Mount Vernon ZBA Holds Hearing on 11‑story North Third Ave. Proposal; Case Continued to September

The Zoning Board of Appeals in Mount Vernon heard public testimony and applicant presentations July 15 on an application to convert 22 North Third Avenue into an 11‑story, mixed‑use building with 50 apartments and ground‑floor commercial space, then adjourned the case to the board’s September meeting after finding discrepancies in the plans, outstanding financial information and questions about parking and taxes.

The board’s review focused on a requested use variance for the property’s CB (Commercial Business) portion and three area variances: height (plans submitted show 86 feet/11 stories versus the CB maximum of roughly 30 feet/two stories), impervious surface (application lists 100% proposed versus an 80% maximum), and parking (the application lists 42 spaces to be provided against a cited requirement of 64 spaces). Chair Justino told the applicant the use‑variance standard was the first and highest hurdle: “The applicant cannot realize a reasonable return as shown by competent financial evidence,” she read, and said the board must see evidence addressing every required factor for a use variance.

Why it matters: The proposal would place a tall, dense building adjacent to an area the applicant and board identified as a historic district and municipal parking garage. The board said the application could alter the character of the block and raised questions about whether a lower building…