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ANOTHER HEARING IN FRONT OF  COUNCIL ON “THE COUNCIL’S FINAL PLAN” BEFORE APPROVAL OR DENIAL.COUNCIL HEARING DATE UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME.

 28 OF 34 SPEAKERS (MOST FROM NEIGHBORHOOD STRONGLY AGAINST NEIGHBORHOOD REZONING FOR  DEVELOPMENT after 2 HEARINGS IN 2 MONTHS LASTING  A TOTAL OF 2 hours 31 MIN. 

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CLARION-LEDGER.  PART 2 By John F. Bailey. March 7, 2024:

The public had their say in the second half of the Common Council meeting Monday night.

You of 16 days to send your comments and feelings on the plan to the city.

Commissioner of Planning Christopher Gomez and Mayor Tom  Roach took 43 minutes of hearing time, delivering detailed explanations of why the ONEWHITEPLAINS Draft Comprehensive Plan was simply a “guide”  and not a “set in stone”  rezoning of the city.

The city hall duo leading off the public hearing, strongly endorsed more affordable housing by making residential neighborhoods possibilities for building Accessory Rental Units, Cluster-housing and building homes on Conservation Developments such as the Farrell Estates (formerly Ridgeway Country Club), New York Presbyterian p

Mayor Roach followed Mr. Gomez saying the Comprehensive Plan was just a guide. That it was just a “guide” and some or all of the suggestions might never be used. Then he called the first speaker from the public of this continued hearing from last month, After approximately 1 hour and 16 minutes, with all-new speakers who had previously signed up to speak that  night, the hearing was closed  by the Common Council by unanimous vote.

The takeaway of the their testimonies showed thought, passion, revealing statistics, and at the end of the testimony of 19 speakers  pointed some glaring holes in the plan as written that  the council might want to take a look at, trust and verify.

The following comments have been edited for clarity and content. The recorded testimonies may be seen on the city website at this URL, or view it on the Government channel FIOS 44 OR OPTIMUM CH.45:

http://whiteplainsny.new.swagit.com/views/701/live

1. The lead speaker supported Accessory Dwelling Units that, he said work very well in Los Angeles where he said upscale communities like Glendale, Burbank, Beverly Hills, Glendale have used them to provide workforce housing, affordable homes for young people, and senior living. The Council might want to look into how they do that. The speaker cautioned that “Affordable housing is not going away. .. we have to deal with it. Accessory Dwelling Units are in the public interest.”

2. The  second speaker a union worker said the city needed to work with Labor unions.  He said what was missing from the plan was to create Planned Labor Agreements to make the labor force part of city growth, as the Westchester IDA has adopted.

3. Four speakers concentrated on the Windward School Property recently acquired for possible development complaining the property could not support a housing development they see being planned, citing need for  infrastructure improvements, and  very rocky property. They tied this to the need to “Keep our freedom to have single home property residences.”

4. One speaker zoned in on the larger infrastructure improvements needed required to support the scale of development proposed by the ONEWHITEPLAINS plan. With new residents presumed to be flooding the downtown, more police and fire personnel were needed, new underground needs to handle the load of developments, and pay for those foreseen needs. The speaker said the city worked with the French American School of New York, and that did not work with the Gedney Farms neighborhood, and consequently the project was defeated due to lack of city involvement with the neighborhoods. “All residents are in a fight to control the future of the city. I do not understand the lack of communication between the city and the residents.”

5. Lack of communication with residents was a recurrent theme. One speaker presented a petition signed by 100 persons saying they had never heard of the plan.” “We need to compromise, work together, use character.”

6. Mike Sanchez, Head of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, appreciating the effort and the feedback, nevertheless, he said that there is “more confusion  than information and (the plan) could have been better written,” citing Commissioner of Planning Gomez opening statement (see Tuesday WPCNR story). “Nevertheless we are extremely concerned about Windward (school) development, not directly against “suggestions,” but we are here to tell you  we are not in favor of those suggestions.” He said the neighborhoods  support affordable housing. He said the neighborhoods do not support development meeting the neighborhoods;”

7. Another agreed the new plan was a guide and not binding,, but the city they said needs to spell out restrictions and standards and oversight of construction, density of development, water table and sewage capacity. The speaker noted the plan should “not be a sprint, (questioning the rush to approve the plan) but a marathon with more community involvement to tie them to their property.”

8. The first woman to speak said in an astute observation said there was no mention of industry development or how White Plains Hospital, the largest industry in the city would affect it. She mentioned the Bronx River Parkway flooding (traditionally in the city), and how the city natural environment would be cared for. She brought up an issue not in the plan: city energy needs, and how to provide for them. “It is not a comprehensive plan,” she said, and added…“And why are there no journalists here (tonight) asking  (these) questions?” she asked in a sharp rebuke to the absent press.

9 .The second lady to weigh-in asked about the construction and the traffic tie ups in the downtown(currently already substantial, this reporter’s observation). She noted construction in neighborhoods would be a problem as well and signaled an anthem: “We have a right to live in residential neighborhoods without intrusion of construction.”

10.The fourth woman to speak described herself as a data specialist.

She said the New York State guidelines for a comprehensive plan required “inclusion” and a thorough data review. She said  this proceeding was not “remotely” in accordance  with what she considers a  “quantitative data review” that justified the conclusions of the ONEWHITEPLAINS plan.

She said having one neighborhood represented on the Comprehensive Plan Committee was not “inclusive.” She said in the recent Planning Board meeting, the ONEWHITEPLAINS suggestions were already being spoken of as if the policies in the plan would be the policies of the future. She urged people to watch the video of that meeting. She asked “Tell me why we shouldn’t feel this (plan) isn’t being jammed down our throats.” She noted that the White Plains Planning Board did not seem aware that, nationally, 1/3 of 18 to 45 year olds are still living at home to save money, and  45% of 18-29 year olds were living with parents for the same reason, citing that state of the economy alone will have a very real impact the comprehensive plan (ONEWHITEPLAINS) did not address or verify the trend as a factor in White Plains. She  predicted  should the new policies in the  plan (to expand Accessory Dwelling Units and cluster housing  to the neighborhoods) there would be a mass exodus from White Plains.

11. The next speaker described the ONEWHITEPLAINS plan as “many great ideas and a few not so great. I understand it is a guideline. I criticize the communication. Many residents have said they did not hear or communicated it existed. This was a great opportunity missed.”

12 & 13, Resuming after a break at 9:30, a fifth woman advocated that a Community Museum be created that would promote arts and become a regional center.

The next speaker said he  was “deeply concerned about the preservation and  possible rezoning  to allow single family homes to erect Accessory Dwelling Units, cluster housing.

The 14^th speaker urged caution since present apartments in the downtown have not been built yet ( Hamilton Green, Gateway II, the YWCA apartments and the city has devised this plan without seeing how their effects will playout, urging a wait and see attitude before committing to even more development creating more issues.

The 15^th speaker raised an issue on the plan’s reliance on public-private partnerships to achieve the plan building initiatives. He said the plan relying on public-private partnerships (as how things get done) should be voted down because, “with public-private partnerships, you have no accountability.”

Next-up, the 16^th speaker centered his comments on the development of  the former Galleria and the cost of apartments (which he described as affordable luxury) planned and the ability of the developer to  pay fees in lieu of including affordable housing

He suggested the city’s developer option of buying-out option be eliminated,  a transfer of the city existing garage to the developer in return for designated “affordable housing” apartments being reserved, and called for a “robust environmental review.”

The 17^th speaker and fifth woman to speak identified her profession  as  architect and suggested that  architectural consultant(s) or a Urban Development Board of Review with persons with expertise in urban landscape creation  should oversee the design of the New Galleria to assure “an appropriate design framework.”

The 18^th to speak was a 7 year resident of White Plains who moved here from Brooklyn. He said  around 10 years ago New York City approved redevelopment of the north Brooklyn, which in his opinion provides an example of what happens when government gets involved in development. He said entire neighborhoods were bought out, new developments were pricey and trendy and Brooklyn is now unaffordable to live in. He observed the Comprehensive Plan Committee was “hand-picked” and consisted of persons the administration knew.

He said the city had to pay attention to a lot more voices locally, who are not agreeable with the ONEWHITEPLAINS plan. Going forward with the Common Council evaluation of the process, he advised the city to be “MORE UPFRONT.”

He described the development of Brooklyn by New York City developers as “aggressive gentrification,” that “uprooted families who had lived there for years.”

White Plains in evaluating the Galleria design (whenever that is submitted) should have affordable housing, more openspace operated by the city and involve the Galleria rebuild in a “transparent process.”

The 19^th and final speaker doubled down on the expected development of newly developer-acquired  property of Windward School and expanded on the need for evaluation of increased flooding in that  area as well as the presence of natural gas lines  as impeding development and the effects of building more homes there.

At that point, approximately 9:45,   two speakers on the “wish-to-speak list’ were called but were no longer present, and the Mayor asked to close the hearing.

The council immediately voted unanimously to do so. They had the option to continue it.

Next the plan goes to the Common Council for review.

The Mayor said White Plains citizens who wished to add their comments had two weeks to send in their written comments on the plan.

See all the action and mayhem at:

http://whiteplainsny.new.swagit.com/views/701/live

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Outbreak Outlook – Northeast – March 4

Norovirus activity flares

MAR 4

BY DR. CAITLIN RIVERS (REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION)

READ IN APP

Welcome to the Northeastern edition of Outbreak Outlook! It is only available to paid subscribers. If you wish to become a paid subscriber and access region-specific information, please click the Subscribe now button below. Thanks for reading! -Caitlin

Subscribed

Respiratory Diseases

ILI

Influenza-like illness activity continues trudging along across the Northeast. Last week, 4.4% of visits to the doctor were for fever and cough or sore throat, down slightly from 4.5% the week prior. We’re headed in the right direction, but this flu season is lingering too long for my taste.

Northeast Region: ILI Activity

Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms

Outpatient visits for ILI remained stable across the entire region and at or below the national baseline of 2.9% in Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

Maine and New Jersey both have relatively high outpatient ILI rates (3.5% and 5.7%), and had an increase in influenza-related ED visits (up to 2.6% and 3.0%, respectively). Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York reported no significant change in ED visits, with percentages ranging from 2.4% to 2.7%. New York City is still struggling with very high levels of activity, at 7%. Trends are improving there, but slowly

New hospital admissions for influenza remained stable or decreased across most of the region. However, Connecticut’s hospitalization rates increased by 1.5 points to 4.8 per 100,000, the second highest it has been so far this flu season, and Rhode Island and Vermont also logged slight increases.

Northeast Region: Change in ILI Activity

Percent of doctors visits for ILI symptoms

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COVID-19

In better news, Covid-19 continues to recede across the Northeast. Wastewater concentrations continue to decline from their peak at the end of the year – they haven’t been this low since the beginning of November. Emergency department visits declined across the region, and hospitalizations also declined across most of the region.

Northeast Region: New COVID-19 Hospitalizations

Average rate per 100,000 population

Most of the Northeast saw moderate declines in new hospitalizations this past week. New Hampshire wins the prize for ‘most improved’ – with a decline of 19% to 4.1 new admissions per 100,000. Other states seeing decreases in new hospitalizations this week include New York (-16.4% to 5.7), New Jersey (-16.3% to 6.1), Connecticut (-13.3% to 5.7), and Pennsylvania (-12.2% to 5.3). Rhode Island (4.0 new admissions per 100,000 population), Massachusetts (5.3) and Vermont (4.2) held roughly steady.

Maine experienced a substantial increase of 25.5% to 4.8 new admissions per 100,000, but because of the state’s small population this should be taken with a grain of salt.

Northeast Region: Change in New COVID-19 Hospitalizations

Weekly new hospitalizations per 100,000

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Stomach Bugs

PCR test positivity for norovirus increased a whole point to 16.2%. It’s definitely going around, in the Northeast region in particular, so be cautious out there! I put extra tips for preventing and treating norovirus in the National edition, so take a look if that sounds helpful.

Northeast Region: Norovirus Activity

Test Positivity, Percentage

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Food recalls

The following foods are being recalled because they are contaminated. Please check your cupboards and throw out any of these items:

New

• Roland brand Tahini (more info)
• Trader Joe’s Chicken Dumpling Soup (more info)

Previously reported:

• A big recall of Queso Fresco and Cotija Cheese is affecting numerous consumer products: (more info)
  • Trader Joe’s Chicken Enchiladas Verde, Cilantro Salad Dressing, Elote Chopped Salad Kit, Trader Joe’s Southwest Salad (more info)
  • Cilantro Lime Crema, Everything Sauce Fiesta, Cilantro Cotija dressing, Poblano Caesar dressing, Cilantro Dressing, Street Taco Express Meal Kit sold at Trader Joes, Don Pancho and HEB (more info)
  • Rojo’s Black Bean 6 Layer Dip (more info)
  • Cheese, Yogurt, Sour cream by Rizo Brothers California Creamery (more info)

• Robitussin Honey CF Max cough syrup products (more info)
• If you have food allergies, you may wish to review these FDA safety alerts and USDA alerts for foods with undeclared allergens.

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In other news

• The measles outbreak in Philadelphia has ended. The cluster totaled 9 cases. Outbreaks are declared over when two maximum incubation periods have passed with no new cases, or 42 days in the case of measles.
• Colgate University (New York) is currently investigating over 60 cases of a gastrointestinal illness consistent with norovirus, a highly contagious virus causing vomiting and diarrhea. The Madison County Public Health Department has confirmed two cases of norovirus among 15 students showing symptoms, with an additional 54 suspected cases involving both students and Hamilton residents. The outbreak is linked to various social events, including a fundraiser at the Colgate Inn and student gatherings.

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WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. Recap of White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations Meeting with Mayor Roach. March 4, 2024:

March 1st, 2024

Dear Victoria Presser, President of the White Plains Common Council,

There was a special meeting of the Council of Neighborhood Associations last Tuesday 2/27/24. The Association Presidents who support the sentiments in this letter represent about 4000 households in White Plains. It was a lengthy meeting where leaders and members of various associations posed questions, voiced concerns, and offered serious criticisms of the draft Comprehensive Plan.

The greatest area of criticism concerned zoning changes and policy proposals that would impact single-family neighborhoods in significant ways. In general, every provision in the plan that affects all neighborhoods or specific neighborhoods should engender consultation with neighborhood associations. It was not lost on the CNA that – but for Mike Dalton of the Fisher Hill Association taking the initiative and meeting with the Mayor – there would have been no representation of the neighborhood associations on the Comprehensive Plan Committee. The Implementation Committee would benefit from greater representation of neighborhood associations as prototypical grassroots stakeholders.

While both the Plan and the CNA acknowledge the need for affordable housing, there is substantial opposition to zoning changes that were put forward as potential solutions to the problem. The law provides that 8% to 12% of new apartment building units should be set aside for affordable housing. The City’s January newsletter boasts of two new 2023 apartment projects – a 73-unit building with 9 affordable units and a 303-unit apartment building. No information on affordable units was provided in the discussion of the 303-unit building. Are there 8% to 12% affordable units? It’s not clear. Perhaps that’s because the City allows developers to “buyout” affordable units (also called the “fee-in-lieu” payment in the Comprehensive Plan). Frankly, developers buying out of their obligations to provide affordable housing defeats the most useful, cost-friendly, and productive way to diversify housing in White Plains.

A second major concern for CNA members’ is the proposal for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Permitting ADUs in single-family areas permits attached, detached, and interior spaces to be rented out. Single-family homes are converted into two-family dwellings (i.e., by renting out a garage, a basement, an attic, an outbuilding, or an addition to the home). This proposal sacrifices the single-family neighborhoods that contribute so much to the character and desirability of White Plains as a place to live.

Participants in the CNA meeting had specific criticisms of six LiveWP initiatives (LiveWP 1, 6, 12, 13, 14, and 16). LiveWP

1 opens the door to ADUs. LiveWP 6 would place senior housing (including assisted living buildings) in single-family zones. Assisted living residences require plenty of parking for employees and visitors and just would not fit well in an R-1 zone.

Live WP 12 – Facilitate evaluation of rezoning residentially-zoned campus properties including Burke Rehabilitation, NY Hospital, and the Windward School campuses to more dense development.

LiveWP 13 and 14 pertain to 10-acre and 5-acre plots and override existing zoning regulations without sufficient thought about how more dense development fits into an established residential neighborhood of large lots.

LiveWP 16 – Study the potential to permit two-family residences, townhomes and/or medium density housing along portions of the North Street Corridor. The CNA representatives support an increase in affordable housing and urge an end to allowing developers to buyout of their legal obligations. Preserving the integrity of single-family neighborhoods is crucial, as sacrificing them would be detrimental to the long-term vitality of White Plains. Though we are concentrating at present on the highly unpopular provisions of the Comprehensive Plan, we look forward to voicing our support for many good ideas in the Plan (e.g., more art installations, a local museum, Park Ambassadors, EMS services incorporated into the fire department). Finally, the CNA would also like to partner with the City in order to help revitalize inactive neighborhood associations and inspire the creation of new associations.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Sanchez, President of the Council of Neighborhood Associations, with the support of the Presidents of the following associations:

Bob Kahn, Highlands Civic Association Kelly Roper, Prospect Park Association

John Sheehan, Gedney Farms Association

Michael A. Sanchez, Rosedale Residential Association

Robert Friscia, North Steet Association

Michael J. Matarese, Old Oak Ridge Association

Nancy Giges, Hillair Circle Civic Association

Marc Rovner, Ridgeway of White Plains Association

Francis Jones, Rocky Dell Association

Daniel Letizia, Reynal Park Association Ken Kristal, Carhart Association

cc: Mayor Thomas Roach Justin Brasch Richard Payne John M. Martin Jennifer Puja Jeremiah Frei-Pearson Eileen McClain Christopher Gomez John Callahan

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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!