Lighthouse project rejected
The controversial Tarry Lighthouse project proposed for downtown Port Chester, N.Y., would be “highly compatible” with the district, the attorney for the developers said.
But Byram resident Al Shehadi disagreed, saying, “The scale and bulk of this building is completely incongruent with
the rest of downtown.”
Ultimately, the Port Chester Zoning Board of Appeals shut down the project, voting 3-2 on Thursday night to turn down a request for six variances for the plan.
The plan had called for construction of a sevenstory building with 242 apartment units and retail space on North Main Street, just blocks from the Greenwich border. It would have been built at the site of the now-closed Tarry Lodge, a once-popular restaurant, near the Mill Street bridge into the Greenwich neighborhood of Byram.
“I feel the variances are substantial and will change the character of the neighborhood,” said Evelyn Petrone, the ZBA chairwoman.
The development team was seeking six variances from the village’s zoning code in the latest version of its plan. The project had been heavily criticized by Port Chester village residents as well as residents of the Byram section of Greenwich, who were concerned about additional traffic the project could draw as well as a change of community character.
Art D'Estrada, another ZBA member, said he believed the project would have been a “detriment to nearby properties.” The streets around the site are “already choked with traffic,” D’Estrada said.
Greenwich residents and public officials had criticized the application by developer David Mann, saying traffic conditions would worsen along the Mill Street corridor in the Byram neighborhood.
The application had been under review for over a year-and-a-half. The planned construction, which would have called for tearing down a row of older buildings on North Main Street as well as the former Tarry Lodge, was first proposed in February 2019 as a nine-story project.
The latest version of the project had called for a variance to construct the seven-story building in an area that allows buildings of only up to six stories tall. Variances were also needed for a number of facade and design features that did not meet the village zoning code.
The attorney representing the developers, Tony Gioffre, said the project was “highly compatible” with the Port Chester downtown district and would add vitality to the community.
Shehadi, the Byram resident, said the building was too tall for the surrounding area, which are largely one or two-stories in height.
“Adding traffic at one of the worst choke points in the village is going to add a detriment to all residents,” Shehadi said, adding that would set a bad precedent for future development.
Connecticut State Rep. Stephen Meskers, who represents the Byram area, said that approval of the project would have created a more urban environment for the village. “I don’t know if White Plains is the model you want, but it’s your call for the character of downtown Port Chester,” he said.
Traffic was also a major concern for nearby Greenwich residents, which also raised a “safety issue,” Meskers said.
Carol McMillan, a representative from an advocacy group called Sustainable Port Chester Alliance, said “the project contributes virtually nothing to our community.” She characterized the proposed building as “excessively tall.”