New Rochelle landmarks board approves rear addition and legalizes expanded garage at 7 Schuyler Street

The City of New Rochelle Historical and Landmarks Review Board on July 9 approved a single-story rear kitchen addition, a new deck and the legalization and exterior alterations to an expanded three-car garage at 7 Schuyler Street.

The application was presented by John Woodruff, the architect, on behalf of property owner Sue Yen Taylor. Woodruff told the board the project moves an existing deck further back to make room for a one‑story kitchen addition with a cathedral ceiling and new deck. He said the applicants discovered, when filing for the addition, that a one‑car garage had been enlarged sometime before 2000 and is now being legalized as a three‑car garage. "This application started with a new kitchen addition in the back of the house," Woodruff said. "As we went to file this with the building department, we found out that the garage had been expanded at some point or another."

Why it matters: The board’s approval clears the owner to alter the house’s rear elevation and to regularize an expanded garage in the Rochelle Heights historic zone, with proposed exterior work intended to bring the garage facade into closer visual agreement with the house. Neighbors raised questions about property-line covenants and visibility from adjacent streets.

Board discussion and materials: Woodruff described exterior changes that include replacing existing vinyl siding with HardiePlank siding in a two‑tone scheme (blue on the lower portion and beige above), installing white AZEK trim, adding a brick wainscot and applied trim to the garage façade, and new black wood windows in the rear. He said the existing rear deck is made of ipe wood and that the applicants plan to retain the decking material while changing the railing color to black aluminum. The proposed garage elevation dimensions shown by the applicant measured about 32 feet wide by 23 feet deep. Woodruff said some portions of the garage are not visible from Boulevard East and that the design is intended to be consistent with the house’s detailing.

Woodruff told the board the applicants had received the necessary zoning variances to legalize the garage; he described that approval as unanimous. He also said a survey shows the garage sits entirely on the subject lot. Resident commenter Elena Harrison Cowie raised a concern about a Rochelle Heights covenant that, she said, prohibits a building from straddling two lots; she asked whether the garage sits wholly on Lot 20 or encroaches onto Lot 18. Woodruff responded that the survey shows the garage is on the single lot and that he can provide the survey to the board. "So I'm just wondering if you because you are you are legalizing a garage that may have... that may be partially on the other lot," Cowie said at the podium.

Code and site constraints: The applicant said the garage is close to the property line and that fire‑rated (noncombustible) siding will be required because the current vinyl siding is approximately two feet from the lot line. Woodruff told the board the existing shingles beneath removed aluminum siding were in poor condition and that the HardiePlank product is proposed to replace them.

Public comment and follow-up: Cowie also questioned whether black windows are appropriate to an early‑20th‑century house; Woodruff and board members noted the proposed rear window replacements would not generally be visible from the street. Woodruff said that if the owners later replace front‑facing windows or otherwise change visible features, they would return to the board for review.

Vote and outcome: After discussion, a board member moved to approve the addition and the exterior items as described by the applicant; the motion was seconded and passed with all members present voting in favor. The board recorded no opposed votes. The applicant said he would submit the survey and construction details as part of the permit process.

The board did not identify any additional city council referrals related to this application at the July 9 meeting.