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WPCNR Tomorrow’s News Today. News & Comment By John F. Bailey December 27, 2007: There are a lot of issues facing the City of White Plains in 2008 that WPCNR identified at the close of 2006. They still face us at the end of 2007, and as a resident and an observer of the city these are situations which need to be addressed in my opinion, plus some new business for 2008:
1. REMOVE TCEs from City Dump and Build Fields There: How long does it take the DEC and the city to evaluate how dirty the dump is? Testing has been going on for five months. If the DEC rules White Plains does not have to clean it up – then it calls into question how competent the DEC really is. Is it just an employment program for well educated, politically connected hacks? They have allowed the city to pollute the Beverly Road, Rocky Dell neighborhoods for 38 years. Could the Department of Public Works instead of spending more money on rolling stock clean it up, please – just because it is the right thing to do? How hard is that?
Based on WPCNR investigation the TCEs can be neutralized by other chemicals, and could have been expunged by now. Why haven’t they?
2. Develop Police Emergency Notification System: The White Plains Department of Public Safety agrees with the CitizeNetReporter that the Department needs a means of communicating with citizens during a citywide or even a minor city emergency. Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Dr. Charles Jennings proposed such a system to be developed 2009-2010. Such a system might constitute any number of procedures: a tape loop system updated that citizens could call for information; an AM radio system such as the Air Traffic Information System used at all airports. Still, no movement on this very urgent need. The police have no way of notifying all the citizens quickly about situations breaking in the city. WPCNR thinks it is about time!
3. Develop Lexington Avenue Corridor: The highly touted next piece of the City Renaissance – cleaning up the Lexington Avenue look adjacent the Winbrook projects. No meetings have been held on this among property owners since last spring to this reporter’s knowledge. It would also be very nice if the meetings that are held are not held in secret. Could the city be more forthcoming in 2008 on this critical piece of the city’s rebirth? Out of the blue came the knowledge recently that townhouses are being considered for the Winbrook site. Who asked for those? Who is going to pay for them? A little candor, a little news conference maybe?
4. Develop Hamilton Avenue Gateway II Lot: The big lot across from the White Plains TransCenter. This is the last remaining parcel where buildings of 40 stories could be built. Should the Mayor proceed with getting this link in the new downtown developed – what is its status?
5. Bring Budget in Line with City Revenues. Instead of budget cutting, city hall has pursued spending policies in recent years that have required, and continue to require revenue generating by selling city land, while funding affordable housing projects with city assets. The city now faces negotiating union contracts which they will settle at a minimum of 4% — maybe even 5% — now that they have a ¼% sales tax increase in the works. The city needs to look at their spending policies – task force the budget – instead of lurching forward with what appears to be a lack of planning and setting a policy of pay increases sharply above the rate of inflation. This is politically advantageous, but it kills the taxpayer.
6.Televise Work Sessions, Planning Board, Zoning Board Meetings. Major policy decisions are made at these meetings, and, in the case of the Common Council Work Sessions, and Special Meetings seemingly scheduled suspiciously close to holidays and at inopportune times to satisfy developer priorties. Important city issues are decided on in a small packed conference room with limited audience. The city should televise these sessions and Planning and Zoning Board meetings to better inform the public. Lack of equipment is no excuse. They could also be easily televised over the internet via the city website. If WPCNR can do it with White Plains Week, the city with a department devoted to internet services and computers, could certainly do it.
7. Enact Surcharge to Arrest Assessment Decline. It is no secret that declining commercial assessments are killing Mr. and Mrs. and Ms. White Plains. This year the owner of a $700,000 house in White Plains will pay over $10,000 a year in school, city and county taxes with no end in site. A Tennessee County has moved to enact surcharges on increased value of commercial and residential properties to reflect the actual resale value of the properties. The city explore a surcharge for services, an air rights tax, or similar mechanism to relieve the White Plains residential property owner. The Adam Bradley separate Commercial Tax Rate for assessments (designed to eliminate the Equalization Rate penalty that increases White Plains property tax for homeowners when our homes increase in value), does not have any shot at getting passed in the senate. It is time for the city to take action and take aim at the commercial property owners who are bleeding the homeowners with certioraris.
8.Add Warming Shelters: My sources tell me there are a lot more than 17 homeless persons who need shelter from the cold and misery of one of the dampest coldest miserable winters we are experiencing. The homeless bed shortfall is by no means solved despite the efforts of the last two weeks. I suggest the backslapping and the sanctimonious pats on the back that characterized the last special meeting of the Common Council when the council agreed to allow cots is premature and in bad taste.
Once again our Common Council has shown they are not leaders. They should reach out on their own to enlist the aid of concerns within the Central Downtown area to make available vacant buildings to provide beds for them all. Sites that come to mind are: the St. John’s School, which is closed and empty – and fenced. If the Archdiocese would step forward and give its permission to use this vacant space nights, you have plenty of room to house the homeless. But that’s just one place. I also suggest the fire house down by the railroad station, the Fire Station at Lexington and Maple, the White Plains Housing Authority, Berkeley College, Mercy College. Could we explore with a little creativity, please? And could we have them open all year? There is no excuse for not taking a lead on the issue, when no one else is.
9. Liaison with the Department of Transportation on the Tappan Zee/I-287 Corridor: This is long overdue. You cannot make plans for developing the railroad station area – as the council seems to be inclined to explore – without working with the state. If White Plains is not careful we are going to have another Exit 6,7,8 construction nightmare rammed down our throats. One look at the way the Department of Transporation has ruined the Central Westchester Parkway and eastern gateway to our city is a preview of what the DOT is going to do to White Plains unless we start looking over their shoulders. Could the Mayor and the Common Council get on the stick on this issue. You cannot redo the Railroad station without figuring out the role of light rail and commuter rail east-west. At last look on this issue – the geniuses were talking light bus routes! Are you kidding me, DOT? We are polluting the planet with fumes and you’re even thinking more buses, which no one rides???? This kind of thinking is going to wreck White Plains unless as I say, the Mayor and the Council start interfacing with the state on this issue. It doesn’t matter what you think you want to develop if the state wants to develop something else.
10. Illegal Housing Crackdown: The next time one of the multi-family homes with 50 persons in it burns – the city may not be so lucky. When 208 West Post Road burned, this was a warning. According to the Mayor, the residents attempted to put the fire out themselves rather than call the fire department. I wonder why? It is time to get tough on the illegal rooming houses, not matter how many rich and powerful politically connected slum scum own them. If, and mark my words this may happen next week or next month, 10 persons die in an illegal housing fire, White Plains will be front page news. You think the Journal News gave Bill Ryan a hard time, just wait.
The owners of those homes will be indicted for negligent manslaughter, and the city will be sued. The U.S. District Attorney and the State Attorney General will see another great investigation, and White Plains will receive an incredible black eye. Remember the Providence fire? Remember Coconut Grove?
It is time to publish every housing violation; publish the names of the owners; and start eminent domain proceedings to relieve owners of those Uriah Heap rooming house cash streams – after the second violation. And could we inspect once a month please? The only reason illegal housing exists is because it is in the best interest of the city or the powerful to let it continue.
We have also heard that organizations pretending to help immigrants steer them to housing that is illegal. How sordid and despicable is that? If WPCNR can confirm this—this would be a horrible thing. I hope it is not true.
Illegal housing isn’t O.K. because important people own it. It’s slum perpetuation.
When they carry the dead babies out of the next char job, the questions will come hard, fast, and relentless, then will come the indictments, the investigations, and the revelation of who owns these scurrilous establishments.
The city, the Common Council, the authorities have to make a choice here and the time to make it is now. Stamp it out. Either by buying them all out quietly.
11. School Budget Reform : This is another very sensitive issue. White Plains school taxes will be averaging five figures this year. The budget is going to top $200 Million in 2009-2010. The school administration has to take budget cutting more seriously. The budget has to be held at the inflation rate. Otherwise, with real estate values dropping – the tax increase is going to hit the double digits consistently. Just do the math. It can be no more business as usual by the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee. Failure to hold the line on inflation in the district is going to wear out taxpayer good will rapidly.
12. Parking Reform: If you live in White Plains, you know you have to plan your visits to downtown because of the limited parking options, as well as the severe time limitations placed on the meters – as well as the high likelihood of getting a $15 ticket. It is no fun. This needs to be looked at. When residents do not feel like going downtown, the city retail is getting killed.
A longer time limit is needed at the parking meters – perhaps raising the rates a little, but the time limits are what are so bad. You can rarely get everything done within an hour. Two hours is reasonable. One hour is not. I also do not like the double billing at the console parking lots, where the city is earning money when there is still time left on a parking space. That needs adjusting. I would also like free parking after 5 PM. That would be much more reasonable.
I also suggested graduated parking tickets. Your first parking ticket would be $10, second, $15, third $20, fourth, $25 and so on. This coordinated with expanded meter time intervals with increased rates for those longer meter intervals might be a direction to go.
These are wild suggestions, but a city that is unpleasant to shop in is not a city that is going to become a magnet destination. Though the Department of Parking is the city’s most profitable department, raking in $20 Million and spending only $10 Million in expenses, this does not mean it should keep increasing its profit margins just because it can.
13. Policy Making, Is there any?: The Common Council has to work just a little in-between Work Sessions and Special Meetings and the monthly Common Council meetings. They have to go out and mingle with the city. Go into places like Winbrook, South Lexington Avenue, the senior center, hold community meetings on their own and not just listen to their city political leaders who have no clue what is going on.
The council people have to start the year holding an open meeting or two to discuss things with the city administration and ferret out where the administration is taking the city. The council does not do that now, and have never done it in the eight years this website has been reporting the news in town. I have seen the council spring surprises on the Mayor, but never asked the Mayor – well, Mr. Mayor? What do you have in mind for the South Lexington Avenue corridor? (For example) Instead they react according to what they think will make them look good politically. It is time for them to stop reacting and start finding out what is going on in the administration minds.
The council appears likely to give us two years of inaction, so no one eyeing Mr. Delfino’s job, irritates any anti-development people, nor any pro-development people, nor any pro-open space, pro-school factions.
However, that is not leadership. Because whoever beats Mr.Delfino in 2009 (I see no one beating him unless Adam Bradley runs or a Council candidate rapidly takes on some leadership qualities, and Bill Ryan has self-destructed) – cannot jump into the job and do nothing.
We will know then just how successful development really is – and the sales tax has to be topping ohhhhh — $60 Million by 2009-2010– it’s now at $44.8 Million, otherwise there are going to be serious problems in wages – and property taxes. If the sales tax tops $60 Million, Delfino will take credit. If it is lagging, he can blame council inaction on finishing the development job.
The council has to demand projections of finances. They have to examine those capital project numbers seriously.
Development? Well – the council and the Mayor and the community have to agree. There are three areas of town left to fix: The station area, Lexington Avenue, and East Post Road – and you cannot do the latter to without removing the Coachman and 186 East Post Road—the homeless shelter sites – as well as the Department of Social Services areas – those are roadblocks to renaissancing the Lex-Post Road corridors.
The council needs to develop a policy formulation stance to consider how they will develop those three areas instead of using the Mayor’s shotgun approach. If they don’t the city will have two years of stagnation. The Mayoral-wanna-be’s will be trying to be all things to all voters instead of leaders. I think that is exactly what they will be “wanna-be’s”.
It’s no good saying we want “balanced development” without defining balanced
It does not work saying, you want “smart growth” without defining what is smart.
I say smart growth is “growing within your financial means and attracting development the city needs”
I say “balanced development” is “developing a mix of housing and commercial that pays its own way without bleeding the present tax payer.” So far I have not seen that. Administration policies have bled the taxpayer seriously due to certriorari policies and developer incentives.
The council at long last should find out what combination will achieve those two definitions. They can’t just listen and come down on the side of an issue that is best for their own political futures which is what they do all the time. We saw this in the past election.
Are there any leaders out there? Will we see them in 2008?
I am waiting.
