HBO Series Hits Close to Home
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Thirty years have passed since Yonkers was ordered to build affordable housing in white, middle class neighborhoods, but the argument over integrated housing still rages on today. Westchester County is struggling to comply with the Fair and Affordable Housing Settlement, which orders the county to build 750 AFFH units in the county's least integrated communities by 2016.
Proponents and opponents are making the same arguments now as they did decades ago. That's what I realized watching the new HBO series, Show Me a Hero, which chronicles the Yonkers altercation in the late 1980's, when the city was ordered to insert public housing east of the Saw Mill River Parkway. At the time, white families, including many Italian-Americans, lived on that side of town, while public housing across the parkway included 81 percent minority residents. The new series is based on a 1999 book by former New York Times reporter and Westchester resident Lisa Belkin.
The conflict then bears many similarities to Westchester today, as the county scours the map for locations to build affordable units in densely populated, affluent communities. To make matters worse, zoning laws here often preclude the construction of multi-family dwellings, and developers would rather reap profits from a ten-bedroom mansion than a multi-family unit.
The protagonist of the HBO series is 28 year-old Mayor Nick Wasicsko. In 1987, Wasicsko unseated a long-sitting incumbent to become the nation's youngest mayor of a major city. Though he campaigned on overturning the housing order, Wasiscko soon saw that Yonkers had no choice. Facing citywide bankruptcy, Wasicsko beat back the opposition, and saw affordable housing built across Yonkers' east side.
Here in Westchester, Rob Astorino became County Executive in 2009, ending Andy Spano's 12-year reign. Astorino vowed to fight the $51 million settlement, which requires the county to build 750 units of affordable housing in 31 eligible communities by 2016. In these neigborhoods, African-Americans account for less than 3 percent, and Latino residents less than 7 percent, of the population. The settlement was reached after the county was charged with the misuse of millions of dollars of community development block grants, which were earmarked for the construction of affordable housing.
Unlike Yonkers Mayor Wasiscsko, Astorino has continued to spar with federal authorities over the terms of the settlement. As of July 2015, the county argues that it has met its benchmark to have funding in place for 450 units, but the U.S. Attorney says that Westchester has not met the mark, as 28 units planned for Chappaqua Station have not received local approval. The federal government has called for Astorino to order local agencies to grant variances, but his office argues that he lacks the authority to do so. The county has already forfeited millions in Community Development Block Grants that were denied and now faces fines of $60,000 per month in penalties for every month that housing benchmarks are not attained.
In the HBO series, residents object to "social engineering," and argue that the construction of public housing will cause overcrowding and stress in the public schools, a decline in real estate values and white flight. Opponents claim that economically diverse residents won't mix and will tear at the fabric of the community.
On the other hand, as Chuck Lesnick, former city council president, told Gina Bellafante of the New York Times, "for those who value diversity, Yonkers is a better place to live than many surrounding districts." And as a recent piece by Malcolm Gladwell argues, when disadvantaged children get a "fresh start" in a new place, their chances of upward mobility are many times greater.
It is a thorny issue, still hotly contested all these years later. The right balance is difficult to strike – but the longer we wait to compromise, the more funds are lost; monies that could be used to build new homes that would provide local residents with better lives.
New Yoga and Barre Fitness Studio Opening in Scarsdale
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Scarsdale resident and yoga certified instructor, Jocelyn Koenig will open Here&Now Yoga+ Body in a spacious studio at 138 Garth Road in Scarsdale on September 2. The studio will offer yoga classes for all levels, core fusion classes, and barre fitness classes as well as a full selection of kids and family classes including: prenatal classes, parent and baby yoga, family yoga on Sundays, and yoga classes for ages 3 and up. Teens & Tweens classes are also available. In addition, there will be classes for children with specific accommodations.
Koenig has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and is an experienced teacher. She is a RYT 200, completing her training at YogaWorks in NYC, which is world- renowned for its alignment-based training. In Westchester, she has taught at Be True Yoga in Scarsdale and Yoga Station in Hartsdale. She has also taught in Brooklyn at Park Slope Yoga Center, Area Yoga, and Bend and Bloom Yoga, as well as Love Yoga in Montauk.
Classes at Here&Now will infuse strength building and creativity into a wide selection of yoga, core fusion, and barre classes for all levels. Yoga classes are primarily vinyasa flow, meaning that postures are linked from one to the other in a mindful, creative, and sweaty sequence. Classes focus on building strength and flexibility, both mentally and physically. Here&Now Barre and Core Fusion classes will offer a full body work out, creating longer, leaner muscles, in challenging, energetic sequences, utilizing weights, pilate balls, mat work, and the ballet barre.
Their roster of yoga, barre fitness and core fusion teachers will include: Nicole Alexander, Larissa Diaz, Jill Gettinger, Johanna Godinez, Melisa Jhunja, Jana Josel, Jocelyn Koenig, Amanda Lopez, Colby Hewitt Mulvey, Victoria Ramos, Nicole Shahida, and Becky Uma.
Click here for more information:
Ch Ch Ch Changes
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Though Scarsdale feels quiet there are changes afoot in the Village and around town.
Wuji Chinese: It didn't take long for a new tenant to takeover the former site of Savona Restaurant on Chase Road. New signage at the site shows that Wuji "Fresh, Pure Chinese" will open this summer. The sign says, "Our name means to embody the spirit of purity, balance and harmony with nature. Our culture runs deep in this belief and in the way we prepare our food for you to enjoy." It's good to see another restaurant giving it a go in Scarsdale and we look forward to tasting Chinese food made with local and organic ingredients.
Another Nail Salon: Yet another nail salon may open on 
Christie Place at the former site of Mag Tricote. Flora Nail Salon has applied for a special use permit to operate at 120 Christie Place. A legal notice posted on the door of Mag Tricote says that Ginsburg Development is demanding $14,900 in back rent from the former tenant.
Gravel Surfaces: On August 12th the Planning Board will consider an appeal from the gravel surface moratorium from the owners of 45 Cushman Road where a new house, pool, sports court and pool house are going up. The previous home, pictured here, was sold for $4.6 mm in 2013 and included 8 bedrooms, a Shoreline pool and a separate guest/pool house. The home was demolished and presumably the pool as well. 
The new house was under construction when the moratorium was enacted. Their overall site development "vision" also included a pool, pool cabana, sports court and gravel circular driveway which would have met the lot coverage requirements; however they had not filed for this work when the moratorium was enacted. They were recently granted special use permits for the pool and sports court with a "ribbon" driveway (two parallel strips of paving). They are now seeking relief from the 
moratorium to construct a gravel circular driveway. It is not a wetlands controlled property. The Scarsdale Board of Trustees approved the moratorium on the use of gravel driveways to meet lot coverage requirements in February, 2015 and this hearing will test the mettle of the moratorium.
Flying Golf Balls: Also on the agenda for the August 12 meeting of the Planning Board is an application from the Quaker Ridge Golf Club to "renew and make permanent the approval of the existing golf safety netting, to raise the height of that netting and extend its length along the property line adjacent to 8 and 10 Brittany Close." The netting is now 40 feet high and they are applying to extend it to a height of 60 feet.This matter refers to a series of lawsuits between the club and a resident of Brittany Close who claimed that flying golf balls from the club's second hole were posing a hazard on his property. 
Planning Board Ponders Subdivisions and Development
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Development is thriving in Scarsdale where homeowners and developers are actively applying to subdivide properties, tear down existing homes and build ever-larger homes; all in evidence at the monthly meeting of the Scarsdale Planning Board. At their August 12 meeting the Planning Board reviewed four subdivisions considered an appeal from a developer to divert a stream along Paddington Road, an appeal to the moratorium on using gravel driveways to meet lot coverage requirements and an application to replace a 4,300 square foot house with an 8,000 square foot manse.
All told, if approved these decisions could result in an additional four new homes on subdivided lots, the demolition of existing homes and replacement with larger homes, submersion of a watercourse and the loss of countless trees to accommodate these projects.
Experienced lawyers congregated at Village Hall, practiced at finding ways to demonstrate the "unique" nature of their client's circumstances and well-versed in appealing to the Board about why their particular project should be permitted - despite existing Village Code.
And if this is the work of just a single month, it's pretty clear why the streets of Scarsdale look they way do – with outsized homes springing up in weeks; jarring neighbors and neighborhoods.
Residents who attended the meeting to voice their objections to the projects also expressed skepticism that the decisions of the Planning Board would be enforced .... for example if the board ordered a developer to preserve trees, who would make sure that the trees remained?
Here are just a few of the cases of the Planning Board reviewed at their meeting on Wednesday August 12:
At 31 Paddington Road developers wish to cover up an 
open watercourse to accommodate a large driveway and an expansive lawn. They propose to build a culvert, or a tunnel underneath the front lawn to accommodate the stream. The application was first considered in May and then re-submitted for the August meeting when the size of the proposed culvert was reduced. Jeffrey Gelles, a neighbor at 29 Paddington Road presented a petition with 50 signatures objecting to diversion of the watercourse. He argued that the property is in a flood plane, the diversion would be "detrimental to the welfare of the village," and that permitting the culvert could set a precedent for future development. Gelles reviewed 15 years of applications to the Planning Board and found that no other similar request had ever been approved.
His concerns include safety, possible flooding, maintenance of the underground watercourse and the aesthetics. If fencing were installed at either end of the culvert he believed it could create a safety issue for children and would also catch trash and cause flooding. He said his group is prepared to pursue an article 78 appeal.
Another neighbor, Lynne Elcik from 26A Paddington Road said that the brook runs through her property and she is concerned about potential flooding and a change in the beauty of the neighborhood. She called the brook "a wonderful benefit" and reports seeing ducks, beavers and wildlife in the watercourse.
Neighbors surrounding 21 Rodney Road came to express concerns about the subdivision of the one-third acre property to accommodate the construction of two new homes. They questioned the tree plan that calls for the developer to take down many mature trees, screening and crowding on the street where several new homes have already been built. Others said that the addition of three homes on their street was making parking very difficult, with homeowners jockeying for a space to leave their own cars in front of their homes.
A proposal to build an 8,000 square foot home on a flag lot at 69 Mamaroneck Road was questioned by Planning Board members. One member said he had visited the property and was not able to see where the new home would be sited or which trees would be taken down to accommodate it. The architect said that the home is currently occupied so he was unable to mark the trees or cordon off the area for the new home, though he had plans to move the driveway and put in a double row of trees to the north to accommodate one of the neighbors. Eric Londa, whose home on Colby Lane backs the Mamaroneck Road property, expressed concerns about the clean up of an oil spill that had occurred when a tank was removed and also asked if the new project would require access to an easement on his property for electric and sewer service. He reported that there have been drainage issues in the past from water running off the property onto his own.
Attorney's, representatives from Quaker Ridge Golf Club and residents attended the meeting in anticipation of a discussion about renewing approval for golf safety netting along the border between the golf course and homes on Brittany Close. The current netting is 40 feet height – and the club had applied to raise it to 60 feet and extend it behind two additional homes at 8 and 10 Brittany Close. Before the matter could be considered, the group of attendees asked the Planning Board to hold the matter over to their September meeting to give them time to reach an agreement.
The Board reviewed another subdivision, this one spanning 
areas of Scarsdale and Mamaroneck at 12 Stonewall Lane. The property owner wished to subdivide the property so that he could "dispose of it." The two-acre property now includes a house, a pool and a tennis court. As the applicant had not submitted a site plan showing where new homes would be built, the board had questions about the subdivision and removal of many trees.
The Director of Operations from Ginsburg Development, who runs the retail spaces at Christie Place, came before the Board about an application to open Flora Nail Salon in a 517 square foot store front on Christie Place. There were no objections though Board Member Linda Doucette Ashman inquired about health, safety and ventilation.
Perhaps the most interesting case involved an application from Mr. and Mrs. Andy Saperstein at 45 Cushman Road who were asking for relief from the newly-imposed moratorium on utilizing gravel surfaces to meet lot coverage requirements. At the time the moratorium was imposed, site plans for the driveway, pool, pool house and sports court had not been filed. If built, the site would exceed maximum lot coverage rules as the circular gravel driveway would be considered impervious. The owners demolished a 1905 home on the property along with a guesthouse and pool to build their new home.
Attorney Lucia Chiocchio from Cuddy and Feder 
told the Planning Board that the Sapersteins want to "invest in family life," "entertain friends, family and colleagues" and "were drawn to the character of the neighborhood." They submitted plans for the house in February 2014 but did not submit plans for the other structures on the site before the moratorium was imposed in February 2015.
They are currently approved for a one-lane ribbon driveway but this will not facilitate circulation around the property or enough parking for their cars and guest's vehicles. They wished to build the 1,000 square foot circular gravel driveway that was originally planned for the project.
Planning Board Chair Dan Hochvert told the attorney that appeals to the moratorium need to be made to the Board of Trustees. The BOT had referred the matter to the Planning Board to make a recommendation only. What impact would this appeal have on the proposed new law that is scheduled for a public hearing in September? Would it set a precedent? Was the situation unique? Another Board member asked why the Sapersteins did not apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance.
Decisions on all of the above matters will be posted on the Scarsdale website at Scarsdale.com.
Suspicious Man at Greenacres and Incidents from Around the County
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Suspicious Man at Greenacres Park: Police are monitoring the playground and area around Greenacres School after the recreation department camp director at the school reported that a suspicious man had been hanging around the playground on Friday July 10th. The director of Camp Sagamore, which is run at Greenacres, said that a Hispanic male, age 50's had been observed near the playground. He was told that the schoolyard is closed to the public and exclusively for camp use and was asked to leave. He complied but then returned later in the day. He was wearing a suit jacket, t-shirt, baseball cap and glasses and was making the counselors nervous. The director told police where the man went and they searched for him but were unable to find him. A dog walker told police that the same man had been walking around the area for the past few weeks. Police will continue to ride-by the school.
Retired Police Office Shot in Elmsford: Peter Schmidt, a highly respected and well liked retired officer is reported to be in stable condition after he was shot on Monday July 13th in Elmsford. At 3:45 pm on Monday, Schmidt confronted apparent burglars as the were walking out of an unoccupied house at 5 Payne Street in Elmsford. After a brief discussion, one of the subjects shot Schmidt twice, once in the arm and once in the torso. Schmidt's son, an active Greenburgh Police Officer (off-duty at the time) ran to the scene and observed the suspects leaving the scene in a blue BMW. Officer Schmidt immediately relayed this information and the license plate number to the Greenburgh Police. Within minutes, the City of Yonkers Police Department advised that they had the vehicle stopped on the Sprain Brook Parkway in the area of the Cross County Parkway. 
The subjects were positively identified and placed under arrest. Taqiy A. Walton, age 34 of Elmsford and Adam R. Larregue, age 21 of Elmsford were both charged with murder in the second degree.
Three Charged with Manslaughter in Mt. Kisco: Three suspects have been charged with first degree manslaughter for beating a homeless man to death on July 4th weekend in Mt. Kisco.
Mario Coronado-Depaz, 39, Milton Ventura, 35, and Freddy Coronado-Mendez, 34, all of Mount Kisco, are accused of causing the death of Jose Sanchez, 53, during a fight in a wooded area off Lieto Drive in Mt. Kisco on Saturday July 4th. Sanchez' body was discovered Sunday night July 5th by a relative who alerted police. His body was found in a wooded area near the Metro-North tracks that is used as a squatter's camp.
An autopsy conducted by the Westchester Medical Examiner's Office determined that Sanchez died of injuries caused by blunt force trauma. Police have recovered a piece of wood that may have ben used as a weapon. Sanchez, a native of Honduras, worked as a landscaper and had no permanent address.
The first suspect who was charged, Coronado-Mendez, left the area by train and was tracked by Westchester County detectives to Harrison, N.J., where he was taken into custody on Monday July 6th. He is being held at the Hudson County Jail.
It is believed he was attempting to arrange to leave the area, Proceedings will be held to extradite him back to New York.
