130 GRAND ST PROPOSAL
bid
10 pages
Meeting: portal event 924 (no meeting page on file)
Agenda item: Public Hearing — Fuller, Sean -130 Grand Street (79.05-1-57) - Change of Use and Amended Site Plan Applications for Proposed Cafe/Theatre
Bid / RFP, 10 pages. Attached to agenda item: “Public Hearing — Fuller, Sean -130 Grand Street (79.05-1-57) - Change of Use and Amended Site Plan Applications for Proposed Cafe/Theatre”
Retrieved 2026-04-15 from the village's meeting portal.
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Also attached to this agenda item:
130 GRAND AMENDMENTS
130 Grand St Approved Site Plan 1988 reduced
130 Grand Street Approved Lower Level Plan
130 grand appendix VII
PROPOSED FLOOR PLANS THE VENUE
Extracted text
PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE OF USE 130 GRAND ST, CROTON-ON-HUDSON
COMMUNITY CAFE AND THEATER
Prepared by: Sean Fuller, prospective proprietor; presented January 11, 2024
130 GRAND ST COMMUNITY CAFE AND THEATER — THE VENUE
GENERAL OVERVIEW
The Project
After years of searching for a location, we have had the good fortune of finding 130 Grand St in the Upper Village
of Croton, our home town of the last 15 years. Our objective is to open a small community venue for music,
performance and other locally-curated events along with an affordable cafe of exceptional quality. For this we
would convert these former medical offices into a singular space.
Currently there is no private venue in the Croton area like our proposal. There are other places to see live
music in Croton, but we plan to construct an acoustically professional small stage and sound system, catering to
local performers and students’ instrumental recitals alike. People from the local arts community will be invited to
curate evenings of entertainment. We also believe 130 Grand (form hereon “the Venue”; we’re still fishing for
the right name) would fit in well with the other businesses of the Upper Village, such as the Black Cow and the
Tapsmith; Fratelli’s and La Catrina. It would add to a pleasant evening out for locals without taking a car or train.
About us: I worked in film, TV and theater for 20 years as a writer, a camera person, and in production. I helped
manage a similar small venue in New York City for two years in the late 1990s. Currently I write and edit spec
scripts at home, coach Little League and CYO Basketball here in town, and play in a band. My wife Annie is an
accomplished attorney, as well as a violinist and an incredible home cook and baker. We plan to work with several
other Crotonites to bring this project to fruition.
The Venue
Capacity: The Venue would include all of the roughly 1650 sq ft ground floor of 130 Grand St. There would be a
small oval bar near the entrance on Grand, and 10 tables on the sides and toward the rear, where the stage would
be. Full seating capacity would be for 45-50 patrons. (see Appendix II)
Hours of Operation: Tuesday through Saturday, 5 pm - 11 pm. We would look to expand into lunch hours during
the business week, as a takeout only option. We would plan a “slow open” of 2 or 3 nights a week for the first
month.
Staff: Between 3-8 employees, depending on the schedule of the day.
Stage and Performances: We would seek a wide variety of live music, from folk to jazz to rock to world music;
classical recitals, both professional and amateur, including early evening performances from local music schools.
There will be a piano, drum set and professional PA with sound board in Venue. We would encourage small theater
groups to apply; monologists or stand-up comics. We would like to have monthly film screenings as well, curated
by locals in the business.
The “Event” schedule would be roughly 1 - 3 nights a week, generally starting at 7 or 7:30 pm. Other open
nights the Venue would serve strictly as a restaurant cafe and bar. We do plan to serve excellent tea.
Goals today: Change of Use and Amended Site Plan
We seek the Planning Board’s approval for both Change of Use and Amended Site Plan. As of November
2023, the Venue was a medical office; we would use the property as a Theater/Restaurant.
To create the Venue, we would convert the Ground Floor into an open space with an enclosed kitchen area and
two bathrooms. The partial ceiling between the first floor and the loft would be opened up creating an arched/
vaulted ceiling for 75% of the Venue. (See Appendices I and II for current and proposed floor plans)
An additional Exit and Down Staircase will be added by the Kitchen area (see Appendix II). This staircase will
lead to the Lower Floor, where the Exit to the rear parking lot is less than 20 feet away.
Lower Floor: (see Appendix III) The Lower Floor currently consists of 6 offices, a bathroom, and a boiler room/
electric/utilities room. It is roughly 2/3 the square footage of the Ground Floor, giving way to a rock layer.
The rear left office, where the Staircase is to be added, will be made into a Prep Kitchen. This would connect to
the food storage room, and then to a small Refrigerator room.
Building Exterior and Facade: We have no plans to change the building’s exterior, outside of painting the trim a
darker color. We would like to add potted flowering vines to the sides of the main entrance. Signage in front
would be painted on in the same areas signage exists today. It would be sidelit by exterior sconces.
The roof needs to be upgraded. We would hope to improve on its current appearance with higher-quality tiling.
This would be accomplished before opening. We would hope to open the Venue at 130 Grand Street by
June of 2024.
The Venue In the Community — Traffic Analysis, Trash Disposal
Deliveries to the Venue: Based on my previous restaurant work, I would expect 1 food delivery a week and 1-2
beverage deliveries a month. Deliveries can be made in the back parking lot, therefore not blocking traffic on
Grand Street. Performance Load-ins/Load-Outs would also be made in the back parking lot. Therefore traffic
in the Village should not be affected no matter what time Deliveries or Load-in/Load-Outs are made.
The Restaurant and Waste Disposal: We are currently working with the Croton DPW and Village Engineering
office in order to improve waste and trash disposal. I met with representatives from both on 1/11/24 at the project
site to discuss a better location for the dumpster system, to move it from the driveway area to the rear of the
parking lot in back of the building.
See Below: the Blue Circle represents the proposed new location of the Dumpsters of the Venue
Grease and used cooking oil: We would be working with a Licensed Professional remediation concern in order
to dispose of or recycle grease and used cooking oil that results from kitchen use. This would occur less
frequently than deliveries, and again could be accomplished off the street, in the rear of the building.
The Kitchen Hood/Exhaust system will be also at rear of Building, into the rear parking lot. The restaurant will
be designed and constructed in accordance to State and Local regulations and inspections.
Parking Study — 130 Grand St Venue
The Venue at 130 Grand St has 8 dedicated parking spaces (including 1 Disabled space) in the parking lot at the
back of the building. To accommodate a new dumpster area, these spaces will be redrawn from 10’ wide to 9’
wide. A high volume evening would have 40 - 50 seated customers between 7 and 9 pm. It is expected that, after
including the 8 spaces in the back parking lot, an additional 10 to 15 parking spaces could be required within a
1/4 mile to a 1/2 mile radius of 130 Grand St. This is based on the requirement of 1 off-street parking space per 4
seated customers at an eating/drinking establishment. We do expect driving customers to visit more than
one establishment in the Upper Village on many occasions.
Parking Study — Venue at 130 Grand Street — Friday Evening
Available off-street parking: In a random study, 12 available off-street parking spaces were located within 500
yards of 130 Grand Street at 5 pm on Friday.
At 7 pm on a Friday in the Upper Village, 15 available parking spaces were located within 500 yards, and 10
additional available spaces were found between 500 and 700 yards. At 9 pm on a Friday within 500 yards of the
Venue, 20 available spaces were located.
Parking Study — Venue at 130 Grand Street — Friday Evening
Parking Study — Venue at 130 Grand Street — Saturday Evening
On a Saturday evening, at 5 pm, 15 available off-street parking spaces were located within 500 yards of the
Venue. At 7 pm, 17 parking spaces were available. At 9 pm, 22 available off-street parking spaces were identified.
Saturday 5 pm
Saturday 7 pm
Saturday 9 pm
7.5
22.5
Available off-street parking spaces within 500 yards
Friday 5 pm
Friday 7 pm
Friday 9 pm
Available off-street parking spaces within 500 yards
Parking Study — Venue at 130 Grand Street — Wednesday Evening
On a midweek evening, 10 available off-street parking spaces were located at 5 pm. At 7 pm, 15 available spaces
were located, and at 9 pm, 17 available off-street parking spaces were located.
Employee Parking
At high-volume hours, as many as 8 employees may be working at the Venue. Without a performance or event,
that number would be 5. Employees will be asked to park nearer to Van Wyck St and Brook Street, or else up
Maple St toward Harrison Street. Employees will be asked to walk a bit further, those who will be driving.
Personally, it’s a short ride on my bicycle from my house at 4 Sunset Drive.
Closing Thought
We are purchasing this building outright and without financing. The Venue should have enough capital to get
through any financial difficulties that may occur until it is firmly established as a part of the Croton
community. We are confident in the people who will help us, and secure that we can re-invest in its growth into the
future. THANKS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!
Wednesday 5 pm
Wednesday 7 pm
Wednesday 9 pm
4.5
13.5
Available off-street parking spaces within 500 yards
APPENDIX I — ORIGINAL (CURRENT) FLOOR PLAN, 130 GRAND ST
NOTE: Bottom of this 1988 Floor plan is the building facade onto Grand St.
APPENDIX II — PROPOSED FLOOR PLAN — GROUND FLOOR
APPENDIX III— PROPOSED FLOOR PLAN — LOWER FLOOR
Machine-extracted for search and reference — the original PDF is the authoritative version.