Hits: 20

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey .December 19, 2013:  Mayor Tom Roach, Council President Beth Smayda, Councilmen Benjamin Boykin, John Kirkpatrick and Dennis Krolian greenlighted the French American School of New York to proceed to site plans for the former Ridgeway Country Club tonight.

The Mayor, Ms. Smayda, Mr. Martin, Mr. Kirkpatrick, and Mr. Krolian said that they would pay close attention to how the French American School creates measures to mitigate all the impacts identified by the Findings Statement approved tonight. Krolian, Kirkpatrick and Martin all but said their mind was not made up, but were allowing the project to proceed. Councilwoman Milagros Lecouna was a strong no vote, saying there were just too many ifs in the “modified proposal” allowed to proceed tonight.

Sources close to the project say at least a year may remain before any site plan is approved.

Michael Zarin, the attorney for the French American School of New York, said the felt all mitigations could be achieved, and anticipated a site plan could be presented in the spring.

The modified proposal as first reported by WPCNR, cuts the number of students allowed at the school to 950, (from originally 1,200), requires entry from North Street opposite White Plains High School, a stormwater drainage system yet to be designed, and preserves 83 acres in perpetuity.

The head of the Gedney Association, Terrence Guerriere told WPCNR he was dissappointed but felt there was still hope that three councilpersons: Martin, Krolian and Kirkpatrick had their doubts and expressed those doubts publicly.

The Mayor, Tom Roach, ” said the vote this evening was not an approval of the project, just an approval of the Findings Statement.