August 10, 2011: Known by longtime Bronxville residents as a Mobil gas station, by newer residents as On Consignment and, most recently as Kensington Paper, the property at 117 Pondfield Road is the first property to apply to the village for inclusion in Central Business A Transition District.

Created by the Village Board of Trustees in June, the non-geographic district provides for a graduated transition between residential and commercial properties on a parcel-by-parcel basis.

Phil Lombardo, Chief Executive Officer of Citadel Communications, and new owner of the property stated that the existing building, as seen from Pondfield Road, will house "Objects and Images Fine Art, Inc." The gallery has plans to stage permanent exhibitions as well as gallery shows throughout the year. A two-story addition to the back of the building will house the Citadel Communications corporate offices.

"What you may not know," said Lombardo, "is that the property is zoned residential and it has never been used for residential purposes. We decided that we wanted the zoning to be on a clean slate, so we went to numerous Planning Board meetings and Board of Trustee meetings. We didn't think that continuing to use a residential zoned property for commercial purposes was the way to go on a long-term basis."

According to Lombardo, the Zoning Board has approved all the setbacks and plans. Construction is scheduled to begin Tuesday, August 9. A construction fence surrounds the whole property, as required by the village, and the first phase of the constructions process will be demolition of the building's back L-section.

After that, the excavation for the new two-story addition will take place. Lombardo explained that the existing building contains a step down to the L-section, which sits lower than the main portion of the building. "We're going to extend that excavation under the whole two stories we're building," he said.

Lombardo pointed out that the parcel's property line sits ten feet farther back than the existing parking area. Excavation of that extra space will allow the parking to be extended to the edge of the property. When completed, the lot will include eleven parking spaces, including one handicapped access space. Lombardo stated that all of the spaces including those in front of the existing building next to the addition will be for customer and company use only- - not for shoppers going elsewhere to shop.

Lombardo said that all environmental concerns relating to the property have been addressed. "The gasoline tanks were taken out some time ago, and I have copies of all the environmental reports that were filed with the village," he said. "If there had been environmental issues, I probably wouldn't have bought the property."

"We think it's a unique building," Lombardo said. "We want to maintain its appearance and its character, so we're going to fix it up." He pointed out that honoring the existing setback is essential in preserving the building's unique character. "We will not move the building any closer to the street," he said.

Lombardo anticipates a December 1 opening for Objects and Images Fine Art, Inc., in time for the holiday season. He said the remainder of the building will be completed by the end of January 2012.

Pictured here:  The property at 117 Pondfield Road at the corner of Tanglewylde Ave. and Pondfield Road which is about to undergo construction.

Photo by N. Bower