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Planning board backs specialty 24/7 animal hospital and recommends zoning approval
Summary
The Greenburgh Planning Board voted to send a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board for a proposed 24/7 emergency and specialty animal hospital at 718 Central Park Avenue, after the applicant outlined noise‑mitigation measures, staffing plans and a supervised outdoor relief area for hospitalized dogs.
The Greenburgh Planning Board voted on July 17 to send a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board for a proposed 24/7 emergency and specialty animal hospital at 718 Central Park Avenue.
Applicant Sam Dicker told the board his plan would convert the vacant 10,447‑square‑foot former restaurant into a fully enclosed, sound‑mitigated emergency and specialty facility staffed initially by about 40 employees. "We are currently in the process of purchasing 718 Central Park Avenue," Dicker said. He described design strategies his architect uses to limit noise and said the enclosed pet relief area will use semi‑porous turf that drains to the building plumbing and be supervised by staff.
The project requires a special‑use permit and an area variance for the outdoor relief yard; Dicker said he has filed for the variance. He said routine and medical waste will be removed by appropriate services and that the site already provides more than the required off‑street parking.
Neighbors and board members asked about noise, outdoor operations and traffic. Dicker said hospitalized dogs are typically quiet and that the architects will apply sound‑deadening finishes inside the building; he also said deliveries and waste removal would occur during normal daytime hours. "The animal hospital will be quiet," he said.
Planning board members discussed whether the outdoor relief area is essential to the facility’s operation. Several members said the dog‑relief area materially affects the clinic’s ability to provide safe, humane care and argued that a supervised outdoor space reduces risks to staff and animals compared with walking dogs in public along a busy roadway.
After discussion, the board declared the application a Type II SEQRA action and voted to forward a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board on the special‑use permit and associated variances. The board asked the applicant to return with final site‑plan details after the zoning decision.
Next steps: the application goes to the Zoning Board for final action on the variance and special‑use permit; the planning board will review a site plan for any required building‑permit or as‑built items after zoning action.
