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By Stephen E. Lipken

Pelham Town Supervisor Theresa K. Mohan called the April 6th Town Board meeting to order, beginning with Public Comment by Dan Bollin, 44 Clifford Avenue, Pelham who stated that he represents Pelhamwood residents as President of the Pelhamwood Association.

“I would like to make a public comment, regarding the Community Church of the Pelhams, 448 Washington Avenue and voice our support for what we believe is a rare opportunity for our community. As many of you know, church leadership previously explored the sale of the church in 2022 and engaged a development group organized by former Village of Pelham Mayor Michael Volpe.

“The initial plan focused on pursuing a zoning change, remediating the church and constructing a large apartment complex adjacent to the existing church structure on the current parking lot. 

At that time, I led a group of concerned residents in opposition to that plan.  Our concern was not with the church, nor with the idea of a different use of the property.  Rather, we believed the proposal lacked meaningful community engagement and that its scale, approximately 60 apartment units, was not appropriate for neighbors. 

“We believe that vision should include mixed-use community space, something Pelham desperately needs.  Ideally, such an approach would preserve a place of worship, protect a local landmark, create a valuable share space for the broader community and ensure that any evolution of the space and property is guided by a broad and inclusive set of stakeholders,” Bollin concluded.

Next, Megan Garufi discussed the possibility of building an ambulance garage on the grassy area next to the Post Office.  The parcel is owned by Westchester County and is zoned A3 Residential by the Village of Pelham. 

In other business, a Resolution authorized the establishment of a 250th Anniversary Celebration Fund, allocating $2000 from Unassigned Fund Balance to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the United States on July 4, 2026.