Scarsdale's Village Board of Trustees is scheduled to take up Caffè Nero's application to open a coffee shop at Christie Place when it meets Wednesday, July 29, at Village Hall, 1001 Post Road.

At the board's Tuesday, July 14, public hearing, Mayor Justin Arest indicated the vote would come at the next regular meeting and invited community members to submit comments in the interim. The official July 29 agenda has not yet been posted.

The space at Christie Place previously housed a Bank of America branch. The applicant told the board at the July 14 hearing that the storefront has been vacant for approximately two years.

What Caffè Nero is proposing

Caffè Nero, which the applicant said operates about 60 locations in the United States, wants to open a café with indoor and outdoor seating on East Parkway and Christie Place. Proposed hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. The applicant described the concept as a European-style gathering place with fireplaces, bookshelves, and communal tables. Music would play indoors only. The applicant said outdoor tables would not be applied for until next year.

Coffee would be roasted at facilities in Washington, D.C., and Europe. Garbage would be stored in the building's garage, with early-morning deliveries on Christie Place near the market.

Residents split on the plan

The July 14 hearing drew both support and opposition.

Dan Gerardi, speaking on behalf of Christie Place residents, told the board the building's average resident age is 82, with many using walkers and other mobility devices. "Making the walkway more narrow will affect some of our older residents," Gerardi said at the July 14 meeting. He added that residents were glad the space would no longer sit vacant.

Christie Place is an age-restricted residential building. Residents raised concerns about noise, outdoor furniture blocking the narrow sidewalk, and safety for elderly residents navigating the walkway.

Susan Douglass of 59 Crane Road, who said she served on the Downtown Revitalization Committee of the Scarsdale Forum, spoke in favor, calling the café a way to bring vitality to the village.

Trustee Tim Foley pressed the applicant on trash-handling plans, asking whether they intended to respond to Planning Board questions about garbage. Mayor Arest asked the applicant for a written response to those concerns before the vote.

How to weigh in

Residents can submit written comments on the Caffè Nero application to the Village Board ahead of the Wednesday, July 29, meeting. The village clerk's office can be reached at 914-722-1100 for information on submitting comments.

The Board of Architectural Review also meets this week, on Tuesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. at Village Hall. Both meetings are open to the public.