Board approves two adjacent two‑family houses on Rosedale and Pershing with design and drainage conditions

The New Rochelle Planning Board on July 22 approved two related site‑plan applications (PB 15‑2025 and PB 16‑2025) for adjacent two‑family residences at 22 Rosedale Avenue and 122 Pershing Avenue, while requiring additional conditions for drainage, construction‑period maintenance and further facade review on the Pershing design.

Architect Eric Wilson presented both projects as updated versions of approvals previously granted three years ago. The Rosedale project already has a poured foundation on site; the Pershing lot is new to construction. Wilson said each two‑family building will have two parking spaces (one in a garage and one exterior space) per unit, separate utilities with split metering, and basements with egress windows or doors. He confirmed that the drainage easement between the two lots (a 10‑foot private easement) allows Pershing to drain across Rosedale down to a catch basin that ties into the city storm system.

Public commenters raised long‑running concerns about site maintenance and stormwater during construction on Rosedale, saying past site conditions contributed to mud and runoff onto the street. Area residents also expressed worries about on‑street parking supply and the cumulative effect of additional two‑family units in the neighborhood.

Board discussion focused on two topics: ensuring site maintenance during construction and the massing and facade articulation of the Pershing proposal. One planning board member said the Pershing front elevation currently “reads as a single undifferentiated mass rather than two distinct homes,” and urged design changes to break the facade into more human‑scaled components. The applicant agreed to work with the city’s park/design staff and return for an administrative review of the front facade; the board added that review as a condition. The board also required a held‑harmless agreement and a minimum 54‑inch ductile‑iron pipe for the city drainage connection if installed in the right of way.

Conditions imposed on both approvals include DPW permits for right‑of‑way work; a held‑harmless agreement signed prior to any storm‑sewer connection to the city system; clarifying the private 10‑foot drainage easement between Block 1517 Lot 100 and Lot 101; remediation of any damage to the city right of way; and a requirement that the applicant maintain the site during construction, including erosion controls and landscaping work, beginning immediately. For the Pershing application, the board required the applicant to return to the Planning Board for an administrative review of the front facade and to work with park staff on design revisions.

After the conditions were read and accepted by the applicant, the board voted to approve both site plans. The applicant acknowledged the board’s request for more refined front‑façade articulation on Pershing and agreed to submit revised drawings for administrative review before a building permit was issued.