BJs Coming to Crossroads Shopping Center on Route 119

The Town of Greenburgh was recently informed that Crossroads Shopping Center will be filling the former K-Mart space with a BJ’s Wholesale Club. The store will be the first in the Center since the closure of Waldbaum's in 2012 to offer a wide range of food products (fresh produce, meats, refrigerated, frozen foods, beverages, bakery, etc.), in addition to a wide variety of non-food goods.  

The BJ website indicates that frequently groceries as lower prices than supermarkets. Many residents of Fairview who live near the Crossroads Shopping Center have asked  in the past for a store that will sell groceries at this location.  The BJs club should be an asset to the neighborhood, and will help our residents.

This will be a welcome addition to the Crossroads Shopping Center as other vacancies will soon be filled in the shopping center, including Phenix Salon Suites and Duck Donuts. The BJs store is anticipated to start construction soon with a targeted opening at the end of this year.

Happy New Year 2022!

 

Happy Kwanzaa

Merry Christmas

 

Fairview FD Helps Santa's Visit

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Remembering Our Veterans

 

Every generation has seen American heroes’ step forward. Men and women from every corner of our great country giving of themselves. Their sacrifices have protected our freedoms here at home and for so many across the globe. They ask so little of us yet deserve our unyielding gratitude. 

Today we recognize them, the American Veterans and extend our thanks, this day and every day - and remind ourselves that we must do more to support our veterans. We have in our county, and we will do more! 

God bless you, our service men and women and the United States of America! 

Police Chief Bails With Lawsuit Accusations

Greenburgh Police Chief Chris McNerney will resign, one year after returning to a post he had previously occupied for more than five years, to become Larchmont's next police chief. In a statement, McNerney said it was never his intention to return to Greenburgh long-term. He was previously the town’s police chief and returned to the job after a one-year stint at the Office of the Westchester County District Attorney, where he was the office’s top criminal investigator. And, for whatever reason he chose to leave there, it seems the lawsuit against the Town of Greenburgh and the Greenburgh Police Department might have just been the impetus he needed. 

While some are claiming that the Chief is trying to outrun the Federal sexual harassment lawsuit brought against the Town’s Police Department by female Police Officer Kristin Stein, we wonder if he’s in the lawsuit as the figurehead Chief of the Department. Or, is it possible he condoned the behavior of his officers and in fact helped to create a hostile work environment for Officer Stein? Sixteen officers are named as defendants in the lawsuit: Brian Ryan, Robert Gramaglia, Kobie Powell, Brian Matthews, Frank Farina, Dennis Basulto, Eric Vlasity, Patrick Grady, Michael Cookingham, Alex Rodriguez, Brian Doherty, Dyana Albano, Frank Kozakiewicz, Jeff Cerone, John Pilla and Chief McNerney.

The allegations in Stein’s lawsuit include a sexual assault from a 2019 incident in the Greenburgh Police headquarters where Officer Stein was learning over a table to collect pamphlets when Police Officer Jeff Cerone, “grinded against her rear, rammed himself into her backside with his genitals, then threw her towards the middle of the room”, according to the lawsuit.

Several Greenburgh police officers were caught on a body cam recording laughing after the alleged sexual assault took place, but it does not show the actions of Cerone. One officer that was not laughing was Kristin Stein’s brother, who was also a Greenburgh police officer, and was in the room. The body cam was from police officer John Pilla, who had mistakenly turned it on during roll call.

Numerous other incidents of inappropriate texts, comments, sexual jokes, remarks, sexual solicitations, negative work assignments, silent treatment, uninvited sexual attention, displaying pornographic photos, are all alleged in the suit, filed in Federal Court in White Plains this summer.

It’s hard to know just how extensive or pervasive this unacceptable behavior is in the Greenburgh Police Department and why Officer Stein was a) the target of it and b) never apparently able to get satisfaction regarding her claims of harassment? We do know that whatever has taken place may come out in a trial if it gets to that point. We also know that Greenburgh Town Hall has its own issues that have been swept under the rug or ignored time and time again. We know that the Board of Ethics, an impotent Board without power and only advisory capabilities, lacks its own ethical compass as a pseudo subservient group only capable of making suggestions to it’s overlord, the Town Board. Ironically, even blatant violations and unethical behavior gets a pass.

Now that this lawsuit has gotten publicity and has been “outed,” and the Town Board received the notice from Chief McNerney that he’s leaving, what other changes might we see? Obviously Chief McNerney, who apparently never had plans to stay in Greenburgh and just returned for the money, may still be called to testify and in fact even be prosecuted should this case go to court. And, what of the other accused offenders in the police department? We were initially concerned about what would happen to the other Officer Stein, Kristin Stein’s brother, but learned he has since left the Greenburgh Police Department. It’s disturbing to learn of the expanse of the Police Department’s dirty laundry. We certainly hope a special prosecutor is appointed to get to the bottom of what may have transpired. But if history has taught us anything in the Town of Greenburgh, it’ll probably be swept under the proverbial rug. We hope not. It’s the only way we’ll get A Better Greenburgh.

Trunk or Treat Event

We Applaud WP Common Council’s Decision to Reject Platinum Mile Plan

Mr Feiner apparently doesn’t have a stand-alone stranglehold on spot zoning and bad decisions for development in our Town. Neighboring White Plains, a city – therein a significant difference – had a request from Senlac Ridge Partners to tear down an office building at 701 Westchester Avenue and build a five story, 360-unit apartment building. The overall presumed goal is to repurpose what had been a vibrant office space known as part of the Platinum Mile into residential property, as business occupancy has dramatically declined over recent years.

Similarly, there was another proposal for a project also on Westchester Avenue for a mixed use development of 175 apartments at 70 Westchester Avenue, including the failed model of street level retail space, a restaurant and amazingly, a car dealership sales space - now that’s original. However, by throwing in all of the various zoning caveats, could they be seeking to throw in the kitchen sink should one (or more) of these fail to materialize and something else be needed in it’s place? And, while 11 of the 175 units will be subsidized (re: low income), these units will be purchased by the government (White Plains Affordable Housing Assistance Fund) to dole out as they see fit, changing the dynamic of the project.

By blanketing the area to fall under the White Plains’ Planned Campus Development District overlay, encompassing their Comprehensive Plan, several City Council trustees wisely voted to wait before taking a vote.

“The Common Council takes its responsibilities very seriously, one might say soberly,” Council Member Victoria Presser said. “We listen to our constituents, we review all the documents, we make site visits whenever we can, and we take the time to think through these matters because it is our job to make decisions for the benefit of the entire community.” Frankly, this sounds like the platitudes we’ve often heard from the Greenburgh Town Board regarding almost every development placed before them that one or more neighborhoods might be against or are questioning, followed by their phony “due diligence” speech.

“In this instance, it is to the benefit of the community that we deny this proposal,” Presser said. Truer words have not been spoken in many of our communities. Although, if you follow developments throughout the County, there have been several communities that have not given into developer’s wishes and tried to maintain the integrity of their communities. Don’t get the wrong idea. We believe property owners, whether new or established should be able to build . But that right to build should be tempered within the confines of the zoning. We also don’t believe “spot zoning” such as Mr Feiner and his Board routinely do, helps anyone but the developer. Sure, the Board will enact new zoning to enable the developer before them to proceed and then say that it applies Town-wide, covering their political hides.

It’s refreshing to see communities around us slowing the developer gravy train and seeking to really represent the taxpaying residents and established businesses. Progress doesn’t have to disregard neighborhoods, Comprehensive Plans (real ones, not political statements such as Greenburgh has), zoning and community inputs. If only we could get this in the Town. It’s how we’ll get A Better Greenburgh.