The American Grill — One thing the Economy Cannot Take Away.

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WPCNR SOUTHEND LIFE. By The Grillin Gourmet. ReInternetted from The CitizeNetReporter Archives. July 5, 2008:  It’s a gloomy holiday weekend in White Plains and the temperature is in the humid, cloudy, damp 70s,  but thanks to the chimney charcoal starter and its glowing orange coals, the backyard American barbeque DNA macho in the amateur chef is once again the equal of the overpriced steak cooked indoors at any restaurant. 


Steak was raised outside, it was born to be cooked outside, and the barbequed steak puts the Cartier- priced steakhouse in its place!  In this griller’s opinion, ourdoor grilling proves once again to be the equal and superior to the overpriced artificial-tasting steak that sleek decor and atmosphere cannot duplicate backyard orgins. The economy may be tanking, your home price declining, but even the hobo can grill!


To do real steak right , you have to do it outside on charcoal.


 



Grillin in-the-not-so-great 2008: The instinct of generations of the American backyard barbeque tradition passed up from  the cave, enjoyed at Valley Forge, sunk into around chuck wagons on the prairie and up from the Southland  barbeque inbred and passed on from American father to American son – cutting across nationality and stationgives you real steak – not $100 technology  enhanced cuts. Flaming charcoal makes steak a living thing in your mouth!



As your born-to-grill reporter watched fireworks from a Gatsbyesque setting overlooking Long Island Sound last night with barebequed hamburghers, pulled pork sandwiches, and beer pong being played, I thought America can pull itself out of this temporary hiccup in the American economy. As long as the American grilling tradition is handed down, the pioneer “can-do” spirit lives!




Why pay $100 for a  steak dinner unless your company is paying for it, when you can tap your inner griller and say I can cook steak better?  The difference is the air, the smoke, the way marinade just drips down into the coals and gets into the meat. It’s chemistry! 


 What is it about the American Grillman that’s so special that his or hers backyard cuts beat the insider  professionals’ inflation-friendly ostentatious steaks?


It’s the unique chemistry of being American and charcoal flame.


And on Independence Day Weekend, it’s not July 4 unless you’re grillin’.


There’s just something about the searing intensity of glowing charcoal combining mystically with the testosterone and instinctual synergy between red meat and the dedicated outdoor griller —  it beats in taste, juiciness and texture the contrived technology of the most expensive restaurant equipment.


No matter how tasty the megabuck meat is in the swank sticker shock steak palaces, there’s always that articificialness packaged taste that marks the indoor steak. The butteryness. The soft crust of the black topped surface of the indoor steak just does not have the nubile grizzled roughhewn flamed yield of the outdoor one-on-one grilled steak that fights your bicuspids every cillemeter.


Only one whose money is easily parted would pay $50 and up for a buttery indoor steak dinner when you can do it yourself in the backyard even in 20 degree weather even in the rain – the steaks done to perfection with the juices sealed  in.



The chimney starter – the secret to the hot start. No more charcoal fluid needed. Take a copy of The Journal News and scrunch up the news section or the sports section in the bottom of the Chimney Starter. (Experience shows that copies of the Journal News — any Gannett paper — burn better than the New York Times which is very slow-starting)


Pour in a helping of those ultimate black beauties, Kingsford charcoal briquettes into the chimney top. Fifteen minutes before the wife has the sides ready, take a wooden match to the aperatures in the base of the starter and light up the edges of the newsprint. Within 10-15 minutes you’ve got coals a firey orange red. You’re ready to outcook the pros.


 



Eat Your Heart Out, Mr. or Ms. Professional Food Designer!  After the Griller’s wife has marinated the meat –  these Stop and Shop trimmed New York Strips sizzling in the caressing deep searing heat of glowing orange briquettes – 3 minutes a side and deft turning and surgical rareness checks – the seasoned grillista simply has a feel for the meat – passed genetically down from generations of American grillers. The combination of cauldron, flavored steel grill rods and pefect flames creates the branded grillmarks that deliver the natural taste of the backyard steak – impossible to achieve for any price in the tehnologically nuanced, high tech steam tables of today.  No one can do a great cut like you can!


As any redblooded American Grillman will tell you when doing a steak – you can’t deliver a steak by manual or instructions. You have to feel the meat. Feel it cook. You just know its time.


 Every cut is not the same. The American Grillman becomes one with the meat. With eye and knowledge of the hue of red – you just  know  by instinct when she’s done. Cooking is slowed down by moving the meats to the side off the heat to keep the American beauties warm 


With the wife’s deft presentation, sweet potato fries, corn pudding, fresh beans and mushrooms without the sog of infrared glare, the Grillman’s natural art relegates the indoor steak out of the taste sweepstakes.


So instead of stewing about the desultory weather today, keep that grill handy and ready to fire up to get that taste of summer you cannot get in any indoor steakhouse no matter how much you pay.

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What Does the 55 Bank Street Crisis Really Mean?

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. News & Commentary.  By John F. Bailey. July 4, 2008: Other than the shock of it, the stalling of the LCOR  55 Bank Street project for at least a year due to financial conditions raises long term policy questions. LCOR is usually dependable an has done much good for the city, so when they are telling you they cannot do something. It pays to pay attention. We have absolute faith that LCOR can pull this out. They always have in the past.


The process raises some fundamental questions about what the city should do next, and should be thinking about. What is the city role in development anyway?


And it was a shock. When was the developer planning to tell the city they were having a problem financing the $300 Million project – all 586 Units of it? When did the Mayor know about it? When did he tell the Common Council?  Perhaps the city should demand all land purchase money upfront from now on. Can we taxpayers pay on an accrual basis now, without interest?


The developer three months ago, according to their website, got $61 Million in financing to build an office redevelopment at 545 Madison Avenue in New York City. They were also looking for financing for an apartment complex in Brooklyn the same time as they were going out for our 55 Bank Street project.


Now Wednesday evening, not only do they admit thay did not pay the city the second installment of their land payment on time, but says they cannot get  the $300 Million in financing for the 55 Bank Street project unless they get to redesign the project into something completely different in looks, and only have to start it when they get financing for each step of the project.  Do they provide a full color rendering and presentation? No. They show a sketch that just shows a rough concept. 


Now the city really wants that affordable housing all 107 units of it.


Through this process, the city has bent over to help LCOR, the developer,  build this project and LCOR has demanded more and more each step of the way. First the city offered LCOR the commuter parking lot property without putting the property out to bid.  The city sought out LCOR to do this project.


The city did this because they said they knew what to expect from LCOR.  They were a developer the city could trust was the reason given by the Mayor’s Office.


At the time the project was first presented, LCOR said they did not need a Payment In Lieu of Taxes agreement. Then at the eleventh hour last year, LCOR came in and said they needed a PILOT, and got an 18 year PILOT on the project, and $29 Million of tax abatement, according to the city, $39 Million the way the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency figured it. It seemed that the conditions were dictating that LCOR had to get a better deal, a better deal as conditions in the economy deteriorated. It shows that  perhaps LCOR may have wanted to do the deal against their better judgment and in the end, could not.


Now, LCOR wishes to change the project design because the financial markets have changed. This is no addition of one floor to a building; this is a redesign. They also want to split the project into three to four stages, start time dependent on financing for each component. Completion by 2012


The process raises some fundamental questions about what the city should do next, and should be thinking about.


A.      Can the city take back the land, paying LCOR back for the land? And throw the area open to other developers?  If so, this will immediately  create an $11 Million hole in the 2008-2009 budget.  The city would have to replace the $5 Million LCOR owed last Monday and the $6 Million they paid last year.  LCOR has said that if the city accepts their plan, Lehman Brothers will finance the $5 Million it owed the city last Monday. The payment is of no consequence, it will probably be paid. But what should be future city policy towards selling land?


 


B.      Would LCOR have a reason to go after the city legally for not financing the project with Urban Renewal Municipal Bonds, which the White Plains Urban Renewal Agency did vote to be able to do in the event LCOR could not find financing. LCOR requested this and the Urban Renewal Agency passed legislation enabling the agency to do so.  Would LCOR hold the city to that somewhat “just in case,” little discussed option?


 


       Of course, the Urban Renewal Agency might not have to be used. The city could float the bonds on its credit rating that is impeccable according to the city. However is financing a project for a megadeveloper what the city really wants to do just for 107 affordable units?


 


Renting units in existing apartment buildings in the city would be cheaper than building them, wouldn’t it? As WPCNR has pointed out in the past the cost of building affordable housing units approximates building market rate luxury units.


 


C.      If the city decided to finance 55 Bank Street in its entirety to “get it done,” they would be raising the city outstanding debt from $55 Million in current projects (in the current budget) to close to $400 Million at much high municipal rates than the past.


          This might be a politically correct move to the financially clueless Common Council.  One wonders about the wisdom of financing the entire project for them with the city holding the bag. Perhaps the Council could finance a combination of the project with other partners


            However, the possibility of the city self financing to get a project done is not without precedent. The city financed $23 Million for the  City Center Garage when Cappelli Enterprises said they could not finance the entire garage. Cappelli Enterprises eventually did finance $47 Million of the City Garage through the Westchester County IDA.


Interesting possibilities.


 


 


D.      Does this invite a strong legal challenge to the city affordable housing requirements in light of the sharply increased “buyout options,” and restrictions it puts on developer profits?


 


E.       LCOR is the third developer in the last two weeks ago to say they cannot make an affordable housing, market rate combination building work in today’s market. Is this time to scrap the affordable housing set aside, because it does not work financially? Is it time to meet with developers and do some hard economic research as to what builders can afford to build? The old model the city created no longer works because financial benchmarks are obsolete due to the snowballing inflation of construction costs.


 


The only affordable housing units that have opened in the last four years in White Plains are the Horton Mill project at Silver Lake, (17 units), a small $7 Million project that took six years to build; The Avalon project was a buyout; and Bill Brown’s Senior Housing was built at a cost of $14 Million, at close to $280,000 a unit. 


 


Isn’t it about time the council did some serious economic studies of the affordable housing requirement to see if it is realistic for developers, setting a floating percentage rate of number of affordable units, might be more intelligent than the flat 10% rate passed this spring in the face of a deteriorating economy I might add. The affordable housing law was a poorly conceived, poorly timed, politically motivated, not thoroughly researched piece of legislation. (But what else would you expect from the White Plains Common Council which sometimes seems to operate unaware of what is happening around them. They have to pay more attention when creating legislation.)


 


That a developer the size of LCOR has essentially told the city the 55 Bank Street project is unworkable by their numbers is showing you that the city affordable housing law is poorly conceived and does not fit the way the marketplace and the construction community works.


 


LCOR has come in with a redesign that essentially cuts the cost of the project (one long high building, and one short one).


 


F.       Perhaps it is time for the city to stop cutting deals to favored developers and put properties out for open bids and put out Requests for Proposals.


 


 But, that would require the Mayor’s Office to discuss future development with the Council in advance, and follow the Comprehensive Plan, either revised or updated or whatever.  The point is the Council is completely devoid of planning or thinking about the city. They go in two or three times a month, listen to uninformed political cronies and make decisions  that they think are politically correct no matter how nasty, unworkable, or apparently even legally suspect they are.


       The council actually refused to explore development possibilities when they refused the designation of a possible developer of the Station area.


       Now, that developer, Louis Cappelli,  a man of action with the ability to maneuver his company in the currents of the markets, is thanking the Council for voluntarily relieving him of the duty for studying development possibilities in White Plains. But it should be noted, Mr. Cappelli gets financing.  LCOR did not.


G.      The No Development Era Begins?


 


Thanks to the affordable housing law, it can be argued that developers now have an excuse to develop Stamford, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Yonkers, Ossining and other communities before considering White Plains. There is, with the exception of the Silverman property, nothing happening in new construction in White Plains.


 


Who will develop the White Plains West Side renovation now that Mr. Cappelli is in the money in the Catskills?


 


Another thing that happened this week was the Longview Avenue Garage WPCNR was told  by the Mayor’s Office, is completed and the White Plains Hospital Center could begin using that garage for parking next week. Groundbreaking, according to City Hall, for the Kensington Assisted Living building to be built on Maple Avenue has been postponed. There’s also the senior assisted living project in Scarsdale that the city is fighting


 


 


As the state shows no inclination to stop its spending, and neither does the county, the city faces major tax revenue increases over the next four years with no increase in revenues except for inflation. Without more development, the city ability to add to its tax base disappears. Since the council in their lack of financial oversight has failed to deal with containing costs and stopping assessment drains, and has inhibited developers with the affordable housing set aside policy,  made abundantly clear by three developers in two weeks, the White Plains Renaissance has ended.


 


What will be the Mayor’s and the  Common Council “stimulus package?”


 


  

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District Must Put In New Floor at Post Road School Gym By Sept. 1.Insurance Pays

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. July 4, 2008: Asbestos removal has begun and bids are being sought by the White Plains City School District for a complete new gymnasium floor at Post Road School due to flooding at the beginning of June. The flooding, Assistant Superintendent of Business Fred Seiler said, was  caused by the contractor (Unitek) building the new Post Road School failing to make adequate drainage provisions while putting in footings for the new school foundation.



Construction on the new Post Road School footings installation has been identified as the cause of the flooding of the Post Road School Gymnasium (to be incorporated into the new school under construction), requiring replacement of the gymnasium floor.



Preparation for Asbestos Removal at Post Road School Gymmasium.


During one of the downpours at the beginning of June, Seiler said, runoff waters flooded the gymnasium floor and caused the floor to buckle.


It was determined the contractor was at fault. Seiler told the Board of Education  Tuesday evening that the contractor’s insurance company and the school district insurance company would cover the cost of replacing the floor. Asbestos removal will cost $38,800. The cost of replacing the gymnasium floor will be determined by the bid process. WPCNR notes that the cost of a typical gymnasium floor today runs about $60,000.


Seiler said that the asbestos would be removed within the next month and the gymnasium floor installed in August prior to the start of school at Post Road on September 1. Seiler said the new floor installation would not delay the opening of the new Post Road School, scheduled a year from September. The Mamaroneck Avenue School renovation is expected to be completed in November of this year on schedule.


The Post Road School Gymnasium is being incorporated into the new Post Road School Building.

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Entertaining for Summer Blowout Weekends the 4th : America’s Birthday!

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WPCNR’s THE REAL DEAL. By The Wedding Jeannie, Jeannie Uyanik of Cap and Gown Weddings. July 3, 2008: July fourth falling on a Friday more often than not guarantees the holiday festivities will begin on a Thursday, and continue well through the weekend.  So those guests who usually only drop by for the day of barbeque could be staying a while longer.  It seemed only appropriate that we assist you in whipping up a few extra, sure to wow (except maybe the Jello) dishes, that can be easily doubled or tripled to feed the masses while still looking unique. 


 



The Weddding Jeannie


Jeannie Uyanik


Wedding Planner to the World


WPCNR COLUMNISTA


 





From the start, let’s be clear that I have NO talent in the kitchen.  I don’t want to in anyway misrepresent myself as a cook, chef, or as having capable hands to assist anyone cooking anything.  But what I do very well is measure and follow directions. 


 


It takes me longer than about 90% of the population, but with good directions and a solid recipe, I can fool anyone into thinking that I know what I am doing.  That and a live-in chef have saved me from much embarrassment over the years.  But these are all tried and true family recipes, coming from as far back as my great-grandmother,  (the unique  Gertrude Pinneo of Sunnyside Avenue in Pleasantville), who knew how to throw a party and a Sunday dinner for 40 without blinking an eye. 


 


And I have personally made each of these dishes, so I know that anyone can do it. 


 


The key to the following dishes if used in conjunction, is that they will cater to each of your crazy guests:


 


The health nut (the organic lentil salad),


 


The carb hound (great grandma’s baked pimento ziti),


 


The I have seen it all on the grill (garlic lobster tails & Turkish hamburgers),


 


 The picker (Jello fruit salad mold). 


 


While I can’t cook to save my life, I usually host a gathering for about 20 to 40 people at least once a month at my home.  It’s clear that the key to a successful, and oft remembered weekend or event, is variety in the menu and putting things out there that most have not seen before. 


 


That’s tough to do for larger crowds or more relaxed barbeques.  But the menu above hits the spot in terms of mass preparation and keeps guests thinking you threw everything together just before they arrived. 


 


If you have any questions, I would suggest that you not write to me, but since that’s probably your only option, I promise to get you an answer from someone else who knows about cooking. 


 


And for the dessert, I leave that to the chef, but last week he made a fantastic cheese cake and I contributed my Duncan Hines brownies; of course when asked for the recipe, my response was “a little of this and that and a flick of the wrist.”


 


Organic Lentil Salad


 


One bag of green lentils – usually 1lb, but any size will do, just increase the ingredients below accordingly. 

Set the lentils in water overnight in a bowl; make sure there is plenty of water, well above the level of lentils.

Next day, boil the lentils in water, don’t over cook them as you don’t want them to be mushy. After a 5min-7min of boiling, just taste a few every few minutes to see when they are done, then soak in cold water, to stop the cooking process.

Chop the following as finely as you can and all ingredients should be organic if possible:
-1 dozen radishes
-1 small bag of baby carrots
-1 bunch Italian parsley
-1-2 bunches of scallions
-1 red pepper
-1 orange or yellow pepper (or half of each)
-2-3 small cucumbers (the small ones are perfect for this salad)
-2-3 stalks of celery

Add, salt, black pepper, cumin (this is the KEY ingredient), squeeze 1 lemon, and plenty of extra virgin olive oil.  (no exact measurements for these, so build it up slowly until the taste gets to your liking. For olive oil start with 1/2 cup, and add from there)


 


Mix all the ingredients and serve cold. 


 


Grandma’s Baked Pimento Ziti


-2 cups uncooked Ziti


-2 cups cheddar cheese cut up


-2 cups bread crumbs (real bread cut in small 1 inch pieces)


-1 jar sliced pimento


-5 cups of milk


-2 eggs


-3 tablespoons of chopped onions


-2 teaspoons of salt


-1/4 teaspoons of pepper


-3 tablespoons of butter


 


Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees with no cover.  Let stand 15 minutes.


 


 


Garlic Lobster Tails


-4 lobster tails (Costco is a great place to get good tails, but try and buy the smaller ones because the meat is more tender)


-3 or 4 cloves of crushed garlic


-1 bunch cilantro, medium diced


-3 medium sized tomatoes, finely 


– ½ cup of olive oil


-1 lemon squeezed (fresh)


-salt, pepper to taste


 


Keep the lobsters in their shells and combine all other ingredients mixing everything together in one large bowl.  Marinate overnight or for as long as possible (at least 10 hours).  Lobsters should be cooked on the grill, leave on high heat for 10-12 minutes total.


 


Turkish Hamburgers (aka Kofte)


-1.5 pounds of minced beef


-1 medium finely chopped onion


-1 bunch Italian parsley finely chopped


-1/2 a cup of plain breadcrumbs


-1 egg


-2 tablespoons of cumin


-1 teaspoon salt


-1 teaspoon pepper


 


Knead all ingredients together by hand well for at least 5 minutes.  Pick meatball sized portions and create mini burger patties (not regular sized hamburgers) and prepare on a tray.  Grill to preferred temperature (like hamburgers) and if cooking in the oven, heat at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 


 


Jello Fruit Salad Mold


-1 packet Jello (raspberry or strawberry only)


-1 container of fresh raspberries


-1 small container of fresh blueberries


-1 cup of cut strawberries


-1/2 a pear cut into small pieces


-1/2 an apple cut into small pieces


 


Directions for making the Jello will be on the box (usually 1 cup of boiling water added to the powder, and then one cup of cold water to follow).  Allow Jello to cool and become SLIGHTLY firm (usually about ½ an hour) in the fridge and then add all the fresh fruit ingredients.  Its important not to use fresh pineapple as the Jello will not set.  The key to a beautiful Jello salad is the use of a Tupperware dish created just for Jello to show off some design skills.  Target has plenty of options on their website (from July 4th molds to the traditional round bowl molds). 

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Meanwhile at Cappelli HQ– Catskills Billion Dollar Baby Financing Wrapped Up.

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WPCNR THE BUILDING NEWS. From Cappelli Enterprises. July 3, 2008: Louis Cappelli has secured $700 Million in financing for the Concord Resort development approved last week by the State legislature.  


Geoff Thompson, spokesperson for Cappelli Enterprises, reported to WPCNR Wednesday afternoon that Louis Cappelli, “The Super Developer,”   creator of the White Plains Renaissance, through his building of the City Center and the Ritz-Carlton Westchester in White Plains has secured $1 Billion in financing to proceed with his casino-resort on the grounds of the former Concord Hotel in Sullivan County, in an effort with Empire Resorts to bring back that faded resort area back. 



The Concord Resort and Golf Club from Satellite Prior to Demolition, viewed from Space. 


The source(s) of the $700 Million in bank debt were not identified, pending closing on the financing. Demolition has begun on the  old Concord Hotel. The spokesperson said Mr. Cappelli is not looking at any other casino development sites in the state at this time.









In Cappelli activities in White Plains the representative reported  the opening of the second tower at the White Plains Ritz-Carlton, (center, looming above the Ritz Carlton Hotel) would be in November, and that Mr. Cappelli still planned to move his Valhalla headquarters to the first 14 floors of the Ritz Carlton second tower this summer.



 The details of the Cappelli-in-the-Catskills mega-money financing,   according to the Monticello Times Herald Record, were outlined to the state government June 24  when Governor David Patterson and legislative leaders and the legislature agreed to authorize Mr. Cappelli and his partner, Empire Resorts to keep 75% of the profits from the planned video gambling terminals at the resort provided  key economic development financial goals are met: 2,000 permanent new jobs and $38 Million a year for New York State education.


In an interview with the Times Herald Record last week Cappelli described the  Catskills Billion Dollar Baby financing:


“There is $300 million of equity going on and what is called mezzanine financing, then $750 million of actual debt, bank debt. I have term sheets, the first step, which are confidential and that I’ve shown to Albany. I am hoping to close all the financing in 60 days and I am planning on starting with the equity financing and begin pouring foundations on the job in three or four weeks.”


White Plains Ritz Move


Meanwhile in White Plains at the Ritz-Carlton site, Mr. Thompson said Mr. Cappelli’s plans to move his Valhalla offices to the first 14 floors second tower of the Ritz-Carlton was expected to take place sometime this summer. No date was given, but that was still “a go.”  Thompson added that the second tower would not be opened until November.


The extension of the probable opening would appear to give Cappelli Enterprises more time to find a solution to the affordable housing shortfall in units the organization owes the city. Cappelli Enterprises, by WPCNR count, is building 24 of the 41 units owed at the City Center Garage. How and where the other 17 are going to be built is in question at this time due to a disagreement with the city on building specifications required on the 240 Main Street site which surfaced last fall.


The Billion Dollar Baby in the Catskills, according to the Monticello Times Herald Record report will have a 750-room hotel and convention center, a casino with video terminals, a race track and 487 estate homes. Mr. Cappelli’s spokesperson, Mr. Thompson said the former  Kutscher’s Country Club that Mr. Cappelli also owns has no development plans as yet.


 

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Senior Assisted Living Project in Saxon Woods Continued to September at ZBA

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WPCNR The Zoning Zone. From a WPCNR Correspondent. July 3, 2008: The Zoning Board of Appeals heard about twenty persons speaking out against the assisted living complex proposed to be built in Scarsdale by Renamba LLC, with access from White Plains (with White Plains water, sewer, and electricial connections),  through the driveway of the Westchester Ethical Culture Society. The project, if built, would destroy a vast area of the “woods” of Saxon Woods to the south of Saxon Woods Road.


 All but one of the residents were opposed to the project which had been denied by the White Plains Building Commissioner. The project was originally proposed in 2002. The developer now seeks a variance or Special Permit use from the ZBA. The Corporation Counsel, Edward Dunphy said not all comments had been turned in as yet from the various boards and commissioners in the city. The Zoning Board continued the  hearing until September 3, at which time it indicated it would take a vote on the project.

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LCOR: Build 55 Bank Job in Steps,Tied to $$$. $300M Elusive.Defaults $5M Owed WP

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WPCNR THE BUILDING NEWS. Special to WPCNR from White Plains CitizeNetReporter Correspondents. July 2, 2008: LCOR, the developers of 55 Bank Street, the 536-Unit residential “showcase” affordable housing project approved in May, 2007 by the Common Council announced to the council Wednesday afternoon they could not raise the $300 Million in one lump sum to finance the project in today’s financial conditions. 



Peter Gilpatric, center of photo, of LCOR, Shown April 12, 2007 when the Common Council was considering a PILOT on the 55 Bank Street property. (WPCNR News Archive)


 of LCOR and LCOR attorneys William Null and Robert Feder of Cuddy & Feder proposed instead a substantial redesign of the project to keep it alive. Trading two slender pillars for one long 28-story building running the entire block of the property  fronted by a short 14-story building and a different configuration for the parking garage. The project is a complete redesign, which Gilpatric hopes to get underway by mid-summer, 2009, financing forthcoming.


LCOR also proposed a two month delay in paying the $5 Million installment it owes on the commuter parking lot the city sold LCOR last spring to build the project on. LCOR has Lehman Brothers lined up for that payment if the Common Council and Urban Renewal Agency approve this “save” of the project.


 


We like White Plains!


Jim Benorofe told WPCNR that Mr. Gilpatric began the meeting with a statement that  said the company liked White Plains wanted to continue to do business here, and to build this project, but today’s financial markets prevented them from building the project originally planned because the entire project could not obtain $300 Million in financing. He said the project instead could be financed only in approximately $100 Million increments  if it were broken up into three steps.


To achieve this the Urban Renewal Agency and the Common Council would have to amend the site plan approval tying the start of each building contingent with securing financing for it.


The “design” consisting of a rough sketch was shown the Council. It  had LCOR building one diminutive tower of 14 stories ( the size of the Bar Building), fronting on Bank Street and a massive 28-story  wall of a building  a full block  in width  behind the 14-story structure. The 28-story building extends the width of the property closest to the Metro North railroad tracks. The third piece would be a parking garage for the project behind the 14 story tower.


Hotel to come?


The hotel proposed all along to be built on the present  5 Bank Street parking area is still planned for that location. Mr. Gilpatric said LCOR had a term sheet out to a hotel chain “with a substantial White Plains presence,” (possibly, WPCNR speculates Marriott or Starwood).


A very rough outline sketch of the project was passed around to the Common Council  to demonstrate the “save” of the project that is in very rudimentary design stage. WPCNR’s correspondents report


The councilmembers present: Benjamin Boykin, Glen Hockley, Rita Malmud, Dennis Power, and Thomas Roach were stunned to learn that LCOR had not paid the $5 Million due on the LCOR purchase of the city commuter parking lot. The city had sold the land to LCOR for $16 Million, with $6 Million paid last June and $5 Million due last Monday. The $6 Million last year balanced the city budget.


The LCOR representatives said that Lehman Brothers would lend LCOR the money for that payment and it would be paid to the city in September, if the city approved the new design and staggered financing.


Accrual Method Proposed to Prevent City Finishing in Red


 Mayor Joseph Delfino said the payment technically due Monday of this week and planned for in the 2007-2008 budget, would be booked as an “accrual” until September to avoid a deficit in the budget, if the Urban Renewal Agency adopted a rewording of the site plan approval allowing the buildings to begin construction  when financing is secured for each of the 4 buildings. This unusual request  will be taken up by the Urban Renewal Agency July 16.


Another request of the Common Council is that the $4.8 Million remaining on the payment for the commuter parking lot would not be due until the complex is completed, which Gilpatric anticipated would happen in 2012.


107 Units spread throughout


The 107 units of affordable housing owed the city on the project would be split between the 14 story building fronting on Bank Street and throughout the 28 story one block long building along the railroad tracks. No traffic patterns were shown, according to our correspondent. The retail component would also be included in the 14-story building.


The 107 units of affordable housing (rentable to earners making 60%, 80% and 100% of median income, $73,000) have been a key component of the development since the city granted it 15 years of tax abatements on the project as incentive to have LCOR build the project a year ago.


Mr. Gilpatric said, according to WPCNR’s observer that the company had spent $4 Million on the previous design and needed an indication from the council whether the redesign “concept” presented Wednesday afternoon was acceptable,  before proceeding  (spending millions more) on a more detailed design of his rough sketch. Gilpatric did not anticipate starting the project for about 14 months (mid-2009).Jim Benerofe told WPCNR the Council seemed agreeable to the  redesign to save the project.


One Project Left


Presently the LCOR project is the only project still viable in the city. Windsor Towers and The Boker Condominium project on Maple Avenue have both balked at paying the additional affordable housing “buyout fees” now owed by those projects thanks to new Common Council legislation passed in April 


The only Councilperson adamantly opposed was Councilperson Rita Malmud who accused LCOR of defaulting on the payment to which Mr. Gilpatric agreed. Ms. Malmud also complained that this was the first time she had heard of the default. The Mayor said he had first heard about it 8 days ago, then amended that to five days (last Thursday).


$29 Million Tax Abatements


At the time of the unanimous Council approval in May of 2007, total tax abatement on the project was


put at $29 Million over 18 years. The PILOT took the previous planned towers off the  


roles and assigns their assessment to the Westchester County IDA, which is not required to pay


property taxes on the assessment. It was not discussed last night how the PILOT arrangement would


be affected by the new deal. The PILOT approved by the Council was $486,000 a year in payments


going out 18 years.


 

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You Got Mailed: City/Sch Taxes Hit.$700G Median Home Total: $12,740.STAR CUT!

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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. By John F. Bailey. July 1, 2008 UPDATED 6:30 PM EDT: City government may delay very important decisions, but they do not delay tax bills.  Like death, the city tax bill for the first half of 2008-2009 arrived suddenly, confirming what only WPCNR of all the media in the state reported to our readers last April.


This year’s city and school tax for the median homeowner will be $10,342 compared to the 2007-2008 tax bill of $9, 634, a city and school tax combined increase of 7%.


 



 Albany legislators secretly cut the STAR Exemption, raising your assessment. In today’s tax bill the STAR Exemption was cut to $3,330, as WPCNR reported in April, from last year’s $3,700. This results in a $10,342 tax bill between city and school for the White Plains median home judged to be worth $700,000 on the market.  Inspecting your tax bill you will find your RES STAR Assessed Value to be $3,330.


Albany’s reducing the  STAR Exemption $370  costs the median homeowner about $186 more in school taxes, $7,618.09  under the $3,330 exemption as opposed to paying $7,431.97, under the $3,700 exemption  in effect in 2007.  


 It results in about $1 million more in taxes in the district – about 85% of the increase in state aid the city is getting, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business for the School District, Fred Seiler in a WPCNR report written in April


The County Tax, estimated by WPCNR to be $2,400, tagged on to the city and school tax bill brings the total tax on the White Plains median home to $12,742 – higher than WPCNR had originally estimated in the spring of this year, where our WPCNR Math Lab estimated $12,600.  Those of you opening your tax bills who own a home valued on the market over $700,000 will pay more, considerably more.


The city included a flier with the tax bill showing that the County collects 19% of your tax dollar and the school district, 61%, and the city 20%. It reminds the recipient payment is due by July 31 to avoid any interest charges.



WPCNR encourages the taxpayers to get their payments in early.

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No Agreement with White Plains Teachers Until Fall

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. July 1, 2008: WPCNR has learned that White Plains teacher negotiations on a new contract have been suspended through the summer and will not resume until the fall. A source close to the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity, told WPCNR there will be no agreement until teachers return to work in September because the teachers’ contract specifically forbid any vote on a contract during the summer.


A vote on a teachers’ contract can only occur while the contract is in effect from September 1 through June 30, the source said. The source said the current items under discussion are salary and medical benefits. The source said the teachers were particularly annoyed at the increases in the salaries of 42 full-time Coordinators, Directors and principals and assistants who received $444,553 in salary increases for 2008-2009, an average of 7.5%, and an average raise in pay of $10,584. Though no salary figures have emerged from the clandestine negtiations, the teacher salaries in last year’s contract were held at 3.2% across all steps, substantially less than 7.5%. Some administrators received salary increases over 10%


Our contact said that the current contract for 2007-2008 would remain in effect until a new contract is negotiated and approved. The last time this happened, they recalled was in 1999-2000,

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School Bus Contractors, Districts Plea with Albany for Diesel Fuel Relief.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. July 1, 2008:  John Silvanie, President of White Plains Bus Company told WPCNR today he saw no relief in sight for the 50% increase in diesel fuel prices his company is facing due to the runup in diesel fuel.  He told WPCNR his company is locked in to a transit contract with the White Plains  City School District that entitles his company to fee increases tied strictly to the state Consumer Price Index, which he said this year is 4%. 



 The district is presently protected against school bus transportation increases, however they face possible monthly increases in their cost of electricity from the New York Power Authority. (The authority has the right to increase the cost of electricity they sell the district, at one third less than consumers pay, a spokesperson told WPCNR last week.)


Silvanie said that the State School Bus Contractors Association and other school districts across the state are mobilizing an effort to get the state legislature to provide more school aid to offset the doubling of transportation fuel costs.  A bill has been introduced in the Assembly by Assemblyman Peter Rivera to roll back fuel taxes for school bus operations (the state gets 70 cents a gallon for every gallon of diesel fuel), and also force school districts into a 4-day school week to conserve fuel costs. Presently the legislature is on vacation, and expects to be on vacation the rest of the year, pending the governor’s calling them back into session.



Last  week WPCNR asked Silvanie if he had any recourse in extracting more fuel money from the White Plains School District, he told me again today what he told WPCNR then  – “We don’t have any recourse. There’s nothing in the New York State Municipal Bid Law that allow us to be paid an additional amount for the (additional) cost of the fuel. I know there is some talk in the industry about trying to get a bill passed in Albany that would provide some relief.”


WPCNR asked if he was planning to consolidate bus routes in White Plains. “We really can’t. We’re not the ones to decide what the bus routes are the school district  does. We commingle the routes as much as we can so we use as little equipment as we possibly can. The district does not pay me to run one bus and run another an hour later on an elementary school trip or something like that. There’s no place we can go, in terms of our municipal customers, not that I haven’t thought about it. The same is true of our contracts with Westchester County.”


How does your company survive,WPCNR asked:  “Not easily, we’re tightening our belt as much as we can. We’re trying to get the best deals we can out of our fuel suppliers. But the reality is the cost of fuel is up almost $2 a gallon.”


We asked, how long do you feel you can hold on at this level? “We just did a multi-year extension (contract)with White Plains. We’re contracted to do that. We have a moral and legal obligation to do it, so we’re going to do it.”


What do you anticipate the cost of living increase the state will give you? “The CPI this year (2008) is 4%. So the state has approved CPI increases of 4%. And our guess is, going forward  it’s going to be more than 4% (next year). When the cost per fuel goes up $2 a gallon,  2,3 or 4% isn’t going to take a big dent out there.”


State could change law on CPI relief.


The state cannot, Silvanie said increase the CPI allowance more than once a year according to the Municipal Bid Law, Silvanie said unless they changed the law.  “If they change the law, we certainly would try and get our school districts to help out.”


I asked what the other transportation companies are doing about this problem. “I know they have been talking in Albany about the potential of passing a bill that would allow contractors to get reimbursed from the school districts for the additional cost of fuel, and I think part of that was to also provide additional state aid for it because the school districts clearly don’t have the money to do that. Tax money doesn’t come from nowhere.”


Fuel Efficient Vehicles.


WPCNR asked if he  anticipated adding to his fleet with more fuel-efficient vehicles:


 “School buses migrated in the 50s and 60s when they were gas-powered to where they were diesel-powered. There were two reasons for that, diesel was much less expensive at the time than gasoline and diesel engines are more efficient so they burned less fuel. A gasoline powered school bus in the 70s and early 80s got 5 miles a gallon, where diesel vehicles got 7 miles a gallon. Everybody in the industry migrated to diesel powered equipment.


“With the most recent 2007 and 2010 emission requirements on diesel engines, they are starting to be less efficient. People who are running 15-20 passenger school vans that are gasoline powered, they are finding there isn’t a big difference in consumption between diesel and gasoline-powered equipment and so the mpg are much closer. And the cost of diesel is significantly more than gasoline now.


So the reality is, as we buy new equipment we may migrate the smaller vans back from diesel to gasoline. It would take some time.”


How long can he sustain? Non-Contract Customers Raised 5 to 15%


WPCNR explored long he could operate under these fuel conditions.


“We don’t envision going out of business as a result of this. We’re raising rates for our non-contracted customers and so we’re doing what we need to do to stay in business. In the 86 years we’ve been in business there have been upturns anddownturns in the business climate and we’ve managed to stay in business and it’s our intention to continue to be in business.  It depends on the customer, anywhere from 5 to 15%.


Sports Consolidations


As far as field trips for the schools, WPCNR asked, does he anticipate increasing costs for those. “The reality is, with respect to the school district they are under contracted numbers. We really can’t. We will probably ask the school district to limit the non-educational field trips. Athletic trips, if we can double teams we’re going to do that as well. Instead of two buses we send one bus.”


Albany Attitude


I asked about the enthusiasm in Albany for perhaps giving bus companies relief:


“You have to remember that the children in New York State get school buses. Half of the school buses in New York State are owned by private contractors like our company, the other half are owned by school districts, so the school district operations have the same fuel problem the private bus companies have.


There obviously has to be a great deal of pressure on the non-contracted districts,  because  their cost of fuel has gone up the same $2 a gallon my cost has gone up. So there has to be pressure on those school budgets,which means that they’re going to be putting pressure on the elected representatives in Albany to find some relief for.


 


 

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