WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER 3,374,995 VISITS IN ONE YEAR—65,000 VISITS A WEEK BY 985,281 VISITORS

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WPCNR TALK OF WESTCHESTER AVENUE. November 15, 2004: Former Councilman John Martin writes WPCNR explaining the Stop N Shop responsibilities towards Weschester Avenue owners, noting that Stop N Shop is obligated to allow customers of north Westchester Avenue establisments to use their parking lot:

John,
Please note that the city “gave up” a very busy public lot to make the Stop N Shop project feasible. In exchange, the property is encumbered by an agreement, of public record in the county Clerk’s Office which grants parking to people who patronize the businesses on the northerly side of Westchester Avenue.

This, of course, does not apply to the Westchester!

Councilman Emeritus John Martin

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WPCNR Common Council Chronicle-Examiner. By John F. Bailey. November 14, 2004: Martin Ginsburg, the principal of Ginsburg Development Corporation, broke media silence Saturday when he told The Journal News he would eliminate affordable housing units from his Pinnacle project if he was forced to lower the height of the building to 230 feet.  Bill Madden, a spokesperson for Ginbsburg Development Corporation, confirmed this new stance by the developer to WPCNR Saturday. It is the first time a developer has chosen to challenge the council 6% affordable housing resolution.

Frendly Gathering: Susan Habel, left, Louis Cappelli, center, Martin Ginsburg, right, facing camera, shmoozing at the Gala last Monday night. Mr. Cappelli’s deal for Mr. Ginsburg, is in abeyance, while Ginsburg lobbies the Common Council to eminent domain the Nook-Deli-Bookstore building to make way for The Pinnacle. Photo by WPCNR News.

In a development first reported by WPCNR last Tuesday, it was learned that Louis Cappelli, the Super Developer, owner of the City Center and partner inTrump Tower at City Center, had offered a compromise deal to Mr. Ginsburg which would allow Ginsburg to build the Pinnacle.

Mr. Cappelli told WPCNR at Monday evening’s White Plains Performing Arts Center Gala, that he was willing to transfer the Corner Nook/bookstore/deli building to Mr. Ginsburg, allowing Ginsburg to build Pinnacle, providing Mr. Ginsburg lowered the height of the Pinnacle condo-retail complex to 230 feet, instead of the planned 280 feet.

THE NOOK OF THE MATTER: The Corner Nook Cafe. Ginsburg needs it. Cappelli has it. Somethin’s gotta give. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.

The Pinnacle, on Main Street, Condominium atop restaurants and retail needs the Nook property to obtain an approval from the Common Council. Photo, WPCNR News.

WPCNR called Mr. Ginsburg’s offices for comment. Mr. Ginsburg, through a press spokesperson said he had no comment, was proceeding with his request that the city eminent domain the nook-deli-bookstore building, and that “they would not negotiate in the press.”

Yesterday, Mr. Ginsburg went a step farther in his relationship with “the press” by telling a reporter he would not incorporate affordable units in his condominium if he was forced to lower its height.

This is the first direct legal challenge to the Common Council 6% affordable housing rule that has been applied to all new projects built recently, including the two City Center apartment towers, Clayton Park, Bank Street Commons, and JPI’s The Jefferson.

Condo 6% Affordable Policy in Chaos.

Looming ahead is a policy decision that the Council has to make: how Louis Cappelli will meet the 6% affordable housing proviso on his condominium-hotelplex in progress at 221 Main Street. According to Bruce Berg, Cappelli Enterprises President, the site plan approval for 221 Main Street does not spell out how the hotel-condo-plex is to meet its obligation to make 6% of its units affordable housing. With demolition continuing, the annex to the Bar Building emptying, and foundation work beginning, the hotel-condo-plex is going up, with no decision on how the affordable housing requirement will be met.

Until last week, it appeared that Mr. Cappelli would pay a fee to fulfill this obligation, as outlined by Commissioner of Planning, Susan Habel last spring, in a sketchy arrangement that the council never voted into official policy.

The fee Mr. Cappelli himself speculated might range as being as low as $500,000 to as high as $5,000,000, depending on pricing of Mr. Cappelli’s condominiums in the hotel-condo-plex, to satisfy the 6% requirement.

Physical Unit Stock Compromised In favor of Fiscal Units?

According to Benjamin Boykin, the Common Councilman, speaking to the Council of Neighborhood Associations last week, the council is going to take another look at this issue of how builders of new condominiums satisfy the 6% affordable housing policy of the city. The council has come under pressure from affordable housing advocates to force builders of new condominiums to provide actual condominium units in their buildings rather than pay a fee in lieu of providing units.

William Null, Martin Ginsburg’s attorney went over at length with the Common Council last month the reasons for requiring a fee to meet the requirement during his representation of condominiums planned for Maple Avenue. He emphasized that his clients wished to take the fee option created at the time when Mr. Cappelli’s  hotel-condoplex was seeking approval.

Not Official Policy Yet. Ginsburg Protesteth.

However, as Mr. Boykin pointed out last Tuesday, this fee arrangement is not official policy yet.

Mr. Ginsburg has the council, apparently in a legal quandary, based on how the Council approved the 221 Main Street Cappelli Condo-Plex.

 The Common Council  approved the Hotel-Condoplex without specifying how affordable unit policy was going to be satisfied, and approved a transfer of development rights to the Hotel Site to enable Mr. Cappelli to build 35 stories.

 The Council is being asked by Mr. Ginsburg to eminent domain a building to pave way for his project that the council refused to do for Mr. Cappelli, and Mr. Ginsburg is asked the Urban Renewal agency to provide square footage from the City Center Garage to complete the 100,000 square foot parcel to complete the project. Mr. Ginsburg, citing the transfer of development rights granted Mr. Cappelli, could say, “why can’t you do the same for me?”

Yet, the council expects Mr. Ginsburg to comply with the affordable housing statute, that they did not enforce as part of the approval of the Cappelli hotel-condoplex.  

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WPCNR East Ender. By John F. Bailey. November 12, 2004: The new Stop N Shop on Westchester Avenue confirmed to WPCNR today at they are monitoring occupants of their free parking structure on Westchester Avenue because a fair number of parkers have been using their lot to park and walking to The Westchester, Fortunoff and other retail and restaurant establishments in the vicinity.

A White Plains CitizeNetReporter advised WPCNR on Wednesday that Stop N Shop was issuing time slips to motorists parking in the lot. Friday, a spokesperson at the Stop N Shop Customer Service desk told WPCNR Stop N shop was issuing time receipts which customers had to have validated by the cashiers at checkout.  The Scene Friday afternoon. The Booth Sign says “Traffic Study.” It is manned. Photo by WPCNR News.

Asked why, the spokesperson said that Stop N Shop was taking a survey to see how many visitors were actually shopping in Stop N Shop. “We want our lot for our customers,” the spokesperson said. Asked if a number of persons had been parking at S N S and not shopping there, but pedestrianing it to other stores in the area, the spokesperson said “Yes.” WPCNR queried as to whether a parking fee was being contemplated. The spokesperson said, “no, we’d never charge for parking for our customers.” Asked if this was being done on a widespread basis, parking at Stop N Shop, and shopping elsewhere, the spokespersons said yes. “We want our parking to be for our customers,” she said.

The revelation that motorists are parking free at one establishment to shop at others, raises the issue of whether Wal-Mart, which traditionally offers free parking will do so at their new headquarters on Main Street.

The free parking lot at The Container Store is another scene of free parking abuse, according to frequent Container Store devotees. Motorists park at the Container Store and stroll over to The Westchester, Fortunoff, or other points.

WPCNR’s correspondent notes that White Plains parking is becoming too expensive for the average citizen, saying her husband drops her off at Whole Foods Market when she only has to pick up a few items, does some errands himself, then swings by and picks her up.

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WPCNR STARS AND STRIPES. November 11, 2004: The traditional Veterans Day ceremony at the White Plains Rural Cemetery were held this morning in the traditional somber gray skies poignantly swept by the bitter Northeast wind.

Adele Zucker set the tone of the day when she noted, “It is the veteran, not the politician, who guarantees our right to vote; It is the veteran, not the reporter, who guarantees freedom of the press, It is the veteran not the preacher, who guarantees freedom of religion.”

 Ron Tocci, the New York Assemblyman, retiring after twenty years in the Assembly, and 82nd Airborne Paratrooper, gave the address emphasizing that the veterans and their care and their contributions must never be forgotten.

Mayor Joseph Delfino reminisced with deep feeling recalling watching his brothers go off to fight World War II, saying goodbye to his mother and dad, saying they’d be o.k., not to worry, and asked those in attendance how parents must feel when they are sending their children of today off to war.

American Legion Post #135 Salutes and remembers the fallen, as Middle School Student Jacob Paul, 14, plays “Taps” Photo by WPCNR  News.

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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. From Anne Brady, SUNY PURCHASE Performing Arts Center. November 11, 2004: Christopher Beach, Director of The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, announced Monday that he plans to step down from his post at the end of the 2005/2006 season, which concludes in June, 2006.

Speaking at a meeting of The Performing Arts Center Foundation Board of Trustees, Beach said he is eager to pursue new personal challenges after having guided The Center through 16 years of uninterrupted growth.   “In this business I have been here for what is considered a very long time,” he
told the Board.  “I have added what I can to The Center and I believe it is now time for someone else to add their energy and vision to The Center.  It has been an honor for me to play a part in the achievements of The Center.”
Purchase College Provost Elizabeth Langland will shortly form a search
committee comprised of members of The Performing Arts Center Board and
Purchase College faculty, staff and students.  Leaders of other arts
organizations will be consulted and a search firm will be engaged.
Throughout the process faculty, staff and the community will be involved in
critical decisions and the entire Performing Arts Center Board will
participate in the final selection.

“We are enormously grateful to Christopher Beach for his superb leadership
of The Performing Arts Center and his foresight in identifying new and
emerging talent,” said Purchase College President Thomas J. Schwarz. “His
unflagging energy and enthusiasm have brought some of the world’s finest
artists to Purchase and he has greatly enriched the cultural life of our
campus and the surrounding community.  We value the standards of excellence
he has defined and his many contributions.  He has received enthusiastic
praise from all who have worked with him and we wish him much success.  I
also am grateful for the advance notice he has given the College in order
for us to insure a smooth transition to new leadership.”

Beach came to Purchase in 1987, as Managing Director of PepsiCo Summerfare,
an international festival of cutting edge and contemporary music, dance and
theatre. 
   
Praising the “wonderful and generous support” of the Board and the “hard
work and dedication” of his staff of The Performing Arts Center, Beach said
the timing of his announcement was made to ensure an orderly transition and
to allow ample time for the College and Board to choose his successor.

Noting “the outstanding contribution” that Beach has made to The Performing
Arts Center, Perry Lewis, the Board’s Chairman, lauded him “for enabling The
Center to reach and, in fact, exceed all of the very ambitious goals set
forth in our five-year plan.”  He added, “His energy, commitment, knowledge
in all aspects of the performing arts and theatre management, his
programming skills and his exemplary leadership qualities have been
indispensable to the success of The Performing Arts Center.”

During Beach’s tenure, the number of public events at The Center has
expanded nearly five-fold, from 125 in the 1988/1989 season to over 600 in
the current 2004/2005 season.  During the same period, ticket sales have
grown from $125,000 to $1.7 million, while donor contributions have grown
from $6,000 to $1 million.  Most remarkably, notes Beach, the tremendous
growth has been achieved without any increase in staff.  The number of
full-time staff has remained at 24 since 1988.

Perhaps the Director’s most important contribution, however, has been to
create an identity for The Performing Arts Center: one that conforms to the
College’s mission to equate arts with academics, and to serve both students
and the community.  “When I came on board as Director, I asked Sheldon
Grebstein (then the President of Purchase College) what he wanted me to
accomplish,” Beach recalls.  “He said, ‘I want you to fill The Performing
Arts Center all year long with the best the world has to offer.'” 
        
After meeting monthly with Westchester and Fairfield County residents, Beach
expanded the classical music programs to include international orchestras
and emerging artists.  The greatest classical artists in the world have come
to Purchase, including Daniel Barenboim, Mitsuko Uchida, Leontyne Price, Yo
Yo Ma, Maxim Vengerov, Evgeny Kissin, Isaac Stern, Lang Lang, Jessye Norman,
Garrick Ohlsson, Shura Cherkassky, Earl Wild, William Christie’s Les Arts
Florissants, and many others.
 
The highly respected reputation achieved by The Center under Beach’s
direction has made it “the venue” for American premieres, as well as for
dozens of artists and companies, which have presented exclusive New York
area performances at Purchase.  The legendary Daniel Barenboim, for example,
gave his only American recital at Purchase last season.  The Suzuki Theatre
Company’s production of King Lear in Japanese had its American debut at The
Center.  This season features the New York premiere of jazz composer Uri
Caine’s jazz orchestra performing Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. 
        
The Center itself has also undergone dramatic change during Beach’s tenure.
He conceived, directed and was instrumental in the design of a $3.2 million
renovation of the public spaces at The Center.  Along with Perry Lewis, he
spearheaded the creation of The Performing Arts Center Foundation.  The
group has raised over $7 million for beautification of The Center’s theatres
and in support of The Center’s many programs.     

His special relationships with artists such as piano virtuoso and White
Plains native Garrick Ohlsson, British conductor Jane Glover, and
groundbreaking French jazz pianist Jacques Loussier has benefited the
college and its students with a close and continued relationship.  “Many
great artists have agreed to conduct master classes and open rehearsals at
the College, providing models of excellence for our students,” Beach noted.
   
In addition to integrating The Performing Arts Center into the academic life
of the College, Beach said, “I’ve wanted to establish The Performing Arts
Center as a place where artists know they’ll be well-presented, appear
before a discriminating audience, appear in the company of distinguished
colleagues, and be supported by a first-rate staff.”
           
Along with the classics, Beach also added new series in jazz, film, comedy,
cabaret, world music, dance, rock and roll, and family and children’s
performances to The Center’s programming.   He has become a familiar face to
patrons in the lobby, where he is ever-present at more than 600
performances.

CHRISTOPHER BEACH, BIO

Christopher Beach has been the Director of The Performing Arts Center at
Purchase College since October, l989.  Mr. Beach oversees a professional
staff of 24 and a year-round schedule of over 600 events.  A graduate of
Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Beach’s performing arts experience is
extensive.  He has been Production Manager for the Baltimore Opera Company,
Production Stage Manager for the Santa Fe Opera, and for five seasons, was
the Administrative Assistant to John Dexter, the Director of Production at
the Metropolitan Opera.

Mr. Beach founded the Santa Fe Festival Theatre in 1980, the first
professional theatre company in New Mexico, and then returned to the
Metropolitan Opera as Operation Director in 1985. 

Mr. Beach served for two years (1987-89) as Managing Director of PepsiCo
SUMMERFARE, an international festival of cutting edge and contemporary
music, dance and theatre that took place on the campus of Purchase College
for ten years.  Under his leadership since 1989, The Performing Arts Center
at Purchase College has grown from a local venue for primarily classical
music to the largest professional performing arts series in the SUNY system.