Car in the Stream and Tax Fraud from the Scarsdale Police
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- Hits: 4467
Into the Stream: On Sunday afternoon 4/17, a 74 year-old Hartsdale woman drove her car into the stream at Scarsdale High School. The woman was attempting to back her car out of a parking spot and put the car in drive, instead of reverse. The car drove over the curbstones and into the stream. The Fire Department was called to get the woman out of her car.
Tax Fraud: An Oak Way man attempted to file his taxes and found that someone had used his identity and filed in his name. The IRS had not refunded money to the false filer yet, but they were not able to give him details on the return. Police advised him to contact the IRS to get an extension.
Public Urination: At 11:45 pm on 4/12. Clarence Road residents saw four young men get out of an SUV at 140 Clarence Road. One of the men proceeded to pee on the lawn. The people who reported the incident said that they think they have also seen people smoking pot in the area. Police were unable to find the culprits.
Damage: A Farragut Road woman called police on the afternoon of April 12 to report that a Scarsdale school bus backed into her driveway and damaged some curbstones. Police called the bus transportation department who confirmed that a school bus does make a drop off at that location and told the homeowner to contact the bus department to resolve the issue.
Abandoned Home: On the afternoon of 4/13 a neighbor noticed that the door to a home at 4 Windmiill Circle was open. Police checked the house and found that it was vacant. There was an open safe in a bedroom closet that contained bank statements and an expired passport from Ghana. Police called the post office who said that the resident had been evicted and that they were holding his mail as no forwarding address had been provided. Police closed up the house.
Loose Dogs: A Ridgecrest East woman found a brown and white pit bull on the street on the afternoon of 4/14 and turned the dog over to police. The dog’s owner was located and she came into headquarters to retrieve the dog. She was issued a summons for not having the dog on a leash.
Around noon on 4/15, police picked up a loose dog on Lyons Road. The dog had a red collar and no name tags, so it was turned over to the New Rochelle Humane Society. After the Humane Society picked up the dog, the owner arrived a headquarters. She was issue a summons and instructed where to retrieve her dog.
Getaway Car? On April 15, Yonkers Police alerted Scarsdale Police about an incident at Charlie Brown’s on Central Avenue involving a white Toyota registered on Bell Road. Yonkers Police said that five people were in the car and one had displayed a firearm. Scarsdale police went to the Bell Road address but the car was not there. Shortly thereafter, Westchester County police stopped the car on Chase Road near Spencer Place. At that point an 18 year-old Scarsdale boy and a 21 year-old woman were in the car. Police did not find any weapons and the two were released.
Found:
- Two keys on a penguin key chain on the street at Nelson and Sprague Road on 4/12
- A piece of tow truck equipment at Post and Fenimore Roads at 8:15 pm on 4/12
- An American Express credit card that was not picked up by the card owner, a New Rochelle man.
Noise: At 3:17 am neighbors heard music coming from a Morris Lane home. Police found the music playing at a tennis court at 100 Morris Lane. They asked the homeowners, who were unaware of the music, to turn it off.
At 7:30 pm on 4/17 police found a group of 8-10 kids at the Greenacres playground, one with a cap gun. Police told the kids that the park was closed and asked them to leave.
Harassment: A Donellan Road man reported receiving harassing phone calls during the past month. The caller claims the man has won money and wants to discuss how he can retrieve the funds. In addition, he has received a call from someone who claimed to be an F.B.I. agent to discuss a package to be delivered and another call claiming that a check was to be delivered to his home.
On 4/14 a Bradford Road woman reported that a man has been calling regarding money won in Jamaica. The caller wants the Bradford Road residents to wire money in order to gain a “substantial prize.” Police advised the woman to ask the phone company to block the number.
Stolen: A Trek mountain bike was stolen from the garage of a Brewster Road home sometime between 4/4 and 4/11. The bike is valued at $250.
On 4/17, a Birchall Road woman reported that her car had been entered overnight and her cell phone, charger and camera had been stolen.
Bench Warrant: Mr. Kenneth Levy, age 55 of Mt. Kisco, turned himself into Scarsdale Police on 4/15 due to an outstanding bench warrant. He was processed and released on $200 cash bail.
Trustees Diffuse Heathcote Coalition's Objections to Village Land Sale
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In the words of former Planning Board Chair Beverly Sved it was déjà vu at Village Hall on Thursday 4/14 when Village Trustees, developer Stephen Oder, Village staff and concerned residents including the leadership of the Heathcote Five Corners Coalition assembled to review development plans for 2-4 Weaver Street.
In March, the Planning Board had invited the developer to resubmit his proposal to purchase a strip of Village Land adjacent to the Heathcote Tavern that now serves as the driveway to the parking lot for the restaurant.
Last year, a hotly debated argument ended when Trustees bowed to pressure from residents and denied the developer the strip of land to incorporate into the residential building they plan to build above the parking lot. As Fish and Oder own the property they have the right to develop it, and therefore requested a pre-application meeting with the Planning Board in early March, 2011 to review their plans. At that time, based on the assumption that they could not utilize the Village-owned land, they proposed a 10-unit, 46-foot high building, that was taller and closer to Weaver Street than the original building they had planned incorporating the Village owned land.
Realizing that the addition of the Village land to the project would allow the developer to scale back the height of the building and move the curb cuts away from the intersection at the Five Corners, Sved urged Oder to try again to purchase the land. Remembering the bitter, divisive fights last year, Oder agreed to give it one more try with the condition that the decision be made quickly. He requested a decision by April 24 and said if they could not come to an agreement by that date they would move forward with the 10-unit development.
At the 4-14 meeting, Trustees and the Village Planner were able to diffuse community opposition by addressing each of the Coalition’s concerns in a measured approach. As liaison to the Lane Use Committee, Trustee Jonathan Mark asked Oder, Sved and Marinnan to explain why the incorporation of the Village-owned land would allow for a better project. The Trustees had received a letter from the Heathcote Five Corners Coalition on April 8 posing a lengthy list of question about the land sale, project, parking, traffic, setbacks, zoning requirements and more. Many of these same questions had been asked in 2009 when the Village considered the land sale. This time the Trustees and the Village had their answers prepared.
Oder listed the following benefits to building on the expanded property:
- Better visual impact.
- Elimination of odd shaped parcel
- Addition of a landscaped area in front of the building.
- Building would be 38 feet in height, rather than 46 feet (a half story lower)
- Curb cuts further down Weaver Street away from the Five Corners intersection.
- Bigger distance between the new building and the Tavern building (20 feet, rather than 10 feet)
Oder also explained that with the addition of the Village land they would have the right to build up to 16 units on the property. Twelve could be housed in the new building and four more in the Tavern building which they would convert to housing in the future if they fail to retain a restaurant tenant. They would “substantially “ retain the façade of the Tavern building, but wanted flexibility in case they need to add windows if the building was converted to residential units. Unlike the previous deal, the building would no longer include units designated for seniors as Oder said that they could not get financing from the banks for restricted housing.
Sved addressed the audience concurring with Oder on the benefits of including the Village-owned strip in the project. She confirmed that she had invited him to come back and reapply to purchase the land. She added the following two points:
- The Trustees could use the land sale as a bargaining chip to require the developer to include an affordable housing unit in the project
- In recommending the sale, the Planning Board did not intend for the extra land to allow the developer to increase the project’s bulk or density.
Village Planner Liz Marrinan explained that the Village has conditioned prior land sales on aesthetic improvements. For example, at Christie Place, landscaping and new sidewalks were required.
Speaking on behalf of the Conservation Advisory Council, Lena Crandall urged the Trustees to consider open space, storm water drainage and the current use of the land by SVAC to accommodate additional vehicles. She called for further environmental studies and consideration of community character.
Martin Kaufman of the Coalition said that Oder’s proposal is “replete with generalities” and said the letter from the developer contained “no specific commitments.” Saying that “the devil is in the details,” he urged the Trustees to impose conditions on the deal “to make sure that the building height and bulk is not increased due to the sale of the village owned land.”
Larry Bell arrived an hour into the meeting and asked many questions that had already been answered. He challenged the calculation of the building size, inquired about the building height, number of parking spaces, parking waivers, sideyard and rear variances, and impact on Weaver Street traffic.
Finally Peter Gordon, also of the Coalition spoke and indicated that they had changed their position on the project. He thanked the committee for having the hearing and said, “We are not against all development. We support the premise that its in the best interest of the community to sell the land to build a better project.”
Mayor Flisser posed an interesting question at the end of the meeting, asking “what would be the advantage of retaining the Village land?“ The only answer to that question was that the Village now receives $15,000 a year for the rent of the property – but after a sale it would be added to the Village tax rolls and there revenue from the property would continue be received.
Cognizant that many of the specific questions could not be answered without a rendering of the proposed property, Mark asked Oder to produce some drawings and agreed to convene another meeting when these are available.
From the tone of the meeting, it appeared that the Trustees want to come to an agreement with Oder on the land sale and will attempt to structure the sale agreement to the benefit of the Village. It also appeared that this divisive issue has now been largely resolved. According to many, the desire to halt development at the Five Corners swayed both the nominating process for Village Trustees and Mayors and impacted the recent election. Now just weeks later, the new Village Board seems to be moving toward a fast resolution on the development of 2-4 Weaver Street.
Mad Dog, Public Lewdness, Eggs and Garbage from the Police
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- Hits: 4436
Burglary on Catherine Road: Residents returned to their Catherine Road home after a weekend away on 4/10 and found that someone had broken into their home. The window of a French door leading to the dining room was broken and the thieves are believed to have entered through the door. They entered the master bedroom and another bedroom and took jewelry from both rooms. Silverware was taken from a cabinet in the dining room. The residents will supply police with a complete list of missing items. Neighbors did not notice an activity at the house during the weekend.
Identity Theft: A Secor Road woman reported that someone opened a Verizon internet account in her name and used her American Express Card to charge $300.00 for the monthly fees. The account was registered to a Lawrence Road home and someone there was using the account. The woman was advised to call the Verizon fraud department.
Vandals: On Wildwood Road,a 2002 Ford Expedition was vandalized overnight on 4/9/11- 4/10/11. A tool was used to pop the lock on the rear passenger door and a laptop computer, a brief case and power tools were removed from the back seat and the trunk. The stolen property was valued at $3,000.00.
Mad: An unhappy customer got into a verbal dispute with the store manager at DeCicco’s in Scarsdale Village on 
4/4/11. The man was trying to return some items that the store would not accept. When police arrived, the angry man had already left the store.
Tripped Up: Jerry Parnet reported that he fell on the Popham Road bridge on April 4th and was injured. He wanted to let police know that the area needs to be fixed. Bridge employees marked the spot for repair.
Locked In: Linda Apfel of Middletown New York was locked inside Momotaro after closing on April 4th. She was left behind after the salon was locked up for the night. She was able to find an alternative exit and left the store.
Coyotes: A Magnolia Road man spotted a coyote headed toward Black Birch road on the afternoon of 4/5/11. On the afternoon of 4/9, another coyote was spotted at the pond next to the library. By the time police arrived it was gone.
Repo Man: A representative from U.S. Recovery went to a Dell Road home to repossess a car on the night of 4/5/11. However, the car was in the garage and the resident refused to answer the door. Police advised the repo man that repossession is a civil matter and that he police could not help him.
Fire: There was a fire in a clothes dryer in a home at 45 Tompkins Road on the afternoon of 4/8/11. The resident attempted to put it out. Police advised her to wait outside while the fire department was called to extinguish the fire.
Pull ‘em up!: A Taunton Road woman called police on the evening of 4/8/11 when she saw two teenage boys pull their pants down. The boys were across the pond from her home. When police arrived, they found a teenage boy and a teenage girl lying on the grass near Tisdale road. They claimed they were “hanging out.”
Found: Noel Flagg of Montrose Road found a wallet on the train and turned it over to police on the night of 4/8/11. Police found that the wallet belonged to Marilyn Williams of New Rochelle and they returned it to her.
On 4/5/11 a Richbell Road residents complained that a tree limb was left on her property when her neighbors had a tree removed. Police advised the woman that this was a civil matter and she agreed to have her gardener remove the branch.
On 4/8/11 a Seneca Road woman complained about a rusty bike that had been on her property for three days. Police canvassed the area and found out that the bike belonged to a neighbor who had placed it outside for pick-up.
Loose Shepherd: A Gatehouse Road woman called police at 7:30 pm on 4/8/11 when she heard screams outside. She reported that a loose German Shepherd was barking and circling around another woman who was walking her small dog. The terrified dog walker was screaming because the German Shepherd was jumping on her dog. When police arrived they were able to catch the Shepherd and return the dog to the yard where it belonged. The Shepherd’s owners were not aware the dog had gotten out of the yard and they were given a summons for failing to restrain their large dog. The small dog was not injured.
Garbage: Nelson Road residents called police on the morning of 4/9/11 when they found garbage from McDonalds’ and a water bottle on their front lawn. This was the sixth time garbage had been thrown on their yard. Police issued summonses to two SHS students who were involved in one of the incidents on 3/25/11. They believe that it is highly unlikely that those students were responsible for the most recent incident.
Egged: Shortly after midnight on 4/10/11 police got a report that kids in a dark SUV were throwing eggs out of the car windows as they drove north on Brewster Road. Police were unable to locate the car. However, around noon on 4/10, a School Lane man called to say that eggs were thrown at his house the night before.
From the Greenburgh Police:
Harassed: The Super at a building at 372 Central Avenue called to report that an angry tenant repeatedly banged on his door on Sunday 4/3/11. Though the Super told the woman that it was his day off and instructed her to call the management company she continued to bang on his door and ring the bell. The Super opened the door again and told her he had company and asked her to stop but she continued and then paced the hall. The woman contacted the police who spoke to the Super and said that the woman claimed that the Super had moved her potted plants and damaged her property.
Possession: At 1:45 am the driver of a Ford Escort was stopped on Secor Road in Hartsdale for a traffic violation. Police noticed a bag of marijuana in the car. The 29 year –old driver, James Edward Stone of Colchester, CT was arrested for possession and issued a summons for failing to signal while turning.
A 19- year-old New Rochelle boy was also arrested for possession of marijuana on the night of April 7, 2011. He was stopped for speeding in his 2004 Audi on Central Avenue. When police spoke to him they noticed the smell of marijuana in the car and found that there were three bags of it in the car. The boy was arrested for possession and given a warning about speeding.
Fight: A clerk at 7 Eleven at 300 South Central Avenue called police on 4/7 when an irate man was yelling profanities. The customer got angry when he attempted to purchase cigarettes but was denied because he had no id. He was gone by the time police arrived.
Burglary: The home of a jeweler on Sprain Valley Road in Scarsdale was entered and tossed on Friday night 4/8. Police arrived when the burglar alarm was activated. It appears that the house was entered through an unlocked sliding door. Though items had been moved, the owners were unable to determine if anything had been taken at the time.
Theft: On 4/7 police received a report of the theft of tires and rims from a 2009 Honda Accord parked in the lot of an apartment building on Central Avenue. The Superintendant said the owner of the car is away and he had no way to reach her.
Death: Hee Sunwoo of Meadow Drive in Hartsdale died at home on Friday April 8th. Attempts at resuscitating the 74 year-old women were unsuccessful.
Up on the Roof: An East Hartsdale Avenue woman called police on the evening of 4/8 when she looked out her window and saw three men on the roof across the way. One appeared to be holding a rifle. By the time police arrived, the men had left the roof and police were unable to locate them.
Keep Out – How to Avoid a Burglary
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It seems like there has been a recent flurry of home break-ins throughout Scarsdale. Statistics from the Police Department show that the number of burglaries has risen from 16 in 2007 to 45 last year. And, there have already been six in 2011.
Whether up or down, burglaries are inevitably a problem in affluent communities.
Speaking with several members of the Scarsdale Police Department, I’ve put together the following suggestions to keep your home and property safe. Of course, a determined professional will be able to enter even a well secured home.
Some of these things may seem obvious but we all get complacent. According to the detectives, the basics are the most important. Keep your doors locked (all of them!) and put on exterior lighting. Motion activated lights are a good investment and they must be 13 feet above the ground to cover the desired area. Also put lights on timers but don’t have them all go on at once. Despite belief to the contrary, most burglaries take place during the day.
If you have an alarm system, use it. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into burglarized homes and there was an alarm system that had not been activated,” Detective Rodriguez said. A system doesn’t make you burglar proof. There is actually about a 4-10 minute window between the time the alarm goes off and when the police arrive on the scene. The alarm company usually calls the home, gets no answer and then calls the police who are subsequently dispatched. “Actually that’s enough time for an experienced thief to do a complete sweep of the upstairs jewelry and other valuable items,” says Rodriguez.
So what’s a cautious homeowner to do? Don’t leave your jewelry and extra cash in your bedroom dresser drawer. A safe is great but so is a good hiding place out of the bedroom. If you have a safe, bolt it to the floor or walls. You need 4” thick bolts to make it really difficult to move. Robbers don’t generally want to deal with bulky electronics. Don’t forget about watches and other valuables.
The good news is burglars want in and out quickly. The police report that thieves are usually inside the house for not more than 3 to 4 minutes. A barking dog is a good deterrent and you can put a sign outside your home saying you a dog, even if you don’t. Also don’t forget to put out the sign about the alarm system. Fortunately, burglars don’t want anyone to be home and they often ring a doorbell to check. If someone answers, they would say they are looking for a different address. So be on the alert, call the police when you see anything suspicious and … good luck.
Anna Decker is a longtime community volunteer. She was President of the HS PTA, PT Council and has served on numerous school and community boards. In her former life she was in charge of Corporate Communications for the Institutional Bank at Citicorp and she continues to do a variety of freelance projects.
Developer Makes Another Attempt to Purchase Village Owned Land
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Here’s an update in the continuing saga of the development of the property at 2-4 Weaver Street. Developers Frederick Fish and Stephen Oder went before the Planning Board on March 16, 2010 to get a read on the Board’s views on the construction of a four-story, 30,000 square foot building to be built above the current parking lot. The proposed project would leave the restaurant parking lot as is --with apartments and resident parking above it. The developers had previously tried to buy a Village owned strip of land that is now used as the driveway to the parking lot, but bowing to pressure from residents, the Village turned them down in February 2010. With the addition of this land, the complex could have been elongated and the driveway could provide access to Weaver Street further away from the intersection at the Five Corners.
Therefore at the March meeting they presented a preliminary plan for a four-story structure that appeared to be taller than the original plans, as the building had to be shoehorned into the remaining property. Planning Board Chair Beverly Sved recommended that the developers make another attempt to purchase the land as she believed it would allow for a better design. She also said that new Board might reconsider the purchase.
On March 24, 2011, the Mayor and Board of Trustees received a letter from Oder proposing purchase of the Village-owned strip for $200,000.
In the letter they agree to limit the new structure to 10 residential units but also ask for the right to convert the existing Heathcote Tavern building to up to four residential units in the future.
Additional stipulations in the proposed agreements are as follows:
- If the Board requires them to build one affordable unit, they will seek to add two more units to the project
- The units must not be age-restricted
- The additional land should be merged with the existing lot to calculate the number of units allowed
- The façade of the Heathcote Tavern building would be substantially preserved for at least 15-years, however there can be no restrictions on the use of the building.
- In all cases, the existing parking agreement with the Village will continue.
- Last, the developers request a decision no later than April 20, 2011 and if the Village is “not interested” the developers will proceed accordingly.”
Though the letter was received on March 24, as of April 5, the Board had still not scheduled a meeting to discuss it, possibly due to the transition of the Board members and the Mayor.
If the Board does vote to sell the land they would have the right to execute an agreement without sending the matter back to the Planning Board for review.
Last year the Heathcote Five Corners Coalition organized a vocal group of concerned citizens to pressure the Village not to sell the land. They feared increased traffic and called for a moratorium on development in the area until the Village could do a comprehensive master plan for the Five Corners. Their views on the developer’s latest attempt to purchase the land are not known at this time.
Since that time the Village approved a 11,000 square foot retail building across the street from the Heathcote Tavern, but the Coalition did not object to that project. Their lack of concern about 1 Palmer Avenue is puzzling as the project includes 42 additional parking spaces, a large new store and a redirection of area traffic. However at a recent meeting about the possibility of installing a rotary at the Five Corners to ease the flow of traffic they did speak up.
It remains to be seen if the new Mayor and Board can agree on a plan before the developer’s April 20th deadline. Clearly the larger site would give the architects more space to set the building back from the busy intersection. But if the new Board cannot come to consensus quickly, Fish and Oder will proceed with a less than optimal plan.
