Mayor’s Multimodel Transportation Center Stakeholder Task Force Members Identified. | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,826,065 VISITS IN ONE YEAR---73,578 VISITS A WEEK BY 1,111,506 VISITORS

WPCNCR MAIN STREET JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. October 24, 2015:

Ayana Meade the WPCNR correspondent who covered last week’s League of Women Voters Community Forum for WPCNR, reported that White Plains Councilperson Nadine Hunt-Robinson told the audience the Mayor has appointed a task force to contribute and review with Parsons-Brinckerhoff conductor of a study to determine development and new possibilities for the train station area.

Members of that task force were part of the group that toured the Metro North Train Station with Mayor Tom Roach, October 14, who explained his concerns about the present station.

WPCNR asked council members Dennis Krolian and Ms. Hunt-Robinson who has been appointed to the Mayor’s Multimodal Transportation Stakeholder Task Force.

Mr. Krolian told WPCNR in a telephone interview that Patti Cantu of the Battle Hill Neighborhood (affected directly by the target area of the station and surroundings) and Justin Brasch, who lives in the Soundview Avenue neighborhood were two of the members.

WPCNR asked Ms. Hunt-Robinson if there were any indications of how Battle Hill might be affected in the major makeover of the station.

Ms. Hunt-Robinson sent WPCNR this statement:

“I think the goal is to get ideas to better integrate Battle Hill (with the station), including the walkability to the potential activities to be at the station.”

She provided the members of the Multimodal Task Force: and their affiliations as follows:

City of White Plains:

Mayor Roach, Chair

Metro-North Railroad:

Michael Shiffer, V.P. Planning, MTA Metro-North Railroad

Westchester County:

Ed Buroughs, Westchester County Planning Commissioner

New York State:

Todd Westhuis, NYS Department of Transportation, Division of Operations and Asset Management

White Plains Residents:

Justin Brasch

Larry Salley

Mary Cavallero

Patty Cantu

Richard Payne

William Cuddy

Mayor Roach

Landowners & Businesses:

Peter Mosbacher, Senior V.P., Community Development, Webster Bank

Robert Weisz, CEO, RPW Group

Susan Fox, President & CEO, White Plains Hospital

Tim Jones, Managing Member, Robert Martin Company, LLC

William Cuddy, Executive V.P., CBRE Brokerage Services

Special Interest/Community Groups:

Justin Brasch, Commuter

Larry Salley, Chair, White Plains Housing Authority; Former Commissioner, Westchester County Department of Transportation

Richard Payne, Cycling advocate

Peter Mosbacher, Placemaking advocate

Mary Cavallero, Former Chair, White Plains Planning Board

According to the Request for Proposals that Parsons Brinckerhoff was selected to execute for the city, the Multimodal Transcenter Stakeholders Task Force will hold six meetings during which–

“The city shall use Task Force Meetings to discussand review draft work products, work in process (of Parsons Brinckerhoff) and next steps. Each meeting shall include, but not belimited to, one orm0ore of the following: open facilitated discussions in plenary sessions as well as break out groups, workshops and presentations. The city shall use each meeting to update the Task Force on recent activities and receive Task Force input on and assistance with project issues and activities. The consultant (Parsons-Brinckerhoff) will participate in all Task Force meetings.”

This process will according to the Request for Proposals “With the input of city staff, the Task Force and the public, the consultant (Parsons Brinckerhoff) shall develop a Strategic Plan.