Editor’s Note: The original version of this article contained several errors in names and addresses. Those have been corrected in the current post.
The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Wednesday night saw more than 37 Yonkers residents who opposed Scott Saul’s claim that eight college students in his single-family home should be considered a “family” under Yonkers zoning regulations.
The case involving two properties at 106 Bronxville Road and 1 Bronxville Lane serves as a vital test for Yonkers to enforce housing codes and stop illegal rooming houses, according to community advocates who track similar cases.
Saul who owns the two properties near Sarah Lawrence College faces Building Commissioner and Fire Department penalties because he operates boarding houses in areas zoned for single-family homes. The attorney for Saul defended his position by stating that the students should be considered families because they share expenses and participate in sports teams together.
“If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck,” said a neighborhood resident, drawing applause from the packed meeting room. “These 16 students in two houses are roommates, not families.”
Financial Motivations Questioned
Neighbors presented calculations showing the properties generate approximately $10,000 monthly from college student rentals—roughly $3,000 more than traditional single-family rentals would bring.
“This is nothing but a commercial use of residential properties,” one resident testified. “We are here so this company can make $3,000 more a month on two houses. That is the only reason everybody’s been involved in this chaos.”
Another resident emphasized that Saul faces no hardship in maintaining the properties as single-family homes. “There’s nothing unique about Saul’s two properties that would merit any zoning code exception. He would face no financial hardship if we return properties to true single-family status.”
Part of Citywide Pattern
The case demonstrates the citywide difficulties in enforcing regulations according to Philip Armstrong who represents United Yonkers which unites various neighborhood associations. The owner of 109 Landscape Avenue converted his single-family house into a rooming house and created parking space by paving the backyard.
“The Building Department does not follow up on permits like they should,” Armstrong said. The Landscape Avenue property operated without a Certificate of Occupancy while advertising rooms with combination locks online as a “party house.”
The proposed legislation has earned the nickname “anti-roommate bill” because it aims to stop the practice of turning single-family homes into college student rental properties.
Community Safety Concerns
Residents highlighted multiple Fire Department responses to Saul’s properties for smoke detector alarms and gas leaks.
“This absentee landlord provides no fire suppression system at all,” one resident testified. “We all know that if any of the 16 students suffer health risks as a result of inappropriate safety measures in an unlicensed, unsupervised, multi-tenant property, families will seek retribution from the deepest pockets available—Sarah Lawrence College and the City of Yonkers.”
A representative from the Lawrence Park West Association stressed the precedent at stake: “Such a change would surely encourage investors to seek funding to purchase single-family houses for conversion. What is being proposed signals a very disturbing change.”
Attorney Appears Unprepared
Board members expressed frustration when Saul’s attorney was unable to answer basic questions about lease terms, rent amounts, vehicle registration, or tenant background checks. The attorney repeatedly stated he would “get back to the board” when asked about storage space, garbage collection, and utility payments.
“I don’t know what’s happening. You need to know these things. You gotta come prepared,” one board member told the attorney.
A resident questioned the lack of preparation: “This has been going on for years, and he can’t answer fundamental questions about his properties that all the people here can answer because we all live a house or two away from Mr. Saul’s properties.”
Broader Implications
A Fordham University alumnus challenged the family definition with personal experience: “I attended Fordham University. I was the class of ’76—I was not the family of ’76.”
The Lawrence Park West Homeowners Association raised pedestrian safety concerns, noting students walk through neighborhoods lacking sidewalks during dark winter months.
“If we redefine what a family is, that may have bigger implications on other laws throughout both Yonkers and New York,” one resident warned.
No Decision Reached
The Zoning Board chose to postpone their decision by asking Saul’s attorney to provide more documentation. The Zoning Board possesses the power to support or reject the Buildings Commissioner’s original decision.
The Yonkers Ledger continues to seek statements from Scott Saul along with his team regarding the zoning appeal process and neighborhood issues that emerged during the meeting.
Those who would like to watch the ZBA meeting online can do so at www.YonkersNY.gov.
