Rye Arts Center Zoning Petition

RAC Zoning Petition

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  Rye Arts Center

  by User2353, about 1 year ago

  While the Art Centers opportunity to expand is desirable, the current concept is totally out of character for the historic nature of the neighborhood. The initial concept of a modernistic design instead of something that complements the surrounding area is a huge misstep in seeking community support. What's more, proposing a parking lot in the front of the building establishes the Center as a commercial zone, not a residential neighborhood, something they stated they wanted to maintain. Rye's business district and churches typically have parking in the rear maintaining the community’s character and appeal.

  Please do not approve any zoning... Continue reading

  While the Art Centers opportunity to expand is desirable, the current concept is totally out of character for the historic nature of the neighborhood. The initial concept of a modernistic design instead of something that complements the surrounding area is a huge misstep in seeking community support. What's more, proposing a parking lot in the front of the building establishes the Center as a commercial zone, not a residential neighborhood, something they stated they wanted to maintain. Rye's business district and churches typically have parking in the rear maintaining the community’s character and appeal.

  Please do not approve any zoning change till the Arts Center comes up with a redesign befitting their mission and our neighborhood.
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  Objection to Proposed Zoning Change - Major Safety Concerns

  by Anna Nazarenko, about 1 year ago

  As a neighbor and a mother, I am deeply concerned with the proposal to rezone the residential neighborhood to include a large parking lot in the midst of an already busy intersection. If the Rye City Council Members and the members of the Rye Planning Commission visited the site for the proposed project on a weekday morning or late afternoon, it would become abundantly clear that it is an accident, and likely many accidents, waiting to happen, next door to the nursery school and residential houses with small children. It would be a reckless decision ignoring the safety and well-being... Continue reading

  As a neighbor and a mother, I am deeply concerned with the proposal to rezone the residential neighborhood to include a large parking lot in the midst of an already busy intersection. If the Rye City Council Members and the members of the Rye Planning Commission visited the site for the proposed project on a weekday morning or late afternoon, it would become abundantly clear that it is an accident, and likely many accidents, waiting to happen, next door to the nursery school and residential houses with small children. It would be a reckless decision ignoring the safety and well-being of neighbors and their children, which should be the top priority.
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  Objections to RAC Rezoning and Expansion

  by Nancy Vincent, about 1 year ago

  My name is Nancy Vincent and I am a resident of the Blind Brook Lodge. I concur with the Board’s Disapproval of RAC’s proposed zoning change and expansion at 25 Milton Road, as stated in their letter dated February 7, 2025. Having read the RAC Petition Submission dated December 10, 2024, I would like to add my own concerns and objections to the proposed zoning change and expansion.

  Creighton Manning Traffic Impact Study

  “The proposed building will provide parking based on the parking demand of the existing building, which was approximated through a parking utilization study detailed herein.”

  Creighton Manning... Continue reading

  My name is Nancy Vincent and I am a resident of the Blind Brook Lodge. I concur with the Board’s Disapproval of RAC’s proposed zoning change and expansion at 25 Milton Road, as stated in their letter dated February 7, 2025. Having read the RAC Petition Submission dated December 10, 2024, I would like to add my own concerns and objections to the proposed zoning change and expansion.

  Creighton Manning Traffic Impact Study

  “The proposed building will provide parking based on the parking demand of the existing building, which was approximated through a parking utilization study detailed herein.”

  Creighton Manning failed to include the outdoor green space on the Concept Plan in its square footage parking calculations. From my perspective, this area has the potential to be a dynamic outdoor dining/art park/ and performance space, as indicated by the labels on the Concept Plan: Proposed Rear Patio (Café/dining?), Sculpture Garden, and Covered Art/Stage.

  “The existing arts center provides the same services that will be offered in the new building, which will be operated by the Applicant”. Specifics of the new and expanded RAC have not been provided to the public. If you don’t know the intended use(s) of a structure, how can you accurately determine the traffic impact and parking needs for visitors and staff? Has RAC done their homework to determine specific usage of the new structure and green space? The public deserves to be provided with more details. Is the real purpose of the RAC expansion to create large revenue generating event spaces for concerts, performances, and receptions?

  The Traffic Study concluded that there is enough on the street parking to accommodate the overflow of cars “The parking utilization study determined that the surrounding roadways within a five-minute walk from Rye Arts Center have parking available during the studied times”. Even if the streets could absorb the overflow, the negative impact on surrounding neighborhoods cannot be measured! Peaceful, residential neighborhoods will be confronted with walls of cars lining their streets. Neighborhoods will have increased air and noise pollution, and congestion. The character of the neighborhood will change from suburban to more urban. There needs to be a new Traffic Impact Study.

  Short Environmental Assessment Form - Part 1 – Project Information – To be completed by Applicant

  Refer to Question 17, a. and b.

  • Will storm water discharges flow to adjacent properties?
  • Will storm water discharges be directed to established conveyance systems (runoff and storm drains)?

  Questions a. and b. were left blank on the survey.

  With the increase in non-permeable surfaces, i.e. parking spaces, on a sloping grade, my concern is that this will contribute to runoff into existing wetlands and adjacent properties which could potentially lead to flooding.

  Thank you in advance for your consideration of my concerns and objections.

  Sincerely,

  Nancy Vincent
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  I'm firmly against the expansion for safety reasons

  by marilyn balamaci, about 1 year ago
  Unless you regularly cross from 66 Milton Road to the parking lot, you would not have a true understanding of the perils. Cars ignore the crosswalk, lights blinking. They exceed the speed limit. If a car stops, the other behind it just moves to its right, approaching the curb, and swings by, at speed. For a pedestrian, that's a blind spot. And, dangerous.

  
  

  I had surgery January 6 and needed a walker. It was even more unsafe. One time, as I entered the stripe, with yellow lights blinking from the 66 Milton Road parking lot—I kept my eyes on a... Continue reading

  Unless you regularly cross from 66 Milton Road to the parking lot, you would not have a true understanding of the perils. Cars ignore the crosswalk, lights blinking. They exceed the speed limit. If a car stops, the other behind it just moves to its right, approaching the curb, and swings by, at speed. For a pedestrian, that's a blind spot. And, dangerous.

  
  

  I had surgery January 6 and needed a walker. It was even more unsafe. One time, as I entered the stripe, with yellow lights blinking from the 66 Milton Road parking lot—I kept my eyes on a car leaving Blind Brook Lodge, the property, and making a left turn. Surely, the driver would see me, and stop? But I paused. It saved my life. There is data that says left-hand turns are the most challenging for drivers: they look left, then right and, without looking left again, gas it. This alone—the traffic that comes in and out with 125 people and deliveries, daily—makes it a challenging and unsafe crossing. And what else makes it unsafe? Dozens of cars who mistake that lot for RAC parking, and speed through it—making it unsafe for all of us.

  Add in the buses parked in front of our building on both streets, often illegally, blocking our access to the stripes. Have you been on 66 Milton during a typical day? Are you aware of these issues? The lack of pedestrian safety? We live here. And, we want to be safe. More building? More cars? More buses? On a two-lane street? Who would even think of proposing this. Unless it were someone who does not live here.
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  RAC Expansion: It's Not Safe Nor Does It Fit in

  by Andrew Bazylevsky, about 1 year ago

  My name is Andrew Bazylevsky and I reside at 15 Milton Road with my family of three young children.

  The proposed parking lot and driveway of the new facility facing Milton Road present a major safety concern for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic at an already busy stretch of road. We are arguably the most impacted residential neighbor of the proposed expansion to the Rye Arts Center at 25 Milton Road given that we abut the property immediately to the north. Assuming a northern egress along the northbound side of Milton Road, the proposed roadside parking lot and driveway would... Continue reading

  My name is Andrew Bazylevsky and I reside at 15 Milton Road with my family of three young children.

  The proposed parking lot and driveway of the new facility facing Milton Road present a major safety concern for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic at an already busy stretch of road. We are arguably the most impacted residential neighbor of the proposed expansion to the Rye Arts Center at 25 Milton Road given that we abut the property immediately to the north. Assuming a northern egress along the northbound side of Milton Road, the proposed roadside parking lot and driveway would result in an amplification of traffic congestion right at our property line where we walk our children to and from Midland School, nearby playgrounds or the Rye Free Reading Room multiple times per day. Additionally, by attempting to squeeze in another major traffic zone in between Blind Brook Lodge and its parking lot, Rye Recreation, the existing Rye Arts Center, Christ’s Church and its parking lot as well as its nursery school along Rectory Street, Palisade Drive, and the traffic circle at the end of Milton Road, the city would be dramatically increasing the odds of a traffic accident within this 500 foot stretch of road. Furthermore, the immediate area would be subjected to increased noise pollution as well as air pollution from the continuous flow of cars performing pickup, idling and drop-off duty throughout the day servicing thousands of Rye Art Center students.

  Additionally, the majority of Milton Road is residential with homes of a similar style from a century ago, creating a warm, traditional flow through the main artery of the city. The proposed structure for the Rye Arts Center expansion is not without merit, but it simply does not fit the style of Rye nor match any building in the vicinity - be it house, church or school. Moreover, placing a parking lot in front of such a polarizing structure creates an even bigger eyesore reminiscent of a strip mall more befitting commercial zones on Boston Post Road just down the hill. As we all know, context is everything. A building must aim to join the existing landscape surrounding it, not disrupt it. The proposed structure would stand as a stark break in the charming flow of Midland Road, thereby diminishing its aesthetic for residents and would-be home buyers alike. I once lived next to a parking lot in the city. My family and I moved into our forever home in a peaceful, residential area and it must remain as such for the sake of what we all fell in love with Rye when we first pulled into town. As a rather relevant and recent example, our neighbors at 2 Grace Church Street at the traffic circle tore down their old home last year much like the Rye Arts Center intends to, and instead of building a modern house, built - as the listing states - "An architectural stunner that blends modern luxury with historical charm." Any expansion to the Rye Arts Center must aim to accomplish the same.

  Thank you in advance for your sincere consideration of this serious matter.
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  Building should be more in keeping with the ‘hood.

  by Peggy Peters, about 1 year ago

  plz ask the RAC to create a facade more in keeping with the existing neighborhood. The interior and rear of the building can be as stark and modern as they want.
  Will the other ‘neighbors’ with sizable property also want the same zone change to monetize the value of their property? If so, it will change this area in adverse way.This is a residential, spiritual part of Milton Rd.

  
  

  plz ask the RAC to create a facade more in keeping with the existing neighborhood. The interior and rear of the building can be as stark and modern as they want.
  Will the other ‘neighbors’ with sizable property also want the same zone change to monetize the value of their property? If so, it will change this area in adverse way.This is a residential, spiritual part of Milton Rd.

  
  
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  Objection to Rezoning

  by Nancy Vincent, about 1 year ago
  Public Comment

  Public Comment
• Share Blind Brook Lodge Owners, Inc. letter to Mayor Cohn, City Council and Planning Commission on Facebook Share Blind Brook Lodge Owners, Inc. letter to Mayor Cohn, City Council and Planning Commission on Twitter Share Blind Brook Lodge Owners, Inc. letter to Mayor Cohn, City Council and Planning Commission on Linkedin Email Blind Brook Lodge Owners, Inc. letter to Mayor Cohn, City Council and Planning Commission link

  Blind Brook Lodge Owners, Inc. letter to Mayor Cohn, City Council and Planning Commission

  by David Barton, about 1 year ago

  2/7/2025

  Honorable Mayor Cohn

  Rye City Council Members

  Nicholas Everett, Chair, Rye Planning Commission

  Re: Disapproval of Rye Arts Center’s proposed zoning change and expansion at 25 Milton Road

  We want to support initiatives that benefit the Rye community’s enjoyment of the arts if they are of benefit to the entire community. We believe that the Rye Arts Center’s proposed expansion will cause adverse impacts to the Rye community as a whole and that the proposed zoning change to convert 25 Milton Road into an Arts Center Use Standard should not be approved unless substantial restrictions are put in place... Continue reading

  2/7/2025

  Honorable Mayor Cohn

  Rye City Council Members

  Nicholas Everett, Chair, Rye Planning Commission

  Re: Disapproval of Rye Arts Center’s proposed zoning change and expansion at 25 Milton Road

  We want to support initiatives that benefit the Rye community’s enjoyment of the arts if they are of benefit to the entire community. We believe that the Rye Arts Center’s proposed expansion will cause adverse impacts to the Rye community as a whole and that the proposed zoning change to convert 25 Milton Road into an Arts Center Use Standard should not be approved unless substantial restrictions are put in place to prevent negative consequences for the community at large.

  As we represent 131 households that form a substantial voting bloc in the Rye community, we ask for your thoughtful consideration of our concerns regarding the Rye Arts Center’s current proposal which we have outlined as follows.

  1. Traffic Volume and Delays on Milton Road

  1. The size and structure of the new Rye Arts Center facility clearly anticipates its use for large group events, which will be essential for the Rye Arts Center to generate sufficient revenue to cover its cost of operations (see Financial Concerns below).
  2. Large group events will block traffic on Milton Road for extended periods of time as vehicles approach to park and or drop off attendees from the North and South access points. This volume of traffic would be greater than the grid lock that now occurs during school pickup and drop off in the vicinity of the Resurrection Grammar School, and the three Nursery Schools of Resurrection, Presbyterian, and Christ Churches.
  3. A traffic study should include a rational model of the additional traffic load caused by the Rye Arts Center’s new facility layout and planned usage.
  4. Construction vehicles offloading and onloading while standing on Milton Road will block the street during construction as there is only one lane in each direction. This was evident during the recent renovation of a couple of the houses near the Resurrection School.

  2. Pedestrian Safety – Increased traffic volume and the multiple entry points to the proposed new facility will increase driver confusion and distract them from safely avoiding pedestrians in the vicinity.

  3. Environmental Concerns

  1. An Environmental Impact Statement should be prepared before completing the review of the Rye Arts Center’s proposed zoning change.
  2. 80% of 25 Milton Road is in a wetlands restricted area and the current rendering of the proposed new Rye Arts Center facility involves substantial excavation adjacent to the wetlands area.
  3. The proposed zoning change would make four other properties subject to the new "Arts Center Use Standard." One of these sits on Rye Brook adjacent to the Nature Center and another of these is in or next to the Wetlands Conservancy adjacent to Rye Golf Course and Jay Heritage Center. And there could be significant unintended negative consequences from converting the zoning of these properties.

  4. Unauthorized use of Blind Brook Lodge’s Private Parking – Our parking lot across from 66 Milton Road is frequently misused by non-residents and this unauthorized use will substantially increase as the volume of activity increases at the new Rye Arts Center facility.

  5. Reduced Property Values - Residential properties adjacent to 25 Milton Road, including 66 Milton Road (Blind Brook Lodge), will become less valuable because of the construction of the large new commercial facility envisioned by the Rye Arts Center in place of the beautiful circa 1885 residence that it will replace.

  6. Financial Concerns for Rye Arts Center

  1. The viability of the proposed new Rye Arts Center facility will depend on a substantial increase in their annual revenue.
  2. Much of the Rye Arts Center’s fundraising today is concentrated on a single donor, and to succeed financially the Rye Arts Center will have to make an extraordinary increase in their annual fundraising to support the ongoing operation of its new facility, otherwise they will need to run many events in their new space to generate sufficient income.
  3. It is dangerous to compare the Rye Arts Center’s proposed expansion to the recent expansion of the Bruce Museum in Greenwich as the completion of the Rye Arts Center’s proposed expansion and ongoing operation carry enormous financial risks when compared to the Bruce Museum.
  4. In the 2022/2023 fiscal year, Rye Arts Center lost $103,460, excluding the 25 Milton Road property donation, compared to the Bruce Museum’s $8,529,649 gain in that period.
  5. Rye Arts Center’s annual donations represent 42% of total revenue compared to the 93% that the Bruce Museum brings directly to their bottom line as income.
  6. Rye Arts Center’s program service income at 54% of revenue comes with costs of operation and brings a small fraction of this amount to their bottom line.

  These concerns represent the potential for substantial negative impact on the Rye community if the Rye Arts Centers’ rezoning proposal for 25 Milton Road and its associated new facility construction on that site are allowed to proceed.

  We thank you for your full consideration in this matter and support you in making the best decision possible for the residents of Blind Brook Lodge and the entire Rye community.

  Sincerely,

  The Board of Directors

  Blind Brook Lodge Owners, Inc.

  Sarah O’Keefe, President David Kent, Treasurer

  Hope Bernard, Vice President John Johnson, Secretary

  David Barton
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  RAC/Request for zoning change

  by HGS, about 1 year ago

  February 9, 2025

  To the Planning Commission,

  Thank you for taking time on 2/8 to conduct a site walk of 25 Milton Road (the Yellow House). The secondary house now “owned” by the Rye Arts Center, for which they have requested a change of its zoning designation to commercial use with the further goal to convert it to a fee based (classes, fundraisers, weddings) special events mixed use (including a coffee shop and lounge) property.

  It is not a benign re-zoning request with de minimis impact.

  Straight away, before, during, and after construction, the new building would add an inordinate... Continue reading

  February 9, 2025

  To the Planning Commission,

  Thank you for taking time on 2/8 to conduct a site walk of 25 Milton Road (the Yellow House). The secondary house now “owned” by the Rye Arts Center, for which they have requested a change of its zoning designation to commercial use with the further goal to convert it to a fee based (classes, fundraisers, weddings) special events mixed use (including a coffee shop and lounge) property.

  It is not a benign re-zoning request with de minimis impact.

  Straight away, before, during, and after construction, the new building would add an inordinate amount of stress to the City’s infrastructure – traffic congestion and flow, safety related to that traffic for: emergency vehicles, pedestrians (including nursery age school children through high school), cyclists, and motorists, pollution (air, noise, light emissions), PSI/hydrant support, and flood mitigation issues due to run-off impacting an already strained drainage system in the immediate area. Flooding would be further exacerbated by the likely eradication of the environmentally significant oak trees that line the street.

  Allowing the property to be re-zoned for a commercial use building would negatively impact the daily lives of over 135 private homeowners next door, and just across the street, in perpetuity.

  For those who may not know, Blind Brook is a cooperative of 130 privately owned apartments.

  This is NOT a transient rental property neighborhood.

  In addition to the design being completely out of step with the surrounding homes, and Christ’s Church, the scale of this NEW commercial usage building would not be appropriate.

  At the City Council meeting on 1/29, it was observed that original usages can change. True. However, many buildings in Rye have done so within their original architectural structure unobserved to passerby, or additions have been made in keeping with the same style.

  City Hall was referenced as an example of such a scenario. The Wainwright House is also an example of original usage shifting. In a residential neighborhood, the Wainwright House runs its programs, and events, but hasn't altered the zoning, structure, or the landscape. Yet, even with its long driveway, high walls, and as far set back as the house is from Stuyvesant, it is still a traffic and noise issue for its neighbors.

  This new building would neither be repurposed within its original footprint nor removed from the road. What it would be is huge, modern, and right on top of its neighbors as well as the street.

  If you weren’t able on Saturday, perhaps you will have a moment before 2/11 to stand across the street on the Christ’s Church side at the corner of Rectory and Milton. Visualize in your mind the enormity of the building, and all the stress issues I have already articulated.

  Inextricably linked to this application is the question of why? Even at this stage that question has to be considered – perhaps even more so.

  In its (segregated) presentations to its neighbors, its own 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, and then at the two January City Council meetings, there has been a conflation by the Rye Arts Center between an understandable goal to upgrade the existing facility, and statements of needing to provide more opportunities to the “Sound Shore” region, and beyond, through this new building. The subtext being that there is a dearth of arts, and programs, in the Westchester/Rye area, and RAC should alter that somehow.

  The Sound Shore region writ large is not an arts desert.

  Of the multiple organizations offering varying arts options to all ages – including 2 full scale museums – RAC falls roughly in the middle. The proximity of the Bruce Museum is most often referred to, but there is another even bigger, municipally accessible, (teaching) arts center also a scant 4 miles away.

  The Neuberger Museum of Art.

  The Neuberger is home to over 7,000 dedicated pieces of contemporary, modern, and African art. It offers classes for K-12 cohorts as well as those in the 55+ category. Its membership categories, and fees in many of them, rival those of RAC's with several offering access to even more through other museums in its network. As importantly, it is situated in an environment already designated to absorb scores of mixed-use clienteles, and the requisite transportation needs such a facility requires – be it for private cars and/or buses/vans.

  Many homes have converted their extra spaces to “home offices”. Why not in this instance as well?

  Rehabilitate the house on #25 Milton Road. The backyard, and wetlands, can still be used for the teaching, and natural art space they want to introduce. Convert the bedrooms to shared office spaces for staff. Reimagine the space of its two-car garage for something else. The living and dining rooms can be used for receptions and presentations.

  Doing something like that would make room for upgrades in the existing facility, and substantially minimize so many of the other issues this new building presents.

  While I appreciate the RAC has 2027 in mind for completion, they have taken four years to get to this point. Most of all of us have only had weeks to learn about any of this.

  It is important that time is taken. We get one chance to make this as right as possible.

  And, away from this particular property, changing the zone designation, should it happen, could be a domino for several others in Rye to try the same thing.

  Thank you for your time.

  Heather Sweeny
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  Welcome to the Public Comments Section of RAC Zoning Petition

  about 1 year ago

  - Please leave comments below.

  - Please leave comments below.