Bronxville planning board approves Bacioni expansion, waives survey and parking-study requirements

The Village of Bronxville Planning Board voted to approve an application from Bacioni to expand its storefront into the adjacent unit and operate the combined space as a restaurant, and granted waivers of a required land survey and a parking-study/parking-provision requirement.

Leonard Bridal of Brandis Architects presented the application, saying the project converts a neighboring service space into dining and links it to the existing pasta carryout with two openings. "We're going from a carryout to a restaurant, and we're going also from a service place to a restaurant," Bridal said, describing plans for additional basement storage, a walk-in refrigerator and freezer, and a modest increase in cooking capacity under the existing hood.

Owner Diana (last name not specified) told the board Bacioni opened about two years earlier and wants sit-down service in addition to takeout. "We opened about 2 years. ... We just wanna make something nice happen there," she said. She described the restaurant as a long-term local business with an existing customer base.

Plans shown to the board list a combined first-floor area a little over 1,000 square feet and basement storage; the applicants said the total is well under the 3,500-square-foot threshold that would automatically require a parking study under village practice. The applicants seek permission to operate up to 33 seats total (the applicant said the existing approved seating for the current space is 12), and estimated staffing of two to three floor staff plus existing prep employees. Hours cited were approximately 11 a.m. to midnight.

Bridal described refuse arrangements: commercial refuse containers to be stored in the basement and carted by private hauler three times per week (with the option to increase service), using existing common access routes to the shared refuse area. The consultant on the village review asked the applicants to clarify whether two or three containers would be provided; the applicant response in the record is that the plan shows two to three containers dedicated to the commercial space.

Board discussion focused on parking and precedent. Several planning board members noted that Bronxville's older zoning and parking tables were written for suburban contexts, and asked whether the village should routinely waive parking-study requirements for similar conversions in a built village center with few places to add new parking. One board member urged the board to "at least think about when we waive a parking study requirement," noting the village has been granting waivers for small conversions in walkable places.

Planning staff confirmed they had been in contact with trustees about broader parking policy but that the planning board must make decisions on waivers for individual applications. Board members also discussed that the Acme lot and nearby municipal lots typically have available spaces in the evening; several members said evening demand tends to be lower than afternoon peak hours.

On building-code and health requirements the applicants said they would provide two accessible bathrooms to meet state and county health-department rules associated with alcohol service, and that the combined space would remain below the 50-person threshold that would trigger additional egress requirements. Bridal said there are multiple basement exits; the plans show two exits to the exterior plus basement egress.

After discussion, a board member moved to accept the application and grant both the waiver of the survey requirement and the waivers related to parking and parking-study requirements. The motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously "Aye." The approvals allow the change of use and the waivers as presented; applicants will proceed to file for building permits and health-department approvals.

The record shows the board debated the policy implications of repeated waivers for parking studies but did not attach additional conditions to the approvals; board members said they expect the trustees and staff to address larger parking-policy questions at the municipal level.