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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. February 9, 2012:

 County Executive Robert Astorino announced today the county is taking the initiative in clearing and rehabilitating the county-owed Bronx River waterway, devoting approximately $9 Million in county money to clearing the river from obstructions and improving chronic flood areas.

Mayor Tom Roach (left) of White Plains appeared applauding the county initiative which is targeting the Bronx River banks on the portion of the river flowing through White Plains, and in the Fisher Lane flood plain, that Mayor Roach noted turned the North White Plains station parking lot into the lake during Hurricane Irene. The work will be paid for by the county ($700,000), with no cost to the city, part of Astorino’s initiative on mitigating Bronx River flooding announced today.

The work is being done by county park crews along the river north of the County Center, and is being funded south of the County Center by the Army Corps of Engineers at a cost of $1,000,000, which includes $87,000 from the county, and $514,000 in in-kind services from the county,  and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is funding the East Bank that remains to be done.

West Bank of the Bronx River has been rehabilitated and rerouted. Next will come the shoring up of the East Bank with installation of stone retainer walls (stone blocks piled in upper left await installation) to prevent erosion and silting from rains washing away the banks.The East Bank will cost $700,000 with the County paying $350,000 and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, $350,000

 

The County Executive also announced projects at several other flood prone locations: Raising the Oak Street Pump Station in Mount Vernon/Yonkers, at a cost of $450,000 to $500,000; Bronx River realignment and bank stabilization at Garth Woods, $1,000,000 estimated;Harney Road in Eastchester/Yonkers, bank stabilization and channel modification, estimate not available; in Larchmont, drainage improvement along Pine Brook at Boston Post Road: County cost: $2.3 Million, Village of Larchmont, $2.3 Million; in New Rochelle, replacing the Hutchinson River culvert, $5,000,000 split between the county and New Rochelle.

Astorino said the county owns the Bronx River and therefore can execute rehabiltation projects faster than on properties owned by the state, such as the Saw Mill River Parkway, that he indicated was the state responsibility. “The county can and must do whatever it can on its own. While I will continue meeting with state and federal officials to advocate for assistance, we will do everything we can at the county level, working with our municipalities, to target achievable projects to reduce and prevent future flooding.”

The County Executive told the CitizeNetReporter chronic flooding at the North White Plains railroad station would not be addressed but will be tackled in the future.

The Cloverdale Road area in White Plains, another chronic flooding area in White Plains would not be addressed in this phase. County Legislator Bill Ryan, a resident of Seneca Avenue, told WPCNR, the small capacity of the sewer along Cloverdale Road was overmatched by the flow of water from the marsh east of and adjacent to the Central Westchester Parkway. Ryan giving his opinion only, said the cost of replacing that sewerline would cost well into the millions and would have to involve ripping up just completed construction on I-287. In his opinion, some homes that chronically flood in the Cloverdale area would have to be raised up to a higher level and the homeowners bought out and the area turned into a park to absorb the flooding naturally.

WPCNR FOR THE RECORD. February 8, 2012:

The owner of Soundview Manor has furnished WPCNR with a copy of the revised zoning amendment they submitted to the Common Council Monday evening which would classify the property as a single family residence with the right to operate a bed and breakfast on the premise. 

To date, the Mayor’s Office has not responded to WPCNR inquiry as to city hall’s next move, whether the Common Council will consider the revised amendment submitted Monday.

The owner advised WPCNR that they expected the council to take a vote on the matter at the next Council meeting in March. Again, city hall has not confirmed this or commented on the status of the proposal, though asked to do so by WPCNR.

Herewith is the revised amendment submitted by the owner to the City Clerk at Monday evening’s hearing on the Soundview request:

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF WHITE  PLAINS WITH RESPECT TO ESTABLISHING “BED AND BREAKFAST” AS A PERMITTED   ACCESSORY USE IN THE R1-30 ZONING DISTRICT

 

 

The Common Council of the City of White Plains hereby ordains and enacts as follows:

 

Section 1. The Zoning Ordinance of the City of White Plains, adopted June 1, 1981, and amended to date, shall be and hereby is, further amended at Section 2 by adding the following new definitions to read as follows:

 

A. After “Basement,”

 

“Bed and Breakfast”: An owner-occupied residence recognized as a historic site by inclusion on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places, sharing a common boundary with a neighboring property with a non-residential used or to be used for providing accommodations, with a morning meal, to not more than ten roomers and containing not more than five bedrooms for such roomers.

 

Such permitted accessory use shall be deemed to include permission to hold special events typically held at such historic sites to celebrate national, state or local holidays, life cycle events or religious observances, including, but not limited to, social gatherings and business meetings.

 

For interior use, such will be limited to not more than 75 guests; for exterior use, including the grounds, not more than 150 guests.

 

Parking must be provided onsite or by pre-arrangements for nearby parking lot use.

 

B. “Customary Home Occupations” shall be further amended to include the words: “and Bed and Breakfast, as hereinabove defined” between the words “…a pupil at a time,” and “shall be deemed a “customary home occupation.”

 

C.  After the words “gross land coverage,” the following definition: “Guest”: a transient occupant in a room in a Bed and Breakfast, as hereinabove defined.

 

Section 2.  The Zoning Ordinance is hereby further amended at Sections 5.1 and 5.2 to read as follows:

5.1 Schedule of “Use” Regulations: Residential: Add “Bed and

Breakfast” under “Minor accessory buildings” and add “PA” for this use in the R1-30 District column.

 

5.2 List of “Use” Regulations: Add “Bed and Breakfast” as a Permitted Accessory Use (“PA”) after “Minor accessory buildings”.

 

Section 3. The Zoning Ordinance is hereby further amended at Section 8.3 “Off-Street” Parking and Loading Requirements to add

“Bed and Breakfast” after “Roomers” with a parking requirement under OTHER to read as follows:

“Bed and Breakfast” 2 for one family dwelling plus 8.

 

Section 4. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately.