Owner seeks storage and vehicle yard at remediated lot on Neffern Avenue; public hearing set

Joseph Paladino, the property owner, and architect Michael Gismondi presented a site plan for a storage and vehicle yard at 140 Neffern Avenue. Gismondi described a fully enclosed yard with a 7.5‑foot chain‑link fence and a 7‑foot landscape buffer, roughly 25,500 square feet of proposed material storage with the remainder of the lot used for vehicle parking. He noted the site lies in the FEMA 100‑year floodplain and that the applicant had applied for and received a flood‑plain permit review from the Bureau of Engineering.

Deputy Commissioner Schmidt and board members asked about impervious coverage, stormwater controls and whether plant species selected for buffers can tolerate periodic inundation. The applicant said the site would come into compliance with the LI‑zone impervious coverage limits by adding landscaped areas; the applicant also said they will research oil separators and other measures to protect runoff if vehicles and equipment are stored on site. The board also asked whether trenching near capped, remediated areas would trigger state notification; the applicant's environmental consultant indicated the team would comply with any state requirements and notify the state if necessary.

Planning staff confirmed the applicant must mail notices to property owners within 500 feet and post a sign at the site; the board scheduled a public hearing for March 30 and asked the applicant to send the required notices the next day so they could be mailed postmarked timely.

Next steps: applicant to produce responses to outstanding engineering and environmental questions by March 24; staff to confirm mailing list and notices and return the application for the March 30 public hearing.