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CVS Presentation is Not Welcomed by Armonk Neighbors

NORTH CASTLE, N.Y. – The group wishing to move a CVS Pharmacy into the old A&P location in Armonk made its initial site plan presentation on Monday night to the North Castle Planning Board.  Although the hearing was adjourned without approval, many residents in attendance said they were disappointed with the details that unfolded.

Armonk resident Charlene Jacobi, owner and operator of Town Center Pharmacy in Armonk, was especially upset with the fact that the large corporate pharmacy moving into town may soon be a reality.

“This store, it’s not just a pharmacy, it’s a superstore,” Jacobi said.  “And it’s going to economically affect a lot of the small local mom-and-pop shops that are here in town.”

The CVS group, led by lawyer Al DelBello, gave an in-depth presentation of changes made to the current building structure, parking lot and building façade plans.  DelBello said that the group plans to use the majority of the current A&P building for the CVS, while leaving an additional smaller space to be rented by an outside business.  The group added that small delivery trucks would make trips to the store once a day to deliver time-sensitive goods such as newspapers and perishable food items.  The rest of the inventory is planned to be restocked once a week by a larger truck at a time determined by the store.  The proposed hours of the store would be from 7 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Armonk resident Dale Hisiger said that the hours alone are a disturbance to Armonk and the town of North Castle.

“The store just doesn’t fit in with the culture of this town,” Hisiger said.  “There’s nothing in this town that’s open until midnight.”

Members of the planning board, including Steve Sauro, noted that the current plans for the building façade also does not fit visually with the town.  The CVS group said they currently do not have any plans to make major modifications to the outside of the current A&P frontage, which the board noted as out of date. 

“A lot of people in this town share the pleasure of an aesthetically appeasing façade that goes along with the New England-scape look,” Sauro said.  “I would recommend that maybe something along those lines could be improved to the outside.”

Jacobi and Hisiger are members of a community group Concerned Citizens of Armonk.  Over a dozen of the residents were in attendance Monday night and Jacobi said they will continue to fight to stop the project from being approved.  The planning board adjourned the site plan approval as a few items of the presentation still need to be modified and the CVS group is still awaiting approval of a special use permit by the town board. 

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