‘Old Post Tavern’ envisioned in Cross River

By NEAL RENTZ

The Lewisboro Planning Board was presented with a plan for a new restaurant, marketplace store and greenhouse with a gravel parking lot at its June 16 meeting.

Old Post Tavern would be located on a roughly 2-acre property at 902 Route 35, Cross River. The complex would be in the hamlet center near the intersection of routes 35 and 121.

Skaz Gecaj and John Swertfager are the contract vendees, and they discussed their proposal, accompanied by their architect, Mike Schulman, at the meeting.  The owners of the site are Robert Valenti and Michael Mongiello.

Gecaj said he and Swertfager worked on the concept for about one year.

Schulman said the four parcels off Route 35 where the development would take place “sit on the western edge of the commercial zone.” 

In his March 26 letter to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves advocated for the plan.

The proposed home for Old Post Tavern at 902 Route 36 in Cross River. THANE GRAUEL PHOTO

 “This project will add to my vision of turning this hamlet center into a destination for the Town of Lewisboro and surrounding municipalities while also being conscious of the natural environment,” he wrote “We are currently in the early stages of pursuing sidewalks, crosswalks and safe pedestrian access within the hamlet center and safe access to the middle school and high school campus location just north of this location on Route 121.”

“Being adjacent to the recent purchase of the town municipal center building, which will soon house multiple town offices, we are looking to create a seamless flow between the town property and the Old Post Road Tavern property,” Gonçalves wrote. “This seamless connection will allow easier pedestrian access and shared parking and a connection to local small businesses/retail center the Richard Momsen Preserve and other local attractions including two other restaurants and a café.”

Last year, the Town Board approved the purchase of the office building at 892 Route 35, Cross River, for several town government and court offices because the Katonah-Lewisboro School District is ending its rental agreement with the town for space at the former Lewisboro Elementary School. 

Schulman told the Planning Board this week that the plan is to create a market store in part of the building that formerly was the site of a restaurant, while building a new 60-seat restaurant and greenhouse. The new restaurant would be two-and-a-half stories with an attic, he said. Most of the food preparation would take place on the first floor, he said.

The project would be “family-friendly, catering to the entire community,” Schulman said.

Valet parking would be provided for restaurant patrons, with vehicles parked behind the building, Schulman said.

Planning Board Chair Janet Andersen asked if the market store would be open evenings. Schulman said the market would only be open during the day, the restaurant would just be open for dinner in the evenings and the greenhouse, which would provide food for the eatery, would not be open to the public. Patrons of the market would use the parking lot that would be shared with those going to the town government building, he said. 

Schulman said the plan is to pipe the existing drainage ditch and fill approximately 3,388-square-feet of wetlands. To mitigate the loss of wetlands, he is proposing to create on- and off-site wetlands and the removal of invasive species. If approved, there would be two-square-feet of new wetlands for each square-foot removed, he said. 

The board will have a site walk of the property July 18 and continue its review July 21.