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Slide of Comprehensive Plan from White Plains Week program

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. March 3, 2024:

Hello Mr. Bailey,

As you are aware, there is a Common Council public hearing on Monday, March 4, in White Plains, discussing the White Plains Comprehensive Plan. The proposed zoning changes in single-family districts have raised major concerns among residents, in that it is a radical departure from the current Comprehensive Plan.

It seems that the City of White Plains (in response to the Governor’s unsuccessful attempt to increase housing through the Budget 2023) is taking on the task of eliminating single-family districts in White Plains through proposals such as ADUs (Affordable Detached Units) and other zoning changes, all under the pretext of addressing a housing crisis and the need for affordable housing. Meanwhile, the City accepts buyouts from developers related to the mandated percentage of affordable housing units.

The Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) has submitted a letter to the Common Council, Planning Board and City Staff, signed by 11 neighborhood associations in White Plains, representing 4,000 residents (see attached). Given the potential impact of these proposed zoning changes, the meeting is expected to draw a substantial crowd.

Also, please access the Gedney Association’s recent eblast to its 500 residents via the link below. In particular, these proposed zoning changes would pave the way for alterations to the Farrell Property, formerly Ridgeway Golf Club, allowing for clustering and attached housing. With just liveWP 13 and 14 alone, there are currently eight other large properties that would experience an immediate impact, not to mention the implications for every single-family home with the proposed ADUs.

https://mailchi.mp/gedneyfarms.net/urgent-proposed-zoning-changes-to-impact-gedney-farms?e=fc9eaf2d4c

Thank you and I hope that you will cover the story.

Melanie Kolby

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WPCNR ART IN TIME.Exhibition Review by John F. Bailey, March 2, 2024:

The name of the exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum in New York is provocative. It stuns you.:

Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North

Evocative. Eternal. Visceral. Disbelief.

With every painting by unknown and known black artists of America’s first two centuries, every sculpture, every photograph and painted landscapes of young growing America the roles of northern slaves are witnessed in heartbreaking, somber testimony in the works  of those black artists  who lived, painted, photographed, sculpted as slaves and freedmen and women in the American North.

As you wonder through the dark halls that evoke a dignified mausoleum dedicated to artists lost, their talents exploited by northern slaveowners in the 1700s and 1800s leading up to and beyond the Civil War.

The ambitious curation of this exhibition is on view through March 24 at 2 Lincoln Square on 66th Street, West of Central Park. It is a visit to the past you will never forget.

I  have not been so jarred by an exhibition since I saw the slave hut on Andrew Jackson’s estate in Nashville, a slave quarters that housed 19 slaves in ramshackle structure the size of a studio apartment.

Unnamed Figures brings back to life the long dead slaves who endured the cruelty of slavery in the “abolitionist” north to tell the truth through their art that has lived on to tell their stories.

This exhibit  opened my eyes about slavery in the northeast. the paintings,sculptures and photographs haunt you at every step, putting a real face on real slaves and freemen and women in the 19^th century. it was never taught to me in the history classes of  high school, how widespread slavery was in the north as well as the south.

This exhibition will make you linger, think, feel deeply or ever so slightly the wrongs, the diminution of black talent.

Other than the hard unpaid brutal living and working for nothing, I was shocked by the slave owners’ shameful  exploitation of  slaves who were artists in spare time, artists many of home photographed and painted portraits of their owners  and the owners’ friends and the owners pocketed the fees the artists’ works.

In the elegant somber texts explaining paintings, portraits and photographs, you learn how paintings of blacks promoted in the north the inferiority of blacks who are shown looking up to their master owners in portraits.

George Washington and Family with Slave in background by an artist who was a slave.

Many of those paintings for fees that slave owners kept are on display here. as a writer myself i can feel that injustice. All pride in the work is diminished when you are not paid for it and your owner keeps your fee.

The exhibition offers a new window onto black representation in a region that is often overlooked in narratives of early African American history.

Through 125 remarkable works including paintings, needlework, and photographs, this exhibition invites visitors to focus on figures who appear in—or are omitted from—early american images and will challenge conventional narratives that have minimized early black histories in the north, revealing the complexities and contradictions of the region’s history between the late 1600s and early 1800s.

Unnamed figures…  

If you are black. this is a must-see exhibition and your pride  will be uplifted.

If you are white, it will open your eyes, touch your heart,  sadden and cleanse your soul.

Unamed Figures is art performing its mission profoundly and effectively, eternally.

I recommend it!

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	View in browser Si quiere leer la versión en español, pulse aquí. ACIP Cliff notes: Feb 28 CDC says older adults should get a spring Covid-19 vaccine KATELYN JETELINA FEB 28 READ IN APP Today, ACIP — CDC’s external scientific committee — had their normally scheduled meeting on all vaccines. YLE only stayed for the Covid-19 discussion. Here are your Cliff notes. Bottom line up front (BLUF) CDC says those over 65 should get a second Covid-19 vaccine this spring. (I’m not convinced that all people over 65 need it, though.) Who is being hospitalized by COVID-19 today?  At this winter’s peak, there were 20,000 new hospital admissions and 2,000 deaths due to Covid-19 per week. This is less than previous winters but still higher than flu. Who is being hospitalized? The vast majority (95% of adults) were not up-to-date on their annual Covid-19 vaccine. (Source: CDC) 16% of hospitalizations are among immunocompromised patients (higher than the general population, which is 3-6%).  About 4% of those hospitalized with Covid-19 die. The majority of hospitalized patients had obesity, cardiovascular disease, or dementia. (However, this largely reflects the general population, and there’s no “control group” to contextualize risk.)  Why aren’t people getting Covid-19 vaccines?  Vaccine coverage is really quite terrible in the United States. CDC is conducting surveys to understand why. This is what they found:  Among those who aren’t getting the vaccine, Americans say the top concerns are: 1. Unknown side effects; 2. Not enough studies; 3. Too busy or forgetting; 4. Lack of trust; and 5. Effectiveness, including doesn’t prevent infection. Only 19% of Americans said their physician recommended the vaccine to them. Physicians who are NOT recommending vaccinations say it’s because of: patient medical reasons, patients will refuse the vaccine, or patients are tired of hearing about Covid-19. Many primary care providers do not carry the vaccine because of low interest in or cost of the vaccine.  How effective are the fall vaccines?  Pretty great and largely comparable to flu vaccines every year. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic infection: 49% additional protection compared to those who did not get a fall vaccine VE against ED/outpatient visits: 47% VE against hospitalization: 52% Some other interesting nuggets: Interestingly, there was no waning yet. (Lab studies have shown that the antibodies are more stable than previous vaccines, and we don’t know why.) VE decreased with JN.1 (60% → 45%) but still worked okay. Context is SO important here. There is a public perception that the vaccines are not as compelling as they were in the pandemic’s beginning. However, the comparison group has changed as collective immunity increased. Most people have been infected and/or vaccinated—nearly 100%. This means VE today is additional protection compared to all the immunity already out there. Is a spring vaccine cost-effective?  This is a key consideration for many countries (like the U.K.), as their government provides free vaccines for all. This isn’t a main driving policy consideration in the U.S. Regardless, they found: One dose per year: Cost-effective (in other words, the cost of purchasing a vaccine is cheaper than the cost of hospitalizations) Two doses per year: May be cost-effective for those over 65 years, depending on how high future waves get Other information Timing of previous infection. Unfortunately, no data on vaccination and timing with a recent infection was presented. (I would treat previous infections like a vaccine.) No data was presented on the effectiveness of the spring vaccine last year. We don’t have data showing the benefit of two doses a year compared to one for those over age 65. Should vs. may. During the meeting, CDC originally proposed that people “may” get a spring vaccine. However, many external ACIP members pushed back and wanted a “should” recommendation instead. I didn’t see compelling data to suggest such a strong and confident recommendation. The benefits of two doses a year look small. Although safety risks are much smaller, there are risks of coming out too strong, especially with vaccine skeptics. CDC ultimately landed on a “should,” mainly for implementation and communication ease. Bottom line People hospitalized today for Covid-19 are not up-to-date on their annual vaccine, even among those over 65 years. CDC says those over 65 should get a second Covid-19 vaccine this spring. This follows Canada’s and, somewhat U.K.’s, spring Covid-19 recommendations. I’m not convinced that most people over 65 need a spring vaccine. I will be recommending a spring vaccine to my family members in nursing homes (they are over 90 years old) or those who have multiple comorbidities, like heart disease. I don’t think they need to run to get it, but there will be a small benefit, given that we have multiple waves a year and their T cells (immune memory) are weak against Covid-19. (I think those over 65 who never got a fall vaccine should run.) Love, YLE P.S. ACIP will cover RSV vaccine information tomorrow. YLE will provide separate Cliff notes.

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Limited Supply Fuels Price Growth in the Greater New York City Metropolitan Area

(NOTE : Link to ALL regional reports:  Market Data (hgar.com).)

In Westchester County, January sales of single-family homes and co-ops decreased 12.7% and 19.2% respectively, while condo sales increased 1.4% compared to January of 2023. The median sales price increased 5.4% to $858,250 for single-family homes and 31.5% to $562,000 for condos. The median sales price for co-ops decreased 1.6% to $182,000.

New condo listings increased 15.5% while new co-op listings declined 18.3%. New listings for single-family homes decreased by just 2.2%. Overall inventory of single-family homes for sale declined by almost 30%, while co-op inventory was down by 37% and condos, 16.3%. Pending home sales rose 6.9% in Westchester as compared to a year earlier.

January home sales continued to decline, while prices increased in most markets in the Greater New York City Metropolitan area, according to a report released today by the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (HGAR), based on data supplied by OneKey® MLS. A limited supply and strong demand are responsible for the current market conditions.

However, as the spring selling season approaches, the region’s home sales sector is bolstered by a noticeable increase in pending sales throughout the region, HGAR officials noted.

With the prospect of lower mortgage rates as the Federal Reserve Board considers multiple rate cuts this year, home sales are expected to increase as more homes come to the market beginning in the spring and summer months.

“With mortgage interest rates moving slightly higher now, we continue to experience the trend of people taking a ‘wait and see’ approach before deciding to list their homes for sale, but would caution against trying to time the real estate market based on such marginal changes,” noted HGAR President Carmen Bauman. “Nevertheless, we do anticipate more movement during the Spring with additional inventory on the market.”

Sales of single-family homes declined in all six of HGAR’s coverage areas, while some counties experienced increases in co-op or condo sales. All six regions saw prices increases in all property types.

“While it will take some time to have the HGAR home sales market fully reset from the impacts of high inflation and mortgage interest rates, home sales are projected to rise significantly in each of the next two years as the market steadily returns to normal sales activity,’” said HGAR Chief Executive Officer Lynda Fernandez.

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TONIGHT BREADLINES IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY  AND THEY ARE GROWING COUNTRY’S RICHEST COUNTY.

THE STATE OF THE NEW YORK OFFICE FOR PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES WAITING LIST AND GOVERNOR HOCHUL’S 5 YEAR PLAN. FOR GRAPPLING WITH THE NEED TO HOUSE DISABLED ADULTS WHOSE PARENTS CAN NO LONGER HANDLE THEM THE ASTRONOMICAL COST OF HOUSING THE DISABLED

WESTCHESTER’S WISH LIST FOR ALBANY

JOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS

EVERY WEEK ON WHITE PLAINS WEEK

SINCE 20O1 A,D,