Justin Arest: Candidate For Scarsdale Village Mayor
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3939
The election for Village Mayor, Trustees and Village Justice is coming up on Tuesday March 21, with voting at Scarsdale Public Library. Former 2-term Village Trustee Justin Arest, has been nominated by the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party as their candidate for Mayor of Scarsdale. See below for his views on some of the issues that are top of mind at Scarsdale Village Hall.
Tell us about yourself – including your past volunteer work and your professional life.
I have lived in Scarsdale for 10 years with my wife Allison and our two children. Volunteerism has always been a priority for me. Shortly after moving to Scarsdale, I applied to serve on the Village Zoning Board of Appeals and was fortunate to be appointed. During my four years on the Zoning Board, I became familiar with our code and how the village operates. In my experience, volunteer work in Scarsdale leads to more and more involvement. I also served on the Library’s Capital Campaign Committee and Building Committee and the Village’s ad hoc Communications Committee as well as on the Board of the Scarsdale Forum among other civic committees. In 2018, I was elected to the Village Board where I served for two terms, including being appointed Deputy Mayor by two mayors, Mayor Samwick and Mayor Veron.
As for my professional career, I have spent the last 15 years investing in and managing commercial real estate. I have a BS in Finance and International Business from NYU Stern and a JD from the George Washington University Law School. Much of my experience regularly working with architects, engineers, designers, branding firms, lawyers, and finance professionals, prepared me well for the responsibilities and challenges that I faced as a Village Trustee and I am confident will do the same in the role of Mayor.
Why do you want to serve as Mayor? How do you think you can contribute?
I believe that my local civic experience over the past decade, particularly my service on the Board of Trustees and as Deputy Mayor, coupled with my legal education and business background, has prepared me to be Scarsdale’s next Mayor. I have forged strong working relationships with the Village Manager and his office as well as the various Department Heads. I have worked tirelessly with and for Scarsdale residents in myriad roles, and I would be honored for the opportunity to continue to serve our community.
Over the past five years, I have been proud to be part of the transformation of our municipal government. There have been numerous improvements made in various areas including finance and personnel. Our budget process is now more transparent and accessible. I also helped to improve the Board’s hiring process for critical positions. During my tenure, I was an active participant in filling multiple department head positions, including Village Manager. Despite all of the great work we have accomplished, there remains a lot of important projects ahead as we continue shaping the Scarsdale of 2030 and beyond.
There are many initiatives pending before this Village Board including the pool renovation, the traffic study and changes to the Village Center. How would you prioritize these projects and what would be your process for reaching consensus so that we can move forward?
Should I be fortunate to serve as Mayor, my first task would be discussing these projects with my fellow board members and village staff as well as listening to the community. While I have remained engaged and attentive this last year since the end of my term on the Village Board, a lot of important work has been done in many areas and I believe it’s prudent to listen to others before projecting priorities. I look forward to meeting with the Board and staff and speaking with residents and other community stakeholders. I hope to collaborate with my colleagues to continue moving our community forward and planning for the next decade. We have numerous infrastructure challenges that need to be addressed and the time to plan to prioritize and tackle those is now.
The Governor has called for increased housing in suburbs along the Metro North line. Though this has not yet been passed by the NYS legislature, this is the second year in a row she has made a call to increase housing in general and affordable housing in our area. Do you anticipate that the Village Board will reconsider a multi-use development project like the proposals we received for development at Freightway? What is your view on this? Also discuss your thoughts on her proposed plan to override local zoning code and mandate 3% housing growth every three years.
Having been very involved in the early stages of a potential Freightway project, I am keenly aware of the community’s concerns for the impact development can have on our schools, infrastructure, and the environment. I am monitoring this closely and am very appreciative of the comments already made by Assembly Member Paulin and State Senator Mayer.
Several years ago, the Village hired an outside attorney rather than having an in-house attorney on staff. What’s your view on this – how’s it working?
I think the model is working well. I was a strong proponent of this change when it happened. I think having a bench of legal experts readily available to the Board and staff has provided better information and depth of knowledge and experience.
What is your view on the tax cap – and exceeding it if necessary?
I believe it is the responsibility of every local government to provide the services its residents desire, while doing so in a way that is fiscally responsible and minimizes the tax burden on its residents. There are only limited tools available to a Village Board to balance its budget. And, if the choice is between a tax increase commensurate with the investments that our community needs or additional deferrals, choosing the latter option could be more expensive in the long run. The tax cap formula accounts for inflation but only up to 2%. Therefore, it may become quite challenging to remain under the cap if inflation remains at or near its current level. Regardless, I do not take the fiduciary duty bestowed upon the Board lightly and will continue to work hard to find ways to minimize the tax burden on our residents. This will require continuous focus on improving our government’s efficiency.
Con Ed has embarked on an ambitious project to upgrade the gas lines in Scarsdale. Other than road repair, do you think there is anything more we can get for them in exchange for this disruption?
The Village has spoken with Con Edison at various times over the past few years about running conduits under the ground for future work as well as better coordination with our Department of Public Works that oversees our infrastructure (e.g. paving and water/sewer lines). There has been some improvement in coordination but no success in burying lines or at least providing future options. However, that does not mean that the Village has given up in trying to effect change. No one on the Village Board or staff that I have worked with takes the disruptions on residents lightly. I hope to continue keeping pressure on the utility providers and the Public Service Commission to do better for Scarsdale, particularly during emergencies.
Scarsdale Citizens Non-Partisan Party cordially invites community members to stop by for a candidate meet and greet on Sunday, March 19th from 3:00 - 4:30pm at the Scarsdale Public Library. This is an opportunity for residents of the village to meet the candidates for an informal gathering. The candidates are Justin Arest for Mayor; Sameer Ahuja, Karen Brew and Dara Gruenberg for Village Trustee; and Cynthia Dunne for Village Justice. The event will take place in the Scott Room. Refreshments will be available. As a reminder, the Village election is on Tuesday, March 21st at the Scarsdale Public Library from 6am to 9pm.
Bookstore, Cookie Shop, Cat Hotel and More Openings on Central Avenue
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 3793
Lots of positive retail news up and down Central Park Avenue. According to Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner there are many new openings coming to our area in the next few months.
Book Lovers
A big new bookstore is re-opening at the Dalewood Shopping Center in the space formerly occupied by Mrs. Greens Market. Barnes and Noble will be sited in 12,490 square feet and will open their doors at the end of the summer.
Feiner says, “Barnes & Noble is projected to open 30 new stores this year as interest in reading books flourished as a result of the pandemic and a renewed interest in reading physical books. They will open this store with a brand-new design seen in the most recent Barnes & Noble store openings.”
Cookie Lovers
Also opening in the same shopping center as Barnes and Noble is a new spot for those with a sweet tooth. Crumbl Greenburgh, will be the chain’s first location in Westchester County. It’s a cookie company that offers a selection of 250 flavors rotated weekly with six selections at a time. See what’s coming on Instagram at Crumbl.
Cat Lovers
Another novel enterprise is a new business catering to felines, called “Happy Cat Hotel.” Boarding, grooming and fun for your cat is in store at 313 Central Park Avenue.
Here’s a description:
“Attention cat lovers! Have you heard the mews? The folks at The Happy Cat Hotel & Spa are purring with excitement, because they are getting ready to open their first New York location in the Town of Greenburgh. Happy Cat Westchester is opening in late spring 2023!
Happy Cat isn’t just regular boarding and grooming for cats — it’s a custom-built oasis for cats and cat owners who are tired of having limited options for their feline best friends. It's a place where you can bring your cats and know they are receiving the best of care while you vacation, go on a business trip, move to a new home, get your house renovated, welcome a new baby, or deal with an emergency.
Happy Cat Westchester is a luxury, feline-only hotel and spa. It has 25 individually themed suites ranging in size from 30 to 60 square feet (or 280 to 512 cubic feet), designed to keep your cat happy and engaged with climbing equipment, cozy bedding, toys, fountains, windows, webcams, and more! Luxury suites will also include TVs. The Kitty Concierge team offers daily room service, playtime, and enrichment for kitties, plus daily text message, email, and picture updates for their humans. There is also a first-class grooming facility where your cat can come for some pampering in a safe environment, whether it’s a simple nail trim or a full groom with bath and blow-dry.
Golf Lovers
Two indoor golf simulator businesses are coming to Central Avenue. X-Golf, will be located at 870 Central Park Avenue in the former Walgreens space and will offer indoor virtual reality golfing in golf simulation bays.
A second golf simulator business called Golfzon is now under construction at 691 Central Park Avenue.
Hochul Proposes Ambitious Development Requirements for Suburban Communities
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5180
Imagine Fox Meadow Road and Walworth Avenue lined with three story apartment buildings, rather than single family homes set 30 feet from the curb. That’s what new legislation outlined in the Governor’s budget proposal could mean for suburbs like Scarsdale who are served by Metro North. As a part of an initiative to build 800,000 more homes in the state in the next decade, Hochul is setting her sights on suburban communities that are primarily zoned for single family homes.
The proposal includes two distinct provisions.
First, Hochul proposes to build more housing and would require Scarsdale to increase housing stock by 3%, or about 180 units, every three years.
The second provision requires municipalities to make changes to their zoning laws to permit multifamily housing within a ½ mile radius of a train station. Train stations within 15 miles of New York City would fall into “Tier 1” of the proposal, which would allow up to 50 units to be built for each acre. Both the Scarsdale and Hartsdale train stations would fall into Tier 1. This second provision clears the way for developers to purchase available land and build up to 50 units per acre in areas that were originally zone for single family homes.
Scarsdale debated a transit oriented development project for the 2.5 acre Freightway Site from 2017-2020, when six developers were invited to present proposals for a mixed use development project. Some included up to 300 apartments, which would have met the state mandate for growth for one three year period. Ultimately, as a result of residents’ fears about a rise in the school population, traffic and congestion, the project was put on hold. Now, faced with pressure to supply additional homes, the Village Board may seek to reopen the discussion.
The blanket order does not address how localities could address strained infrastructure to support the new dwellings, an increased school population and the need for parking. These are just some of the concerns of the officials and residents when considering an override to local building code to accommodate increased home density.
Hochul’s new provisions would need to be passed by the NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate and it is yet to be seen whether lawmakers will be persuaded to vote yes despite their constituents objections. Some are wondering if a better approach by the Governor would have been to offer incentives such as state aid and tax breaks for development rather than a punitive approach.
Remedies and Penalties
What if there is no available land or it is not economically attractive for developers to build additional units? In those cases the Governor’s proposal offers alternative methods of meeting the 3% growth threshold where development is not possible.
It specifies that if a locality fails to comply with the building targets, they can achieve “Safe Harbor” by taking other land use actions to increase housing including:
-Legalizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
-Facilitating lot splits (subdivisions)
-Removing the following exclusionary measures: minimum lot size requirements, unreasonable height limits and lot coverage restrictions and parking minimums
-Smart growth – rezoning one-third of developed land of a municipality for 25 units/acre
-Adapting reuse rezoning to allow residential density of at least 25 units per acre in an area of at least 100 acres that only allowed commercial use
And for municipalities who fail to meet the growth objectives after January 1, 2027 the state would mandate approval for projects where at least 20 percent of units are affordable to very low-income households (at or below 50 percent AMI) or 25 percent affordable to low-income households (at or below 80 percent AMI) and are at least 20 units or more downstate. Builders of these projects could apply for local approval despite existing zoning and cannot be denied because of it.
Further, these projects would be exempt from State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and review is limited to local infrastructure capacity and published, objective aesthetic standards. A decision must be made on these applications within 120 days if under 100 units or within 180 days if over 100 units. If a locality fails to make a decision or imposes conditions that make the project economically infeasible, it will be considered a denial.
Qualified projects denied a permit could pursue a new appeals process that places the burden of proof on the locality. If the locality denied the projects, developers could appeal to a newly created housing review board or file a land use appeal with the supreme court.
Looking Back
This is not the first time lawmakers have attempted to force new development in suburban communities. In fact, similar measures were included in Hochul’s 2022 budget. Legislation was introduced to allow the override of local zoning to permit the building of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) in the NYS Senate but failed to pass. A second bill requiring multifamily housing within a half mile of train stations also met with opposition.
Hochul withdrew the ADU provisions from her budget after receiving pushback from localities but said, “I believe that increasing our housing supply is essential to the growth of our economy, to reaching our lower carbon footprint, to achieving our goals of equity and inclusion and to addressing the affordability challenges faced by so many New Yorkers.”
And in 2009, the Anti-Discrimination Center of New York won a settlement against Westchester County ordering the county to spend $51.6 million to build 750 units of affordable housing over the next seven years. In 2015 monitor Federal Monitor James Johnson said the county had violated that settlement and fallen short of targets. In 2016 Johnson resigned.
Jamaal BowmanWe asked our local lawmakers for comments on the proposal and here is what they shared:
Congressman Jamaal Bowman cheered the proposal, saying, “I am glad to see Governor Hochul take this first step to expand housing opportunities for all New Yorkers, including in communities like Scarsdale. As a former educator, I know firsthand the toll that housing insecurity takes on children and their families. Children should be worried about losing their homework, not losing their homes.
I look forward to working with my colleagues at the federal level to reinforce these efforts — and secure stable, affordable housing for marginalized communities, in areas that would otherwise be out of reach.”
However Assemblywoman Amy Paulin was more aware of what increases of this magnitude could do to Scarsdale. She said, “Scarsdale and 
Amy PaulinEdgemont wouldn’t be able to accommodate so many new housing units, or even a fraction of the amount required. It would change the character and integrity of our community. Scarsdale would no longer be a Village in a Park. We would be a congested urban center without the infrastructure to support it. I will fight to make sure this doesn’t happen.”
And State Senator Shelley Mayer recognized the complexities of the mandate for diverse communities. She said, ““I commend Governor Kathy Hochul’s commitment to addressing the affordable housing crisis in New York in her proposed budget and look forward to working together with her on this critical issue. Here in Westchester, it remains one of our greatest challenges.
Shelley Mayer“The Governor’s proposals seek to walk a fine line between state enforcement and local control over housing policy, but I remain concerned that the voices of local municipal officials and individual communities have not been adequately reflected in these proposals. In addition, the significant differences between all of New York’s diverse communities must be adequately addressed, both as to affordable housing and transit oriented development. I urge the Governor to engage in direct conversation with municipal officials throughout the state to find acceptable solutions that work for our communities, and recognize the steps many have taken to increase affordable options.
“Over the next few weeks, with my colleagues, I will continue to analyze the details of this expansive housing plan, and will work with all of my local communities to find solutions that work for them and their residents.”
What's The Condition of Your Street? Find Out Here
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2972
What is the condition of the Village’s 81 center miles of roadways? According to the Pavement Management Group, (PMG), who was retained by Scarsdale Village to assess the roads, the overall condition of our roadways is FAIR. But the good news is that in comparison to a prior study done in 2017, overall conditions have improved.
How did PMG assess the roads? PMG drives each road segment and takes high definition videos of the road, from beginning to end. According to the report, “This provides for a virtual, high‐definition account of the roadway network, and provides value in a variety of ways such as condition review and network level decision making from the office.”
Using these videos, each roadway is evaluated and rated into one of the following condition categories:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Failed
The consultants found that in the latest study 29% of the roads were considered excellent, while in 2017, 15% were excellent and in 2008 only 6.5% were excellent. So the report says, “The trend clearly shows that with proper funding coupled with life cycle analysis, the Village is progressing in the right direction.”
Here is a chart of their findings.
The report also includes a chart of every street in Scarsdale and how it is rated. Click here to see the chart and look up the condition of your road.
Police Issue Alert About Mail Fishing
- Details
- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2528
Scarsdale Police have reported an increase in mail fishing from USPS mailboxes in Scarsdale.
Lieutenant Kellaher of the Scarsdale Police explains what is happening below – and advises residents on how to avoid becoming a victim.
Here is what he says:
The thieves are not that sophisticated. They are basically putting glue or another type of adhesive on the blue collection boxes. Unknowing residents will deposit the mail and then the thieves return with a belt or similar object to “fish” the mail out. The subsequent problem is that people that mail checks then have those checks “washed” and the amounts payable and payee is forged, resulting in financial loss.
Our advice is to either use secure paperless billing to pay bills, but if residents must send paper checks, to physically enter the post office and use the collection slots that are actually inside the post office.
This is a region-wide problem and the mail thefts cost consumers thousands of dollars through this type of fraud. Usually, multiple criminal actors are involved – one person steals the check/mail, another “washes” it, another deposits it into an account of yet another person, making bank surveillance video and subpoenas nearly ineffective.
