Community reporter: NYC wants control in approval of e-comm facility to straddle border with Pelham Manor

My bi-weekly summary of the Village of Pelham Manor Trustees meeting held Monday. This summary is my own and not an official summary.

  • Meeting opening remarks by Pelham Manor Mayor Jennifer Monachino Lapey: Paving on Pelhamdale went very well and as planned.
  • Village Manager John Pierpont reported that the Fiscal Street Score of the village was a 5 (down from 8.3 the previous year) as reviewed by the New York State Comptroller. The lower the score the better; the score closer to 0 is no stress. The village manager also reported that Pelham Manor’s environmental stress score was 0 down from 3 the year before. (For more information on all local scoring visit this site.)
  • Lapey addressed the anti-Semitic hate symbol that was discovered in the middle school recently and stated that before putting out a statement on behalf of the the village, she spoke with Pelham Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Champ.
  • Trustee Bridget Bennett announced the parking restrictions for Halloween due to resident concerns for children’s safety (see Pelham Manor website for specifics).
  • Pelham Manor Police Chief Jeffrey Carpenter reported 450 incidents during the month of September, a busy month for the department.
  • The village manager/treasurer/clerk/department of public works report showed that the budget is going per fiscal plan
  • E-commerce facility presentation by the developer:
    • An attorney representing the developer of the proposed e-commerce facility spoke and reported that New York City wants to control the Certificate of Occupancy (CO) issuance for the proposed facility even though the warehouse would straddle the city and village line.
    • The village board’s reaction to accepting New York control of the CO was very tepid/weary and several questions were asked by Lapey and trustees regarding what would happen if the facility didn’t comply with Village of Pelham Manor building codes/ect. The developer said the village could pull the special permit that would grant the right of the facility to operate, but the board and village attorney questioned the legal precedent that would be set by ceding CO to the city and how that would impact possible future litigation/issues with the facility. They also asked if Pelham Manor would be beholden to the New York Department of Buildings to resolve village issues at the facility
    • This reporter got up and asked several questions of the developer, including: Yes or no, if the facility were not complying with traffic/other promises of the facility, would the suspension/revocation of the special permit by the village be enough to shut down the facility. The developer wouldn’t answer.
      –Would New York City rules take precedence over Pelham Manor rules in a circumstance where both are at odds if the city has control over CO issuance. The developer wouldn’t answer yes or no.
      –I later stated that I am for business development that is respectful of both jurisdictions and that treats both village and city fairly, where both have skin in the game, and that giving the city control over the CO would put Pelham Manor at a disadvantage to mitigate a future problem should one arise. I advocated for the developer to work harder with the city over equal treatment regarding the CO, which has precedence on other projects.
      –I stated that during the spring the developer said when pressed that they cannot build the facility they want in the Bronx alone; if the developer could, they would have done so by now, and not be spinning their wheels about CO jurisdiction.
    • Another resident asked could the developer do what they want without Pelham Manor. The developer danced around the issue.
  • The village board authorized a resolution honoring Dr. Anne Frost and Peter DiPaola as the Civic’s 2019 Persons of the Year for the great work and contributions to our town.
  • The board approved street closures and park use requests.
  • Meeting ended. For a recap of the meeting by video go to www.pelhammanor.org

Editor’s note: The Pelham Examiner is beginning a program using community reporters to cover local government meetings our staff can’t get to. Community reporters are citizens who regularly attend meetings and are willing to provide a write up. The reports are edited for style. Any opinions expressed are those of the community reporter and not the Pelham Examiner. Maurice Owen-Michaane is a Pelham Manor resident and parent.