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Historic board sends preservation resolution to town board and state over Bethel Knowles demolition plans
Summary
The Greenburgh Historic and Landmarks Preservation Board voted to transmit a resolution urging the town board to require that the Bethel Knowles applicant preserve and incorporate the existing 1870s Italianate house into any revised proposal, and staff will send an accompanying letter to New York State.
The Historic and Landmarks Preservation Board voted May 12 to transmit a resolution and a staff letter urging preservation of an 1870s Italianate house at 55 Grasslands Road that is currently slated for demolition by the project applicant.
Staff said the draft resolution recommends that the town board require the applicant to devise a plan that ‘‘preserves and incorporates the existing 18‑70s Italianate structure…into a revised proposal for expansion of its facilities on the subject site.’’ The board debated language and requested a clarification to ensure both analyses the applicant submitted were referenced in the staff letter to New York State.
After a motion and a second, the board voted to adopt the resolution. At voting, recorded responses included multiple ayes and the chair’s recorded approval; staff pronounced the resolution adopted and said the resolution would be transmitted to the town board and the letter to Frances M. Stern at New York State.
Why it matters: The resolution makes the Historic Board’s preference for retention of the historic structure clear to the town board ahead of a public hearing the town board had scheduled. The board emphasized that earlier alternatives analysis from the applicant did not adequately present options for incorporating the structure.
Staff noted that the Bethel Knowles project is scheduled for a town board public hearing on June 10, giving the applicant and town board time to consider the resolution before that hearing.
"So staff will transmit this resolution to the town board courtesy copying the applicant and transmit the letter to Francis M Stern at New York State," staff said after the vote.
What’s next: Staff will send the resolution and the letter as directed and the board plans outreach and potential attendance at the town board public hearing on June 10 to elaborate on its position.
