THE COMMON COUNCIL PASSED BY 6-1 (WITH COUNCILPERSON JOHN KIRKPATRICK VOTING AGAINST) A 6-MONTH MORATORIUM ON DEMOLITIONING ANY BUILDING IN THE LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT ON WESTMORELAND AVENUE, AFTER OPENING AND CLOSING A PUBLIC HEARING ….
THE MAYOR SAID THIS IS FOR THE CITY TO CONSIDER THE HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPERTIES ON WESTMORELAND, WHETHER SOME ARE OF HISTORICAL PRESERVATION VALUE AND GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GENTRIFY THE AREA WITH RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT……..
THIS WOULD COMPLEMENT THE OPTIMISM THAT LCOR WILL SOON BE JUMPSTARTING THE LCOR BANK STREET PROJECT……
QUALITY OF LIFE POLICING IS COMING TO WHITE PLAINS. A HEARING WAS HELD MONDAY NIGHT DESCRIBED BY THE MAYOR AS “EXPANDING THE DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PARKING,” WITHOUT MENTIONING THE LEGISLATION EXPANDED DUTIES OF PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO WRITE COURT APPEARANCE TICKETS FOR QUALITY OF LIFE VIOLATIONS WHICH INCLUDE:………..LITTERING, NOISE, GRAFFITI, REFUSE DISPOSAL, DUMPLING, PEDDLING, BICYCLING/SKATEBOARDING ON SIDEWALKS OR IN MUNICIPAL PARKING FACILITIES, SHOPPING CARTS, SIGNAGE, HANDBILLS, REMOVAL OF SNOW AND ICE, DIRT, DEBRIS AND FOREIGN MATTER ON SIDEWALKS, OBSTRUCTING OR ENCUMBERING PUBLIC STREETS, HIGHWAYS OR SIDEWALKS AND CUSTODY AND CONTROL OF DOGS……..NO CITIZENS SPOKE AT THE HEARING ON THIS EXPANSION OF PARKING DEPARTMENT JURISDICTION…THE PARKING DEPARTMENT EXPANSION OF DUTIES PASSED WITHOUT PUBLIC COMMENT…..WPCNR CALLS TO CITY HALL REQUESTING A FINE SCHEDULE HAVE NOT BEEN RESPONDED TO…THE POLICE COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE SAID THAT THE LAW DEPARTMENT HAS A SCHEDULE OF FINES, BUT A REQUEST FOR THE FEE SCHEDULE HAS NOT BEEN FULFILLED YET…
ON THE CONSENT AGENDA MONDAYNIGHT –
AT THE START OF THE MEETING TWO ITEMS, 111-112 WERE REMOVED. THOSE TWO ITEMS WOULD HAVE CHANGED THE LAND DISPOSITION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND LCOR – RELIEVING THE CITY OF HAVING TO PAY FOR CONTAMINATION OF THE MUNICIPAL PARKING LOT ON THE LONG DORMANT 55 BANK STREET 200-ROOM HOTEL, 446-UNIT APARTMENT AND RETAIL PROJECT……….ACCORDING TO JOHN CALLAHAN, CITY CORPORATION COUNSEL, IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT ISSUED EXCLUSIVELY TO WPCNR: “The items were removed from the agenda after LCOR notified the city that it no longer wanted to amend the Land Disposition Agreement.”…..
THE AGREEMENT (HAD THE COUNCIL PASSED IT) WOULD HAVE LCOR PAYING THE LAST TWO PAYMENTS FOR THE COMMUTER PARKING LOT ADJACENT 10 BANK STREET …$2.8 MILLION (INCLUDING $300,000 IN INTEREST) BY THE END OF JUNE AND $2.5 MILLION BY FEBRUARY OF 2014…IN RETURN FOR THE CITY WOULD HAVE BEEN RELIEVED OF PAYING FOR LCOR CLEAN-UP OF THE MUNICIPAL COMMUTER LOT CONTAMINATION WITH THE STATE BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM PICKING UP THE TAB FOR THAT REHAB…….
THOUGH THE FAVORABLE TERMS TO THE CITY ARE OFF THE TABLE AFTER THE REMOVAL, THIS IS THE FIRST INDICATION THAT A RESUMPTION OF THE WHITE PLAINS RENAISSANCE MAY BE STARTING. LCOR ORIGINALLY ARRANGED WITH THE CITY TO STOP PAYMENT OF THE $15 MILLION FOR THE COMMUTER LOT AFTER THE FIRST $10 MILLION WAS PAID UNTIL FINANCIAL MARKETS IMPROVED……..
THE WHITE PLAINS YOUTH BUREAU RECEIVED $14,218 FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE CITY’S COMPREHENSIVE ADDOLESCENT PREGNANCY PREVENTION PROGRAM that has been in existence for a number of years. Teen pregnancy is down in White Plains thanks to this program which helps teens make good life choices in school, choosing careers and focusing them on making decisions that will lead them to positive outcomes…….
A PUBLIC HEARING ON ALLOWING OUTDOOR DINING IN FRONT OF THE BLT RESTAURANT, PART OF THE RITZ-CARLTON WAS SCHEDULED FOR JULY….COUNCILMAN JOHN KIRKPATRICK WONDERED OUT LOUD IF THIS WAS A PROPER USE OF PUBLIC SIDEWALK SPACE AND URGED STAFF TO CONSIDER THAT ISSUE.
IN CITIZENS TO BE HEARD NUMEROUS RESIDENTS CALLED UPON THE COMMON COUNCIL NOT TO APPROVE THE FRENCH AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK PROPOSAL TO BUILD A SCHOOL CAMPUS ON THE FORMER RIDGEWAY COUNTRY CLUB GROUNDS.
