Objections to Pelham House Apartment Height Aired at Planning Board Meeting

By Stephen E. Lipken

Village of Pelham Planning Board Chair Joseph Marty opened the Tuesday, February 15th meeting with sole Agenda item, contention by some residents regarding height of proposed Pelham House.  Marty emphasized the meeting was a pre-submission conference, with Board of Trustees making decisions on building heights and parking issues, based on recommendations from PB and Architectural Review Board.

Engaged by some Village residents (the “Neighbors”) who reside in the vicinity of where Pelham House LLC proposes to construct a mixed-use building, Kristen Wilson, Partner, MarksDiPalermo Attorneys at Law stated in a February 13th letter addressed to Village Board, PB and ARB, “To be clear, the Neighbors do not object to the Project, and we believe that it will be a successful addition to the Village.

 “However, at almost 71 feet, the height of proposed structure(s) does not comply with the Village Code height requirements…pursuant to Village Code 98-106.3 (F) the BOT should include a condition that the maximum height shall be 60 feet…”   

Patrick Normoyle, Ginsburg Developers said that he submitted a Proposal in December 2018,  encompassing 127 Pelham House units, adding Fire, Police Departments and Village Hall to the Capital One site. Normoyle addressed many 6th and 7th Avenue residents’ objections to roof heights between pairs of dormers on 5th Avenue.

JS Yong, Marvel, displayed a rendering of two gables bordering the building with a flat roof between.  Normoyle added that with a pitched roof structure, height is defined as a vertical distance to the midpoint between the ridgeline and eaves.  “The height of those gables is below 60 feet,” Normoyle stressed. 

“Once this building is built, the only people that are going to be paying attention…to this added height is those of us on 6th and 7th Avenues, experiencing morning and afternoon shadows,” resident Marilyn Hoyt averred. “We really need the PB and ARB to take thisheight down to 60 feet.”