THUMBS DOWN FOR PRIVATE DRIVEWAY

An Upper East Side man got a rebuke from his neighbors when Community Board 8 voted down a curb cut for a driveway in front of his home Jan. 13. Andreas Gruson, owner of a one-family townhouse at 161 E. 94th St., between Lexington and Third avenues, wanted a private driveway. He requested a nine-foot, two-inch curb cut in front of a garage he had built in his home. Gruson requested the private driveway so that his elderly father could have better access to the townhouse. Though the project can skirt the public review process, the City Planning Commission requested that the board take a look at the application before it makes a decision. The board voted 34 to one against the proposal in an advisory opinion because of a garage"s impact on traffic and character of the block. â??It"ll stop traffic from flowing. It"s not the right place to have traffic backed up, said Jaqueline Ludorf, the board"s chair. Gruson"s lawyer, who attended the community board meeting, did not return calls for a comment.