The Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals heard more than an hour of public comment and testimony July 17 on a proposed self‑storage facility at 1999 Central Park Avenue, with neighbors and Councilman Morante urging the board to deny the variance and the applicant saying the design minimizes rock removal and traffic.

The matter matters to residents because the site borders a cooperative’s neighborhood amenity, sits roughly 300 feet from a recently opened storage facility to the south and would require rock excavation and heavy equipment near apartments and a small park. Councilman Morante, Sixth District, said he spoke for neighbors who “do not want the property developed” and asked the board to deny the variance on their behalf.

Attorney James Venorusso, representing the applicant, told the board the project had been before the ZBA previously, that the applicant secured conceptual driveway approval from the New York State Department of Transportation and that the design was revised to “minimize rock removal.” Venorusso said the applicant spent more than $1.5 million redesigning the project to reduce excavation. Venorusso also noted there have been five public hearings on the application since June 2022 and said the project team submitted a supplemental report on June 25 with schedules, site comparisons and a rock‑removal timeline.

Professional engineer Bill Schneider of PS&S Engineering described site plans and the drainage approach, and said the project team received DOT conceptual approval for ingress and egress and submitted the required DOT drainage report. Schneider also summarized the stepped building design intended to reduce the amount of rock that must be removed. He said the rock‑removal contractor estimated “approximately eight months’ worth of rock removal” in his report.

Anthony Maron, the applicant’s managing member, said the team explored retail and residential alternatives, and that “self storage is probably the least traffic use that you can find,” adding the design changes were made after two community meetings at the Will Library. The project team also said Westchester County would consider moving the nearby bus stop to accommodate the site entrance. The team notified the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation but reported no response to date.

Opponents described potential effects on a small co‑op playground and common area, tree loss, dust and noise from heavy equipment, and concern that rock excavation could destabilize nearby terrain. Ada Reveron, a co‑op resident of 2035 Central Park Avenue, said the courtyard and small park are important community space and urged the board to preserve it. Jeff Michalak, who lives behind the site, and other residents said they fear prolonged noise, construction dust and reduced parking if the bus stop is moved.

Board members and the applicant agreed on a procedural next step: the ZBA will not hold hearings in August; the item will return in September and the board requested the project file and the June 25 supplemental report be available in the ZBA public agenda file. The chair asked residents to submit documents and comments by email so they can be posted with the minutes. No motion or vote on the variance was taken at the meeting.

What was discussed, not decided: testimony and exhibits addressed building height, line‑of‑sight to neighboring properties, drainage, estimated rock‑removal duration and the contractor’s proposed mitigation measures. The board and applicant flagged follow‑up items: clarify park ownership and any written contracts referenced by residents, review geotechnical reports (the applicant engaged geotechnical firm Colin Simpson), document the DOT approvals and the county’s bus‑stop response, and post all materials to the ZBA public file before the September meeting. The chair said the next hearing date will be posted (the board announced a September 17 meeting date at adjournment).

Sources: testimony and filings presented to the Yonkers Zoning Board of Appeals, public comments from residents, statements by counsel James Venorusso and engineer Bill Schneider, and remarks by applicant Anthony Maron.

Ending: The ZBA left the matter open for further review; residents and the applicant were told to submit documents over the summer and to expect the matter to return to the board’s September agenda.