Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
February 26, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 9 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
The friendlier village?
The village of Mamaroneck is looking into modernizing its industrial area. A presentation was given to the village Board of Trustees on Monday, Feb. 22. For story, see page 10. Rendering courtesy RePLACE
Village of Mamaroneck passes unprecedented dog law By KILEY STEVENS Staff Writer The village of Mamaroneck is the first municipality in the state of New York to ban the sale of commercially bred animals in local pet stores. This unprecedented law was passed by a 4-0 vote, with one trustee abstaining, at a raucous Feb. 22 Board of Trustees meeting after weeks of discussion and public hearings. The law, dubbed “Public Local Law D-2016” was proposed by Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, and passed with
the help of Susan Chana Lask, an attorney based in Manhattan. Lask said she became involved with the local legislation when a village resident emailed her asking for help. Although Lask is a litigator, she speaks to towns nationwide about animal protection. “I do that out of passion, pro bono,” she said. Though Lask and Rosenblum faced opposition from some members of the village board citing concerns over the constitutionality of the mayor’s proposal, Lask told the Review that she has worked on at least four federal cases that would upheld
the legality of the law. “You’re not prohibiting the sale of all animals, you’re just regulating the source,” she said. The law, as written, states that pet stores within the village may only sell animals that come from animal shelters or humane societies within New York state. Under the law, no animal that comes from a breeder or puppy mill is permissible to be sold in the village of Mamaroneck. The push for legislation began in August 2015 when residents began protesting a local pet store on Mamaroneck Avenue, then named Best Breeds Puppies and
Kittens. The owner of the store at the time, Richard Doyle, of Mahopac, New York, has been in trouble with the law multiple times. He has been charged with three counts of misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, and one count of selling a diseased animal. One of his store fronts, located in Wappingers Falls, New York, has since closed. In December 2015, he was arrested at one of his other store fronts in Mohegan Lake on two felony counts of witness tampering. The storefront in Mamaroneck DOG continued on page 7
Town proposes residential developement law By JAMES PERO Staff Writer After passing a moratorium halting all residential developments in December, the town of Mamaroneck is now working toward a new residential site plan law that scales back larger residential development plans. According to a preliminary draft of the proposed law, it would cover a number of different facets relating to the development of the towns residential zones, including the impact—or footprint as the draft phrases—of new developments’ size, style and topography. The developments’ impact on both the character of neighborhoods as well as the environment—specifically concerning storm water pollution and erosion—will also be considered, according to language in the draft law. If the law is approved as written, it will not only change the nature of the future of developments in town, but it will also alter the way residential developments are approved and discussed by the town’s land use boards. Though the discussions surrounding the moratorium and site plan review are in their preliminary stages, town Councilman Tom Murphy, a Democrat, said that their discussions have, so far, been tasking. “It’s a complicated issue,” Murphy said. “We anticipated it being a complicated issue, and we’re gaining a lot of insight from public hearings and our discussions.” Recently, at a work session on Feb. 17, members of the town council, as well as zoning and planning board members in collaboration with other town staff,
began to focus on a key aspect of the proposed residential site plan law; determining just which types of buildings it will apply to. Specifically, according to Town Administrator Steve Altieri, town officials will determine how big or small a structure must be to fall under the scope of the new law. “We were working on the threshold of what would trigger the residential site plan,” he said. “If someone is going to add a small addition to a house, we don’t think that should trigger a site plan… We’re looking at large scale construction, like tear downs and rebuilds.” The discussion surrounding the retooling of the town’s planning and zoning laws comes in the midst of a movement in both Mamaroneck and Larchmont which has called into question the acceleration of large developments in residential areas. In January, the village of Larchmont also passed a similar moratorium which has put the demolition and subdivision of residences on hold until midsummer, while members of the village Board of Trustees reevaluate land use laws. The village is currently facing an appeal of the moratorium decision that has prevented a developer from moving forward with plans to tear down and redevelop a residential property, which is home to an historic structure. When exactly a law in Mamaroneck will come into effect remains to be seen, but according to Altieri, he suspects the Town Council will adopt a formal statute within the next month. The moratorium ends on March 31. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com