Planning Board Declares Themselves Lead Agency for a SEQR Review of Proposed Development at 80, 88, and 90 Garden Road
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The Water Tower on Garden Road in ScarsdaleIt’s the project that won’t go away.
Scarsdale has very little undeveloped land – and for the most part, the remaining open spaces are protected or prone to flooding.
But that has not stopped a developer from seeking approval to subdivide and build luxury homes with swimming pools on a six-acre tract where the ground water is just two feet below the surface. Since 2013, the developer has filed application after application to take down trees, truck in tons of soil and raise the grade by four feet in order to accommodate large homes with full basements.
The project is further complicated by downstream neighbors who already experience considerable flooding from runoff from the property. They have hired experts and attorneys to document how further land disturbance on the site at 80. 88 and 90 Garden Road will raise the risk of inundating their properties.
Following the last hearing of the Planning Board in September 2025, the Planning Board voted to express their intention to make themselves lead agency for a SEQR review which would cause a full investigation of the environmental impacts of the development of the property.
The applicants then withdrew their application for eight new homes and came back with a similar plan to build five new homes on the site, in addition two new homes to replace two existing homes on the site that they plan to knock down.
Though the configuration has changed, the plans still involve extensive tree removals, excavation, trucking of soils and a disturbance of the land. The applicant claims that the work will improve water retention on the property and control stormwater run-off and these claims were the subject of questioning from the Village’s engineering consultant John Ruschke of Matt MacDonald, from Planning Board members, the public and their lawyers at a packed meeting on Tuesday night January 13, 2026, scheduled expressly to review this application.
At the meeting, the Village’s consultant John Ruschke of Mott McDonald reviewed the new application and posed questions to Gabriel Senor, the applicant’s engineer. Ruschke noted that this latest iteration eliminates the retaining wall to hold the landfill and increases changes in elevation between properties.
His question concerned the classification of the existing soil as HSG-C which is defined by the USDA as “Soils having a slow infiltration rate when thoroughly wet. These consist chiefly of soils having a layer that impedes the downward movement of water or soils of moderately fine texture or fine texture. These soils have a slow rate of water transmission.”
He questioned the use of landfill for the purpose of reclassifying soils from D to C, saying, it is a “critical design component of the proposed stormwater management plan but is not specifically outlined in the NY DEC Stormwater Management Design Manual as an accepted management practice.”
Furthermore, since the plan called for stripping the existing topsoil and stockpiling it for reuse Ruschke said the soil would need to be tested for conductivity as a C soil, and the quantity for reuse and the quantity for removal should be identified.
He had a long list of issues with the plan that you can see here:
But perhaps his main issue with the plan was that the proposed method for achieving the reduction in site runoff which the regulations say, “shall be achieved by infiltration, groundwater recharge, reuse, recycle or evaporation/evapotranspiration of 100 percent of the post-development water quality volume.” The SWPPP (stormwater pollution prevention plan) from the applicant says “runoff reduction by infiltration is infeasible due to the presence of high groundwater, and a waiver would be necessary.” But Village Code states that any waiver issued by the Village Engineer shall not result in an increase in the rate or volume of surface water runoff.” Ruschke explained, “The application is unique because they are proposing soil replacement to manage stormwater. That is not listed as an approved method by the DEC.”
Ruschke asked, “Are they following the proper steps to propose a deviation from the code? Was this a good faith effort? Good faith is to follow the example in the DEC manual. They did not use approved methods. They did not justify why they cannot use DEC methods.” He continued, “They should go through the steps and demonstrate why they can’t meet DEC requirements using approved methods. They could reduce the lot size and reduce the amount of land disturbance – but they have not. They should say they could not meet the standard and show why. They need justification for their good faith effort. If you don’t meet the requirements you should propose something that is approved. They should be going through the process and proposing something that complies.”
Following Ruschke, Planning Board Chair John Clapp said, “Your main point is that you don’t see the work for the analysis to show that they have complied with the design manual. They need to go through the steps to justify that their solution is the only one available. If the calculations are not correct, they might not be able to meet the DEC requirements for volume reduction.
They have to show that none of the approved methods will work. What constitutes a good faith effort? What is the margin for error? They say they have taken a conservative approach – but how do we define conservative? The soil is clay – I don’t think they will be able to strip it and replace it. They should test the soil.”
Planning Board member Mark Seiden questioned Senor:
Seiden: On a macro level do we agree that stormwater management is measured by a standard of care?”
Senor: Yes
Seiden: Do you agree that the DEC stormwater manual is an appropriate standard of care?
Senor: Yes
Seiden: So why are you not going with their practices before proposing a deviation? Is the replacement of soils with fill a practice that is endorsed by the DEC?
Senor: The fill is not part of the stormwater practice.
Seiden: The soil replacement is the whole theory on which this application is predicated.
Senor: We are not using the soil in our runoff calculations. We can’t lower the water table, so we will raise the ground – we are doing this to increase the clearance.
Seiden: What kind of structure is going to prevent the houses from floating away?
Senor: "Four foot thick concrete slabs underground to anchor the structures.
Seiden: Can you show us another property where you raised the ground level by removing and bringing in soil? Where this methodology has been successful? Creating a larger elevation differential by importing soil? Do you agree that you have not satisfied the criteria for a good faith effort that conventional methods won’t work?
Senor: We can’t use those methods because Scarsdale does not permit some of the them.
He added that a similar method for constructing homes on a property with high groundwater had been used on a 1.25 acre project in Port Chester.
Planning Board member Lynn Brooks Avni asked, “Did you do alternative analyses? For cluster homes or just building on two or three lots? You don’t show that you have done any alternative studies. How long will it take for the new trees to absorb as much water as the current ones.?
In public comments, Lena Crandall pointed out that trees planted in wetlands often die. She said “soil gets compacted by construction equipment and compacts the roots and the existing trees die. The new trees planted have circular root balls and often fall over during storms.”
Elaine Weir expressed concern about an infrastructure program that was dependent on a homeowner’s association for maintenance. She said, “If flood mitigation structures are not working it will impact other Scarsdale neighborhoods. Or if these neighbors fail to maintain the flood mitigation structures, will the Village be forced to maintain it? All Scarsdale homeowners could be forced to pay for this. It has long term consequences for the neighborhood and the Village as a whole.”
Attorney Helen Mausch speaking on behalf of a group of Garden Road neighbors said, “I think it is abundantly clear that this project will result in severe environmental impacts. Our clients’ experts concur with Mott McDonald’s concerns. A positive declaration would allow a full analysis of all the questions we discussed tonight. Soil, mitigation, flooding, alternatives. We need a pos dec – for full discussion and transparency.”
Brad Schwartz, attorney for Bob Falk said, “The methodology for the downstream analysis needs accurate inputs to do the analysis. For all the same reasons discussed tonight, in 2013, the Village Board conditioned the construction of the homes on Cushman Road on the de-mapping of Woodland Place and no further development on the site.”
Helen Maccarino said, “I have been coming here for years. When you disturb the ground water table, the home is protected but the water is displaced – it flows laterally – around each of the foundations. The plans show swimming pools that will displace more water – that will also flow around. The downstream issue has been neglected. I witnessed firsthand Mr. Falk’s flooding You had to wear galoshes. There is ponding adjacent to the water tower.”
Richard Cantor said, “The thing that bothers me most is the amount of damage that will be done is way out of line with the mitigation that will be done.”
Andy Rodman said I have lived on Cushman Road for 30 years. It’s hard to imagine how the water is going to get down the hill.” About the new homes he said, “Four foot basements? Explain that.” He added, “I lost 13 trees in Hurricane Sandy. I have planted 27 trees and it is hard to get them to grow in these conditions.”
During deliberations Chairman Clapp said that the Planning Board needs to have a meeting soon to decide on the SEQR. There needs to be a written determination of significance, and then the Board would vote yes or no. A negative declaration speeds up the review process. A positive declaration (that the project is likely to have a significant environmental impact) would slow things down because it would require more environmental reviews and consultant reports.
At the conclusion of the meeting the Planning Board voted unanimously to declare the board as lead agency for a SEQR review of the proposal. They scheduled another public hearing for March 18, 2026 with a deadline for further submissions from the applicant and Mott McDonald by February 23, 2026.
Questions About the Largest School Bond Proposal in Scarsdale’s History, or What Are We Getting for $98 Million?
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The Design Lab was built at SHS as a result of the 2014 bond.You may have received an email with a survey from the Scarsdale Schools requesting your input on a proposed $98MM bond. And if you have not been following the discussions, you might want to familiarize yourself with the plans for the largest bond in Scarsdale’s history. It’s a complex plan with many moving parts – and here are some questions about the proposed bond:
The Amount
The Board and Administration have reached consensus on a proposed bond just under $100mm. The debt that is rolling off, or the tax neutral solution would be $40mm. So the $98mm bond is almost 2.5 times the tax neutral amount – translating to a $500 annual tax increase for residents for homes assessed at $1.3mm. Is this increase for 20 years? 30 years? They have said they will provide a sliding scale rubric to calculate the tax increase for those with homes at greater assessed values.
Why this amount? Scarsdale has historically taken on greater than tax neutral debt to fund major initiatives such as construction of Heathcote School and the Scarsdale Middle School.
However, in this case, the administration says that the school buildings have a long list of infrastructure needs, upgrades and repairs. That list included ADA upgrades, electrical and plumbing work. There is $12mm for air conditioning which is needed in this time of global warming. However, there is no signature project, such as the Learning Commons or the Design Lab at the high school, which were included in the 2014 bond.
Elementary School Additions
There are two additions planned – one at Edgewood and another at Fox Meadow. Fox Meadow is at capacity and will receive a two-story addition to house a library and multipurpose room. Classrooms will be renovated as well for a total cost of $25.4mm. We have not seen any renderings of these new spaces at Fox Meadow -what will they include?
The Capital Projects Steering Committee, a committee of parents, educators and administrators who was formed earlier this year to make a recommendation to the district, did not include an expansion at Edgewood School in their plan. Instead they recommended interior reconstruction of the gym and multipurpose rooms and renovations of 28 classrooms. Their recommendation was for $10.6mm of work to Edgewood.
However, in October 2025, in response to requests from Edgewood parents, the administration reconsidered that plan. The administration asked for a new enrollment projection from the demographer who now projects a jump in enrollment at Edgewood. It is puzzling how they came to this conclusion since:
-Enrollment in the Scarsdale Schools overall has declined from 4,778 to 4,678 students in the past 10 years.
-Enrollment at Edgewood, was 411 students in 2016-17 and is 410 in 2025-2026.
-Home sales are at historic lows (205 homes sold in 2023 and 2024)
-495 students who reside in Scarsdale are attending schools out of the district, a five year high.
-No new housing developments are in the works and there are a fixed number of building lots.
But despite the trends, the demographer is projecting 440 students at the school for 2028-2029.
Using this data as a rationale, the bond project now includes a new two-story addition at the school with 6 classrooms and 5 small instruction spaces at a cost of $21.4mm.
Special Education
Why an expansive addition? What appears to be driving this need for more space is the presence of the Special Education program at Edgewood, which occupies three classrooms with 21 Scarsdale students (K-5) and 4 tuition-paying out of district students. The district made a decision to educate these special needs students in-district rather than outside, predicated on the potential cost savings from not paying out of district tuition and on the premise that there was space within current buildings to house the program.
But a $14mm addition? This would be the equivalent of spending $700,000 a student for a program with a highly variable number of students year over year. It’s an outsized spend that benefits the few, not the many.
Instead, the district should look for other solutions to house special need students. Greenacres Elementary School received an eight-classroom addition in the last bond, and the Greenacres population has remained relatively stable. Perhaps there is capacity there. In fact, in order to alleviate crowding at Fox Meadow, the district proposed moving 60 Fox Meadow students to Greenacres, indicating there is space available. This was rejected by parents but does raise a question. Has the district done an analysis of moving the Special Education program to Greenacres rather than spending another $12mm on an expansion at Edgewood? Since many of the students in the Special Education program do not reside in Edgewood, and it is not their home school, it would be easy to shift sites in order to save the district from an unnecessary expansion.
If the program were relocated, those three classrooms could be re-purposed to meet the schools need for space for specials like music and Spanish or serve as an additional classroom should there be a need due to a rise in enrollment. Funds could be used for a cafeteria, multi-purpose room and flex spaces requested by Edgewood parents.
Long Term Picture
This year, Assistant Superintendent Andrew Lennon provided a much-awaited long term financial forecast for the Scarsdale Schools. Due to higher than expected health care claims, an increase in the number of staffers over the past ten years and the tax cap, the district has been forced to use reserves to keep budget increases below the tax cap. This projection showed that in just three years, given the current spending levels, the district will have depleted their reserves. If the Board does add six classrooms and five instructional spaces to the footprint, how will this impact the bottom line? Have they accounted for increased staffing, custodial services, maintenance and utilities in their projections? We haven’t seen a long term financial plan that includes the expansion, but we should see one before approving this bond.
Vision
The Reading Hive Library at Smithfield Elementary School in North Richland Hills, TexasLast, what is the goal of this $100mm plan? Are we building learning spaces for future generations which will facilitate next-gen pedagogical thinking, or just adding more square feet of space to the floor plan? We have not seen any renderings of the new spaces, save some rough site plans to show where the additions will go. Where is the innovation that brought us the Heathcote Elementary School, the Design Lab and the Learning Commons at SHS. Where is the forward thinking about elementary school design for a premiere school district?
Residents need answers before it’s time to vote. If we sign on for a long-term tax increase, let’s be sure the work will further the district’s ability to provide a first-rate education to Scarsdale students along with keeping them safe, warm and cool too.
Make your own educated opinion about this major initiative. It’s up to you to ask the questions and be comfortable with the answers. See what you think. Take a look at the plans here and do complete the survey you received from Parent Square.
Good Memories Made at Arthur Manor’s 96th Annual Holiday Celebration
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On a very cold Sunday afternoon, December 7th, 2024, the Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association celebrated its 96th annual holiday sing and tree lighting ceremony in Davis Park. This annual event in Davis Park began in 1918, the founding year of the Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association. The turn out on December 7th was quite large and included many local residents and their families.
The day’s festivities began with the crowd singing their favorite Christmas and Hanukkah songs which were all expertly directed by the voices of Arthur Manor’s own Jeanie Bongiorno and Katie Rich. Hot chocolate, brownies, holiday cupcakes and cookies were provided by all of the volunteer residents who helped make the day a special one in Arthur Manor. A large basket of excellent pastries was prepared and donated by Catherine Zhang and Chenyu Li, both students at Scarsdale High School, who created their own non-profit company, Bakes4good.com, distributing sale proceeds to worthy charitable causes.
The crowd on Sunday also included Lou Mancini and many other active members of Scarsdale’s Volunteer Fire Company Number 1, founded on Sprague Road in Arthur Manor in 1893. Scarsdale’s Volunteer Fire Company Number 1 is an integral part of the Arthur Manor association and all of the Association’s public events.
Following the group sing, everyone’s all-time favorite, Santa Claus (played by long time Arthur Manor resident Rick Wingate), arrived in Davis Park in style in an antique 1946 Scarsdale Fire Department truck driven by another long time Arthur Manor resident, Michael Keating.
After Santa Claus completed his rounds in Davis Park with many photographs taken and all of the candy canes handed out to the children, Santa left the crowd at Davis Park with Michael Keating behind the wheel. The annual holiday event moved on to the lighting of the large pine tree in Davis Park. The tree lights were strung earlier in the week in Davis Park under the direction of Scarsdale’s Public Works and the dedicated Pubic Works’ crew. Arthur Manor wishes to send a special thanks to the Village Manager’s office and the Department of Public Works for their assistance in making the December 7th event a reality.
This annual festivity in Arthur Manor’s Davis Park is only made possible by the collective efforts of the many Arthur Manor volunteers including especially the Marcus, Roche, Porco, Rich, Menna, Stuart and Bongiorno families, and all of the other Arthur Manor volunteers too numerous to list here. Many good memories were made on Sunday and the Arthur Manor Board of Directors wishes to thank everyone who helped to make this year’s 96th celebration so special.
Committee Seeks Nominations for the Scarsdale Bowl and Spotlight Award
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The 2026 Scarsdale Bowl Committee is looking for nominations for both the 2026 Bowl Award recipient and 2026 Spotlight Award recipient. The Scarsdale Bowl Committee seeks as many deserving candidates for consideration as possible.
The Scarsdale Bowl Committee will hold its first of several meetings dedicated to selecting this year’s honorees on December 7, 2025. Nominees for both the Bowl Award and the Spotlight Award are requested on or before December 5th.
The Scarsdale Bowl, under the auspices of the Scarsdale Foundation, has been awarded annually since 1944, to an individual (or, in exceptional cases, to a married couple or domestic partners) who have given “unselfishly of their time, energy and effort to the civic welfare of the community.” The founding donors of the Bowl believed that “many who serve generously and voluntarily, without office, honor, or publicity, are those deserving of having their names permanently inscribed on the Scarsdale Bowl.” The Scarsdale Bowl Award is an enormous honor bestowed on a Scarsdale resident in recognition of his or her volunteer public service in the community over the course of some decades. The Bowl itself, with the honorees engraved names, is permanently displayed at the Scarsdale Public Library.
Bowl Nomination QR Code 2026
Candidates must be Scarsdale residents who do not currently hold elective office. To access the Bowl Award nominee recommendation form, please visit this URL:
In addition, the Scarsdale Foundation will continue the tradition it began in 2023 and present a second award, called the Spotlight, to honor an individual or an organization that has made a significant impact and brought about positive change in one targeted sphere of community engagement.
The Spotlight Award recognizes a Scarsdale resident or institution that has focused on moving the needle in one particular area.
Spotlight Award: Candidates must be Scarsdale residents or institutions, and individuals may not currently hold elective office. To access the Spotlight Award nominee recommendation form, please visit this URL:
This year, the Scarsdale Foundation Bowl Dinner will be held on April 23rd at Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club. The dinner will pay tribute to the honorees while celebrating the spirit and culture of volunteerism in Scarsdale. Funds raised at the dinner will enable the Foundation to continue its mission of quietly but effectively helping local individuals and community organizations through student scholarships and project grants. Most significantly, the Scarsdale Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships during the past ten years to Scarsdale’s high school graduates in their sophomore, junior and senior years of college.
Spotlight Nominee QR Code 2026The 2026 Scarsdale Foundation Bowl Committee members are: Penny Bauersfeld, Lisa Copeland, Warren Haber, Laura Miller, Toby Milstein Schulman, Nadine Pepin, Alli Seiden, Rob Tepper, Claudie Uribe and Julie Zhu. Pam Fuehrer is serving as Chair, with Tim Foley serving as Secretary and Sharon Higgins serving as Treasurer. Janice Starr, a Scarsdale Foundation Trustee, will also serve on the committee as a liaison, along with Seema Jaggi, President of the Scarsdale Foundation Board.
We look forward to gathering on April 23rd to recognize all that makes Scarsdale a special place to live, and to benefit generations to come.
Questions? Please reach out to Pam Fuehrer, Bowl Chair at [email protected]. Additional information about the Scarsdale Foundation can be found at www.scarsdalefoundation.org.
2025 Arthur Manor Holiday Sing and Tree Lighting at Davis Park
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The Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association invites the Scarsdale community to join with neighbors, family and friends on Sunday, December 7th at 3:30 pm as we gather at Davis Park to celebrate this special time of year.
Hot cocoa will be served during the holiday sing with songs of the season including Christmas and Chanukah favorites. All guests are invited to bring individually wrapped holiday cookies and any other baked goods (please, no nuts).
Financial donations for future Arthur Manor events will also be accepted on December 7th.
The annual event concludes with the lighting of the holiday tree and a visit from Santa Claus. There will be candy canes for all – young and old alike!
This year’s event is made possible by the collective efforts of all of the Arthur Manor volunteers who help make the neighborhood association a strong and vibrant part of our community.
Please call Matt Martin at (917) 697-2747 or email ([email protected]) if you are interested in helping with this annual event or if you would like to participate in future activities in Arthur Manor.
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