Stop & Shop Outlines Scaled-Back Plans

The Village of Dobbs Ferry Board of Trustees held a largely uneventful meeting Tuesday night despite a presentation by representatives from , who outlined proposed revisions to their project. Perhaps because the modified project has been significantly scaled back, turnout was light and board members expressed their informal approval for the reworked plans.

Stop & Shop will keep the store’s current footprint intact with the exception of an expanded loading dock along the building’s east side, which will create more selling area inside the store.  With the exception of a stairwell and some extra space in the basement, the square footage of the property will expand by 2,284 square feet.

The diagonal parking spaces that currently exist alongside the building will be eliminated, though the company will add parking spots across Estherwood Avenue on the former Scott Chevrolet property, which Stop & Shop now owns. The entire project is expected to cost $8 million and will take about six months to complete after work gets underway. The store will remain open during construction, said Robert Bencivegna, Director of Real Estate for Stop & Shop.

Overall, the number of parking space will be increased from the current 125 spaces to 148 spaces, 39 of which will be located on the former Scott Chevrolet property, said project manager Steve Brewer.  The store’s expansion is projected to bring about nine more cars onto the property per hour, he said, and driving aisles will be expanded. The store will construct a sitting area with benches within the traffic island in the middle of Walgrove Avenue

Architect Michael Graziosi outlined the store’s new look, which includes cleaner lines and architectural details including siding, trim work and molding. New signs will be backlit or illuminated with gooseneck lighting.

“I think it’s great,” said Trustee Catherine Kay. “It’s a beautiful store.”

Because no variances are required—except for a slight modification in window area—and the Board of Architectural and Historical Review has approved the plan, village attorney Darius Chafizadeh said that Stop & Shop will likely return in front of the village board in October.

• In other business, the board approved a plan to buy 300 new LED street lights for $348 each. The lights, which are guaranteed for five years and could very well last 20 years, will save the village a considerable amount of money, said Public Works Superintendent James Dunn. He anticipates fewer man-hours devoted to changing streetlights and a reduction in electricity costs of 40 to 50 percent once the lights are installed.
• Representatives from The Summit at Dobbs Ferry also made a presentation outlining their desire to build three new freestanding signs on village property.