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Board permits storage of private passenger vehicles and personal belongings at 294 Union Avenue with conditions
Summary
The Zoning Board approved a change from a nonconforming ornamental‑ironworks use at 294 Union Avenue to a nonconforming long‑term storage use for private passenger vehicles and personal property, subject to conditions barring commercial vehicles and hazardous materials.
The New Rochelle Zoning Board approved a change of nonconforming use for 294 Union Avenue, allowing the property owner to lease the building to store personal property and private passenger vehicles for an overseas diplomatic tenant. The board approved the change with conditions: the use must be long‑term storage of private passenger vehicles and personal property, and no commercial vehicles, heavy equipment or hazardous materials may be stored on the premises.
Attorney Max Fabio and applicant representative William Uris told the board the new lease would reduce the site’s prior activity and that the building would not be used as an operational garage. The applicant said the building had been used for multiple nonresidential purposes over decades and that, most recently, portions had been used sometimes for storage by the City School District.
Neighbors objected on safety and congestion grounds. Multiple residents, including Barbara Seckler and Sandra Ortega, described heavy vehicle activity tied to past uses, cramped pickup/drop‑off traffic at nearby schools, and pedestrian safety concerns given that the corner is used by schoolchildren and older residents. Speakers asked for a clear limit on the type and number of vehicles and for assurances that trucks and commercial equipment would not return.
The applicant submitted a lease to the building department; the hearing record includes a lease clause stating the demised premises “shall be used solely for the storage of personal property and the parking of vehicles and for no other purpose unless approved in writing by the lessor.” Counsel said the lessee is the Kingdom of Morocco and that vehicles would be long‑term stored passenger cars, not commercial trucks, and estimated two to four vehicles but said the building could physically fit more.
After a brief recess to review the lease language and confer with the city attorney and building‑department staff, the board approved the change of nonconforming use with the stated conditions: (1) long‑term storage only; (2) private passenger vehicles only (no commercial vehicles); (3) no hazardous materials stored on site; and (4) no subletting to third parties. The motion carried with Fernando Arias voting no and other board members voting yes. The approval is tied to the lease terms presented and the conditions imposed by the board; enforcement and any changes will be subject to code enforcement and building‑department oversight.
