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WPCNR Southend Times. May 28, 2004, UPDATED:  Mike Graessle, former White Plains Commissioner of Planning will spoke on  Planning the Future of Downtown White Plains at an ad hoc town meeting Thursday evening at the Our Lady of Sorrows Gymnasium, which attracted 75 persons.

Del Vecchio’s Executive Officer, Delfino Planning Commissioner Says Comprehensive Plan Done: Mike Graessle Speaking Before a Citizens Gathering Last Night. Photo by WPCNR News

Graessle called for the Mayor, the Common Council, Planning and citizens to convene a conference to take a new look at the 1997 Comprehensive Plan (15 year plan) for the city because, as Graessle put it most of the objectives of the plan have been completed in seven years and the city needs to think about what is next. Graessle stopped short of calling for a moratorium on development, noting that Yonkers and New Rochelle are developing too and could affect the White Plains economy if White Plains stopped developing. He said there needed to be “a balance.” 

Tom Roach, Common Council President,  speaking to WPCNR after the meeting said he agreed that it was a good idea to reevaluate the Comprehensive Plan, and said Councilman Robert Greer had been talking about the same thing for awhile now.

Graessle also noted that St. Agnes Hospital, now closed, offered an opportunity to rethink the city’s approach to how New York Presbyterian Hospital develops. (The proton accelorater-bioresearch project approved in 2002, has yet to have ground broken for the project.)

In answer to a lament about the dismissal of the CCOS Article 78 action against that project approval because of CCOS and individuals not having “standing”, Assemblyman Adam Bradley said his bill eliminating the “standing” argument that requires litigants to “show harm” to prevent judges dismissing lawsuits out of hand, had passed the Assembly and was waiting action in the State Senate.

Graessle in his comments pointed out the Delfino administration had executed the stated objectives of the 1997 Comprehensive Plan, but did not say the methods and nature of the projects were what he himself would have done to achieve them.

No action was agreed on by the citizens present at the conclusion of the meeting.

Robert Stackpole, opening the meeting, convened the town meeting with Robert Levine, and began by  criticisizing the efforts of  the daily newspaper, complaining that the present daily did not cover city news in needed detail. Photo by WPCNR News

Barbara Benjamin blasted the city for not making Commissioners available to citizens to answer questions, and charged that the city government was not a democracy. At the conclusion of the meeting, Paul Wood, City Director of Economic Development and Public Spokesman, rumored possible successor to George Gretsas, was noted speaking in amiable, earnest exchange with Ms. Benjamin.

Mr. Stackpole, a member of the Planning Board, noted that citizens complaining about city officials not listening to them, often do not appear at public hearings when important matters are being discussed. He said, “I assure you we listen.”  (Editor’s note: more persons appeared at this meeting than for any of the six months of hearings on the 221 Main Street Cappelli Hotel project.)

David Epstein, a younger resident of White Plains, complained about the lack of reaching out to the younger population of the city of White Plains, noting the lack of racial and age diversity  (WPCNR observed no black or Hispanic persons attending) in the hall. Comments by the moderators urged the younger residents in an earnest way to involve themselves rather than wait to be reached out to.

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. May 26, 2004: Louis Cappelli and his entourage appeared during the post-budget work session at City Hall Wednesday evening to discuss the Land Distribution Agreement for the 221 Main Compelli Hotel project. In the course of those discussions the Council agreed they needed to up the fee per unit Mr. Cappelli would pay in lieu of supplying actual physical units for affordable housing in is Condoplex and possible Apartment Tower at 221, and also at the Trump Tower at City Center.

The fee (suggested by Councilman Benjamin Boykin) moves tentatively to $35,000 per unit from $25,000, for each of 35 units meaning Mr. Cappelli would pay a fee of approximately $1,225,000 to be paid the city into a fund to aid persons eligible for “affordable housing,” defined as persons earning 50% to 70% of mean income ($80,000).

Hockley’s Density Bonus Plan Panned by Colleagues: Councilman Glen Hockley offered an impassioned plea for a Density Bonus Plan where Cappelli’s 221 Main Condoplex could increase in size and provide rental units in addition to those already planned for the project. Ms. Malmud, Mr. Roach, Mr. Boykin, and Mr. Greer rejected the concept. Photo by WPCNR News.

The increased ante, was arrived at after a suggestion by Councilman Glen Hockley was made that White Plains should consider a Density Bonus Plan by which Mr. Cappelli’s 221 Main Project would be expanded by 31,500 square feet UP from 890,000 square feet, in order that Mr. Cappelli could actually supply 35 “affordable” rental units on the site as part of the planned “apartment tower.”

Benjamin Boykin told Glen Hockley, “You don’t get it,” when Hockley presented his Density Bonus Plan. Boykin added when he was asked about Mr. Cappelli’s per unit fee, that he felt Cappelli should pay more per unit, and asked for a figure, said “$35,000.”

Malmud Balks.

Rita Malmud acidly remarked that Cappelli, by the council’s present legislation on the books, has to supply 35 units or an equivalent in the present density  (890,000 square feet) that the Council had negotiated hard with Mr. Cappelli to achieve, rebuking Mr. Hockley for offering more density for something they already had in place.

Hockley said he was presenting the plan to provide physical units and actually get persons into units instead of just acquiring money and no actual physical apartments that were “affordable.” This caused a nasty ongoing exchange of words between Mr. Roach and Mr. Hockley throughout the 40-minute discussion with Hockley miffed that his plan was being rejected out of hand by Councilpersons Malmud, Roach, and Boykin, with Mr. Greer staying out of it.

Mr. Cappelli was very neutral in this discussion advocating for either  way a flat fee or a density bonus plan, noting that money could leverage more persons into homes, as he has said in past discussion.

Malmud Suggests New Option Legislation.

Ms. Malmud said she wanted new legislation on the affordable housing issue as it applies to condominiums, giving the city three choices of meeting the “affordable housing requirement.” She suggested new legislation offering 1.) A buyout (where in Mr. Cappelli’s 221 situation, he pays a fee; 2.)Actual rental units in cooperative or condominium units, or 3.) Land acquisition (where the city would build affordable housing). It was agreed that Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel would research the cost of a typical condominium unit and arrive at a formula that would arrive at a fee per unit.

GRETSAS suggests Habel research fee.  Trying to move the issue, Executive Officer George Gretsas emerged from the Mayor’s offices to suggest Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel research condominium and coop prices to arrive at an reasoned fee Mr. Cappelli should pay per unit. Mr. Gretsas, who is reported mulling his Fort Lauderdale offer was not available for comment on his decision or whether he had reached agreement on the City Manager opportunity. Photo by WPCNR News.

The figure $35,000 was agreed upon as a starter figure per unit, pending Ms. Habel’s research. The legislation Ms. Malmud spoke of would not apply to the 221 Main project under discussion. The $35,000 figure, pending Ms. Habel’s research could go up or down, but needed to be finalized for the targeted June 7 vote on the 221 Main Cappelli Condoplex.

SuperDeveloper to Retain Rights to “airspace,” has other uses for City Center airspace.

Louis Cappelli expressed his intention to retain his rights to purchase the remain square footage of air rights over the City Center Parking Garage. This came to light when Rita Malmud asked if the city had gotten its $334,000 check for the rest of the City Center air rights. Mayor Delfino and Ms. Habel said they received a check for $334,000 Monday.  

Cappelli said he decided to purchase the rest of the air rights after saying he was deliberating whether or not to do so last week since he did not need it to build at 221 Main. He said he was contemplating developing the remaining 85,111 square feet of development space over the garage in the future.