A report measuring the effectiveness of an odor mitigation system at a proposed cannabis microbusiness in Peekskill has been released and engineers say they believe the system will be effective if it’s properly installed and maintained.

Grand Street Cannabis Co., a state-licensed cannabis microbusiness, seeks a special permit to occupy approximately 7,301 square feet of a two-story multi-commercial tenant space at 710 Washington Street within the commercial C-3 Zoning District. It would have no retail on site and focus on cultivation.

The project has become a point of contention at several public hearings, primarily among  neighbors living in an adjacent residential neighborhood who had several concerns, including emissions and effectiveness of the applicant’s proposed mitigation system.

A third-party report from CPL, the engineering firm hired by the city to analyze the system, was originally slated to be presented by Director of Planning Carol Samol on Sept. 15, but was delayed to the Monday, Nov. 10, Common Council meeting.

“The applicant has presented technically applicable concepts intended to manage potential odors per the materials reviewed,” wrote CPL Principal Eric Matzan. “If these concepts are advanced by qualified engineering professionals to a fully designed system, properly installed, effectively commissioned, operated, and maintained, CPL recommends the system would be effective in controlling odors generated by the applicants manufacturing operations.”

In addition, CPL made two recommendations for the city, including two sensors for volatile organize compounds (VOC) which are what create the odors from cannabis and having an additional review of the final mechanical design package be completed before issuance of a building permit.

A public hearing was held on the project, but for written comment only. It will be adjourned to Nov. 24. Two written comments were received via email.

The city is currently analyzing the ramifications of a notice to remedy that was issued on the Washington Street building, which also houses a mirror company and entertainment space company, on Oct. 29.

The Department of Buildings found on Oct. 1 that the current configuration of the building with multiple industrial uses represents a change of use. A notice to remedy violations found during the fire inspection was issued on Oct. 29. The owner is required to contact the department within 10 days to discuss steps that need to be taken to remediate the violations.

Those interested in reading the CPL Engineering review can click here, and those interested in reading Grand Street’s odor mitigation plan can click here.

City Holds Public Hearings on Parking, Budget, Tax Cap

Monday night’s council meeting at City Hall was a rare meeting in which no member of the public spoke out at public hearings. Although five comments were submitted via email across the four public hearings.

One of those public hearings was on the city’s proposed payment in lieu of parking (PILOP) text amendment which has saw a public hearing in September and will be returning for another public hearing on Nov. 24

One of the latest changes the city has proposed, Samol said, was exempting the renovation of two or fewer residential units from the PILOP program, allowing them to go forward without paying a $30,000 fee.

Public hearings were also held on the 2026 City of Peekskill Common Council Budget and the overriding of the New York State tax cap.

The city is asking for an increase in its tax levy by 3.5 percent, exceeding the allowable levy increase of 2 percent. City Manager Matthew Alexander said the total would result in a tax increase in the rates of 2.98 percent and the average house being taxed an additional $7.39 a month. He said it represents about $2.30 more than it would have been had it not gone over the cap.

Following the hearing a local law resolution to override the New York State cap failed to pass after four members voted for it, one against it and two others were not present. The resolution required a vote of sixty percent to be approved and has been adjourned to the Nov. 24 meeting.

Councilman Robert Scott, who voted against the resolution, told the Peekskill Herald he needed clarification on it before it passed. 

Those absent were Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie, who is currently in Israel with fellow Westchester leaders on a week-long trip sponsored by the Westchester Jewish Council, and Councilman Ramon Fernandez, who told the Herald he was visiting a sick family member.

A resolution vote on adopting the 2026 was also subsequently adjourned to the Nov. 24 meeting.

City Provides 1,700 Meals for Residents and Tackles Quality of Life

Thanks to community partners, non-profit groups, city staff and volunteers, the Peekskill Nutrition Department has provided 1,700 meals for Peekskill residents in front of the community center amid cuts to SNAP benefits. The meals are distributed Monday to Friday (8 a.m. to 10 a.m., 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and Saturday to Sunday (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.)

During his quality of life report, City Manager Alexander said the effort drew over 100 volunteers. With assistance from Arts 10566, the city attracted funding from several organizations including Arts 10566, Ted Haber, WIN Waste, White Plains Linen, MVP, SunRiver, the Lanza Family Foundation, Fidelis, DoorDash, and New York Presbyterian.

One of the resolutions voted on Monday night authorized the accepting of a donation of $65,000 for providing funding for emergency snap meal preparation and distribution for residents left with termination of SNAP benefits during the federal shutdown which started Nov. 1 and is still in effect as of this writing, Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Another quality of life report Alexander referenced had to do with a boiler fire over the weekend from a residency with an overcrowding issue.

On Friday, Nov. 7, the police, fire and building departments dealt with an issue of overcrowding after there was a fire in a boiler that appeared to have up to 12 residents in a two-family. The location was shut down and nobody was allowed to go back into the unit due it being deemed unsafe.

Alexander said the three departments worked together and called the Office of Emergency Management and were able to work with the unhoused people to ensure they were looked out for. 

Chief of Police Leo Dylewski said, “There was an issue and concern about finding housing for the individuals that lived in that home, to make sure they had a place to go. We, with the fire department and the Office of Emergency Management and the Red Cross, made contact with everybody. The families that I am aware of were able to find their own housing.”

Another quality of life issue touted by Alexander was the completion of a backlog of minutes from past meetings on the city website by City Clerk Cassandra Redd. Those minutes can be viewed by clicking here.

“This was quite a feat,” Alexander said. “This was 68 times 10 or 15 pages each. Cassandra runs a tight team at the clerk’s office and they work exactly like a team. I don’t know how you got added to quality of life but you definitely add to the quality of life for the city.”

Resolutions Passed: Consulting Project, Kitchen Incubator, Community Hub

The Common Council voted to pass eight resolutions unanimously including:

• Authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with Wendell Energy Services for an energy audit and heat recovery assessment of the city’s major municipal facilities, including the Police Station, Neighborhood Center, and Library. 
• Authorizing the Peekskill Facilities Development Corporation to request approval of the construction bids for the Peekskill Firehouse Kitchen Incubator project from U.S. Economic Development Administration for further consideration and award by the city.
  • General construction for $4,086,000 by Iron Sword an SDVOB
  • Kitchen equipment for $879,000 by Sam Tells Cos
  • Freezers and coolers for $93,278 by Sam Tells Cos
• The issuance of a request for proposals for professional design consultant services for the assessment and planning of the Community Hub Downtown Campus.
• Authorizing the scheduling of a public hearing for Nov. 24 to hear comment on an extension of a moratorium on battery energy storage system over 80 kWh
• Authorizing the city manager to execute an intermunicipal agreement with Westchester County to participate in the Westchester County Stop-DWI Patrol/Datamaster Project for the years 2026 to 2030.
• Authorizing the closures of portions of Broad Street, Park Street, Division Street, James Street, and Brown Street to motorized vehicles on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 9 to 11 a.m. to allow the annual Reindeer Run full access for the safety of all runners.
• Authorizing the signing and renewal of a cable franchise agreement by and between the City of Peekskill and Verizon New York Inc.