NORTH CASTLE. N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Many in the town of North Castle say they’d rather deal with parking problems than a collapsing cliff. A popular Ralph’s Italian Ices is looking to buy a plot of land next door to expand their parking lot, but those who live by fear it will cause issues. “I spent the last eight years taking care of my parents, fighting to keep them at home, safe and as healthy as possible,” said resident Nora Kanze-Manuele. Now Manuele is fighting for the safety of her childhood home in North Castle. She says the backyard has naturally been caving in for years, but it’s a possible man made problem she is trying to avoid. One that is right behind her home: the new Ralph’s Italian Ices of North Broadway. “Many us have lived a long time in this neighborhood and then for someone to come in here for about a year and all of a sudden, create such havoc,” said Manuele. Manuele and her neighbors say if the shop owner buys the plot of land next door to the business to make it a parking lot, and hammers away at the large hill that separates their homes and the establishment, it could cave in. Just like the office on the other side of the property that had to stop construction. “There wasn’t enough parking, they started to dig into the cliff and the cliff came down,” explained Manuele. “It seems like it is going to erode,” said another resident, Gail Lombardi Norris. Someone who would be greatly impacted by this sale is another neighbor Betty Sanchirco. “For them to take that piece of property and have the potential owner cut into the back of my property, it would leave the edge of my backyard on a cliff,” said Sanchirco. Her backyard is right next to the land for sale, but we spoke to the owner of Ralph’s who right now says there is nothing to fear. “I really don’t know what they are worried about, there is so much there,” said owner Scott Rosenberg. The owner believes there is plenty of room between the houses and the land for sale. Promising he will even keep the popular pedestrian path that would be on his new land. “You have a geotech engineer to certify the structure, the mountain, to make sure it’s safe,” said Rosenberg. “Make sure it’s all in accordance to the town and city.” Home owners who live up high are thinking low of this business’s possible expansion which the city says he has the right to do. There will be a town hall meeting tomorrow where the owner of Ralph’s will be speaking with local leaders about the sale. If it goes well, he says he will submit a plan to them soon.
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Battle Over Westchester Italian Ice Shop Gets Heated
