City Council:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF MOUNT VERNON, DECLARING
INTENT TO SERVE AS LEAD AGENCY PURSUANT
TO SEQRA FOR A PETITION SEEKING A ZONING
TEXT AMENDMENT AND RELATED LAND USE
APPROVALS BY WEST FIRST PROFESSIONAL
PLAZA LLC, AND REFERRING THE PETITION
TO THE CITY CORPORATION COUNSEL, CITY
PLANNING BOARD, AND WESTCHESTER COUNTY
PLANNING BOARD
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Mount Vernon is in receipt of a Petition submitted by West First Professional Plaza (“Petitioner”) to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Mount Vernon (“Petition”) to permit Petitioner’s Project (as defined herein) to be developed on five adjoining parcels known as 22 West First Street, 0 South Fifth Avenue, 16 South Fifth Avenue, 22 South Fifth Avenue, and 0 South Sixth Avenue, which parcels are designated on the City of Mount Vernon Tax Map as Section 165.70, Block 3086, Lots 4, 6, 7, 8, and 37, respectively (“Property”); and
WHEREAS, Petitioner is the owner of the Property, which comprises approximately 35,343 square feet (±0.8115 acres); and
WHEREAS, the Property is in the DB Downtown Business District; and
WHEREAS, Petitioner has also applied to the City Council for a Special Permit for “Multifamily dwellings” pursuant to City Zoning Ordinance Section 267-32.E, and will need to apply to the City Planning Board for Site Plan Approval pursuant to Article VII of the Zoning Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, Petitioner’s stated purpose of the requested Petition is to permit the adaptive reuse of floors 2 through 6 (with Chase Bank/retail use to remain on the ground floor) of the existing six-story office structure on the Property, which is proposed to consist of 61 residential apartment units (55 one-bedroom, 10 two-bedroom, and 1 three-bedroom), 62 surface off-street parking spaces (15 of which shall be designated for the Bank), and resident amenities (“Project,” collectively with the Petition and Special Permit and Site Plan, the “Proposed Action”); and
WHEREAS, the Project as proposed is not presently permitted on the Property because Property is not within ¼ mile of a train station, and is also not within 200 feet of an entrance or exit to a limited access highway or parkway, as required by Section 267-32.E(1)(b) and (c), respectively; and
WHEREAS, the Petition proposes to waive or eliminate Sections 267-32.E(1)(b) and (c) of the Zoning Ordinance, pertaining to the specific special permit standards and requirements for “Multifamily dwellings”; and
WHEREAS, the Petition also proposes to modify Section 267-32.E(3)(c) by authorizing the City Council to determine the required minimum number of parking spaces for properties within the City’s downtown as defined in the Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, on or about May 21, 2026, Petitioner submitted to the City Council the Petition, together with existing and proposed plans, as well as other supporting materials; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act and its implementing regulations at 6 N.Y.C.R.R. Part 617 (collectively, “SEQRA”), Petitioner submitted to the City Council a Full Environmental Assessment Form Part 1 (“EAF”) for the Proposed Action, dated May 14, 2026; and
WHEREAS, as described in the EAF, the Proposed Action includes the requested zoning text changes described in the Petition, the proposed Special Permit, and the future potential Site Plan Application to the Planning Board; and
WHEREAS, the Proposed Action is an Unlisted action under SEQRA; and
WHEREAS, the Proposed Action has been designed to be consistent with the recommendations and guiding principles of the City Council’s Downtown Vision Report, adopted January 2024, as well as the City Council’s Comprehensive Plan, adopted November 2025, which encourage increased density and walkable mixed-use development in the downtown area; and
WHEREAS, the City Council is the approval authority for the Petition and for Special Permit approval pursuant to Sections 267-30 and 237-32.E of the Zoning Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to designate its intent to serve as Lead Agency for the coordinated review of the Proposed Action pursuant to SEQRA; and
WHEREAS, the City Council is required to refer the Petition to the Corporation Counsel and Planning Board for their respective reviews and reports pursuant to Section 267-59 of the Zoning Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, Section 267-59 of the Zoning Ordinance requires the Corporation Counsel and the Planning Board to report their respective recommendations to the City Council with respect to the Petition within 30 days after referral; and
WHEREAS, the City Council is also required to refer the Petition and EAF to the Westchester County Planning Board pursuant to Section 267-62 of the Zoning Ordinance and Section 239-m of the General Municipal Law.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby declares its intent to serve as Lead Agency for the SEQRA review of the Proposed Action; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council authorizes the City Clerk to circulate its Notice of Intent to declare itself as Lead Agency to all known Involved and Interested Agencies, together with the Petition, EAF, and site plans, notifying them that the Council intends to serve as Lead Agency for the purpose of conducting a coordinated review of the potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action under SEQRA; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council authorizes the City Clerk to refer the Petition to the City of Mount Vernon Corporation Counsel and Planning Board for their respective reports pursuant to Section 267-59 of the Zoning Ordinance; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council authorizes the City Clerk to refer the Petition, EAF, and site plans to the Westchester County Planning Board in accordance with Section 267-62 of the Zoning Ordinance, and Section 239-m of the General Municipal Law.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall take effect immediately.