Changes to Plans for 56 Prospect Street
In March 2024, a project was presented to the Planning Board for approval of a development at 56 Prospect Street, Yonkers, NY.
When the Planning Board reaches a favorable resolution on a project, it states that any deviations from the approved plans must be brought back to the Planning Board for its approval. Failure to do so results in the approvals of the project being essentially canceled.
This developer deviated from the plans, as shown in the pictures above, and now that the building is near completion and they want a CO to occupy the building,they have presented the Planning Board with a dilemma. The building is built and the Buildings department will not give the CO without the Planning Board’s approval of the as-built plans.
This is not the first time the Planning Board has been put in this predicament, and to date there has been no repercussion to a developer for doing this by the City of Yonkers. Developers have no reason to believe that the Planning Board has any real control over their actions.
We feel that it is time the City through the Corporate council or the planning board take these developers some financial responsibility for their actions
The planning board put off actions on this item at last month’s meeting but it is on the Agenda for the April 9th Planning board meeting.
This is the Agenda Item:
SITE PLAN 5. AMENDED SITE PLAN APPROVAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 7-
REVIEW STORY, MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENT BUILDING WITH 125 UNITS
AND ASSOCIATED PARKING LOCATED AT BLOCK: 509 LOT: 1 ON THE
PROPERTY KNOWN AS 56 PROSPECT STREET, ZONED “UR-MD”
DISTRICT, PURSUANT TO ARTICLE IX OF THE YONKERS ZONING
ORDINANCE.
STEVEN ACCINELLI, ESQ., REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE PROPOSAL
A. SEQRA: UNLISTED ACTION
LEAD AGENCY: PLANNING BOARD
B. PLANNING BOARD CASE #25-010
United Yonkers feels it is time that this and other developers who willfully ignore the stipulations in their approvals be forced to come to a Community Benefits Agreement to benefit the residents of Yonkers. They claim to have taken their actions to deviate from the approved plans because adhering to them was going to be too costly so they changed the plans and claim that they did not know that the stipulation was part of their approvals. Now the building is built and they are ready to reap the profits they have now come back to ask for forgiveness and approval.
How can the residents of Yonkers have any faith in the Zoning or Planning Board of the City of Yonkers when developers can ignore their approvals?
In the past, there has been no financial cost to developers for ignoring and changing the approved projects. The Planning board does not seem to have the power to reject the approval. What is to be done especially with the large number of developments being built or proposed in the City Of Yonkers? If an individual homeowner had done this they would be made to correct it but these large multi-million dollar projects, many with friends at City Hall, seem to not be held to the same rules the mere mortals of Yonkers are held to.
So we implore the Corporate Council for the city of Yonkers and the Planning Board to demand Community benefits agreements (CBAs) be set up with this developer. This is in hopes of stopping other developers from taking advantage of the City Of Yonkers because it will come at some cost if they do.
Make Your Views Known
Write to your City Council Member or Attend the Planning Board Meeting on 4/9/25
