Peekskill zoning board grants variances for North Division auto shop, urges parking conditions

The Peekskill Zoning Board voted to grant area and parking variances for a proposed minor auto-repair facility at 301 North Division Street and recommended the Common Council attach conditions on parking and vehicle queuing when it considers the special use permit.

Attorney Keith Petinski, representing Peekskill Property Holdings LLC and Auto Art Inc., told the board the property has been used as an auto repair shop since 1976 and the requested relief largely reflects a change of ownership rather than a new, intensified use. "As detailed in our memorandum and support, it's a mere change of ownership," Petinski said, noting the planning commission had given a unanimous positive recommendation and the application was classified as a Type II under SEQRA (no environmental review required).

Neighbors at the public hearing pressed the board on street parking and lingering oil stains. Daniel Cornell, who said he lives on Cornyn Street, said he is concerned about competition for curb parking and about grease near where his children walk: "If they park the cars on the street, it's gonna cause a chaos for us," he said, adding later, "So otherwise, I have to sell my house and move out." The applicant responded that the operation will have eight work bays inside the garage and eight customer parking spaces outside the building, will not perform major body work or operate a tow truck, and intends to move employee parking off-site using monthly permits at nearby lots (the application team cited the Saint James parking garage as one option).

Architect William Becharat described operational controls the applicant said will limit neighborhood impacts: removal of a spray booth, continued use of an existing ventilation and filtration system, an app-based appointment system to schedule specific bays, and a policy of no overnight car storage. The applicant said the shop would typically run about three employees at a time, could scale to five or six as needed, and would keep most work inside the building.

During deliberations the board reviewed the five statutory factors for area variances. The Chair noted parking remained the principal neighborhood concern and recommended that, if the Common Council issues the special use permit, it impose conditions addressing queuing and off-site employee parking as a safety net. The board recorded that the application sought a parking variance (a difference of six parking spaces where 20 were required under current standards) and that, because the building footprint and preexisting conditions limit on-site expansion, there were no feasible alternatives short of demolition.

The board voted to grant the requested variances and to forward a recommendation to the Common Council that the special use permit include enforceable conditions on parking and vehicle queuing. Next steps are the applicant's appearance before the Common Council for the special use permit and subsequent building-department inspections and permits.