THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

County Explains Reversal of Planning Department on Winbrook Rezoning

Posted on July 7, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. July 7,2009: Westchester County Communications Director Donna Greene, in response to WPCNR’s request for an explanation why the County Planning Department withdrew its call for a thorough SEQR review of the Winbook-Lexington Avenue site before the zoning change approved last night, has issued this statement,after consultation with Westchester County Planning Commissioners:

Commissioner Habel forwarded additional information to the Planning Department on Monday relating to the Winbrook rezoning proposal. She also spoke with the Planning Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Monday to advise them that the city previously had provided incomplete information to the county Planning Board with regard to this action. She noted that the previously submitted information gave the mistaken impression that there is a site plan for the Winbrook property when in fact there is none – only a concept to show that at least one option can work on the site.

The newly submitted information will be reviewed by (White Plains) Planning Department staff and, as may be appropriate, recommendations will be made to the county Planning Board for its consideration.

With regard to redevelopment of the Winbrook site, the county Planning Board previously wrote to the city that “Planning for a mix of fair and affordable housing to a range of incomes, integrated with commercial services, should set the framework for creating a more attractive, functional and vibrant urban community.”

Should Graduations Come Back to High School and Middle Schools

Posted on July 7, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR MR. AND MRS. AND MS. WHITE PLAINS POLL. July 7,2009: New Superintendent of Schools Christopher Clouet announced last night at the Board of Education, he was convening a committee of school officials to explore the possibilities of moving high school and middle school graduations back to WPHS and either Highlands or Middle School or both. He said the committee would be looking into the cost of holding them at the Westchester County Center, as well as other venues, pros and cons, and issues. He said he was doing so because many in the district on his introductions to the district the last month had asked him about it.

What do Mr. and Mrs. and Ms. White Plains think? Give us your thoughts in the poll at the right.

Prior Winbrook zoning Rush, Frank, Waters Say Halt Approvals for New Demolition

Posted on July 7, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR POTOMAC POST. By John F. Bailey. July 7, 2009: Congressman Barney Frank and Congresswoman Maxine Waters asked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan in a letter dated June 15, to place a “one year moratorium on the approval of applications for the demolition or disposition of public housing units.”

Frank and Waters in their letter to Mr. Donovan, ask no approvals for future demolitions should be made “until such time as housing authorities are required to replace demolished or disposed units on a one-for-one basis, we risk losing the crucial investment and significant asset these units represent,”

It is not clear how this would affect White Plains Housing Authority ability to obtain immediate HUD HOPE VI funds, grants or any of the $4 Billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funs for the Winbrook replacement project that the council in essence approved last night, in effect, by approving the zoning for the project. Executive Director Mack Carter did not specify “a laundry list” of funding sources the White Plains Housing Authority was going to pursue last night and was not pressed for a timetable by the Council, or for what he expected to raise.

The White Plains Housing Authority proposes do just that,replace units one for one. But it is unclear what effect, if any, the Frank-Waters request of Secretary Donovan will have. WPCNR will check with Mr. Frank’s office and HUD.

It was obvious from Mr.Carter’s remarks that the Housing Authority does not have any requests for approval on HUD’s desk, so if there is going to be a moratorium by HUD on such approvals, the Housing Authority is perhaps overly optimistic in how soon funding could be secured. Again, the Council did not ask for details on the Housing Authority plans.

WPCNR was advised of this by a housing executive just today, and though Councilman Roach was informed of the effort by the influential Mr. Frank and Ms.Waters, he chose not to mention it at this evening’s meeting as a possible reason to delay the vote of the zoning.

The existence of the suggested halt in new demolition projects was not mentioned by White Plains Housing Authority Counsel or Housing Authority Executive Director Mack Carter, but perhaps they did not know about it.

If Applications approvals are halted for one year, it is unclear how this affects the project ability to fund itself. Carter did not say how much money the Housing Authority needed to do the paperwork to apply for the unspecified grants, other than Hope VI grants. He was not asked by the Common Council either how much he needed.

For members of the Common Council, and whoever would like to read the letter from Mr. Frank and Ms.Waters in its entirety, go to http://www.ntic-us.org/images/HJM/waters%20%26%20frank%20moratorium%20letter.pdf

Council Blesses Rezoning Winbrook. Try for Mystery Stimulus $ Starts New Era

Posted on July 6, 2009 by John Bailey

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. July 6,2009: The Common Council unanimously agreed to include Winbrook and the West side of South Lexington Avenue in the Central Parking Area, allowing retail and mixed use establishments on the Winbrook site, and 5 buildings 15 stories in height which will become homes for 450 apartment residents who live there now.

No citizens spoke in support or against the measure in the Public Hearing that lasted about 25 minutes. Attorney William Null representing the White Plains Housing Authority explained circumstances explained in the SEQRA Handbook under which a major development such as this could have a zoning change without a full-range SEQRA review.

Commissioner of Planning for the City, Susan Habel said that the County Commissioner of Planning and the Deputy County Commissioner of Planning who had advised the city to do a thorough environmental SEQR Review before zoning have reversed their opposition over the weekend to the zoning, because she said they did not actually “understand” the zoning, now, Ms. Habel said they definitely are behind the project, whatever it may be.

Mr. Null explained the designs shown publicly last week are “conceptual,” and they were not shown to the public tonight. But, they were shown to residents of Winbrook last week. Commissioner Habel described the Winbrook project as the beginning of a rebuilding of both sides of Lexington Avenue and West Post Road. Mack Carter, the Executive Director of the Housing Authority, said the DeKalb building would be next in the WPHA rebuilding program.

All members of the council said it was important that all residents remain living on the site. Ms. Lecouna, the councilperson, expressed that the phasing of the building of the new buildings had to be carefully looked at. Mr. Null said it would at the time a real site plan was presented.

Dennis Power, asked Mack Carter, Executive Director of the Housing Authority what sources of funding the White Plains Housing Authority would pursue. Carter said there were a number of sources they would pursue, starting with grants, and they also hoped for Hope VI funding. Power, significantly did not ask when Carter and the Housing Authority were going to send in the applications, whether they would be in by August 1 for example.

Mr. Null went to great length to say on television, that the number of units of Winbrook was not being increased, when the actually zoning change allows 1,100 units according the project architect, Gary Warshauer in a public meeting last week.

The public viewing this hearing would not know that the project would also include mixed income units of affordable housing and market rate units. No one on the council asked any questions about a timetable for the process.

The North Street Community public hearing was moved to August 3, after about an hour and fifteen minute discussion (three times as long as the hearing on Winbrook, coincidently) of the new automated parking system, followed by concerns expressed by Councilperson Rita Malmud, and Councilperson Lecouna about the density.