Issues Updated

At a recent Civic Association meeting, it was suggested that most residents are unaware of issues affecting the taxpayers in Greenburgh and the differences between the two candidates.

Here’s a list of topics affecting the Town based on the actions of our current Supervisor and his Town Board.  We had compiled this list but hadn’t posted it as it continued to grow and grow. Rather than wait to post this, we thought we would post it and add to it with more topics as they come to light.

Here is most of the issues we have so far:

The Edgemont Community Council has been dealing with the Dromore Road zoning and building issues where a developer intends to add a multi-family apartment building on a small piece of property.

Mr Feiner and the Board are racing through any and all building applications and projects, Spot-zoning (illegally) parcels to accelerate developer growth before the Town’s Comprehensive Plan can be proposed and adopted.

Fulton Park’s Civic Association is dealing with Westhab’s building construction and possible violations to no avail.

Fulton Park will next be addressing the Deli Delicious drive-through proposal again.

The Parkway Homes Civic Association found themselves surprised with Mr Feiner’s “slipping” another group home into an already saturated area at 88 North Road. Low and behold, Councilman Ken Jones is a member of their Board and said nothing to his neighborhood.

The Glenview Civic Association has had its issues with the very large Brightview Assisted Living facility that asked for a zoning change from the Town Board to increase the size of their building and any others built throughout the Town in the future. Brightview’s attorneys wrote and the Board approved and subsequently received the approval the wanted.

Glenville had just finished with all the Stop and Shop issuess and violations only for Mr Feiner to find a speck of undeveloped property in their neighborhood he would “gift” to this developer. See above.

The Broadview Civic Association has wrestled with multiple issues with the New Mt. Vernon Neighborhood Health Center (dba Greenburgh Health Center) on Knollwood Road. The medical clinic is not suitably screened from adjoining residential districts, lacks an ADA compliant pedestrian sidewalk, mandated by the Town, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals. Excessive exterior lighting on the health center building impinges on residential area property.

The Building Inspector must obtain a current “as built survey” for the site and compare this “as built survey” to the plans as originally approved by the Town Board, the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. Any variances between the as built structure and the site plan as originally approved, must be individually evaluated by each approving Board, and any additional necessary variances granted or denied by the original approving Greenburgh Boards.

The “mountable pedestrian traffic island” installed at the intersection of Knollwood and Tarrytown Roads is a serious public safety hazard to both pedestrians and motor vehicles.

The Village of Ardsley will be getting at least half a million dollars from the sale of the Town-owned, foreclosed upon former-Water Wheel property while other Villages and the Unincorporated Town watch helplessly in disbelief.

Of course, the Cumberland Farms deception on Central Avenue gave the Town Board a warped view on how the Town could charge all Central Avenue Service Stations a several thousand-dollar fee (read: tax).

Let’s not forget the Worthington-Woodlands Civic Association’s recent request to meet with the Town Board to discuss the GameOn 365 propos...oh, wait a minute, Mr Feiner and his Board just pushed that through without a public meeting after promising to propose a few dates for them all to sit down together to discuss it.  Now it seems after many have pointed out the Board members are individually liable if the Town sells to a low-bidder, they are finally talking to House of Sports.

The guilty verdict against the Town for the illegal sewer district billing by the Southern Greenville Civic Association area keeps those people occupied, as the Town still hasn’t followed the court-ordered restorations and refunds.

While we’re in that neighborhood, lets not ignore the Toll Brothers development that has constantly and continually violates many of the Town’s building regulations. Apparently, Mr Feiner and the Board are happy to look the other way.

Of course in Valhalla, Mr Feiner led the charge to break the lease stipulations with the County for the WestHelp facility, allowed it to deteriorate and try to add a new tenant that he did not have authority to do. Fortunately, NYS shot down this bad idea and insisted the affordable housing remain just that. And while we would love to see legal action taken against him for doing this, it would be counterproductive and only cost us more money in guilty verdict judgments.

In the Payne Street area of Mazzaro Park, Mr Feiner has promised security cameras by the end of the year to assist increased security. There doesn’t appear to be any money in the proposed capital budget for this. Another empty promise.

The north Elmsford-area Civic Association of the Town will now be trying to reign in Mr Feiner with the 100 acres (50 in Greenburgh and 50 in Mt Pleasant) of construction near and on the old Union Carbide property, increasing car and truck traffic to an already impossible traffic situation on Rt 9A and other area roads. Record setting flooding will continue to hammer anything south of the area during a “regular” rainfall.

 In fact, flooding throughout the Town has now become the norm with a Supervisor and Town Board uninterested in helping flooded residents but willing to sell off Town parcels to the developer du jour. Plans include multiple big-box stores, more office space, 400+ condominiums and smaller retail stores. No plans for increasing roadways or addressing flooding.

On Taxter Road we’ll see 400 more condominiums being built. White water rafting to Ardsley may be a new sport from Elmsford with each rainfall.

On the Bronx River side of the Town, Mr Feiner has done nothing to help those residents and businesses with any type of flood relief maintenance.

There remains the Fortress Bible Church decision* where Mr Feiner, Ms Juettner, and the Town Board were found guilty of seven counts against them, including discrimination, destruction of evidence and lying under oath. The cost of this decision has yet to be announced but has been estimated to be as high as $8M.

* U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Robinson ruled on Aug. 12 that the town impermissibly prevented the church from building a new place of worship and school on Pomander Drive. In a unanimous three-judge panel decision, Judge John Walker of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit wrote that the Town Board violated the church's rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.