Dobbs Ferry Board of Trustees: Yes on Gateway Construction

For more than 11 years, 2 Ashford Ave. has sat vacant, creating an eyesore in what many consider to be the "gateway" to the Rivertowns.

But Tuesday night, the Dobbs Ferry Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the construction of a four-story mixed-use building that will be comprised of six apartments and ground-level space for two or three stores.

Plans show the building, designed by Gotham Design & Community Development Ltd. president Padriac Steinschneider, will be constructed from cut stone, brick and stucco and will cover only half of the area allowed for its site.

"Every aspect of this building has been carefully considered," Steinschneider said during a presentation to the board. He then backed his words with a series of slides depicting buildings in nearby villages that—both successfully and unsuccessfully—fill similar corner lots.

Since 1999, numerous proposals have been presented to the village board—including a four-story inn and a three-story apartment building—but before Tuesday's meeting, the village had been unable to reach a consensus on the best use of the space. 

Even the plan that ultimately passed this week made a fair number of circuits through the village planning and zoning boards and board of trustees, but Steinschneider said the approved design was the one closest to his original drawing.

"Before this plan made its final round through all the necessary committees, I decided that I was not going to acquiesce to other people's suggestions and irrational fears of too-tall buildings," Steinschneider said.

In fact, Steinschneider views the construction of this building as just a small step in a larger process of revamping and re-energizing Dobbs Ferry's downtown area. 

"There is an active movement among architects and designers of reintroducing mixed-use buildings," he said. "In the past, the trend was to move away from combining residential and commercial buildings, but unfortunately that just destroys the village's cultural activity and perpetuates the need to drive everywhere."

Despite Steinschneider's ambitious goals and painstaking attention to detail, not everyone who saw his presentation was impressed with the design. 

"Paddy, you do some beautiful work, but this one is not my favorite," said former trustee Vikki Jones. "It looks too stocky…like the façade of a Bed Bath and Beyond store."

Others took issue not only with the building's style but also its purpose.

"Apartments like that seem too upscale for this location," said resident William Hoff. "I think it can become a huge eye sore and commercial disaster." 

And the height of the building still posed a problem for some community members such James McCue who said, "This property is the size of a postage stamp…Bottom line, the building is too tall. "

Most who attended the meeting, though, seemed pleased just to know the empty space in the center of town might soon be filled. 

"Since 1999, I've been embarrassed to look at the 'gateway,'" said former Mayor Don Marra. "There are always going to be people who think a building could be better, but if we entertained every objection, how long would it take to fill the space?"

In a pithy plea to the board, resident David Bloom said, "When I first moved here and heard about the 'gateway,' I thought it couldn't possibly be that. I implore you to vote 'yes.'"

They did, and Steinschneider is confident that his plan will finally come to fruition.

"The next step is to go to the architectural review board, a place where I have previously been thwarted. But I know the mayor has already approached the board's chairman to let him know the village is serious about moving forward," Steinschneider said.

Steinschneider hopes to break ground in September.