WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2013. September 21, 2013:

A black civil rights organization, The New Rochelle Lincoln Zuber Riders for Justice, based in New Rochelle,  paid for an advertisement to run in the Journal News  only the paper did not run it, yet. 

According to a  press release from the Riders organization, announcing a news conference Saturday afternoon to publicize the rejection, the paper declined to run the advertisement.  And the paper has not indicated why they refused it according to the Riders.  Here is the ad copy that as of this writing, has not be accepted for publication by the newspaper.

The Riders organization  issued this news release acusing the newspaper of declining to run the ad:

September 20, 2013 — NEW ROCHELLE, NY—

New Rochelle Lincoln Zuber Riders for Justice, a local New Rochelle organization made up of several prominent African-American leaders, will hold a press conference Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in New Rochelle to demand the Journal News run a print advertisement accepted and paid for earlier this week, scheduled to run today (Saturday) but spiked last night by Gannett corporate.

The advertisement documents New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson’s long-standing hostility and discrimination toward Blacks in New Rochelle.

It was only after the paper was put to bed last night that New Rochelle Lincoln ZuberRiders for Justice was notified that the newspaper wanted two words changed in the advertisement. After further discussion, a Journal News advertising executive admitted that even if the words were changed Gannett corporate had directed the Journal News not to run the ad. No explanation for corporate’s decision was provided.

“As long as I have been reading newspapers, I have never heard of a newspaper refusing to run an ad like this.” said McLean, Spokesman for the Zuber Riders. “This is the kind of underhanded tactics we have seen for years from Bramson and his allies.”

The Zuber Riders print ad banned by the Journal News lists the ways Noam Bramson has locked Blacks out of contracts, out of jobs, out of elected representation, even Lincoln Park, the site of one of the most important Civil Rights cases in U.S. history.

McLean said many in the New Rochelle black community have long felt bitterness and distrust for Mayor Bramson but said what galvanized the group to speak out was when the President of the NAACP, New Rochelle Chapter, was thrown out of historic Lincoln Park on September 5th.

“When they threw Ron out of Lincoln Park, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said McLean. “We knew we couldn’t remain silent anymore. People need to know what we know about Noam Bramson’s attitude towards Blacks.”

“For too long the Black community in New Rochelle has been taken for granted, violated and silenced,” said McLean. “We will not stand for it anymore. We deserve better!”

New Rochelle Lincoln Zuber Riders for Justice will hold a press conference in Lincoln Park, across from 95 Lincoln Avenue in New Rochelle, NY on Saturday afternoon, September 21, 2013 at 1:00 p.m.

On hand will be members of New Rochelle’s African-American community including Ron Williams, President of the NAACP New Rochelle Branch, Pearl Quarles, former Westchester County Legislator and former President of New Rochelle School Board. Mark McLean, Community Activist and Angelo Williams, small business owner with more being added throughout the day.

The Zuber Riders is inviting all those who believe in Free Speech and Civil Rights to be on hand as the media covers this important press conference to expose yet another example of Noam Bramson’s attempts to suppress Black voices in New Rochelle and highlight the facts contained in the ad that the Journal News refused to run.

New Rochelle Lincoln Zuber Riders for Justice is an organization of committed community leaders who are dedicated to honoring the memory of Paul Zuber and ensuring that all Westchester County residents are aware that the struggle for Civil Rights in New Rochelle are always persistent and never forgotten. Paul Zuber was an attorney for the Lincoln school children in New Rochelle. Mr. Zuber successfully fought for integration of New Rochelle’s school district.

The Noam Bramson campaign issued a newsletter by e-mail crying foul, calling out the advertisement for its racist accusations,  to wit:

Rob Astorino has hit a new low. His campaign just issued one of the most despicable, racially-divisive attacks ever made in Westchester, accusing Noam directly of discrimination and bigotry.
I want you to read their attacks, so you can see for yourself how outrageous they are: this press release sets the stage, and this website puffs up the charges. It’s really dirty stuff.
African-American leaders throughout the county have joined together to denounce this attack, issuing the following challenge to Astorino:

Mr. Astorino:
Today your campaign launched a racially-charged political attack on Mayor Noam Bramson, spearheaded by an individual whom you appointed to a County Commission. This kind of ugly racial appeal has no place in the politics of Westchester County, and we call upon you to disavow it immediately.
Sincerely,
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Democratic Caucus Leader, New York State Senate Ruth Hassell-Thompson, New York State Senator J. Gary Pretlow, New York State Assemblymember Ken Jenkins, Chair, Westchester County Board of Legislators Lyndon Williams, Vice-Chair, Westchester County Board of Legislators Alfreda Williams, Westchester County Legislator Gregory Adams, Port Chester Village Board J.Yuhanna Edwards, Mt. Vernon City Council President Marcus Griffith, Mt. Vernon City Council Duane Jackson, Buchanan Village Trustee Christopher Johnson, Yonkers City Council Jared Rice, New Rochelle City Council Karen Watts-Yehudah, Mt. Vernon City Council

We already knew Rob Astorino was running a negative campaign of false attacks on Noam’s record, but this garbage just takes my breath away.

 Jeremy Sherber Campaign Manager

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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From the Westchester County Board of Legislators.(Edited) September 21, 2013:

A Friday court decision has cleared the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD) to reallocate $7.4 million in 2011 Community Development Block Grant funds.

The funds still can go to communities in Westchester County at HUD’s discretion.

The court’s decision, which stems from County Executive Rob Astorino’s non-compliance regarding the need to address exclusionary zoning, as stipulated in the fair and affordable housing settlement between the County and the federal government, now permits HUD to reallocate grant funding to other municipalities around the New York metropolitan area.

The 2011 CDBG funding was meant to financially support significant infrastructure improvements in fifteen municipalities around Westchester, as well the building of affordable housing and the delivery of programs related to housing needs. In nearly all of these instances, the work has already been completed and bills paid, which means the local taxpayers will have to pick up the budgetary shortfalls created by the loss of the CDBG funds.

“The federal government gave the Astorino Administration every opportunity to comply with the requirements attached to receiving these essential block grants and program funds,” said County Board Chairman, Kenneth Jenkins. “By simply submitting a plan to address exclusionary zoning in Westchester, the County could have mitigated this dispute, and the money would not have been lost.”

Jenkins noted the federal monitor of the housing settlement, James E. Johnson, Esq., even completed an independent analysis of exclusionary zoning in Westchester to help the County move toward compliance on the issue—and save the CDBG funds. Astorino roundly rejected Johnson’s findings, however.

“The loss of the federal block grant funds is a real blow to our communities and county taxpayers,” said Jenkins. “This money was going to municipalities around Westchester already operating on shoestring budgets. I am disappointed that County Executive Astorino found it necessary to wage public disinformation campaigns and score cheap political points rather than do what’s right for Westchester.”

The exact amounts within the $7.4 million include $5,378,557 of Community Development Block Grant programs, $1,655,688 for the HOME Investment Partnership program (which is used for affordable housing construction) and $405,939 for the Emergency Shelter / Solutions Grant program (which used for homeless prevention and rapid re-housing services).

Jenkins reiterated that the Astorino Administration still needs to focus on protecting the other ten million dollars of federal funds Westchester is in jeopardy of losing by providing substantial assurances that address outstanding issues regarding the housing settlement.

In May 2013, HUD addressed a number of the mischaracterizations and falsehoods that Astorino was repeating at town hall meetings, news conferences and media interviews regarding the County’s obligations under the Fair and Affordable Housing Settlement, most notably Astorino’s assertions that the settlement will require Westchester to fund construction of 10,768 new affordable units and that HUD wants the County “dismantle” zoning in certain communities or eliminate all zoning restrictions.

Yesterday, Johnson again stated at the BOL Committee of the Whole meeting that neither he nor HUD had the lawful ability to require the County to build more than the 750 units of housing as stipulated by the housing settlement.

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Today is National MIA Day, Carl Albanese reports to WPCNR. He reminds us to remember those Missing in Action in America’s wars. To this end, Mayor Thomas Roach is flying the National MIA Flag for the first time.

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Windbrook Revitalization may begin shortly, as county mulls covering infrastructure to get it started after the project was proposed six years ago

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. News From the Westchester County Board of Legislators (EDITED with research by the WPCNR staff). September 18, 2013:

The Winbrook Revitalization Plan dormant for about seven years is showing signs of life with Dattner Architects of New York, designers of the project for the Jonathan Rose Companies, projecting the first ten story building will begin construction, no date as yet, with completion set for 2015.

The project is moving ahead because Westchester County is considering funding the infrastructure in a decision made Wednesday. In its news release the Westchester County Board of Legislators wrote:

“The Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) advanced a significant affordable housing plan yesterday when the authorization for a finance agreement to assist the City of White Plains and the developer (a subsidiary of Jonathan Rose Companies, the original partner with Avalon Bay on the Revitalization Plan) was approved by the BOL’s Government Operations Committee, chaired by Legislator Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining).

“The authorization approved yesterday, when passed by the full BOL and signed by the County Executive, will allow the County to enter into an agreement with the City of White Plains and Winbrook Phase I GP, LLC, the developer involved in the project to finance infrastructure improvements in support of a 104-unit development to be known as Winbrook Phase 1.

Editor’s Note:Winbrook Phase 1 GP, LLC  WPCNR  has learned is a subsidiary of Jonathan Rose Companies, the original partner with Avalon Bay  picked by the city to build the long delayed Winbrook Revitalization project that originally was agreed to by the city with HUD as the expected finance source during the Delfino administration years ago, originally touted as a mixed income development bringing gentrification to the area while rehousing the 450 residents living in the World War II built buildings presently on the site.A composite of the project and its location on Quarropas and South Lex is shown above from the architect website.

Editor’s Note:  Previously a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant was combined with a city commitment to begin the first floor with the community center has not begun yet. However, it appears that project is about to begin, as the architects expect it to be completed in 2015. It is not known whether the approximate $5 Million seed money is in hand.

As WPCNR reported last year:  The council approved the first step in the ongoing Winbrook Revitalization Project, approving a 10-story building,housing an Education Center , which will be built first, however funding is only available for the first floor housing the education center on the first floor. The city is funding $1.5 Million of the project and the Housing and Urban Development, $3,500,000 as of this spring. The Housing and Urban Development press office in New York confirmed to WPCNR, HUD is still funding the $3.5 Million “only for the education facility,” the spokesman explained.

During the 2012 hearing on the Winbrook project, William Null, the attorney for the enterprise said in response to a question by Council President Beth Smayda that plans for subsequent buildings in the project would be submitted on a project-by-project basis and built individually according to the individual’s financial model, and not as part of a connected project. Design, Null said would depend on whom the Housing Authority was working with to develop each building in the future, so, Null suggested that it was somewhat impossible to present the kind of comprehensive plan that Smayda suggested.

The architect for the project stepped up to say that the Authority had not applied for the financing yet, because it needed  approval to do so and would be applying to state agencies for tax credit financing after approval.  The Housing and Urban Development agency in Washington told the authority in the spring of this year (2012), its funds were no longer available for financing the entire project.

According to the architect, Dattner Architects on their website viewed this evening http://www.dattner.com/portfolio/winbrook-houses/#prev_image

The Winbrook Housing Revitalization Master plan was developed for the City of White Plains and a private developer, and through a phased implementation will replace the aging, existing housing stock with a new, sustainable, mixed-income and mixed-use development. The first building will be located along Quarropas Street. The 121,000 square foot building will include a 13,500 square foot community facility emphasizing job training and other City programs.

The programs spaces will be independent, with separate entrances, service access and utility metering. The residential portion will be designed in accordance with NYS Homes and Community Renewal standards and will meet Enterprise Green Communities and NYSERDA requirements. The clients have challenged the team to distinguish the project from “typical public housing” and make an important urban statement.

The Board of Legislators news release said “This project actually involves the redevelopment of the Winbrook Public Housing Complex, originally built in 1949 and located at the southeast corner of Quarropas Street and South Lexington Avenue.

“Currently, the plan is to construct 103 fair and affordable housing units, plus one set aside for a superintendent, in a single ten-story building along with 23 parking spaces. Once the new development has been completed, eligible tenants from the existing buildings can move into the new units and the appropriate older buildings will be demolished.

“Infrastructure improvements for the redevelopment totaling $1,140,000 will come from the County’s Capital Project Housing Implementation Fund, and will finance sewer and main replacements, curbing, paving, parking, lighting, grading, landscaping and ancillary work related to the project.

“While it’s important to continue our efforts in increasing the number of new affordable housing units in Westchester, my colleagues on the Board of Legislators also know that existing housing stock along these lines, used by seniors, veterans and young professionals, is aging and needs ongoing attention and care,” said Borgia. “Here, a developer has stepped up to help partner with the County in maintaining a number of units in White Plains, and this is the kind of collaboration that deserves our encouragement and support.”

New construction of the 104 affordable housing in the Winbrook Phase I development will include 34 one bedroom units, 44 two bedroom units, 25 three bedroom units and a two bedroom unit for the superintendent.

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WPCNR SOUTH END TIMES. By John F. Bailey. September 17, 2013: 

White Plains City School District officials met with the French American School of New York in June to review FASNY alternative proposals for entrances to their proposed campus on the former Ridgeway Country Club, WPCNR has learned

Contrary to protestations of school board members they knew nothing of the proposed entrance alternative  offerred  last night in the approved Final Environmental Impact Statement (shown above), WPCNR has learned  representatives from the French American School of New York met with Assistant Superintendent for Business of the School District, Fred Seiler and Facilities and Operations Manager Frank Stefanelli in June of this year.

Fred Seiler told WPCNR Tuesday afternoon that the group from FASNY included the head master of the French American School, a representative from the FASNY project architectural firm, a member of the FASNY Board and two others. Seiler said they presented about four  designs, one of which included the proposed traffic circle/roundabout entrance featured in the Final Environmental Impact Statement approved as complete and accurate by the Common Council by a vote of 5-2 Monday evening.

Previously this week a member of the school board Peter Bassano told WPCNR, the board had not known of the proposed entrance until the beginning of September and said the Interim Superintendent, Timothy Connors had not known either.

Seiler said that the FASNY contingent did show  him and Stefanelli  ithe design for the roundabout/traffic circle to Seiler and Mr. Stefanelli. Asked if the two had any reaction, Seiler said “Frank felt the roundabout would be difficult for pedestrians to cross.”

Asked if Seiler had told the Board of Education about the presentation, he said he had told the superintendent, Christopher Clouet at the time, and Seiler said the Board of Education did not feel it was an issue that concerned them at the time, and that it could be taken up when and if it was an actual proposal. Seiler did not say he and Stefanelli had endorsed any of the plans shown.

Now that the roundabout entrance to the proposed FASNY campus has made it as one of two finalists in the search for a mitigating traffic alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement that will be used to base any Common Council findings on the project, Seiler said the French American School has set up a meeting with the Board of Education to discuss the roundabout solution in detail.