Censoring The Public

We’ve often seen Mr Feiner and his Board do whatever they could to shut down residents from speaking at Town Board meetings and other public events. To say open government in Greenburgh is alive and well is heresy, only mocked openly when Mr Feiner purports to espouse it. One meeting saw he and his Town Board adjourn the meeting at 10:15PM without giving residents an opportunity to speak as was promised earlier. And, many who speak at the opening three-minute session often state they’ll come back during the five-minute session. Although in this instance, with sheepish smiles on their faces, the Board hurriedly scampered away for fear of being challenged.

Such is the case with tomorrow night’s meeting to discuss the the Jefferson Project proposal to be constructed on property at Lawrence and Saw Mill River Roads. Only this time, the Board is making no pretense of curtailing the public’s right to speak. This time Mr Feiner is sending out an email (we wonder if there is also a snail mail version?) stating the rules of engagement for tomorrow night. In his email, he states that they are expecting a very large turnout. And, as a way to justify his control of the public, is using the guise of a Twitter Inspired speaking option. Frankly, it’s designed to be cute so he can get away with silencing the public.

If his concern is really that there were a lot of people seeking to speak, he could schedule another time to do this. However, he won’t do that because he really isn’t interested what people want to say. This episode is a fait accompli. If there are not a lot of people in attendance, will he simply allow everyone to speak for the three and five minutes as previously done? Doubtful. If there are a lot of people, and the majority are against the development, he will use that to twist the arm of the Jefferson management to provide beau coup give-backs in return for what will appear to be begrudgingly offered support. Can you say lawsuit?

There are two schools of thought for this development. The first is that the developer purchased this land, put together a proposal designed for the site and is entitled to build it. There must be an acknowledged back and forth between the developer, the Town and the Village’s residents. The second side is from the Village residents perspective. They naturally are afraid of increases in school children and increases in traffic and congestion. There are of course other issues on both sides.

We hope to see many residents come out on Wednesday night to speak on this issue. While no one promises that the process will be easy, we hope that everyone will treat each other with respect and courtesy. Since these will be people not normally attending a Town Board meeting, Mr Feiner, et al, will be on their best behavior. These guests will not be returning after tomorrow’s meeting. They will hear platitudes of open government, that the Board hears their concerns, they will do their due diligence, people need to have faith in the system and a litany of worn out expressions that have served them well in the past amongst virgin crowds. Only if they continue to come back and not allow this Board to censor them will they have a chance of getting their way. This Board has proved that all too many times. It’s why we continually hope the willfully ignorant will get involved and help us to get A Better Greenburgh.

JPI Proposing 296 Multi-Family Apartments Jefferson at Saw Mill River

Photo from JPI website

Greenburgh, NY, April 13, 2015—JPI is currently proposing Jefferson at Saw Mill River, a new amenity rich, high quality multifamily apartment community located at One Lawrence Street in Greenburgh. Prior to the submission of an application to the Town, JPI will host an informational Community Open House event for area residents to learn more and provide input about the Jefferson at Saw Mill River. Additional information about the apartment community will be posted on Jefferson at Saw Mill River’s website and will arrive in mailboxes this week as a precursor to the Community Open House.

“JPI looks forward to becoming a welcome neighbor in the Greenburgh community,” said Stephen Hutto, JPI’s Vice President of Development. “We understand the importance of working with the community to develop a project that meets a growing need for a wider variety of housing choices and generates significant revenue for the future benefit for the Schools, Town and County residents.”

The Jefferson aims to bring new energy to a corner of Greenburgh by complementing the Town of Greenburgh Draft Comprehensive Plan’s overall vision for a vibrant Southern Research and Development node. To help facilitate this vision, JPI will spend several million dollars cleaning up environmental contamination left on the site as a result of its historical use as a chemical plant by Azko Nobel and others. By bringing this property up to the highest residential standards, the long dormant, contaminated land will provide much needed access to diverse rental housing to those working for target STEM and biotech employers in Southern and Central Westchester County.

“We want the community to know that we are listening,” Hutto remarked. “We invite area residents to attend our Community Open House to learn about the data supporting the fact this apartment community is a win-win for Greenburgh and the surrounding community.”

Jefferson at Saw Mill River’s Community Open House event will be held on Wednesday April 22, 2015 at Life…The Place to Be (2 Lawrence Street, Ardsley). All community members are welcome to stop by anytime during the event hours of 6-8 p.m. to learn more about the traffic improvements, environmental cleanup, new streams of revenue and more that will result from Jefferson at Saw Mill River.

For more information about Jefferson at Saw Mill River, please visit www.jeffersonsawmill.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jeffersonsawmill.

About JPI

JPI is a national developer, builder and investment manager of Class A multifamily assets in select US markets headquartered in Texas with offices in Arizona, New York and California. With over a 20-year history of successful developments throughout the major US markets and an unparalleled depth of industry specific experience, JPI stands among the most active privately held real estate companies in the country. JPI's executive leadership team has an average of 25 years of comprehensive experience in multifamily developments ranging from low density garden apartments, mid to high density wrap and podium projects, student living housing projects and mixed use high rise developments. The firm offers investment management, pre-development, underwriting, marketing and asset management services as well as construction, financial and administrative services. To learn more about JPI, please visit www.jpi.com.


Contact: Greg Belew
Managing Regional Partner-Eastern Region
Phone: 212-660-0250
info@jeffersonsawmill.com

Another Slice of Greenburgh Going, Going Gone - Welcome to Pepe Factory and Prison - 2269 Saw Mill River Rd

Spring 2014, Pepe Auto Group bought the old Sonotone office building on Saw Mill River Road (Route 9A), near the Elmsford Little League Field.  Pepe is applying for the Greenburgh Town and Planning Boards approval to build a new vehicle preparation operation and car storage facility for their 6 auto dealerships (two Mercedes Benz, Infiniti, Porsche, Sprinter, and Cadillac). Their hours of operation at this site will be 7am to 6pm Monday through Friday with half-a day on Saturday and some Sundays! How lucky are we!!

Approximately 750 cars will be stored on the property (650 outdoor parking lots, 100 indoor in the prep building) and delivered-monthly to their dealerships. Pepe stated that 3-5 car carriers (tractor trailers) will be processed daily (Mon.-Sat.); that will be 260 tractor trailers a month using Saw Mill River Rd/9A (5 trailers x 26 days/month x 2 round-trip).  Pepe says 15 cars will leave this facility daily for customer deliveries at their dealerships either driven individually or by flat-bed trailer. But his math doesn’t compute! 15 cars per day x 26 days is only 390 cars per month, 4 tractor trailers a day times 26 days a month with each truck holding 8 vehicles is 832 vehicles per month Other times Pepe states that his entire inventory will turn once a month, that would be 750 cars.  Which calculation is accurate?  If 750 cars turnover in a month, then at least 750 cars are to be delivered to the dealerships then 750 cars need to return to the facility with the original drivers.  That will be an additional 1500 cars either using Saw Mill River Rd/9A or our local neighborhood streets (15 cars x 26 days/month x 2RT).  Pepe stated there will be approximately 30-50 employees at this site, that equates to 2600 employee trips a month not counting possible lunch trips, nor occasional Sunday openings (50 employees x 26 days x 2RT).  In Supervisor Feiner’s letter to Greenburgh residents he only compares the proposed employee trips of this facility to an office building.  He fails to multiply and include in his calculations the additional vehicles from daily deliveries to the dealerships, car deliveries via tractor trailers, box trucks for vehicle parts inventory, gasoline tanker trucks or garbage and refuse trucks.

As part of the car preparation process, each auto needs to be washed and fueled; therefore Pepe will be installing two 10,000 gallon gasoline tanks with a fueling station on this property.  At approx. 20 gallons per car x 750 cars delivered per month that’s 15,000 gallons of gasoline per month used, Therefore that would be at least 4 gasoline tanker trucks using Saw Mill River Rd monthly (regular and premium gasoline)  An average gasoline tanker truck holds 8500 gallons, 2 tankers x 2RT.

At least 40 box trucks delivering car parts a month (5 dealerships x 1 weekly x 4 x 2 RT).  This is for all non-factory installed accessories oil, coolants, etc. used as part of the new car preparatory process.  Garbage, recyclers and trash haulers – Per Pepe, a lot of cardboard and Styrofoam delivered with new cars.  Most probably twice a week garbage and recyclers, 16 ex-large trucks monthly (2 x 4 x 2RT)

Their hours of operation will be 7am to 6pm Monday through Friday with a half-day on Saturday and Pepe admits to even some Sunday openings!  This operation is not at all similar in size, building architecture, or prior business operations anywhere in Greenburgh! We all know how busy and crowded Saw Mill River Rd/9A is; Do we REALLY need this extra car and truck traffic?

This increase in allowable traffic seems to be contrary to what Paul Feiner is advocating in his 2015 Agenda Posted on Greenburgh’s website January 6, 2015 # 12 Lobby NYS for 9A bypass to reduce traffic congestion on 9A in the vicinity of 119- working with villages and business community and #13 Support commercial vehicle enforcement detail for vehicle scales to preserve town roadways.

As part of this site renovation, Pepe wants 2 separate 8 foot chain-link fences installed around the circumference of the property, spikes in the driveways and over 100 overhead 14’ LED light poles in the lot, camera and motion detectors with all flood light lights immediately activated upon an intrusion.  When asked, how will these flood lights be turned-off once activated?  Pepe had no answer.  Do the residents need to bear lit baseball stadium lights until someone comes to turn them off?  Our quality of life not to mention sleep disturbances are not considered or addressed by the Town Boards?  How safe does 8ft chain link fences make our visitors and future business investors feel?  Pepe wants to make our residential community feel like a ghetto!  He says second to parking as many cars on this property as design allows, is to have this property look like maximum security operation, and deter intruders.  The look and feel of the property’s surroundings for the local residents was not a concern of Pepe or his architects.  There are proposed subdivisions on Worthington Rd and at 1952 Saw Mill River Rd. with new homes selling in the $1.5+ million range.  Would you invest your money in a new home with this facility and operation in your neighborhood?  We have never had a prison in Greenburgh, and we don’t want one now!  Pepe won’t be looking at this eye sore of a building every day and night.  We will!  Pepe won’t be around if there is a security breach, (even it’s a deer jumping the fence) or god-forbid a gas explosion.  We will!   But wait we will have a large illuminated “Pepe” sign on the front of the building even though Pepe swears customers will not be visiting this facility.  Then why does this facility need such a prominent sign on the building?

The increase in traffic presents many hazards.  Large tractor trailers can’t turn right from Route 119 to Route 9A, but there’s no guarantee they won’t try, blocking both RT119 and 9A until all the cars on 9A clear out.  Have you ever seen this happen?  Yes.  Locals don’t try it, but Pepe’s contractors?  Pepe says they will request the tractor trailers operators to access Tarrytown Rd/RT 119 from I-287 Exit 4, or I-87 to Ardsley’s Exit then on to RT9A.  Supervisor Feiner dismisses the I-87 alternative and only states that the tractor trailers will use I-287 Exit 4 making a right turn at Staples/Tarrytown Rd through Main Street in Elmsford and making a left turn by the Elmsford Post Office.  A tractor trailer will NOT be able to turn on these roads without using both lanes in both directions leading to more congestion, gridlock, traffic tie-ups, accidents etc. 

What about pedestrians?  What about people at bus stops up and down Route 9A?  No road shoulders or bus shelters.  Bus stops are marked by bus stop poles by the white lines on road edges. What about people crossing RT9A and 119 to transfer to other bus routes?  It’s already hazardous!  Traffic lights even now don’t give pedestrians enough time to cross the street.  Adding more tractor trailers, trucks and cars turning can only cause more blockage and hazards.  Ask the bus drivers!  Car carriers versus pedestrians - guess who wins!

What about people driving their kids to and from the Ann & Andy Day Care Center on Saw Mill River Road?  What about kids running to and from the Elmsford Little League Fields?  What about children walking from the local streets to school in Elmsford, especially during the winter months when the mornings and late afternoons are dark?  Here, like Edgemont there are no sidewalks nor road shoulders.  How will our children be safe when all this extra traffic runs up and down RT9A?  Parents will then decide to drive their children and more traffic will ensue.  The memorial crosses beside Saw Mill River Road/RT9A are there for a reason.

The residents also feel there has not been a proper environmental study on this property. Since WW II, the former Sonotone Facility had their vacuum tubes, Nickel cadmium battery and battery chargers plant and research facilities at the building Pepe proposes to demolish.  We need a detailed environmental study done at this particular building as well as on other parts of the site before demolition begins.

What’s Pepe, Town Boards and Supervisor Feiner’s answer to the residents’ issues?  Silence.  And this time it isn’t golden for Greenburgh’s residents!

Guess What? On January 28, 2015, the Town Board approved under AT 1 a resolution authorizing tax certiorari settlement with petitioners Elmsford Executive Park Co/2269 SMRR LLC (name for legal purposes) for $635,036+/-.  I guess we get to pay for the property renovations too!  Not to mention, part of Pepe’s renovation of this site is to demolish a building for additional parking.  How much would this decrease the future tax revenue on this property?  No answer again…

Why are they rushing this project through?  Why aren’t they asking New York State DOT to prepare a traffic study?  Why is the Town concerned only about Pepe’s interests?  Why are the residents last on their list?  Why aren’t they asking these questions? 

PUBLIC HEARING MARCH 11 at 7:30pm GREENBURGH TOWN HALL