Groundhog Day– Developers Renew Application to Build Subdivision on Garden Road
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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(Updated August 21, 2025) Developers are renewing their attempt to construct a subdivision on a swampy piece of land at 80, 88 and 90 Garden Road in Scarsdale where they hope to build five new homes with pools.
In 2024 the applicants held multiple meetings with the Planning Board in an effort to gain approval to construct eight new homes with pools on the site. The plans involved a private roadway, using landfill to raise the grade of the site and the demolition of hundreds of trees. After significant pushback from residents, those plans were withdrawn in November, 2024. The applicants have been attempting to develop the property, failing to win approval for almost twenty years, since 2006.
Now they have submitted please to “reconfigure the existing lot at 90 Garden Road and re-subdivide the remaining lot area from 2 building lots to 5 building lots and a new shared private roadway. The existing structure at 90 Garden Road will remain while the other existing structures will be demolished and replaced with 5 new single-family homes rather than the eight proposed last year. This equates to a net increase of 3 new single-family residences.” They claim the project will “not create any significant adverse environmental impacts on the environment or community.”
Here are a few elements of the plan as outlined in documents available online:
According to plans submitted, in order to build the new homes
They will remove 246 trees and replace them with 383 trees. The previous plan called for the removal of 437 trees. Among the trees to be taken down are:
33 Northern Red Oaks
13 Tulip Trees
10 White Oaks
19 Sugar Maples
12 Black Oaks
16 Red Maples
20 American Beech
42 Norway Maples
11 Norway Spruce
11 Cedar SPP
In order to raise the grade by four feet, the plan calls for the importation of 8,000 cubic yards of landfill which is expected to be delivered to the premises over a period of approximately 15 days. The previous plan called for the importation of 30,000 cubic yards of fill.
Each of the five new homes will have their own private wells as the Village water system is not adequate to support water service for the additional homes.
In July 2025 Scarsdale Village Trustees reviewed three proposals to improve stormwater flow along both sides of Cushman Road and at the end of Cushman Road near Garden Road and Varian Lane. The area has experienced considerable flooding and water flows from the Garden Road site to these areas. Though drainage plans have been proposed, there are no timelines for their implementation. Jeff Coleman from the Department of Public Works said the Village is conferring with Westchester County to see if these plans could fit into their mitigation plans.
The area is already prone to flooding, Without the stormwater remediation projects in place, building the Garden Road only risks exacerbating an already fraught situation.
The Planning Board will consider the application to develop the Garden Road site at a hearing on September 11, 2025 at 7 pm at Village Hall.
See the full application here.
Developer Eilon Amidor has already filed applications with the Committee for Historic Preservation to demolish 80 and 88 Garden Roads on the agenda for their September 16, 2025 meeting. Therefore the homes are under consideration from two land use boards at the same time.
Commenting on the renewed application, a concerned neighbor said, “This project has been cooking since 2006 despite the repeated reference to 2018. (I have the documents). For nearly 20 years this developer has been trying to develop this site. What makes this iteration any better? There are fewer houses but:
-Still clear-cutting 200+ trees;
-Still trucking in fill from other construction sites to raise the terrain by 4 feet;
-Despite the raised terrain, homes will have basements and pools that will disrupt the high groundwater table;
Q: Where will this displaced water go?
A: Laterally, into neighboring properties;
-Swales to handle runoff will ultimately drain into the too small pipe that feeds into the stream behind homes on Willow;
-The Village has not done any remediation of the stormwater runoff problem at Cushman/Willow/Garden, and it remains, admittedly, inadequate to handle the current level of runoff.
I feel like Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day."
Eric Hemel: May His Memory Be a Blessing
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Eric I. Hemel died on July 27, 2025, while vacationing with his wife and close friends on Kezar Lake in Center Lovell, Maine. He was 72.
Eric loved to travel the world by bicycle and by foot—preferably with family members in tow. On a walking trip with his wife, Barbara Morgen, in Vietnam in 2003, Eric became concerned about the large number of children in rural areas who were not in school, and he decided to do something about it. Eric and Barbara founded a scholarship program that has paid school fees and provided books, uniforms, bicycles, and after-school tutoring to thousands of children from low-income families across Vietnam over the last twenty years. Eric also visited hospitals in nearly every province of Vietnam to bring continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to neonatal units. His efforts have saved thousands of prematurely born infants from death or brain damage in Vietnam and other parts of southeast Asia.
Thei Hemel's work in Asia was featured in an article on Scarsdale10583.com in 2014.
A cycling accident in October 2023 interfered with Eric’s ability to travel, but Eric continued to revel in the presence of his six grandchildren, who called him “Opapa” and clamored for his goofy animal impressions and spirited readings of picture books. He and Barbara celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary earlier this month.
Eric was born in Chicago on November 9, 1952, to Albert Hemel and Hertha Kreider. His father was an electrical engineer who changed the family’s last name from Himmelstein in response to antisemitism; his mother fled from Austria after the Nazi invasion and spent time in a refugee camp in Cuba before coming to Chicago. Eric was raised in Skokie, Illinois, until the end of ninth grade, when his family moved to Los Altos, California. After earning a bachelor’s degree, MBA, and PhD in economics at Stanford, Eric went to work as a budget aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York and as a senior policy analyst on Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign. He later served as a senior policy adviser on President Reagan’s domestic policy staff, staff director of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and chief economist at the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. After moving with his wife and two children from Washington, D.C., to Scarsdale, N.Y., Eric worked in the finance industry for nearly three decades, including as co-head of U.S. equity research at Merrill Lynch.
Eric is survived by his wife, Barbara Morgen; his children, Deborah and Daniel Hemel; his son-in-law, Doug Stone; his daughter-in-law, Emily Blumberg; his six grandchildren, Nathaniel, Rebecca, Leah, and Elijah Stone, and Abraham and Helen Blumberg-Hemel; and his brother, Neal Hemel.
Eric Hemel's funeral will be held this Wednesday, July 30, at 1pm, in the main sanctuary at Congregation Kol Ami, 252 Soundview Ave, White Plains, NY. A burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, 50 Jackson Ave, Hastings-On-Hudson, NY. Eric's family will sit shiva at the following places and times:
-- Wednesday, July 30, from 5pm to 8pm, at the home of Barbara Morgen, 10 Jefferson Road, Scarsdale, NY (service at 7:30pm)
-- Thursday, July 31, from 5pm to 8pm, at the home of Barbara Morgen, 10 Jefferson Road, Scarsdale, NY (service at 7:30pm)
-- Sunday, August 3, from 4pm to 7pm, at the home of Deborah Hemel and Doug Stone, 268 Nelson Road, Scarsdale, NY (service at 6:30pm)
-- Monday, August 4, from 4pm to 7pm, at the home of Daniel Hemel and Emily Blumberg, 28 West Houston Street, #23A, New York, NY (service at 6:30pm)
Donations in Eric's memory can be made to the Pacific Links Foundation, https://pacificlinks.org/donate, the organization that administers the SEEDS program that Eric co-founded. Friends and family are urged to enjoy a spray of Reddi-wip whipped cream directly from the can in celebration of Eric’s life. May his memory be a blessing.
Friends and family are urged to enjoy a spray of Reddi-wip whipped cream directly from the can in celebration of Eric’s life. May his memory be a blessing.
Longtime friend Michael Blumstein said, “Eric will long be remembered for his intellect, wit, warmth and generosity. He left a mark that few of us will forget.”
Sidewalk Sale Thursday - Saturday in Scarsdale Village
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Don’t Miss the SBA Summer Sidewalk Sale: July 24 - July 26
The Scarsdale Business Alliance (SBA) invites the community to enjoy three days of shopping, dining, and family fun at the annual Summer Sidewalk Sale in the Village Center. From Thursday, July 24 through Saturday, July 26, shoppers can browse outdoor sales and special deals from local merchants and visiting vendors — rain or shine. Select Village Center businesses will also offer specials on Sunday, July 27.
This annual event is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy amazing sales and discounted deals from your favorite retail stores and outside vendors!
Family Activities: On Saturday, July 26, enjoy FREE family fun activities from 10:00AM to 2:00PM, featuring face painting, games, craft activities, chalk the ‘Dale, music, and MORE!
Visit Scarsdale Village for incredible shopping deals, great food, and fun activities, all while supporting our local retail merchants.
Traffic and Parking Reminders
Please use caution and expect increased pedestrian traffic in and around the Village Center throughout the event.
• Boniface Circle will be closed to thru-traffic Thursday through Saturday.
• Spencer Place will be closed to thru-traffic on Saturday only.
• Christie Place Commuter Garage (64 East Parkway): 8-hour parking available after 9:30AM.
• Christie Place Public Garage (1 Christie Place): 4-hour parking available all day.
For more information about parking, visit https://www.scarsdale.com/154/Parking. For more information about the Business Alliance, visit www.scarsdalebusinessalliance.com or email [email protected].
Westchester Band Brings Good Vibes to Chase Park
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On Thursday 10th July, the Scarsdale community gathered at Chase Park for a summer night of live music, good vibes, and an especiallly enjoyable “Mystery Song” activity. At 8 PM, the Westchester Band, under the skilled direction of dedicated conductor Alan Hollander, began their concert, filling the park with music that resonated with all ages, from children to the elderly. The concert, which was free and open to everyone, became a night where the freedom of summer and the joy of the community blend together in the best way possible.
Rows of lawn chairs stretched from the entrance of the park all the way to the post office, as families, friends, and neighbors made themselves comfortable to enjoy the evening. As the Westchester Band began, their music swept over the crowd, setting the tone for an evening of musical nostalgia, joy, and tranquility.
The concert featured a mix of beloved classics and new tunes, including the popular America the Beautiful, the French Horn Concerto No.1 (starring Karen Froehlich as the talented French horn soloist), and an audience favorite, Stars and Stripes Forever. On song in particular really got the crowd alive...the Mystery Song! This fun and interactive activity has become a long-running tradition at the Westchester Band’s concerts, where the audience is invited to guess the name of a song based on the melody. This year, the mystery song was a popular hit from 1969, McArthur Park. It was tricky for some, but it brought a huge wave of excitement as everyone tried to recall the title. It perfectly demonstrated how music can unite people through shared memories and experiences.
After speaking to Alan Hollander, he shared some of his thoughts. Alan explained that when selecting the program, his goal is always to pick music that will appeal to a wide range of ages. "I try to choose pieces that everyone can enjoy, whether the audience are young children or adults who have been listening to music their whole life," he said. This careful making of the playlist successfully ensures that everyone in the audience can find something to connect with.
Alan also reflected on the challenges of leading such a large band. "With seventy-five musicians, there’s a lot of editing and adjustments that need to be made. Weather is also always a consideration." Despite these challenges, Alan’s passion and hard work shine through, and his deep commitment to the band is clear. The Westchester Band rehearses once a week in preparation for each performance, which is evident as their seamless coordination forms such magical music.
With great music, an inviting atmosphere, and the community spirit that makes Scarsdale such a special place, it was an amazing night. The Westchester Band continues to bring people together through the magic of music, showing that summer fun in Scarsdale is strongest when we come together as neighbors, friends, and fans of great tunes. The Westchester Band will continue to perform every Thursday at Chase Park from 8 PM until August 14th!
Free Westchester Band Concerts Begin Thursday July 10 in Chase Park
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Has the Westchester Band been playing for 55 or 56 years?
Either way that's quite a record of longevity. And but for its one year off for Covid 2020, it's been doing so every summer since 1969!
With an array of talented professional, amateur, and outstanding student musicians, and sponsored principally by the Scarsdale Department of Parks and Recreation, local merchants, and by donations from the concert going Friends of the Westchester Band public: a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, the band, under the direction of Maestro Alan Hollander, puts on concerts beginning July 2nd at 7:30PM at the Village Pool, and then continues every Thursday night thereafter, beginning July 10th, at 8:00PM, in the Village's Chase Park, thru August 14th. For more information please visit westchesterband.org.
The band not only provides the musical backdrop to the July 2 fireworks show, but in its Chase Park home features soloists, prize winning mystery tunes, and music for the entire family from Marches, Broadway, light Classics, original band works, and rock arrangements, all with free admission and parking. (In the event of rain, concerts are held at the Scarsdale Middle School.)
So bring a lawn chair or blanket and picnic dinner (and a friend!), and “get away” for a while!
Making this huge undertaking not only possible, but free to the public comes with the help of band patrons and supporters of the arts alike. Donations made payable to “Friends of the Westchester Band” are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. You may mail your checks to 41 Van Etten Boulevard, New Rochelle, NY 10804.
See you under the stars!
