The Mayor Gets Letters, Lots and Lots of Letters: 8 Neighborhood Associations Call for FASNY to be Rejected

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. September 24, 2014:

A letter has been sent to the White Plains Mayor and Common Council jointly endorsed by eight White Plains neighborhood associations calling for the rejection of The French American School of New York  plan for a consolidated campus of five buildings to be constructed on the former Ridgeway Country Club grounds. That letter has been shared with The CitizeNetReporter:

 

 September 23, 2014

Dear Mayor Roach and Members of the Common Council:

Our associations represent the majority of residents that live in the south end of White Plains in the vicinity of the former Ridgeway Country Club. Our neighborhoods would be most affected by the FASNY proposed regional school.  In recent weeks a number of things have occurred that have made it even more evident that the FASNY project cannot go forward including:

  • The White Plains School Board, in a letter dated September 15, 2014,  unanimously said “(i) the traffic congestion which will be caused by the location of the main entrance to FASNY on North Street or on Bryant Avenue would have a profoundly negative and disruptive effect on the operations of White Plains High School and the safety and welfare of our students, their families and our staff, and (ii) FASNY’s traffic mitigation proposals not only fail to remedy the flaws in their plans, certain suggested mitigation efforts create much larger, more untenable problems for the White Plains Schools.”
  • The White Plains Planning Board in a letter dated August 25, 2014 unanimously questioned the closure of a portion of Hathaway Lane and stated that “new significant concerns have arisen particularly with regard to traffic and circulation”.
  • On September 8th and 10th two Public Hearings were held at White Plains High School that were attended by over 600 persons.  The overwhelming majority of residents and taxpayers voiced strong opposition to issuance of a Special Permit for FASNY;
  • Property values have been adversely impacted by the FASNY proposal;
  • Serious hydrology questions have been raised by the Village of Mamaroneck and others that have induced the US Army Corps of Engineers to pursue further analysis.

Earlier in the process The Council in its Environmental Findings rejected use of Ridgeway as an entrance to the proposed school stating “The Ridgeway access to the Project Site will bring large numbers of vehicles to Ridgeway in a manner that is inconsistent with the stated role of Ridgeway in the Comprehensive Plan as a Collector Street rather that an arterial roadway”.

Therefore, none of the proposed access points are feasible and all have been deemed unacceptable.   It is now time for the FASNY discussion to end.  The City’s zoning and master plan provide the requisite criteria to consider other alternatives for the property that will maximize preservation of the property’s open space while being compatible with the neighborhood in which it is located.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Gedney Association                                                      Club Pointe Association

North Street  Area Civic Association                             Glenbrooke Association

Havilands Manor Neighborhood Association                  Wyndham Close Association

Rosedale Residential Association                              Maplemoor Lake Association

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