Community board leadership approves appointment, letters of no objection for East Gun Hill Starbucks and Saint Raymond demapping

Bronx Community Board 11's leadership committee met June 23 and approved three formal motions: the nomination of Jeanette Wilson as the board's Class E representative to the White Plains Road Business Improvement District (BID), a letter of no objection for a proposed Starbucks at 1920 East Gun Hill Road, and a letter of no objection for a Saint Raymond Avenue demapping application.

The committee voted to nominate Jeanette Wilson as the BID Class E appointment (an advisory, nonvoting slot that represents the community board on the BID). Jeanette Wilson did not participate in the vote on her own nomination and the meeting record shows her abstention; the nomination passed.

On the Starbucks proposal, the committee voted to approve a letter of no objection that the applicant will use in proceedings before the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA). Committee members discussed that the BSA appearance was connected to a drive‑through and zoning questions; land‑use chair Wendy Hewlett told the committee the land‑use committee had no objections. The motion carried; no roll‑call vote tally was recorded on the transcript.

The committee also voted to approve a letter of no objection for a Saint Raymond Avenue demapping application (demapping is the formal process to remove a street from the city map so it may be incorporated into adjacent property). Two members recorded abstentions on that motion in leadership: the transcript records a rabbi abstaining and a staff member noting an abstention; the motion carried.

What the votes mean and next steps: a letter of no objection does not itself approve construction or land‑use changes; it is a community board position that the applicant may include in filings with city agencies (for the Starbucks case that includes the BSA). The Saint Raymond demapping will proceed through the city’s mapping/demapping review processes. The Jeanette Wilson appointment is an internal board designation to serve as the community board’s Class E representative to the White Plains Road BID.

Quotations from the meeting: Malcolm Gray, director for the White Plains Road BID, described the role and the reason for the nomination: “...I felt like she would be perfect for the type of hyperlocal activity and vision that I have.” Jeanette Wilson, on accepting the nomination, said she was “really honored” and emphasized her local engagement in the Pelham Parkway area.

Administrative notes: leadership asked staff to follow up with applicants for the BSA filing (questions about whether the drive‑through triggered the BSA application) and requested clarification about current uses and ownership in the Saint Raymond area (several members said they would request more information and present details to the full board). The motions as recorded in leadership will be forwarded to the full board packet and published with the full board agenda.

Ending: The leadership committee closed the motions portion and moved on to ethics and calendar items; the community board will consider the motions, supporting materials and any applicant responses at its next full board meeting.