WPCNR SOUTH END TIMES. By John F. Bailey. October 10, 2006: The decision as to whether Walgreen's will be allowed to occupy the former Sports Page site on Mamaroneck road has been taken away from the Planning Board and given to the Common Council. The move comes after unprecedented Rosedale neighborhood protest to the city administration over the last two weeks on the matter.

1205 Mamaroneck Avenue, site of former Sports Page Restaurant. Planning, Law and Building switched jurisdictions and declared the Common Council the official approving agency on the Walgreen's proposal in a letter to the Rosedale Residents Assocation Friday. Photo, WPCNR News.

The Building, Planning and Law Departments after further review of the Walgreen's proposal to build a Walgreen's outlet on the site of the old Sports Page Restaurant, have determined the matter is a Special S Zone Amendment which places the Walgreen's matter under the jurisdiction of the Common Council, not The Planning Board.

The decision, comes about from the intervention by Mayor Joseph Delfino based on the Mayor's recollection of previous matters involving the property according to a letter from the Commissioner of Planning  to the Planning Board.

The 10-page letter from Susan Habel  is dated October 6. The letter finds extensive fault with the preliminary proposal by Walgreen's, including:

* The store footprint intrudes on former lots

* The landscaping on Dale Street has not been preserved

* The parking area is not enhanced and screened

* Unacceptable treatment of the steep slope in the rear of the property;

*  The Planning Department does not accept a fence on the top of the concrete retaining wall at the rear

* The Department of Planning spells out certain conditions that a B-2 business at this part of Mamaroneck Avenue has to meet, among them, "limiting the resuse of existing buildings and any expansion of existing uses within these neighborhood business areas to primarily neighborhood oriented uses," and "ensure that all changes to and redevelopment of existing neighborhood business uses include adequatre off street customer and employee parking to prevent spill over of commercial parking into the abutting residential areas."

The letter also states, "The Planning department finds that the informal application does not meet the requirements of the S Zone District," and therefore it requires an amendment to the ordinance which can only be granted by the Common Council.