Village Board Reviews Plans for Caffe Nero on Christie Place and Approves a New Water Main on Carthage Road

The Village Board considered an application for a new coffee shop on Christie Place called Caffé Nero to open in the vacant spot previously occupied by the Bank of America at their July 14, 2026 meeting. The applicant was asked to provide some details about the business and described a gathering place, modelled on European cafes, where both beverages and food are served. He said that each of Caffé Nerro’s 60 locations are designed for the neighborhood and are places to sit and enjoy yourself, hold meetings or see friends.

Some of the locations include welcoming features such as fireplaces, bookshelves, comfy seating, communal tables and nooks. The food is “European” and music is played indoors. They serve their own coffee which is roasted a roasteries in Washington DC and Europe.

The caffé would be open from 6 am to 7 pm seven days a week and have both indoor and outdoor seating on the sidewalk on East Parkway and Christie Place. Since it’s already late in the season, they said they would apply for the outdoor tables next year.

Though it’s not strictly a coffee pick up location, they do have an app that allows buyers to order in advance and pick up their coffee. They hoped to have some parking for those who wish to run in for a pick-up.

Speaking on behalf of the residents of Christie Place, Dan Gerardi said, “We’re happy that after two years the empty location will be occupied,” however he conveyed many concerns. Residents are worried that the music will be noisy and that the outdoor tables and seats will block the sidewalk. He said that the sidewalk was narrow. He also said, “Christie Place is an age restricted residence. The average age of Christie Place residents is 82 years old – many with assisted devices for walking. Making the walkway more narrow will affect some of our older residents.”

Susan Douglass of 59 Crane Road said she served on the Downtown Revitalization Committee of the Scarsdale Forum. She said she supported, the café. “It seems like a wonderful idea to have a gathering place to meet friends and come together. I think it’s great to have something that will bring vitality to the Village.”

Trustees had questions. Tim Foley asked, “Are you planning to respond to the Planning Board questions on refuse? They replied “yes”, that garbage would be stored in the garage…. And our delivery truck will be park on Christie Place next to the market. We will schedule early morning deliveries.”

The applicant responded to Gerardi, saying, “We make sure that the noise accommodates our neighbors – there will be no outdoor speakers. We don’t need to squeeze the sidewalks so that the sidewalks are not safe or convenient.”

The Mayor asked for a written response to the Planning Board concerns and these questions.

Aware that they are eager to open, The Board agreed to keep the public hearing open and to vote on the application at their July 28, 2026 meeting. The Mayor invited the community to send in their comments in the interim.

During public comments, problems with the Con Edison disruption of lateral sewer lines on Walworth Avenue continued to be discussed.

Joe Lawrence of 7 Walworth Avenue said that his neighbor at 3 Walworth Avenue spent $30-40,000 to correct theirs so that they could get the approvals to sell the house. Lawrence said, “This project has become a slow drip drip drip. There is no progress, there are no deadlines and no dates for repairs. We are hearing conflicting stories on what was damaged. We are now a coalition of 46 homes that have been disrupted. How can we apply more pressure? I am afraid this will extend into the winter when we can’t dig up the roads. We have to protect our residents and get a timeframe for repairs. A guy from the EPA said that flowing water is compromising our streets. A lot of people who are affected don’t even know it yet – because they have not tried to sell their homes. We are concerned that the Village is not addressing this more quickly. We are going to be in deep water. What is the Village planning to do to fix this problem?”

Steve Marchiony of 104 Walworth said, “I made the list and was scoped by the Con Ed contractor. I was told I have a disconnection in the street – but I have nothing in writing.
My house was one of the first scoped – on May 18. We were told we would have a report within a week. But they are having trouble loading the video onto their own system. How is the Village was going to resolve this.

Elizabeth Lawrence said, “Con Ed is not listening. We need to move ahead. I thank you for your help – we hope to have more.”

Yiwei Fang of 29 Walworth said, “I haven’t been able to get the scoping done to the connection point – we already tried three times. They can’t get the camera to the lateral -do I spend the $700? I am concerned with discrepancies in the videos.”

The Mayor responded, saying, “We have been in regular contact with Con Ed – and we have a meeting with them about this later this week. I hope to have something to share with you. It can’t take forever. There has to be more communication. The goal is still to have a meeting with them and have you present to get answers to your questions. We are trying to get answers on your behalf.

Resolutions:

The Village approved a $4,485,859.50 contract with MTS Infrastructure of Armonk NY to replace the watermain on Carthage Road. They were the lowest among nine bidders. They also approved a professional services agreement with 929 Construction Services LLC of Beacon, NY to provide project support and oversight for the Carthage Road Water Main project.

Another resolution for construction management and project support on call as needed for the Carthage Road water main project.

The Board approved to resolutions to fund counseling services provided by Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services. The approved $64,898 for the Aging in Place program and $341,343 for the Village’s share of the Youth Services Project.

Trustees approved an agreement with the School Crossing Guards for 3% annual salary increase from September 1, 2006 to September 1, 2029.

They adopted a Positive SEQRA Declaration for the Freightway Generic Environmental Impact Study (GEIS). The resolution says, “The Board of Trustees has determined that the Proposed Action has the potential to result in one or more significant adverse environmental impacts and that an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) shall be prepared.”

During public comments Susan Douglass of 59 Crane Road said, “The Traffic Safety Committee was supposed to meet on July 1 concerning safety of crossing Crane Road. A frequent spot to cross is at Carstensan Road. I have been advocating for a crosswalk – drivers stop when they see people crossing in a crosswalk. I hope that the Village will consider putting in a crosswalk. I will offer to pay for the paint. It is such an inexpensive fix and I think it will help a lot of people.”

Village Manager Alex Marshall said that there are two multi-space parking meters in the lobby of Village Hall. She asked residents to try them and share comments. She also encouraged people to test the payment option (you will not be charged) -and to send comments to parking@Scarsdale.gov.

At a 6 o’clock meeting, the Board of Trustees held a work session on proposed changes to the Land Use code. After some discussion, they requested some revisions and will bring it up again at their meeting in August. See the proposed revisions here.