Issue #011 · Monday, September 14, 2026 · 4 min read · By Alex Tiratsuyan

14 zoning hearings hit City Hall Wednesday.

The Zoning Board's Wednesday docket is posted — 14 hearings, headlined by a 201,760-square-foot storage warehouse at 79 Austin Ave. Plus: the Parks Board meets tonight, the council's big Tuesday agenda is tomorrow, and flag-raising season continues Thursday. All verified, all linked.

In today's issue

🏛️ City Hall 💜 Community 💰 Grants 📆 Events 🍽️ Restaurants 🧰 Resources

🏛️ City Hall

Wednesday's docket, and the week around it

Zoning Board Wednesday: 14 hearings, one very big warehouse verified

The Zoning Board of Appeals meets Wednesday, Sept 16, at 6 PM in City Hall, 40 South Broadway, 4th floor, and the posted agenda lists 14 hearings — from a garage-attic variance on Murray Ave to a city-scale warehouse. The heavyweight: #5913 at 79 Austin Ave, where Morris Westchester Upper Site Associates wants a 201,760-square-foot warehouse and office shell building for a new storage facility in a commercial storage/light-manufacturing district. One heads-up: the agenda's own numbers disagree on height — the description says a 45-foot building, but the variance line seeks relief up to 145 feet where the code allows 35. We couldn't resolve which is right, so we're printing both; Wednesday's hearing is the place to ask. Also on the docket: apartment projects at 69 Spruce St (#5914) and 88 Frederic St (#5928), a warehouse reconstruction at 581 Saw Mill River Rd (#5494 & 5667), a new condo unit at 1205 Warburton Ave (#5910), a new two-family at 151 Belknap Ave (#5926), and home-and-business hearings from Shelburne Road to Yonkers Avenue. If a project near you is on the list, Wednesday is the night to show up.

Source: posted ZBA agenda, Sept 16, 2026 (PDF) · checked Sept 14

Parks Board meets tonight verified

The Parks Board meets tonight, Monday, Sept 14, at 7 PM — per the city's official calendar. Parks Board meetings are where the city's rinks, pools, fields and playground plans get their public airing; walk-ins are welcome.

Source: City of Yonkers calendar · checked Sept 14

Tomorrow: the council's big agenda, then flags on Thursday verified

Tomorrow (Tue, Sept 15) is the full City Hall stack we covered Sunday: the Salvadorian flag raising at 4 PM, the Real Estate Committee at 6:15 PM — with the P.S. 9 conveyance, the MHACY abatement amendment, the 13-address riverfront permit change and the rezoning package on its posted agenda — then the City Council stated meeting at 7 PM. Thursday, the Mexican flag raising goes at 4:30 PM. Next stated meeting: Tuesday, Sept 29. And the Board of Contract & Supply meets Monday, Sept 22 at 3 PM — that's where city spending checks land.

Sources: Salvadorian flag raising · Mexican flag raising · posted 9/15 committee agenda (PDF) · Sunday's City Hall breakdown

💜 Community

One run worth training for

Break the Silence 5K: under four weeks out verified

County Legislator Shanae Williams' third annual Break the Silence for Domestic Violence 5K Run/Walk goes Saturday, October 10 at Tibbetts Brook Park — 8 AM registration, 9 AM opening ceremony, 9:30 start, rain or shine. Every dollar of the proceeds goes to YCAP, the Yonkers Community Action Program. Registration runs $38.98 for adults, $28.63 for 65+, $23.45 for 17 and under, processing included. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month; this is the county's biggest visible stand against it. If you need help sooner than the race: call 1-800-799-7233, chat at thehotline.org, or text START to 88788.

Sources: official registration page · Yonkers Times

💰 Grants

Grants & funding watch

$9.7 million for downtown ideas — the call is open verified

The open call is live: Mayor Spano started accepting project proposals for the Hudson Gateway Connector Downtown Revitalization Initiative on Sept 10 — residents, businesses and organizations can pitch projects that reconnect downtown to the Hudson River waterfront, for a share of $9.7 million in DRI funding. Deadline: October 16, 4 PM. If you've got a practical, transformative idea for the waterfront side of downtown, this is the window.

Source: City of Yonkers news flash (Sept 10, 2026)

Workforce Pell is still the one to watch verified

New York's Workforce Pell expansion opens federal Pell money to short 8–15 week job-training programs — nursing, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, green energy. Schools are submitting programs for certification now; local seats follow. Priced out of a career switch? Keep this one on the fridge.

Source: ny.gov/workforcepell · first reported in Issue #008

📆 Events

The next two weeks

Sep

Parks Board meeting verified

Tonight, Mon Sep 14, 7 PM · per city calendar · details

Sep

City Hall stack: flags, committee, council verified

Tue Sep 15 · Salvadorian flag raising 4 PM · Real Estate Committee 6:15 PM · City Council stated meeting 7 PM, Council Chambers · city calendar

Sep

Zoning Board of Appeals — 14 hearings verified

Wed Sep 16, 6 PM · City Hall, 40 South Broadway, 4th Fl · incl. 79 Austin Ave warehouse · agenda (PDF)

Sep

Mexican flag raising verified

Thu Sep 17, 4:30–5:30 PM · hosted by Mayor Spano · city calendar

Sep

Riverfest 2026 verified

Sat Sep 19, 12–7 PM · 1 Larkin Plaza, downtown waterfront · free · three stages, 140+ vendors · yonkersdowntown.com

Sep

Yonkers Marathon, Half & 5K — the 99th running verified

Sun Sep 20, 8 AM · starts/finishes at Yonkers Train Station (Buena Vista Ave at the waterfront) · rain or shine · event listing

Sep

Yonkers Comic Con verified

Sat Sep 26, 10 AM–5 PM · Yonkers Public Library, Riverfront branch (1 Larkin Center) · presented by Yonkers Arts · yonkersarts.org

Sep

Italian flag raising & coffee reception verified

Mon Sep 28, 4–5 PM · hosted by Mayor Spano · city calendar

Oct

Break the Silence 5K verified

Sat Oct 10, 8 AM · Tibbetts Brook Park · proceeds to YCAP · register

🍽️ Restaurants

Still on the way

7th Street Burger, Central Park Ave verified

As of our Sept 14 check: the smash-burger chain's own Yonkers page still reads "Opening Soon!" — the first Westchester shop at 2270 Central Park Avenue is close, but the door isn't open yet. Drive by and tell us the second it flips.

Source: 7th Street Burger locations page · last checked Sept 14

Teriyaki Madness, 34 Main St checked sept 6

The teriyaki-bowl chain's downtown fit-out at 34 Main Street was on track for later this September as of our Sept 6 check. Doors, griddles, made-to-order bowls — soon.

Source: lohud · last checked Sept 6

🧰 Resources

Free help that stays free

Sunday library hours are back checked sept 12

YPL resumed Sunday service September 13 for the fall. Crestwood stays closed for renovations; Riverfront and Will keep the weekend door open. If the week eats your errands, Sunday is back on the menu. (The library's event calendar still wasn't serving fresh pages at our last full check, so this carries our Sept 12 check.)

Source: Yonkers Public Library · last checked Sept 12

Dial 2-1-1 for almost everything verified

Food, housing, heating help, legal aid, child care referrals. Dial 2-1-1, free, 24/7, multilingual. The single most useful number in Westchester.

Source: United Way 2-1-1 Hudson Valley

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