Application to Develop 80 Garden Road is "Adjourned" After Planning Board Declares Intention to Mandate an Enviornmental Review
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Is the application for a subdivision in a wetlands on Garden Road tabled or dead? That’s the question now that the Village Planning Board declared it’s intention to give the proposed 9-lot subdivision a “Positive Declaration,” meaning that the Planning Board determined that the project as proposed could have significant adverse impacts.
Following years of hearings, beginning in 2013, the applicant has sought permission to subdivide a wet area adjacent to the water tower on Garden Road. Due to the high water table they proposed to truck in 30,000 cubic yards of landfill in1,600 truckloads to raise the ground level and permit the construction of homes with full basements and swimming pools. The project would have required the removal of 437 mature, regulated trees.
After an exhaustive review by many experts retained by both the applicants and the village, on September 19, 2024 the Planning Board expressed its intent to issue a “Positive Declaration” finding the project may result in one or more significant adverse environmental impacts requiring the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.
Following this directive, Village Planner Kellan Cantrell drafted a resolution for the Planning Board to approve at their October 23, 2024 meeting.
The Positive Declaration says the following:
The Applicant is proposing a 9-lot subdivision of7.6 acres with eight (8) new single-family dwellings, a new private roadway, and associated improvements. The current conditions reflect 3 separate tax lots with a single-family dwelling on each lot. The proposal seeks to demolish two (2) of the existing single-family residences and subdivide the premises into 9 lots, consisting of eight (8) new lots for the construction of eight (8) proposed single-family dwellings and one (1) reconfigured lot where the existing 90 Garden Road home will remain.
Potential environmental impacts associated with the Proposed Action have been identified by the Planning Board based upon a review of the Full Environmental Assessment Form Parts 1 and 2. These impacts, which may be reasonably expected to result from the Project, have been compared to the criteria for determining significance identified in 6 NYCRR§617.7(c)(1)and in accordance with 6NYCRR§617.7(c)(2)and(3).
The Planning Board finds that the proposed project may have a significant adverse impact on the following resources for the reasons more fully set forth in the EAF Part 3 (the list below is not intended to be all inclusive):
-Impacts to protected wetland
-Impacts related to stormwater runoff in a sensitive drainage area
-Impacts to the Sheldrake watershed
-Impacts to groundwater
-Impacts related to the importation of extensive fill
-Impacts to water supply resulting from on-site wells Impacts resulting from extensive tree removal
-Traffic and roadway impacts during construction
The items resolution was placed on the Planning Board’s agenda for their 10/23/24 meeting.
On October 10, the applicant’s attorney’s Cuddy and Feder sent an additional plea asking the board to refrain from declaring a Positive Declaration. The lengthy letter contends that “that not only will the Proposed Action not have any significant environmental impacts but will result in substantial environmental benefits.”
However, the resolution remained on the agenda until the day of the meeting when the applicants adjourned their application. The letter from Cuddy and Feder says, “The Applicants are considering design updates and as such, respectfully requests that the Planning Board adjourn the above referenced applications from the October 23, 2024 agenda.”
If the developers plans to make a new application --and what they will propose are unknown for now – and at least for the present, neighbors appear to have warded off this risk to their already fragile environment.
Walking Tour Spans Centuries in Scarsdale
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Did you know that the Harwood Building in Scarsdale Village originally had bowling alleys, billiard and table tennis tables, chess and checkers, a piano, a radio and davenports?
That’s just one of the interesting nuggets shared by Village Historian Jordan Copeland with a group of 19 Scarsdale seniors who enjoyed on a walking tour of Scarsdale Village on Monday October, 21, 2024. Several of the seniors on the tour not only raised their own families here over the past 50 years but grew up in Scarsdale themselves and had their own memories of Scarsdale as it was.
Copeland discussed how the arrival of the railroad in the mid 1840s connected Scarsdale to New York City. In 1844, steam powered service began in the Bronx River Valley -- but skipped Scarsdale. The nearest stop was “Hart’s Corners,” now known as Hartsdale. However, because the railroad passed through the Popham family’s land, they arranged that trains would halt on a signal from a member of the Popham family at “Popham Gate.”
Some wealthy New York City residents began to build estates, and by 1877, train service became regularly scheduled. The Pophams persuaded the railroad to build a platform, and later a wooden station.
Before the current train station was built, the train tracks crossed Popham Road and a flagman was employed to warn people of approaching trains. In 1902 the Tudor revival train station was built in stucco, half timbered with Spanish tile and likely established the architectural style for the rest of the Village.
Turning to Garth Road, Copeland explained that it was the site of the Village’s original business center. The current Florence Building was first built in 1903 as a one story commercial building, and later raised to three floors. It housed Angell & Co. Real Estate, O’Farrell’s Drugstore, the Flagge & Hooley Grocery Store, Luikert Meat Market, the plumbing firm of Curran & Curran, and contractor Frank Bracalello.
Here's more:
-The Bronx River parkway (1925) increased Scarsdale’s connection to New York City, and was surrounded by a linear park, aimed at preserving rural beauty rather than encouraging speed. 
-The 1920’s were the time of substantial growth in Scarsdale as a whole and downtown. In the 1920’s the population of NYC grew 21%, Westchester by 51% and Scarsdale by 176%. Commuting was easier, and people were fleeing the political, social, and economic disorder of New York City.
-In 1920, local businessman formed a bank, and soon a real estate development company to develop the current downtown bounded by East Parkway and Chase Road, and to protect Scarsdale and build a higher quality, well thought out commercial center than out-of-town speculators would have built.
-When the Scarsdale National Bank and Trust opened in 1920, the original staff consisted of the president, a cashier, a bookkeeper and a stenographer. There was no custodian, so the responsibilities of this position were shared by the four.
-In 1923, there was no residential mail delivery in Scarsdale, so residents had to come down to the post office to collect their mail. When mail delivery was proposed, local merchants objected, because they wanted potential customers to have to come downtown. Luckily home mail delivery began September 2, 1924,
-The Harwood Building originally had bowling alleys, billiard and table tennis tables, chess and checkers, piano, a radio, davenports and chairs in the basement from 1930 until about 1947 when they were leased by Robison for storage.
As a finale to the tour, the group descended into the World War Two memorial at Boniface Circle which even some long-time residents noted that they hadn’t seen it up close before. A total of 2,142 Scarsdalians served in the war, and 81 are recorded as dying or missing in action, including three sets of brothers, and one woman.
About the Senior Club:
All Scarsdale residents, 60 years of age and older are welcome to become a member of the Scarsdale Senior Club. The fee is $15 for residents. Former residents of 20+ years, or parents of children who live in Scarsdale, even if they live outside of Scarsdale, are welcome to join the group for $20.
Benefits Include:
-One-way taxi service transportation, up to $25, to local medical and dental appointments for current Village of Scarsdale residents only
-Exercise classes via Zoom and in-person on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
-Special membership rates for luncheons, trips and programs
-Pool admittance on Thursday afternoons during summer pool season
-Aqua Aerobics at the pool complex
How to Join:
-Join online at www.scarsdale.gov
-Come to the Scarsdale Parks, Recreation & Conservation office at 244 Heathcote Rd to register in person. Checks are to be made payable to the Village of Scarsdale.
-Call Maida Silver, Senior Coordinator, at (914) 722-1162 for assistance.
Starting New Traditions at Fox Meadow Tennis Club
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Founded in 1883, Fox Meadow Tennis Club is steeped in history. It was the first tennis club in Westchester County and one of the earliest in the country, as tennis as we know it was only invented in 1873. The club was also the home of the country’s first paddle tennis court which was built in 1931. Now with 6 tennis courts and 9 paddle courts, it’s a popular place for netmen of all kinds. In fact, it’s so popular that there is a wait list to get in.
Though much has remained the same over the past 140 years, racquet sports continue to evolve. Interest in Pickleball has grown and the club has adapted by placing temporary pickleball lines on the platform courts.
Also new to the club this year is Director of Racquets Geoff LoConte, who recently joined Fox Meadow bringing his prowess in tennis, platform tennis and pickleball and his experience in teaching and managing.
Geoff LoConteLoConte grew up in Marblehead, Mass where he started playing tennis at the age of 8. He went on to play college tennis at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. After college he got a graduate degree in education and spent three years teaching sixth graders language arts and social studies in New York City.
But a summer stint as the Director of Tennis at a sleepaway camp convinced him that he wanted to return to the court as a coach. He got his certification to teach tennis and took his first coaching job at the Bridgeview Racquet Club under the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn, where he taught people from 4 to 84 years old.
From there he took the head pro position at Pleasantville Tennis Club followed by several positions at clubs in Westchester. Prior to his move to Fox Meadow, he was the Director of Pickleball and Platform at Beachpoint Club in Mamaroneck.
Why did he make the move to Fox Meadow? First he pointed to the club’s history. He said, “This is the birthplace of platform tennis. When I am inside the clubhouse I get goose bumps thinking about the history – and how to honor it.”
He continued, “This is a dream opportunity to be running a racquets club where people can play and socialize…. It’s a member run club that is inclusive, competitive and has some families with three generations playing during the week and weekends.”
His mission is to increase programming for all members across the three sports and provide opportunities for members to learn and play. His priority is to meet the needs of the members and children. There are children’s tennis lessons in spring and fall and children’s paddle during the winter. There’s open paddle on the weekends, men’s and women’s leagues and clinics for all. The club recently ran a series of Platform Tennis Boot Camps to get members ready for league play.
He encourages players to get involved in the club, to get out of their comfort zones and try new things. He said, “It’s a nice community to be a part of,” and he wants to make sure everyone has place within the club.
LoConte also emphasized that he is only one member of a team now running the club, including Head Tennis Professional Karina Blas, Head Platform Professional Jim Kaufman, Club Administrator Kat Sasaki and Facilities Manager Oscar Gallego.
He’s given the club the hash tag “#better together” and is making that his motto and his mission.
Geoff and his partner Matt take silver at the 2024 National Pickleball Championships.
Tax Penalty Refunds and Property Assessments: What You Should Know
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Good news for those who paid tax penalties due to a failure by the Post Office to deliver their tax bills last August. Governor Hochul signed a bill, that was passed by both the NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate to permit the Village to refund those penalties. The form to complete it is on the Village website here:
The Mayor says he expects it to take 4-6 weeks to process the requests and issue the refunds.
Property Taxes
In other news about property taxes, Village Assessor Victoria Sirota held a session with Village Trustees on October 8, 2024 to review how property taxes are calculated and to update the Board on her efforts to identify underassessed properties in the Village.
She began with an explanation of how the overall assessed value for the Village of Scarsdale is calculated, and then explained how individual properties are assessed. The taxable assessed value of all Village properties has steadily increased since 2017, going from $8,941,755 billion in in 2017 to $9,304,433 billion in 2024. To determine the share of the total county tax levy owed by Scarsdale, the Village is assigned an equalization rate.
Individual taxes are calculated by multiplying the assessed value of the property by the tax rate and dividing by 1,000. For instance in 2024, for a home valued at $1,400,000, taxes are calculated by multiplying the home value by the average tax rate (27.37) and dividing by 1,000 for a total of $38,318.
Under-assessed Properties
Sirota then explained the process her office is undertaking to identify under-assessed properties where renovations and upgrades may have been done without building permits.
Since the Village can only adjust assessments when closing out building permits or granting certificates of occupancy, that’s their only opportunity to inspect homes to ensure what’s built matches what is shown on the property record on the Village website.
Her office has been reviewing public information on properties and comparing those to the Village’s property records. Based on her analysis of sales, in 2024 they found 84 properties with discrepancies adding an average of $99,300 in assessed value to each.
She has identified the following extras that are often not noted on the property records:
-Additional living area from conversion of attached garages, porches or third stories
-Finished basements
-Finished spaces above detached garages which may serve as Accessory Dwelling Units
-Pool cabanas
-Additional bathrooms
-Changes in the house grade or condition
-Addition of patios and sports courts that were not in the plans
-Replacement of swimming pools
-Outdoor kitchens
-Installation of central air conditioning
Based on this work, she estimates that an additional $8,300,000 of value has been added that has not been accounted for this year. Since Scarsdale’s total tax bill is a fixed sum, if some are under-assessed then others are paying more than their fair share. Therefore the assessor is seeking to address these discrepancies to ensure fairness and equity.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Village asked their attorney to investigate ways that the Village could address these inventory discrepancies with homeowners.
Remembering Ruth Raskin: Photographer, Mother and Advocate
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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(The following was submitted by Allison Raskin, daughter of Ruth Raskin.)
Ruth Raskin, an accomplished photographer, mother, wife and grandmother, passed away on the evening of September 23 surrounded by family in her home. For the past two months, Ruth put up a tireless, brave and graceful fight against the currently fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In a continuation of her generous spirit, she selflessly donated her brain to further research into finding a cure so other families will not have to go through a similar loss.
Since her childhood upstate in Binghamton, to her teenage years in the Bronx to her adulthood in Westchester County, Ruth has been the epitome of a New Yorker. She impressed everyone with her wit, her extensive knowledge and her (mostly black) wardrobe. She leaves behind a rich legacy of her photography, which has been shown in countless galleries in the tri-state area. From her experimental chemograms to her black and white signature style, Ruth’s keen eye showed us all how to look at the world in a different way. Her family will do their best to continue to share her powerful art with the world.
Ruth’s impact extended far past those who knew her personally. She was an outspoken and avid advocate for children struggling with mental health disorders. Her advice and guidance, shared primarily through podcasts and her youngest daughter’s writing, touched thousands all over the globe. Ruth modeled a compassionate form of motherhood that helped heal peoples’ own experiences as children struggling with their mental health, as well as taught others what type of parent they want to be. Children and adults everywhere are better off because of her far-reaching, empathetic influence.
As we lay Ruth’s body to rest, we remain engulfed by her love. Her devotion to her family was a blessing to witness and experience. She never faltered to show up for everyone around her and showed us all what it means for love to be a verb and not just a feeling. While we are devastated by losing her far too soon, we are all the better for having known her for the cherished time we did have together. She is survived by her devoted husband, Ken Raskin, her two daughters, Jocelyn Verdi and Allison Raskin, and her two granddaughters, Bella and Vienna Verdi. Her memory and humor will remain with all of us.
Her family is raising funds in her memory for research on Creutafeldt-Jakob Disease. Learn more here:
