Hits: 0
WPCNR Common Council Chronicle Examiner. By John F. Bailey. February 7,2012:
The Common Council approved a $432,516.82 property tax certiorari refund to AT&T Corporation covering the last four tax years of (07-08, 08-09, 09-10, 11-12) Monday evening. The settlement reduced the assessment of AT& T properties at 360, 400 and 440 Hamilton Avenue $762,900. Those three properties are three of the choice Class A business addresses in the Central Business District.
The additional cost of the city settlement to the City School District will be approximately $1.7 Million out of the district coffers.
.jpg)
Owner of Soundview Manor making her plea for Bread and Breakfast rezoning Monday evening. The hearing may be seen at http://whiteplainsny.swagit.com/player.php?refid=02062012-151
The public hearing on the fate of Soundview Manor as a possible recognized bed and breakfast was opened. Extensive comments were heard pro and con on whether a zoning amendment designating “bed and breakfast” as a “permitted principal use” in the R1-30 neighborhoods: Soundview, North Street and Oak Ridge. The Mayor closed the hearing, and a revised amendment by the owner was submitted for the Common Council consideration. What course lies ahead is unclear at the present time.
In other council action—
*** The Council approved issuing $162,000 of bonds to finance in part the design of a new first floor for the White Plains Library, which is also accepting approximately $65,000 in citizen contributions through the White Plains Library Foundation. That project is expected to be completed within 5 years and cost in the neighborhood of $5 Million. The floor project will include development of The Edge, an interactive, new media area to cater to youth.
*** A total of $131,500 was voted to be diverted from the city water fund to puchase .8 of an acre of woodlands off Chadwick Road to add it as an open space buffer to the city watershed. Mayor Thomas Roach said “anytime you can add space to an existing open space parcel, it enhanced the value of that open space.” He cited the vast open space adjacent the property already preserved. Council President Benjamin Boykin said, defending the swift, secret decision to buy the property three weeks ago in acquiring the property, that “land cannot be negotiated for on the internet or in public. It has to be private.”
*** The council accepted $6,000 from Hudson Grille as a contribution towards acquiring a bomb-sniffing dog for the City Department of Public Safety. Mayor Roach said the dog is coming from Austria and the acquisition is proceeding.
Bed & Breakfasts Up in the Air
*** The owner of Soundview Manor appeared at a public hearing on the owner’s request for a zoning change that in effect would allow Bed & Breakfast operations as an accepted use in the R1-30 residential zones in the southend of town. The hearing heard a series of pro and con speakers after a lengthy presentation by the owner, which may be seen on the city website.
Three residents supported the city granting the dispensation, including the activist-lawyer, Dan Seidel, who urged the city to work with the owner to preserve the property by giving her the right to run a bed and breakfast there, as did Carl Albanese, long an advocate for the owner’s quest to have official city approval of a B & B there.
Three property owners living across the street opposed it, due to its bringing transients to the area. Two residents living in neighborhoods that would be affected opposed it—saying a Special Permit should be sought for such a use, instead of a zoning change now.
One resident, Joel Rudikoff of the Oak Ridge neighborhood, pointed out that the request as proposed opened the city up for a proliferation of bed and breakfasts.
The owner of Soundview Manor presented a revised copy of an amendment to the zoning she wanted the Common Council to consider.
The amendment up for discussion at the hearing, according to the backup material supplied with the Council agenda, proposes conditions that only the Soundview Manor property at this time fills:
“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 that is non-residential, used or to be used for providing overnight accommodations, with or without a morning meal, to not more than ten roomers and containing not more than five bedrooms for such roomers”
According to the backup material, the Soundview Manor applicant’s Amendment defines the Bed and Breakfast be a “Permitted Principal Use” and that it “shall be deemed to include permission to hold special events typically held at such historic sites, such as celebrate national, state or local holidays, life cycle events or religious observances, including, but not limited to, social gatherings and business meetings.”
The Planning Department also notes, “The Applicant’s Amendment further provides that such special events “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-arrangement with nearby institutional or municipal users with available parking lots.”
The Mayor closed the hearing. A WPCNR query to City Corporation Counsel, John Callahan, as to the next step, has yet to be returned as of this report.
*** Three public hearings for renewals of cabaret licenses were scheduled next month for three cabarets, the Black Bear, Wicked Wolf and Hudson Grille. Councilpersons Milagros Lecuona remarked as an aside that the Building Department has found all three cabarets have been found to exceed city-enforced decibel levels in their establishments and that unless they complied with keeping their noise levels below 85 decibels, the building department would commence enforcement proceedings.
*** Three grants for the Youth Bureau were accepted bringing in $126,000 in funds for the youth bureau. Councilman Benjamin Boykin lauded the Youth Bureau fund-raising efforts at securing the grants. One of them from the Student Assistance Services Corporation, furnishes $36,677 to provide a Middle School Prevention Coordinator as part of the White Plains Cares Coalition.
*** The Metropolitan (planned for the intersection of Maple and DeKalb Avenues) site plan was extended another year
*** Recreation fees were accepted for the 2012 season with some slight increases, as well as Youth Bureau fees for summer and after school programs. Councilman Benjamin Boykin made it a point that the youth bureau would work with any parent(s) who could not afford to continue to sending their children to the programs.
*** Jill Iannetta was appointed member of the Budget and Management Advisory Committee, replacing Saul Yanofsky who resigned from the committee. Chair of the Committee, Beth Smayda described Ms. Iannetta as a persone with extensive experience in fixed income asset management.
*** Reckson-S.L.Green was recognized by the Mayor for having one of its properties it had improved, 360 Hamilton Avenue selected one of 10 buildings in New York State as being a state-of-the-art green building with 20% savings on energy and water consumption. (This was one of the AT & T properties receiving part of the assessment reduction and certiorari refund reported at the top of this story.)
.jpg)
*** Carol Van Scoyoc, Deputy Corporation Counsel (right, above) for the city was recognized by Mayor Thomas Roach (left) with a proclamation declaring February 6 Carol Van Scoyoc Day in the city for her 27 years in public service, for the last 17 years with the city of White Plains, and prior to that ten with Westchester County. The Proclamation came after she was honored by the New York State Bar Association with the Association “Excellence in Public Service” Award. Ms. Van Scoyoc said she was honored by the award and said she was going to continue her career with the city indefinitely.
*** Benjamin Van Doren of White Plains High School (right, above) was honored by the city as a Finalist in the National Intel Scholarship competition. According to the Mayor (left, above), he is the only student of 14 Westchester semi-finalists to be chosen to go on to the finals.
.jpg)