Planning board approves conditions for moving‑company storage conversion; requires cameras, landscaping and sidewalk repairs

Residents and the owner of 896 South Columbus Avenue addressed the Mount Vernon Planning Board as the board considered an application to convert a turn‑of‑the‑century two‑story manufacturing building into a storage facility for a residential moving business.

Owner Christopher Rooney and design professionals described an internal renovation that would block most existing windows, fix the thermal envelope, install humidity‑controlled HVAC for high‑end storage and maintain only limited truck activity. Rooney said operations would be primarily daytime and that trucks would not be stored on the site overnight; he estimated one truck per day on busy days, arriving by about 7 a.m. and departing before mid‑afternoon.

Planning staff reported comments from public works and fire and no written public comments. Public Works asked about water and sewer capacity if water use increased; the applicant said no new impervious area or stormwater discharge is proposed and that plumbing/HVAC updates have been submitted for review. Commissioners pressed on hours of delivery, whether trucks would be parked onsite, security cameras and camera retention. Rooney said that trucks will not be stored at the Mount Vernon site and that the company operates out of Queens; the facility is intended as a holding and climate‑controlled storage space for moving inventory.

After testimony, the board closed the public hearing, accepted lead agency status under SEQRA, and completed Part 2 of the short environmental assessment form (all answers were “no” or “small/none”). The board voted to declare a negative declaration under SEQRA. Commissioners specified conditions they wanted written into the resolution that staff and counsel will prepare for the June meeting: 60‑day retention for exterior security camera footage, replacement/replanting of the dead landscaping strip along the street with non‑invasive native species, repair of the sidewalk in front of the property, and resurfacing/blacktopping of the driveway area. The motion to direct staff and counsel to prepare an affirmative resolution with those conditions passed on a voice vote.

Why it matters: The conversion replaces a heavier industrial use with a quieter storage operation, but the board imposed conditions to ensure neighborhood safety and streetscape improvements before final approval.

What’s next: Staff and counsel will prepare a resolution reflecting the camera retention, landscaping and sidewalk/driveway repair conditions for a board vote at the June meeting.