Bacio Trattoria trims parking plan, Double H Farm gets extension

By NEAL RENTZ

Bacio Trattoria is asking the Lewisboro Planning Board to amend a previous approval to allow it to reduce the number of new parking spaces at the eatery by two, to a total of 14 spaces.

The board provided site development plan approval for the project in April 2024. The restaurant’s new plan is to reconfigure the new spaces.

The request was made at the March 18 planning board meeting by Marcelo Alarcon, an engineer from Site Design Consultants. 

The planning board came to a consensus to instruct town staff to create an approval resolution that could be voted on at its next meeting April 15.

The restaurant is located at 19 Mark Mead Road, Cross River.

In a Feb. 25 letter to the planning board, project engineer Joseph Riina stated why his client wanted to reduce the number of new parking spaces and reconfigure the new spaces. 

“The changes are due to the difficulties and conditions imposed as part of obtaining the approvals from the Westchester County Department of Health,” Riina wrote. “The latest parking layout reflects avoiding the approved existing septic expansion area.” 

The proposed changes in parking would mean his client would not require approval from the health department, Riina wrote. 

Alarcon told the planning board that his client agreed “to change things around,” including reducing the number of spaces by two to proceed with the parking project.

The planning board came to a consensus to not hold another public hearing on the matter.

“This is a big improvement,” board Chair Janet Andersen said. 

Double H Farm extension

Also at this meeting, the board voted unanimously to provide a three-month extension for the Double H Farm project. 

On Aug. 20, the board approved a subdivision proposal from Double H Farm LLC’s owners and neighboring property owners Felicia and Kevin Reid.

At the meeting, the board approved the request from Dawn McKenzie, senior project landscape from Insite Engineering, Surveying & Landscape Architecture, for the 90-day extension. It runs through May 17.

The original planning board approval was set to expire last month, but the board did not meet in February because it did not receive any new applications or resubmissions. 

McKenzie noted at the meeting that the project’s plat of survey was OK’d by the Westchester County Department of Health and has been distributed to other government agencies.

Double H Farm, together with the Reids, proposed a subdivision/lot line change, which will merge a total of 6.9 acres into the Reid family property at 45 Cross River Road. When the 6.9 acres are combined into the existing Reid parcel it will total 12 acres. The remaining Double H Farm parcel will be 37.2 acres.

The land is located in a town R-2A Residential Zoning District and the Westchester County Agricultural District.

In July, the planning board voted unanimously to approve the first phase of a project to make alterations to Double H Farm and allow it begin the process of converting the site to a private horse riding academy.

The plan is for horse owners to leave their horses on the property where they would be trained. The applicant will also make some asphalt and gravel driveway improvements.

The plan for Phase 2 would consist of such aspects as a complete teardown of the existing barn and construction of a new barn and indoor riding ring in the same location. Double H Farm is also proposing the rearrangement and regrading of various paddocks, reconstruction of the existing maintenance barn, with housing proposed above the barn. This plan will be updated in a future submission.