April 17, 2023, Mayor's Column

The April Board of Trustees meeting also serves as Village government’s Annual Meeting where we appoint or reappoint all members of our Village standing committees. In that context, I thought it might be illustrative to share who is on each respective committee with a thumbnail sketch of their authority and duties.
Most importantly, this column serves as a public thank you for the countless hours that each citizen who volunteers commits to their respective committees in time, energy and expertise. We simply could not run Village without them.

Some committees are self-explanatory, such as the Finance Committee whose members gives us advice as to financial decisions and the Ethics Board, which does the same on matters that might extend into gray areas.

Others not as self-explanatory are the duties and purview of our Zoning Board, Planning Board, Design Review Committee and the Board of Assessment Review.

I also share the members of all our committees, both for a public thank you and recognition and for informational purposes, should fellow residents want to call on them to ask various questions pertaining to their scope of duties.

Finance Committee
Donald Gray
Anne Poorman
Chris Fahy
Rich DeMartini
Heather Miner
Guy Longobardo

Ethics Board
Don Kennedy
John Priesing
Bill Slattery
Marilynn Hill

The Zoning Board is a quasi-judicial body that has five members and two alternates which are appointed by the Mayor with approval of the Board of Trustees. The Chairman is also appointed in the same manner.

Any appeal of a decision of the Building Inspector can be taken to the Zoning Board of Appeals by any person aggrieved, which is usually the homeowner. They are an Appellate Court, so to speak, of the Building Inspector’s decisions with the role of reviewing the interpretation and application of the Zoning Code as applied by the Building Inspector. The ZBA’s public meetings must be noticed in a paper of general circulation, in our case the Journal News, five days prior to the date of the hearing. Neighbors living within a 100-foot radius of the proposed appeal must receive notice by registered mail a minimum of ten days prior to the scheduled meeting. All applications may be viewed on the Zoning Board’s website one week prior to the meeting.

The Zoning Board also has the power to grant a variance, which is permission granted to an applicant to use his or her property in a manner not allowed by the local zoning law. A “use” variance allows the property to be used in a way not generally allowed. In order to be granted a “use” variance, the applicant must show that the applicable zoning regulations and restrictions have caused unnecessary hardship, which is unique and not universal to the neighborhood and will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood.

An “area” variance offers relief from the dimensional requirements of the zoning law as written. Variances granted by the ZBA run with the land, not the property owner, so any variance granted remains with the property regardless of transfer of ownership.

Greg Jachno

Planning Board
New York State law requires that a Planning Board consist of five or seven members with staggered terms equal to the number of members on the Board. In our case five members and five-year terms with two alternates mirroring the Zoning Board configuration.

Meetings are called at the determination of the Board with a notice of time and place posted in one or more designated locations at least 72 hours in advance.
Although all meetings are open, a portion of Planning Board meetings as well as Zoning Board meetings can be closed to the public as part of an Executive Session. The rules for such action are quite circumspect and usually involve proposed, pending or current litigation issues. All applications may be viewed on the Planning Board’s website one week prior to the meeting.

Specific powers of review and approval under the Planning Board purview include subdivision review, site plan review, and the issuance of special permits.

The Planning Board also must adhere to strict compliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).

The necessary findings that a Planning Board must make prior to approving any subdivision application include such factors as sufficient street accessibility, suitable drainage, compliance with zoning regulations, mitigation of adverse effects and conformity with the character of the surrounding area.

The Planning Board also reviews site plan applications, which are defined as renderings or drawings prepared to specifications and containing necessary elements that show the arrangement, layout, and design of the proposed use of a single parcel of land.

Required elements include considerations relating to parking, means of access, screening, signs, landscaping, architectural features, location and dimension of building, adjacent land uses, and physical features to protect adjacent uses.

The Design Review Committee (DRC) is a sub-committee of the Planning Board and is responsible for maintaining consistency of the overall visual esthetic within the Village of Bronxville. The DRC is comprised of architects, engineers and designers.

The committee meets to review and approve sign, awning and other development applications, taking into consideration all aspects of each application.

Board of Assessment Review (BAR) is a quasi-judicial committee for the purpose of hearing property owner assessment (valuation) complaints.  The members of the Board are appointed by the Village Board of Trustees and Mayor. They serve on a revolving basis for a size-year term.  Members of this Board consist of five Village citizen volunteers trained and certified to resolve real estate owner concerns.

The Board convenes every year on the third Tuesday of February. They hear complaints, review documents and take testimony involving property valuation and tax exemptions. They deliberate among themselves and render a written decision for each complaint in the first week of April.

With a foundation in the first amendment, New York State Law delineates very specific guidelines as to the relationship of libraries to their governments. The interesting crosscurrents of government and fundraising and frankly, the exciting work our library is currently doing is worth a column in and of itself soon to follow, focusing on the Library Board of Trustees as well as The Friends of the Bronxville Library.