Wastewater, parking in Bedford Village continue to vex the Planning Board

Garden patio in front of oHHo in Bedford Village. Photo COURTESY of oHHo

By JEFF MORRIS

When Bedford’s Planning Board ruled on two Bedford Village applications last week, they referenced problems that have long existed in the hamlet.

Applications by oHHo Botanicals for continued use of an outside pizza oven, and Jordan Vogel for a new high-end bar, both prompted discussions regarding parking availability, and food preparation in an area with wastewater restrictions.

The reason oHHo had to bring in a portable pizza oven in the first place was due to not being allowed to have a full kitchen at its location in the former Bedford Village firehouse. Vogel’s proposed bar, meanwhile, has no plans for a formal kitchen; he said he would serve food prepared offsite, heated in a convection oven. Both had to answer questions about available parking. 

Calves weighs in on traffic

The Recorder asked Supervisor Ellen Calves to comment on the longstanding parking and wastewater issues in the Bedford Village business district.

“It is great to see so much activity in Bedford Village,” she said, “and the Planning Board works to keep the activity in balance with our laws and comprehensive plan. They carefully consider parking availability as one of the factors before giving an approval for a new use.” 

A solution to the parking situation seemed imminent just a few years ago, as the town had an agreement to build a new lot behind the Bedford Presbyterian Church. The town was paying the church for the use of 25 spaces in their parking lots, but after COVID-19 there was less traffic, and in 2022 Calves said, “We have not sold a permit in that lot in two or three years. It is hard for me to justify building a new lot back behind the church playground when we have 25 spaces available.” She also indicated the lot behind the church was a serious wetland, and it would be difficult to get the Army Corps of Engineers to approve a parking lot there.

Now, said Calves, at the request of the Bedford Village Business Association, the town Highway Department has painted parking lines along Court Road to help encourage parking there, “and that seems to have moved some of the parking out of the main area.” She also said the town has changed some of the one-hour parking to two-hour parking to enable people to stay a bit longer in the village without being ticketed.

In addition, said Calves, the BVBA has been encouraging business owners and their employees not to park in potential customer spots, and entities with private parking lots have made permits available for sale to enable off-street employee parking. 

“As there are many dozens of employees working at any given time in the village, I hope more businesses will participate to help open up street parking for patrons,” she said. 

With respect to the application for a new bar, she said, “perhaps parking in the evening is easier to find when other businesses are closed.” She said the parking situation at oHHo “seems to have improved since the business has been directing customers to their back lot. Also, regulars seem to know to seek parking down Court Road or in front of St. Patrick’s Church.”

Wastewater issue a challenge

Wastewater is a bit more complicated. Back in 2022, Calves was optimistic about a plan to establish a new Bedford Village Sewer District. An opportunity existed because the Bedford Central School District was being required by the Westchester County Health Department to replace the wastewater system at Bedford Village Elementary School, and the town recognized that a partnership with them could benefit both the school and the business district. But, after a referendum was held and a sewer district was approved, the town’s grant application to fund the planned sewer district was rejected. As a result, BCSD is going ahead with its own treatment plant.

In his appearance before the Planning Board, Vogel said his food preparation limitation was self-imposed, not a health department requirement. He said he had installed a new septic system last year that he hoped would work, but if it doesn’t, he has a water treatment facility next door that “quite frankly, is large enough to handle the entire village, and now I’m talking to the elementary school about tapping into our system. In the event the department of health is not happy with our brand new septic system, then we have Plan B.”

For her part, Calves said the town is “always open to creative solutions, whether on private property or for public-private partnership,” for the parking and wastewater challenges, as the town “does not have affordable, practical solutions” at this time.