Neighbors urge ZBA to block subdivision that they say would reverse 1957 rezoning

An application to subdivide 6 Cotswold Way into two lots prompted lengthy public opposition and legal argument about rezoning history and precedent.

Architect Emilio Escaladas said the proposal would restore lot geometry dating to the 1920s and argued the new houses would ‘fit’ the neighborhood. Neighbors — represented by Amy Foote of the Cotswold Association and attorney Grama Mallett for Hartsdale Garden owners — urged the board to deny the requested variances. They said the 1957 rezoning to R‑20 merged contiguous substandard tax lots under common ownership and that decisions from 1995 and 1996 had rejected comparable requests because granting them would erode fifty years of consistent enforcement and set a precedent that could be replicated across the neighborhood.

Foote and others cited GIS mapping and past ZBA decisions as evidence that the requested lot‑area and width variances are substantial and could reverse the rezoning’s intent to preserve the Cotswold neighborhood’s open, low‑density character. Speakers also pointed to environmental constraints: the undeveloped parcel contains steep slopes and limited buildable area.

Escaladas told the board the lots were part of an original 1926 subdivision and that the applicant is seeking variances to legalize existing conditions and allow construction that would match surrounding lot patterns. The board asked for written materials and historical records to verify competing accounts of when and how the lots merged; the hearing was closed for decision only to the November 20 meeting so members can consider submitted memoranda and precedent cases.

The neighbors’ written submission cited a specific zoning section (quoted in the record as "section 2 89.291 h") and a chart enumerating what their counsel described as 12 increased nonconformities the application would produce. The application remains on the board’s calendar for a decision-writing session in November.