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Greenburgh Nature Center cleared to build 1,200‑sq‑ft welcome pavilion after ZBA grants height variance
Summary
The ZBA approved a 17‑foot timber welcome pavilion and composting restrooms for the Greenburgh Nature Center, granting a height variance and requiring the applicant to obtain permits, file final plans, and meet forestry/landscape conditions; the center hopes to begin construction in winter after 2025 approvals.
The Greenburgh Zoning Board of Appeals granted the Nature Center a variance for a 1,200‑square‑foot timber welcome pavilion, including composting restrooms and an ADA path from the parking lot.
The Nature Center’s executive director (role stated on the record) said the pavilion will act as a visible, sheltered front door to the heavily wooded 33‑acre property and provide a safer, designated place for school buses to drop off students. The structure is roofed and open‑sided; the director told the board the maximum structural height is 17 feet and that existing forest and distance from off‑site buildings (approximately 200–300 feet) mean the pavilion will not be prominent from surrounding properties.
The director said the pavilion footprint will include a small, separate structure for composting toilets near the parking lot and that the project will include a rain garden and native‑planting program to handle stormwater and serve as an educational demonstration. The Nature Center said it hopes to receive permit approvals in 2025 and to begin site work in winter, with a ribbon cutting the following spring.
Board members confirmed the district’s primary‑structure height is 30 feet and granted the requested variance for the open‑sided pavilion. The board’s motion required standard conditions: obtain necessary approvals, file final plans with the building department, and begin construction within 12 months of the last required approval; it also required forestry‑officer consultation for any trees removed and encouraged native plantings in mitigation.
The board recorded its approval with those conditions; applicants were reminded they must obtain all applicable permits and comply with the building department’s requirements.
