Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Steep Slope Permit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board approves shortened steep-slope permit for 19 Pine Lane with strict stormwater conditions
Summary
The Greenburgh Planning Board approved a condensed steep-slope permit for 19 Pine Lane, requiring installation of a level spreader, terrace walls and seasonal maintenance; staff wrote the approval to expire Sept. 3 to ensure timely completion of stormwater hookups.
The Greenburgh Planning Board on April 21 approved a planning-board steep-slope permit for a backyard renovation at 19 Pine Lane that includes a brick patio, terrace retaining walls and stormwater controls, with a shortened approval period and site-specific maintenance requirements.
The applicant's engineer, Steven Anderson, told the board the project team compared current runoff to Westchester County GIS topography and that, once fully installed, the proposed system'including a level spreader, terrace wall and landscaping'would reduce net runoff by about 16 to 17 percent and produce sheet flow rather than a concentrated point discharge. "We're doing a significant amount of reduction of stormwater off this property," Anderson said. He added that the town engineer has reviewed the designs multiple times and is in agreement.
Board staff said, given the long history of the application and the desire to have the work completed promptly, the planning-board approval would be shortened from the typical two-year permit to an approval valid through Sept. 3, 2025, with the option to request an extension if necessary. That condensed timeline is intended to encourage the applicant to secure stormwater and building permits quickly and complete final landscaping while inspections can take place.
The draft decision includes site-specific conditions requiring installation and ongoing upkeep of erosion control measures, the level spreader, terrace walls and landscape plantings identified on the approved plans, and it cites the New York State Standards and Specifications for Erosion and Sediment Control (November 2016) as an applicable standard. The decision language was edited on the board floor to clarify that the applicant shall "appropriately maintain, repair and/or replace, as applicable, the slope, level spreader and landscaping to prevent erosion and channelized discharge," a change the board accepted prior to the vote.
Homeowner Doug Collins and Cindy Collins said they want the work completed as quickly as possible but raised concerns about contractor availability. "We're not trying to delay anything," Cindy Collins said, adding the couple has found contractors hard to schedule. Planning staff advised the Collinses to communicate timeline constraints so staff can monitor progress and inspections.
Board members asked staff to confirm building and stormwater permits are obtained and to coordinate inspections with the Bureau of Engineering and the building inspector's office. Staff said it would sign and transmit the decision to the applicant within days and monitor compliance.
The board voted to adopt the amended draft decision and authorized staff to finalize the document and transmit it to the applicant and relevant departments. The decision directs inspections by the bureau of engineering and the building inspector's office and requires final landscaping inspections by planning staff before the file is closed.
The applicant and staff should report back to the board if there are delays, and extensions would be considered at a future meeting. The Planning Board did not identify any outstanding appeals or litigation during the meeting.
