North Hills defers action on Buckley School application

The Island Now
The North Hills Board of Trustees has rescheduled a much-discussed public hearing for April. (Photo by John Nugent)

BY JOHN NUGENT

The Village of North Hills has postponed a decision on the application of Buckley Country Day School for site improvements on its property.

The Buckley School had submitted an application to the village seeking a permit for several site improvements, including conversion of parts of its parking areas to a basketball court and a garden courtyard, construction of a new equipment storage building, and construction of a new 265 space parking lot. In addition, the school plans to reconfigure existing parking areas and driveways, construct a new garage, and install new lighting and fencing on the property.

At its meeting on Jan. 20, the board heard comment from residents of the surrounding condominium complex Acorn Ponds and those who lived on bordering streets Bonny Lynn Court and Fox Ridge, all of whom reacted negatively to Buckley’s plans, citing excessive noise and irresponsibility in past projects.

Mayor Marvin Natiss announced that the applicant had made some amendments to its proposal at the Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday.

The board decided to adjourn public discussion on the matter until its next meeting
on March 25, so that it will have more time to study the requested changes to the original
proposal.

In another matter, the board denied the application of Castagna Realty Company for release of a performance bond on a property in the village. Attorney Jessica Leis, representing the applicant, said that maintenance bonds were drawn up but due to an oversight were never filed with the village in 2017.

Village Attorney A. Thomas Levin countered that performance bonds cannot be released
without maintenance bonds in place.

The mayor suggested that Leis advise her client to re-file the maintenance bond after which time the board will consider releasing the performance bond.

Local resident Luan McGonnigle addressed the board in opposition to the applicant’s request. saying that the building is beautiful but “they hired Johnny Appleseed to do the landscaping.”

North Hills’ board of trustees will again convene on March 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Share this Article