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Board presses applicant on safety, valet and employee parking as Jen (Gen) Korean Barbecue seeks 100‑space shared parking cut at Dalewood
Summary
Developers of a proposed 10,750 sq ft Gen Korean Barbecue at Dalewood Shopping Center sought a 100‑space shared‑parking reduction; the board and town traffic consultant pressed for clearer pedestrian safety measures, an employee parking plan and phased or valet options to manage peak demand.
The Greenburgh Planning Board pressed operators and the landlord of a proposed Gen Korean Barbecue on March 4 over public‑safety and parking risks tied to a request for a 100‑space shared‑parking reduction at Dalewood Shopping Center.
At a work session, Mark Newman of Brixmor Property Group said the applicant plans a 10,750‑square‑foot restaurant at the end cap of Dalewood 1 and has negotiated a lease with the chain. Laura, senior project manager at Langan Engineering, described plan revisions that add a pedestrian path from the nearest bus stops, new pedestrian‑safety stop bars and an enclosed refuse area, and she said a parking survey showed peak occupancy of 161 vehicles versus the 420 seats proposed in the restaurant program, leaving roughly 20 excess stalls at peak times on the current plan.
John Canning, the town’s traffic consultant, told the board the submitted data showed the center would approach roughly 90% of capacity during peak periods and that restaurants generate higher peak parking demand than other retail uses. He recommended options the board could require or condition, including: an opening with fewer seats and a monitored study before full seating is allowed; a valet program at identified peak times using underutilized rear stalls; and clearer, high‑visibility pedestrian striping at the primary crosswalks. “If you need valet, you’re doing good business,” Canning said, describing how valet staging could use a bay in front of the adjoining building and stack cars in the rear during peaks.
Restaurant operator John McKay said an initial phased opening that ropes off portions of the interior would be operationally awkward and costly: “It would essentially be at peak times” that seats would be unavailable, and that affects revenue during the high demand period. He said valet is a possible mitigation and that typical peak hours would be 6–10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Board members also flagged pedestrian visibility at a red‑brick crosswalk at the site entrance. Canning recommended adding white continental striping on top of the red surface to improve conspicuity and noted that crosswalks in the state Department of Transportation right‑of‑way may require DOT signoff. The applicant agreed to add striping to the revised plans and to show stop‑sign and stop‑bar locations.
The board asked the applicant to supply additional materials: detailed responses to the building‑inspector memorandum dated March 3, a staffing/employee‑count summary for all Dalewood tenants, and an employee parking plan or lease‑level commitment to direct employees to rear stalls. The applicant agreed to provide those materials and the town tentatively scheduled a follow‑up work session for March 18 to determine whether the board can set a public hearing.
As part of the record, staff noted the building department will not formally endorse the 100‑space reduction but has deferred discretionary review to the Planning Board and the town’s traffic consultant.
Next steps: the applicant will submit revised plans and responses; staff anticipates a March 18 follow‑up where the board may decide whether to advance the project to a public hearing.
