’s an environmentally sensitive site and it requires 5 votes to be adopted,” said Liz Meriden, sitting in for Chairman John Iores, explaining why the hearing was adjourned. Meriden and other board members said the panel had only four members present that evening.

Neighbors and board members discussed site constraints and mitigation. Munene told the board the proposed patio would stop about 3 feet short of the steep-slope area and would not encroach on it. Neighbor Douglas Ramsey, of 7 Middle Road, said a revised plan he received from the applicant reduced his groundwater concerns: “So now that I’ve seen this, my concern on the groundwater is not an issue.” Ramsey asked about measures to limit dust from cutting Bluestone; he said prevailing winds carry from the applicant’s yard toward his property.

Munene said contractors would use wet cutting and could install temporary tarps or a three-sided barrier if requested. “We’re gonna accommodate both, you know,” he said, describing wet-cutting with a hose at the saw to control dust.

Planning staff noted that Department of Public Works comments had been emailed and that the Conservation Board was meeting the same evening and might provide additional comments to be folded into the record before the Jan. 28 meeting. Board members confirmed the hearing would be adjourned to Jan. 28 without re-advertising; the board also reviewed upcoming meeting dates, including Feb. 18.

The board opened the public hearing earlier in the meeting and later moved to adjourn the hearing until Jan. 28. The public hearing and site-plan review will resume at the next meeting, when the board expects to have the votes needed to act.