Planning board approves new single‑family home on Wilmot Road after wetlands and stormwater review

The New Rochelle Planning Board on July 22 approved site-plan application PB 13‑2025 for a new single‑family home to be built on a 5.46‑acre lot on Wilmot Road, across from Iona Prep. The proposal by ABF Wilmot Road LLC calls for a six‑bedroom residence, pool and terrace, driveway, utilities and stormwater facilities, and includes landscaping to protect a near‑lake wetland buffer.

The board’s approval follows a detailed technical presentation from the applicant’s design team, which addressed wetland setbacks, flood elevations and a three‑system stormwater management plan intended to capture and infiltrate runoff outside the city’s 50‑foot wetland buffer.

Attorney Jessica Zaelin said the project parcel (Lot 1 of a previously approved subdivision) is in the R‑1‑20 zone and noted that single‑family residences are principally permitted. Architect Danilo Marini described a home with large windows oriented toward the lake and relatively low lot coverage (about 5.7 percent FAR and 7.3 percent lot coverage). Engineer Harry Rodefield said the house and stormwater facilities are sited outside the 100‑year flood zone and that detention systems and erosion controls will remain outside the 50‑foot wetland buffer; he described a design that detains the required water‑quality volume and provides overflow routes over vegetated land toward the lake.

Landscape architect Bruce Eckerson described a screening and planting plan, including an alley of cherry trees along the driveway, evergreen screening where appropriate and ornamental plantings toward the lake. The team said they would preserve as many trees as feasible; the plan anticipates removing about 30 trees and replacing them per city requirements.

The board’s conditions of approval include city and DPW permits for work in the right of way; submission of all necessary permits and approvals from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation prior to issuance of a building permit; a tree‑removal bond to secure replacement plantings; a restriction on planting within the sanitary‑sewer right of way; an administrative return to the board for landscaping review prior to issuance of a building permit; correction of drafting errors on the first‑floor plan; and installation of erosion‑control measures before site work begins. The applicant agreed to the conditions.

Public comment at the hearing raised drainage concerns on adjacent lots and potential flooding; a nearby resident, Veil Feldman, urged installation of a localized drainage measure near his property line to prevent runoff from reaching his yard. The applicant’s counsel noted that a condition from the earlier subdivision resolution requires review of drainage on the adjacent lot (Lot 3) when it is developed and said prospective buyers of Lot 3 are on notice.

The board moved to approve the site plan; the motion passed on a voice vote. Staff will require DEC approval and other permits and will review the landscaping plan administratively before a building permit can be issued.