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WPCNR The Planning News. By John F. Bailey. April 28, 2005; UPDATED 2 :15 P.M. E.D.T.: The Comprehensive Planning Committee met Tuesday night, and discussed the character of the White Plains core downtown area. At conclusion, the 10 committee members present endorsed a policy of a 50-50 split between below market housing and market housing, emphasizing mixed use of residential/retail, retail/office space for future development.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY EVENING before an audience of only The CitizeNetReporter. They endorsed continued residential growth to close the gap between below market housing and market rate housing which currently stands at 60% below market and 40% above market-price units after the filling of the City Center towers, Bank Street Commons and Clayton Park. The Comprehensive Planning Committee was given a 5-page list of the City Administration Department recommendations for the downtown core area. Photo by WPCNR News.
John Martin, Co-Chair of the committee told WPCNR this afternoon that the committee agenda next Thursday, May 5 will discuss the Inner and Outer Neighborhoods, because they had not received much comment on those areas and feel they can do those areas in one meeting.
Future meetings, Martin said, are scheduled for May 18, May 24, and with a citywide public meeting June 14. Martin explained to WPCNR that the Committee is planning on the large public meeting to discuss the Committee’s “Draft Report” of their analysis of the Comprehensive Plan. Martin projects he expects that draft document to be ready June 7, so citizens can bring their commentary and feelings about the Draft Report to the public meeting of June 14.
Martin said he say no reason why the city should withhold the Recommendations of Staff (see details at close of this article), from the CitizeNetReporter. Saying all documents of the committee in progress, interim, or final were available to the public simply by asking him.
In his speech for reelection Monday evening, Mayor Joseph Delfino referred in vague terms to developing the city’s West Side, and aid for businesses along West Post Road, and a promised Phase IV initiative which would expand the BID (Downtown Business Improvement Association) to that side of the city. The Bid requires a payment of businesses who wish to be apart of it, in order to enjoy its benefits, which appear to include, gum removal machine service for sidewalks, Downtown Ambassador Program, and Clean Streets “whiskers.”
The City of White Plans at 1,500 Feet, Looking South to New York City. At far right is Bank Street Commons. In Center of Picture are the City Center Towers. At far left, Westchester One. Photo by WPCNR News.
With two or three questions, the Committee expressed slightly differing opinions, one having to do with definition of keeping the character of the downtown until it reached a “critical mass” of housing, which the committee decided was vague.
Susan Habel, Commissioner of Planning advised this meant simply keeping an equal balance between affordable, below market, and market housing, keeping diversity and special uses in place within the downtown, not specifying what special uses were.
Earlier, Ms. Habel also said a critical mass (meaning size of development) needed to be present in the size of buildings to make the 6% affordable units statute acceptable economically for any developer, hence the need for large, tall residential units downtown. Habel said, “You need economic incentive if you’re going to have affordable housing.”
The Heart of White Plains (Core Area) Looking West down Main Street at 1,000 Feet. City Center is at left, at top of the photograph is 10 Bank Street, the Centroplex, and the Train Station. Photo was taken last fall. Photo by WPCNR News.
Habel noted that the 80% of median income figure was the figure the statute was working with now for affordable housing income guidelines. Median income, she said was $93,400, which placed the income level at 80% of that at $59,800. She said that some professionals said that figure was too low for them to qualify, yet they still could not afford housing within the city. In the course of the discussion, committee members reached a consensus that even lower incomes needed to be provided for in the definition of affordable: incomes, saying their should be units available at rents lower than $1,000 a month, instead of the $1,600 a month range where it is presently pegged.
Carlos Roskol said, “One thing I got out of the Slater Center meeting, it is inclusion. We think affordable housing should in units (not cash payments)”
Develop Gateway II
Discussion of remaining parcels to be developed in the downtown core area, the Commissioner of Planning, Susan Habel noted that the only major piece of property that leant itself to development in the downtown was the Gateway II property which could be substantially developed approaching the lofty heights of the 221 Main Street Cappelli Hotel project.
A Possible New “GatewayPlex” :GATEWAY I is the third dark building from the left. The Gateway II site is immediately to the right. Water Street and the two properties mentioned by Ms. Habel are three quarters of the way from the left in the photograph. The MetroNorth Station Clock Tower can be seen in the middle of the photo. Photo by WPCNR News.
That, Habel said, could happen if the Gateway II lot and garage property (now housing the bus stop and a parking garage), were combined with the Infinity property and One Water Street. Should Gateway II be combined by a purchase of those two adjacent properties, Ms. Habel said it could be developed for residential-retail mixed use with buildings that could approach 40 stories, the same height as the Cappelli hotel.
Habel said presently Gateway II could be entertained as a place to put up 600,000 square feet of business-office space, or 700,000 square feet of residential to a height of 28 stories. Acquisition of the Water Street properties would give it the possibility of rising to 40 stories in height, because it would would meet the 350,000 square feet threshold, taking the lid off for a 40 story leap.
The Comprehensive Plan Committee, (10 Present), meeting Tuesday evening. Photo by WPCNR News.
The Comprehensive Plan Committee gingerly endorsed this concept. Habel said most of the other properties in the downtown core were privately owned and did not have the potential for combination, (unless, WPCNR points out, a series are bought up and purchased). Habel isolated the Halpern property, owned by Devon Realty, lying between Mitchell Place and Martine Avenue on the East Side of Mamaroneck Avenue. Another site that came up was the Silverman – Minskoff split-owned property slightly South of Renaissance Plaza Fountain. Habel said that property was only eligible for the 28-story height.
Transfers Not a Problem Says Habel.
Discussion also centered on transfer of development rights briefly, where Ms. Habel assured the committee that rights could only be transferred out of an already-owned property, that it was not a back-and-forth situation. She said the council still held the right of approval of any variance in height from the 28-story Central Business District core.
Going Up Is Better Than Pancaking.
Mary Cavallero, Co-Chairperson of the Committee, noted to the CPC that in the Cappelli Hotel site, the Planning Board recommended going up with the twin residential towers because the developer could have built his buildings horizontally instead of vertically. However, she said, the Planning Board strongly advised the Common Council that taller, slimmer buildings were more desirable because the Planning Board felt more open space at ground level was the more desirable way to go. Ms. Cavallero’s statement appeared to be an endorsement of higher is better in whatever development takes place in the rest of the Core Area.
The committee, after Ms. Habel’s explanation of how Gateway II could be eligible for loftier heights than the 28 stories allowed by zoning, did not raise any objections to this kind of development on that site, appearing to endorse it as of last night.
Assessibles Question.
Carlos Roskol asked about an explanation of future assessibles related to certioraris asked for by the committee two weeks ago. Ms. Habel said the Assessor, Eyde McCarthy was planning to address the school board with that information Monday, May 2, and that would be shared with the committee after that. (The School Board has been waiting for Ms. McCarthy to do this for eight weeks.)
Trolleys Should Run Frequently. Taxis Need Tighter Control
On the matter of a trolley service for the downtown, Anne Edwards noted that the trolley service would have to be more frequent than one loop an hour. Habel contributed the opinion that the trolley would have to address the finding that pedestrians generally will not walk more than 1,600 feet to another destination, but would rather return to their car and drive to it. Habel said the city is looking at various trolley systems with the grant they have. In essence, the committee is behind the trolley initiative.
The state of taxi service in White Plains, was raised by Pat Austin, who said it needed enforcement on the cabbie requirements, and definitely had to be upgraded.
Crumbling City Hall
The matter of a new city hall came up, and the committee was more inclined to keeping and preserving the present city hall. Patrick Austin suggested the city study the city work force needs and how they are affected by the present city hall, before committing to construction of a new city hall.
Habel offered a suggestion as to how City Hall could be saved and a new facility erected.
City Hall and Municipal Parking Garage on Hamilton Avenue located at the foot of CIty Center North Tower. View is looking South at 1,000 feet. Habel said the Municipal Garage could be sold, parking placed underground and a new city hall built on first series of floors of any new building. Photo by WPCNR News.
She said that during the Schulman Administration, 1993-1997, the prospect of selling the city municipal garage and sinking the parking below grade, and raising a building on top of it, was still a viable alternative. Habel said the city could occupy the first series of floors on such a new building, and the developer of such a building occupying the floors above. WPCNR notes that if the city sold the City Hall and Municipal Parking lot, that this becomes an “adjacent site” to City Center, qualifying it for a perhaps 40 story height.
Such a sale, Habel said, would enable the city to preserve the present historic City Hall.
John Vorperian said this prospect of a new city hall needed more discussion, and it was agreed to discuss it at a future date.
The next meeting the Comprehensive Plan Committee will be May 5, at 7:30 P.M., in the Council Chambers in which the close-in neighborhoods, the main corridors, and the outer neighborhoods would be discussed by the committee, according to Mr. Martin, Committee Co-Chair
The Administration’s Recommendations Are Withheld.
“You Have to File a FOIA.” Martin Surprised.
When The CitizeNetReporter asked for a copy of this document, Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel said I could not have a copy until Wednesday Morning after it was distributed to the Common Council.
When WPCNR called Planning to drop by and pick up my copy, I was told by the Secretary, they would have to check with Ms. Habel. WPCNR was then told by the Planning Department secretary that I would have to FOIA, file a Freedom of Information Act request to acquire the document, because she said that Edward Dunphy, City Corporation Counsel, advised “this was an interagency document.”
WPCNR has since obtained a copy of these recommendations.
John Martin, speaking to WPCNR today, said he saw no reason why WPCNR was denied those documents, saying, as far as he was concerned all documents, every step of the way of the Comprehensive Plan Committee’s deliberations could be distributed to any one. “If you’d asked me for them, I would have given you the set last night,” was Martin’s statement.
Martin said that the Recommendations of the Staff distributed last night contained new material, and were not “rehashes” of Commissioner Habel’s previous released analysis of the Comprehensive Plan, presented in Mid-January.
