Peekskill zoning board grants parking, area variances for 612 South Street

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted to grant parking and area variances for 612 South Street, clearing the way for the property owner to merge three tax lots and create 11 off‑street parking spaces to serve a proposed light‑automotive business and an existing storefront.

Jeff Gasparo, attorney for We Aguaris LLC, told the board that the building currently “has no off street parking” for the commercial spaces and that the proposal would add 11 spaces in an adjacent vacant lot the owner purchased. He said the project does not expand the building’s floor area and includes façade upgrades such as replacing roll‑down gates with glass and installing a black powder‑coated fence to match neighborhood fencing.

Board members applied the five statutory variance factors under general city law and emphasized that the proposal increases parking from 0 to 11, reduces the lot’s dimensional nonconformity, and incorporates conditions the planning commission recommended. A staff member summarized the analysis, noting the planning commission issued a negative declaration for the project. One board member summarized the practical effect: “It goes from 0 parking spaces to 11.”

The board found no expected adverse physical or environmental effects and concluded the difficulty was not self‑created in a way that would bar relief, because the applicant acquired adjacent lots to provide parking. Following deliberation the board voted to approve the requested parking and area variances.

The approval allows the applicant to proceed with site‑plan review and requires the common council’s authorization for the proposed automotive use under local rules. The board did not record additional conditions in the public record beyond the planning commission’s notes; any site‑plan conditions would be handled in subsequent reviews.