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WPCNR Common Council-Chronicle Examiner. By John F. Bailey. September 4, 2012:
The city honored Susan Habel, retired Commissioner of Planning with a plaque commemorating September 4 as Susan Habel Day with the Mayor reading her complete proclamation, and lauding her 27 years of service.
It also voted to rename the Greenway the Jack Harrington Greenway in recognition of Mr. Harrington’s contributions to founding the Greenway and his tireless advocating for preservation of the city.
Habel then opened the hearing on the Generic Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Open Space Recreational Ordinance, saying the Planning Department was still reviewing the ordinance and at this point favored cluster housing on a limited space, or a sports recreational complex. She emphasized the Planning Department had not completed its review and would also consider comments on the ordinance Tuesday evening and at the October 1 continuation of the hearing.
The proposed ordinance which seeks to limit development of open space tracts over 100 acres,Fenway Golf Club,Tracts along the Hutchinson River Parkway, Maple Moor Golf Club, and the former Ridgeway Country Club, now owned by the French American School of New York. FASNY as it is known by, is seeking to build its school campus there to the chagrin of the Gedney neighborhood surrounding it.
When the public hearing swung into action only one speaker Harriet Baker spoke in favor of the ordinance, saying it preceded the French American School of New York buying the property. This statement is technically correct, but the ordinance actually started to be pursued seriously by the city when the Common Council turned down the property for the purchase price of $8.9 Million. When it became known FASNY was the winning bidder, the ordinance gained favor. FASNY purchased the property for $11 Million, with $3 Million contingent on approval of the property’s development within three years. That deadline is coming up in 2013, the property being purchased in January, 2011
Fran Jones, former President of Open Space advocated not developing open space properties over that size at all,saying that once developed they were gone. She suggested just leaving them alone or perhaps the city preserving it for its citizens by purchasing it, or involving the New York Botanical Garden in developing the open space, or an organic restaurant operation like Stone Barns. Jones said she advocated the open space at Ridgeway should be for the citizens of the city.
Terence Guerriere, President of the Gednew Association backed away from full support of the Open Space Recreation Ordinance (and its advocacy of cluster housing or a sports complex as alteratives) saying he would reserve comment until the completion of the hearing, which was held over until October 1, the next Council meeting.
Five of 11 speakers all spoke against the Open Space Recreation Ordinance. Representatives of the French American School took the city consultant-prepared Generic DEIS (for the cost of approximately $200,000) apart, with one architect calling the GDEIS prepared “entirely without justification.”
Michael Zarin, the lead attorney for FASNY pointed out how the conclusion of the GDEIS regarding setbacks, promotion of an independent sports complex on the 5.6 acres FASNY plans to build on, or cluster town housing, did not take into account the much smaller setbacks existing at school properties currently permitted in White Plains, and did not consider the economics of running a successful sports comlex on justifying putting a specific sized sports complex there instead of FASNY.
Two speakers familiar with gold course economics today, including a former member of the Ridgeway Club said in effect, keeping the Ridgeway property as a golf courses today are not economically viable.
Two representatives of the Westchester Hills Golf Club across the street from the former Ridgeway property FASNY is planning to build on, urged the city not to adopt the Open Space Recreation Ordinance because it would jeopardize the Westchester Hills value in the future. An attorney for Westchester Hills said that the club supported either no action or the limited housing cluster currently recommended in the GDEIS. A member of the Fenway Golf Club asked that Fenway be removed from the proposed ordnance altogether because its property was less than 100 acres.
In other action — Cappelli City Center Retail PILOT Extended.
On the consent agenda, the Common Council extended the life of the City Center Retail pilot through 2018, raising the PILOT of the City Center Retail portion $118,000 a year in years 2016,2017,2018.
The PILOT, controversial when established in 2003, had been set to expire at the end of 2015. The PILOT amount was raised to $2.3 Million a year in 2016,2017,2018 up from $2.182 Million.
In contrast to how key consent agenda items are handled,which when positive are characterized by glowing praise from council memebers, no council member, or even the Mayor commented on the reason why the PILOT was extended.
The city Corporation Counsel has not responded to a WPCNR request as to why the PILOT was pushed out through 2018.
Cappelli Enterprises which owns the LLC that owns the City Center, has not issued a statement to WPCNR whether they requested the extension or the city did or it was by mutual agreement and why.
According to the Common Council backup material the new extension was requested by the Cappelli organization.
The extension, though contains the proviso that the Cappelli organization cannot seek a certiorari on PILOT payments made before 2018.Extending the PILOT through 2018, pushes out the time when the city assessor from reassessing the City Center retail portion for the 2016 tax roll that would account for how the city center premises has changed and accounting for more big box retail space which the assessor could have done in the 2016 roll.
Shh! Loud Bars Scolded
Milagros Lecouna in commenting on the extension of outdoor cafe permits until December 31, 2012 for Elements, Ron Blacks Bar and Restaurant, Porter House Restaurant, Hudson Grill and The Brazen Fox, to use city property for outdoor dining on the Waller-Maple Lot, encouraged the restaurants in this list that have been notified by the city that they have violated the city noise standards by loud activity in the outdoor dining areas, “to tone down their outdoor speakers,” saying they know who they are. She declined to name the frequent offenders.
Nicoletti Saves on Sprinklers
Councilman David Buchwald noted the city has saved $300,000 by executing a sprinkler system for less than expected in the Longview Garage and that the $300,000 figure would be taken off the city borrowing request next month.
The city engaged Lamb & Barnosky to continue to handle litigation on the police retiree federal lawsuit over the city demand that retirees by 15% of their health benefits cost. The city allocated $225,000 to L & B for 2012.
