Neighbors press for environmental checks as ZBA approves two‑lot subdivision for Bradhurst Avenue

The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a two‑lot subdivision for 108 Bradhurst Avenue in Valhalla after a detailed exchange about neighborhood context, environmental history and construction impacts.

The applicant’s representative told the board the 43,000‑square‑foot parcel — formerly used as a quarry and later for storage of construction materials — is being reconfigured to remove a small house that fronts Bradhurst and place two new homes fronting Armand/Arlen Place. The presenter said planning staff and the planning board favor the proposed alignment because it reduces traffic and safety impacts on Bradhurst. The planning board also asked the applicant to perform oil/soil sampling in areas where trucks and equipment were historically parked.

Several neighbors who live adjacent to the site told the board they support removing the deteriorated barn but asked whether pest control and cleanup would occur before demolition. Rachel Mezzo Power, who identified herself as living at 11 Arman Place, asked: "I'm wondering if there's any plans to relocate, exterminate any vermin that may be calling that barn home before it is... brought to the ground." Board members said pest control and construction‑management details are outside the ZBA’s direct purview and recommended neighbors present these concerns to the planning board; the applicant said the planning board had already requested environmental sampling.

Board members pushed the applicant to study alternatives to the proposed house placement; they discussed shifting house positions, topography constraints and a sewer easement that limits buildable area. One board member suggested moving the proposed houses forward slightly could improve rear yard depth, while the applicant said the chosen alignment best matches the neighborhood and reduces visible massing from the busy Bradhurst corridor.

The ZBA voted to approve the subdivision as presented and recorded that planning would continue to review the site plan, environmental testing and construction controls before building permits are issued. The planning board’s requested oil/soil sampling and any required remediation will be handled during that review, the applicant said.

Next steps: the subdivision will return to the planning board for detailed site plan review, where neighbors can raise construction‑management, pest control and delivery timing as conditions of approval or in permit requirements.