Duplicitous Meeting Obscures Truth - Again

To the uninitiated, when taxpayers receive a neighborhood invite from Mr Feiner, they think it’s something special. Such was the case on Saturday when they were invited to the former Multi-plex for a site visit and another meeting with all of the interested players seeking to build another ShopRite store in Westchester, this time in Greenburgh, known as North Elmsford. It will be directly across the street from Sam’s Club. The same diagrams that had been used back in June were regurgitated for this meeting. In fact, no changes had been made since the initial offering. The only difference this time is all of the players were willing to acknowledge what we had learned even before June, that this would be a new ShopRite supermarket.

One might wonder why ShopRite would want to build at this site? Location, location, location. Don’t be confused, it’s not a great location yet. It will take about two years or less depending on how much green-lighting they need from the Town Board once they take on Lead Agency status. ShopRite knows what we have been reporting for years. The Mt Pleasant portion of property adjacent to Greenburgh’s Northern Elmsford has discussions underway to be developed with numerous apartments, motel, etc., giving them a perfect position to cater to those families. Already existing residents will also benefit. We’re sure Mr Feiner had his hand in this offer as he traditionally is planning for projects several years into the future.

But here’s what doesn’t gel. Residents who participated with this site visit were told numerous things. In part, they heard Feiner-speak and the other part, code for done-deal. So the proposed ShopRite will be 75,711 square feet. Also proposed will be a yet-to-be-announced restaurant or retail business that will be 13,765 square feet in size. The proposal also includes an additional 3,000 square foot restaurant that should be close to the entrance/exit off of 9A. The 20,000 square foot multi-plex theater as well as the stores and bank will be demolished. When looking at the dimensional layout of the project, it’s been crafted to solely benefit the developer and ultimately, ShopRite, by moving the building closer to the Westchester Hills Condominiums and the Orchard Lane residents in the Beaver Hill community.

But this walk through was not about hearing the community residents’ concerns. Rather, it was the developer and Mr Feiner, along with his Town Board, and Commissioner Garrett Duquesne letting the residents know what they can expect with this project. There was nothing different this day from the previous meeting held in the Westchester Hills Condominium’s Rec Center room in June. Everyone here continued to say they had no objection to ShopRite coming into the space. What they all seemed united about was that they did not want an entrance/exit onto Old Country Road. They said an already dangerous area would be made worse by even more tractor-trailer and truck traffic as trucks currently use Old Country Road as a cut through to get to the businesses in the Executive Boulevard complex, which is zoned for light commercial businesses. Old Country Road, which currently prohibits commercial traffic, is the only access/exit road for the Westchester Hills Condominium complex.

The developer’s plans call for major working of the property’s grade from what it is now to a more leveled one. The excuse given was that the zoning requires it and they also wanted to control runaway shopping carts. That was almost laughable. Mr Feiner, his Town Board, and/or his hand-picked Planning and Zoning Boards give out zoning variances like candy at Halloween. Some recent projects where this was done was on Old Colony Road for steep slope; Brightview Assisted Living for setbacks; Deli Delicious for setbacks; Westhab for setbacks, building size; Shelbourne Assisted Living, with a 3,000% variance and setbacks; and on a Central Avenue office building at Ardsley Road and Central Park Avenue for setbacks, undersized building parking and structure heights.

In fact, every developer that pre-meets with Mr Feiner privately before they submit plans at a Town Board work session already know what few obstacles they may face. Regardless, this was a fake argument to make for this crowd because they don’t follow these Boards, nor understand that this deal is already underway. How do we know? Because everyone from the applicant’s side, Mr Feiner and Walter Simon, the Chair of the Planning Board said that once the Planning Board has the project on their agenda, residents can come and speak about it. This is interesting because the Planning Board doesn’t allow comments to be made.

So, looking at the unrevised site plans that everyone struggled to see because the presenters stood by the front of the building’s glass doors and windows with the bright sun blinding the crowd of about 50 or so people, we were shown how the trucks will be coming in and going on a two-way roadway on the perimeter of the property. They will head northward, making a right-hand curved turn toward the rear of the building, pulling past the rear loading docks with their tractor-trailer trucks and then backing into the loading dock proper. Once unloading is completed, the trucks will pull out onto Old Country Road. The unchanged site plans also allow the tractor-trailers to enter from the proposed Old Country Road entrance. An unmentioned aside is that the condominiums are built on what used to be marshland. The piping for the condominium’s storm water, waste, etc., were not built for truck traffic, but for residential vehicles. Let’s not forget that there have been numerous shifts in that entire complex and Old Country Road itself as settling and sinking still occurs.

We see no reason that the developer cannot make adjustments to their plans to be a good neighbor with the three existing residential surrounding this property. Instead, they’ve dug their heels in and continued with the phony slope argument. The Town is famous for allowing steep slope variances and could do so here. The trucks can continue around the building and come down the south side of the drive and exit at the same light that they enter. This isn’t rocket science and in this day and age, computers are doing the reworking once new coordinates are put into the developer’s CAD system. The next step in this scam would have been for Mr Feiner to offer to help create a neighborhood committee so they can meet with a few neighbors to discuss this. He prefers this angle as he likes to try to talk to one or two people at a time to sway their opinion. But since he didn’t offer this, it proves our “done-deal” theory.

This may not be the right project for this property. On a much smaller level, when people are looking to purchase a home, they shop and look at numerous properties before making a decision. Frankly, if there’s something they don’t like, the driveway is too long or too small, or, they don’t like the schools, or the area floods, whatever the reason, you walk away. Will ShopRite walk away? Maybe they desire this property enough to work with the neighbors, maybe not. Another one of Mr Feiner’s ploys is trying to coerce neighborhoods to accept what he wants by saying you don’t know what else might come in here. It could be a methadone clinic or a homeless hotel. It doesn’t have to be if he stuck to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.

We don’t have to accept this either. You can keep pressure on him, his Town Board and yes, ShopRite. You’re entitled to have a good quality of life and what you want, just as they can want what they want. The difference is that we live here – they are outsiders looking for us to give into their pressure. We’re convinced that this not a good deal as it stands. Let them come back to the Town and its residents with an reworked proposal and see if there can be a compromise. It’s what will make for A Better Greenburgh.

Counterpoint To Year In Review, Part 2

Each year Mr Feiner sends out his list of “accomplishments”. Since Mr Feiner has a difficult time with facts and truthfulness (he was convicted for lying under oath) ABG posts the other side of those same “accomplishments”. This is part 2, our responses are in blue.

31. Painted water tanks--addressing infrastructure concerns.  Others will be done also.

Maintenance is typically ignored by this administration, so it was surprising and possibly more costly because it had been ignored for so long. Sadly, Mr Feiner is bragging about something that was long overdue.

32. Opened new dreamcourt basketball court at Old Tarrytown Road Park.

It’s a basketball court.

33. 3,400 LED street lights installed - to cut streetlight energy usage by 61%.

The cost of this energy savings was over $600,000. The return-on-investment was never mentioned. While the Town may save 61% (there is no substantiation of this number), it may have been better to phase these in as existing fixtures and bulbs failed.

34. Greenburgh Shopping Center on Knollwood Road improves striping in their existing parking lot.

This effort was brought up by, carried by and seen through fruition by the Council of Greenburgh Civic Association after they pointed out many illegal aspects of what had been done to the lot by the owners without the proper permit and approvals processes performed by the Town. It’s amazing that the building department, whom we're told is woefully overwhelmed with work, was able to stumble upon a Fulton Park resident’s minor construction but missed an entire shopping center's parking lot renovation. The Fulton Park resident had the charges against her dismissed in court.

35. 11 year old reporters from Greenburgh Xposure have their own radio program.

The Exposure program is not a Town run program.

36. Our Greenburgh Police Department is first law enforcement agency in the county that committed to outfitting each patrol officer with their own individual body camera.

The Town’s Police Department is among the best there is. We believe it can only have a positive outcome.

37. Organizing a new initiative: musicians to perform for homebound elderly.

Please focus on infrastructure, lowering taxes, have more police on patrol and stop with the publicity stunts. There are plenty of people already doing this.

38. Proposal submitted to lease former Scarsdale A&P to a 24 hour fitness facility on Central Ave.  Application is before the Planning Board.  Hyundai car dealership approved and opens on Central Ave.--first new dealership since we approved the use on Central Avenue.

While approving the use of Central Avenue for car dealerships, the new taxes levied on gas stations has forced the closure of two long-time service stations as their profit margin on gasoline was pennies. As far as the Feiner administration is concerned, this was never about helping businesses that have been in the Town for years, paying taxes and helping the Town.

39. Town Board adopts law that will enable the town to close down illegal massage businesses that employ unlicensed masseuses.  A lawsuit filed against the town in NYS Supreme Court was dismissed.

While enacting this law, originally written by Edgemont resident and former Town Supervisor candidate Robert Bernstein, the Town attorney watered it down and diminished its viability. It also has not been put into practice in over a year.

40. Town Board approved parking on East Hartsdale Ave. during winter months, with exception of snow emergencies.

The Town Board has repeatedly said that enacting special parking permits that are not useable Town-wide was illegal. What changed? Actually, nothing. This appears to be selective governing based on what's popular at the time.

41. Discussions with community - new possible look in 2017 for Manhattan Avenue: trees and islands in middle of road to reduce speeding and make the avenue look more like a boulevard.

It’s interesting that the same neighborhoods receive an inordinate amount of attention, focus, money and renovations while others cannot even get sidewalks to keep pedestrians safe.

42. We plan to repair indoor pool at the Theodore Young Community Center.  An attractive new roof will be constructed on the building in 2017- providing pool patrons with natural light.

While we enjoy the TYCC and appreciate that things need to be repaired, recent years have witnessed a lot of spending on what seems to be the same things over and over again. Perhaps low-bid and the Town running these projects isn’t providing us with the best results.

43. Working with Westchester County Association- pushing for high speed broadband gigabit service that is 14 times faster than current service.

We still are at a loss as to how and why the Town needs to be doing this.

44. Trader Joe's to expand on Central Avenue.  A compromise was reached with some members of the community.  No driveway will be built at North Washington Avenue.  Expansion of a medical office building near Best Buy approved.

There was no compromise. Mr Feiner caved into the developer's wishes after appearing to be concerned about the area residents complaining about the added traffic that would bombard their neighborhoods once residential roads were opened up. 

45. Town Board appointed new Town Comptroller, Roberta Romano, after former Comptroller retired.

Congratulations.

46. Former Commissioner Bill Carter, who led the Theodore Young Community Center, passed.  Former Deputy Commissioner Andre Early appointed as new commissioner.  Steve Fraietta appointed as Building Inspector after John Lucido retired.

Congratulations.

47. Town Board approves creation of a Beautification Committee for East Hartsdale Avenue.

The Beautification Committee is not a paid position(s) and may result in a positive impact to the area.

48. Town Board appoints additional members to the newly formed Human Rights Committee.

There is a redundancy here that simply doesn’t need to exist since there are County, State and Federal Human Rights Commissions already. This is a politically calculated move only.

49. Greenburgh Police Department holds our first annual successful National Night Out at Town Hall, a wonderful police-community event.

Congratulations.

50. Board approves resolution against SPECTRA AIM pipeline 105 feet from Indian point Nuclear Facility.

This is a useless and empty political effort that will bear nothing for the Town. 

51. Town obtains $225,000 grant from the New NY Bridge Community Benefits Program and used it to purchase a new rescue vehicle.

What is this new rescue vehicle replacing? If it’s not replacing a vehicle, it means there is an added cost to stock, equip and maintain it. How is all of that being paid for?

52. Town received a $55,000 grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services for a new SWAT vehicle that was purchased.

Mr Feiner is being disingenuous by claiming the area fire districts are over-taxing residents and wasting their money, while he is not. The County Police maintain a SWAT team that the Town could use at no cost to them when needed. And, the County also maintains a Hazardous Materials Response Team and a Technical Rescue Response Team that also costs nothing to utilize – yet the Town pays for this duplication of services and Mr Feiner condones it by allowing this overtime generator to continue.

53. Town received a grant of $15,880 from the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, to train our officers in the specialized area of Elder Abuse.

This seems like a good thing. 

54. Greenburgh Housing Authority plans to build affordable 62+ senior housing on Manhattan Avenue that will have no impact on local school district. 

The reality is that the Greenburgh Housing Authority's plans to build affordable senior housing is simply to replace it. So, unlike the artfully worded sentence, this is not an addition in housing units.

55. Hartsdale Parking District created pay stations at two sites, a convenience for motorists.  The district is looking at alternative ways for users to pay metered parking rates.  (Some parking authorities let people pay by phone.)  District is independent of town government.

First, why comment on something that is independent of the Town? Second, having the pay stations requires less maintenance and labor to collect money from separate meters.

56. Greenburgh Nature Center became the first nature center in Westchester to achieve the green best business practices certification. The Nature Center worked in partnership with the Edgemont School Foundation and Moses Feldman Family Foundation to implement a materials management/recycling/food waste composting program at the school district’s three campuses. The Nature Center, with the support from the St. Faith’s Foundation, delivered over 150 programs to students at R.J. Bailey.  And sponsored an indoor exhibit (with support from Con Ed) “A Forest’s Life” to highlight the importance of forests for maintaining the health of our environment.

The Greenburgh Nature Center is an independent organization that rents the space from the Town and is merely a tenant. What they do and the programs they run is up to them and not controlled by Mr Feiner.

57. The Greenburgh Nature Center - with the generous support of Cathy Capasso and Steve Sprague, constructed a Native American longhouse and wigwam, to support a new and exciting education platform, The Native American Experience.

See #56.

58. The Nature Center continued the development of our Native Plant Meadow and completed construction of a uniquely designed Butterfly Arbor, which sets the natural stage for our yearly Butterfly Exhibit.

 See #56.

59. One of the most successful Summer Jazz Series to date sponsored by the Department of Community Resources named for William L. Carter featuring Grammy award winning and local artists that entertained record attending music enthusiasts.

 These were good and honoring Bill Carter was as well.

Counterpoint To Year In Review, Part 1

Each year Mr Feiner sends out his list of “accomplishments”. Since Mr Feiner has a difficult time with facts and truthfulness (he was convicted for lying under oath) ABG posts the other side of those same “accomplishments”. Our responses are in blue.

1. Finally, after years of controversy, the Frank’s nursery property that the town acquired via foreclosure is being sold to a developer—with community support!  A 101 unit 115 bed assisted living facility will be built at the site on Dobbs Ferry Road.  The developer agreed to offer ten affordable units to Greenburgh residents at a 20% discount!  Assisted living facilities are expensive.  We are pleased some units will be more affordable.

After years of controversy indeed! The controversy was created by Mr Feiner and his Board when they attempted to violate County and State law by gifting the property to his friends from GameOn 365 for much less money than it was worth instead of selling it as required by law! The surrounding neighborhoods were incensed, organized and fought this injustice. By law, a municipality cannot be a landlord and must sell any properties they receive through foreclosure. Convicted of discrimination, lying under oath, destroying evidence and more in the Fortress Bible Discrimination Lawsuit, Mr Feiner is no stranger to violating the law.

2. We installed solar panels at Town Hall and expect to save $622,000 over a 30 year period.

What he doesn’t state is why the payback will take so long and how he came up with that number? Like most of his numbers, he always overpromises and under-performs.

3. We dedicated a beautiful new park at DeSanti Plaza on East Hartsdale Ave in honor of our veterans.  A great enhancement –a terrific first impression of Greenburgh & Hartsdale.  150 half hour interviews with veterans can be viewed on demand by accessing www.greenburghpublicaccess.com.

Beauty is in the eye of the holder. Most who have seen this “park” have compared its stone monument to an unattractive tombstone and claimed it is not a monument.

4. Installation of 103 additional ADA-compliant curb ramps around the Town, making sidewalks more accessible.

Had these not been required by law, we're sure these would not have been installed.

5. More sidewalks are being built around town: Seely Place (almost done) in Edgemont, Fort Hill Road (work started), Sprain Road (work started), Benedict Ave. (work to start soon).

Much more funding exists for sidewalks that could be built throughout the Town. Unfortunately, Mr Feiner has only finally applied for some of this money because of the Edgemont threat of incorporation and has to at least appear concerned about that community. Should Edgemont incorporate, a major portion of the Town tax revenue would disappear. Given the high costs to taxpayers of Mr Feiner's lawsuits during his 24-year tenure, the Town needs all the income we can get!

6. Town Board complies with tax cap in approving 2017 budget.  The Town Board has complied with the tax cap every year since the cap was implemented.

While technically correct, the NYS 2% Tax Cap is exempt from many aspects of the budget and is not truly a 2% cap. Regardless, the Town Board can go beyond or exceed the tax cap by a majority vote at a Town Board meeting without having their feet held to the fire.

7. We obtained CDBG funding for a sidewalk on Secor Road near the Greenburgh Housing Authority development.  Pushing for private funding for a sidewalk near the Community College on Knollwood Road and Grasslands Road.  Applied for grants to build more sidewalks on Central Avenue.

 All good. Why did it take so long to start applying for these grant monies? See #5.

8.  From April 2016 through November 2016 the Town paved approximately 12.46 miles of Town Roadway.

Paving our streets is but one of the functions of government and we should be seeing all of our streets repaved as part of an infrastructure planning schedule.

9.  Received the Automobile Club of the Northeast’s highest award - one given to only four communities in the northeast for our proactive efforts promoting pedestrian safety: digital radar speed signs, using message boards, more enforcement, promoting motorcycle safety, analyzing traffic locations that need safety improvements.  We are organizing a new effort - encouraging pedestrians to wear bright clothing in the evening.  Have been distributing free reflector arm bands so motorists can see pedestrians walking.

Should we be rated for spending money on signs advertising a lack of police presence or should we have more police on patrol? Of course, we want to see more officers on the road addressing speeding, inappropriate vehicles driving through our residential neighborhoods, illegal housing and controlling our safety through enforcement. The police department's new traffic control officer is not addressing speeding on many of the streets known to host speeding. This needs to change as residential speeders know there is no longer any enforcement and no consequence for breaking the law. Wearing wristbands and bright clothing are smart, time-proven ideas. So are sidewalks and the safety they provide by getting pedestrians off of our dangerous streets.

10. Our first annual new residents’ reception and pool party at the Theodore Young Community Center resulted in an opportunity to highlight some outstanding programs and resulted in new enrollments.

The new residents’ reception is a good idea but the rest is nothing but blatant and shameful campaigning.

11. Moody's and Standard & Poor's both reaffirming town's Aaa and AAA bond rating --the highest rating a government can receive. Our bond ratings have gone up a few times during my administration and results in six figure savings when we borrow.  We have continuously received the highest ratings since 2008.  Moody’s based their ratings on our “sound financial position with strong fiscal management, low debt profile, and manageable pension liability.”

What this really means is Mr Feiner has no problem dipping into taxpayer pocketbooks whenever he has been found guilty and needs to pay a fine. Moody's gives him that bravado.

12. Progress with county on WestHELP to convert WestHELP into 54 affordable 62+ senior housing units.

Mr Feiner was the one who did not renew the contract with the County for WestHelp which provided $1.2 million a year to the Town He is the one who instructed Town employees to leave the facility open furthering its ruination so he could use the property for political leverage and try to tear it down and “hawk” it as the future site of a handicapped facility for a school in Yonkers looking for a new location. Not only did that plan fall through for legal reasons, but as Mr Feiner continued to be in violation of the contractual terms in place, the County has decided to take back control of the property, losing $1.2 million a year in revenue!

13. Building Department initiated plans to demolish an abandoned hazardous home on Teramar Way and is inspecting other abandoned properties.

This goes back numerous years. Why does the Town continue to ignore their fiduciary responsibilities as well as the safety side by ignoring their responsibility to the taxpayers?

14. Comprehensive plan approved---first in town history.  Will include more town-school partnerships in land use reviews.

This is not the Town’s first Comprehensive Plan. Regardless, the Comprehensive Plan could have been a document that truly created a vision for the Town’s future. Instead, the majority of the Steering Committee chose to make a political statement with it and squandered a tremendous opportunity for the future of our Town. Instead, it perpetuates the zoning quagmire that Mr Feiner relies on to do his spot-zoning.

15. Regeneron plans a 1,016,190 sq. ft. expansion-- nine new research and development buildings, consistent with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.  Greenburgh is becoming the center of biotechnology in New York State.  Expansion will generate jobs and significant revenue for the town.  TIME MAGAZINE named Tarrytown/Greenburgh bio tech corridor as the "40TH MOST GENIUS PLACE IN AMERICA."

While Regeneron will generate jobs, Mr Feiner and his Board ignore the fact that a lot of the property in the Greenburgh side will be 9 buildings and 5 parking structures of impervious space, adding to the flooding downstream in Elmsford and the 9A corridor. Time magazine, no longer a substantive periodical, can call it whatever it likes. It just doesn't mean it’s true.

16. Greenburgh and 19 other localities in Westchester signed an agreement to purchase electric power in bulk fromWestchesterpower.org.  During the first six months every ratepayer saved some $$ money!

There were several problems with this deal made by Mr Feiner without taxpayer input. First, he took it upon himself to enroll every taxpayer of the Town into this program – without their permission! Second, he continually stated that taxpayers would save between $400 to $600 a year. Actual math, obviously not Mr Feiner's favorite subject, has shown that most taxpayers have only saved about $30 at most while he claims “every ratepayer saved some $$ money”. Third, the original deal promised by Mr Feiner was for electricity and gas. When the final deal was made, it was only for electricity transmission! Finally, he made this deal with Westchesterpower.org, a paper company of investment lawyers creating a template with Greenburgh so they could roll-out their program nationwide. This startup, not for profit will change to a for-profit company once their experiment in Greenburgh is completed.

17. Town turned over land previously used by Pets Alive over to Paws Crossed – a no kill animal shelter – which opened up last summer.

The Town's Building Department condemned the facility, stating it was too dangerous to occupy. Then, after much publicity, which ABG believes was the entire purpose of this; the building was miraculously habitable once again.

18. Judge signs order turning over to town 60 properties that haven't paid taxes.  In 2013 over 370 parcels representing $19.9 million in delinquent taxes was on the books.  We reduced the amount of delinquent taxes by almost $13 million.

The Council of Greenburgh Civic Associations has been urging the Town leaders for years to initiate foreclosure proceedings against delinquent taxpayers. Finally, we are seeing some action. What has been done with the 60 properties since the Town took possession? Until disposed of, they will continue to receive Town services - garbage pickup etc., costing the taxpayers thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

19. Governor signed into law legislation approved by NY State Legislature authorizing the town to phase in assessment increases for tax purposes for property taxpayers whose assessments increased by more than 25% as a result of reassessment.  This new law, which Greenburgh was the first to adopt in NYS, will ease the impacts of reassessment for about 1000 households.  Most of the villages are in the process of adopting the town's tax rolls, reducing duplication (previously they had their own assessor).  This is the first reassessment in over 60 years.

It is the first reassessment in over 60 years. The last 24 of them were during Mr Feiner’s tenure. We’d like to know why he waited so long? Had he done the revaluation sooner, the lopsidedness of increases and even decreases would not have been so severe. Plus, the people who were overpaying are being further penalized while Mr Feiner tries to appease those who got clobbered by his 24-years of inaction by making them wait even longer to get their over-taxation corrected.

20. Created a new committee to help recent college graduates who can't find work find employment.

It is sad that there are no employment agencies located in our area. It’s also sad that after spending a ton of money for schooling that these colleges don’t offer any kind of placement assistance. Oh wait, they do and there are employment agencies in the area. If you have a degree in a viable subject and are flexible, you will probably find a job – with or without Mr Feiner’s assistance.




21. Southern Westchester BOCES agreed to help the town restore the 911 wall (1600 murals on Central Avenue).  They are providing the town with recommendations.

Too bad the job wasn't done correctly the first time or the second time by the professionals Mr Feiner swore would fix this. This is another example of Mr Feiner going to non-paid interns for solutions when he has none. It also allows him beau coup publicity campaigning to tout the wonderful work they are doing, regardless of how successful they are.

22. Created a new committee to promote motorcycle safety.

This seems like something the Police Department should be doing, not Town Hall.

23. Treated Crane's pond and it worked--not a lot of algae.  We installed a second water fountain.

The same answer as it relates to Edgemont in #5 applies here.






24. Added new pavilion at Anthony Veteran Park.

There may be a need for more shaded areas there.

25. The former Greenburgh Health Center on Route 119 will be demolished.  Construction of a new 15,000 sq. ft. retail building with related site improvements/landscaping to take place.  Building will be occupied by Harbor Freight Tools.  Joyce Leslie building at 250 Tarrytown Road undergoing enhancements.

While we welcome Harbor Freight coming into Greenburgh, the Town has made starting and opening a business so costly with regulations and fees that small retail businesses are few and far between. It's why we are only seeing big box and chain stores come to Town. And yet, we still hear the administration saying they’re business friendly.

26. Installed new spray pad at Massaro Park in North Elmsford.

This is a minor park improvement, however the security cameras Mr Feiner repeatedly promised and postured about to the civic association there have never materialized.

27. William L. Carter Foundation gave 4 scholarships to worthy students...offered student musicians a free summer jazz clinic...started a mentoring program and took young people to Madison Square Garden.

Kudos to the William L. Carter Foundation.

28. Enrollment in Greenburgh Central has gone up due to improved reputation of the school district.

The enrollment, whether increasing or not, is not quantifiable as no breakdowns were provided. Enrollments in area private and parochial schools are also up.

29. Westchester County Parks Foundation implementing a suggestion I made last year to organize a graffiti busters initiative.
While anyone can make suggestions to anyone else, we'd prefer Mr Feiner work on cleaning up the graffiti throughout our Town. 


30. Controversial Jefferson application near the Village of Ardsley was withdrawn.  Residents were very concerned about the impact the proposed 272 rental apartment complex would have had on the local school district and traffic.

This is misleading as it was the Ardsley residents who organized the protest that they took to the Town Board after proposals were made that caused it to be withdrawn. In fact, in an unprecedented move, the Ardsley Mayor and several trustees spoke against 
the project along with the Ardsley residents. Mr Feiner and Ms Juettner were against the project because it was in their backyard. Can you say NIMBY?


The Town's Largess Is Costing All of Us

There are several bulk mailing rates that the Town uses for their snail-mail mailings. One piece of mail in a business envelope goes for $.23; another goes for $.46.5. This costs all tax payers a lot of money during the course of a year each time a mailing is done. Why are these mailings done and why so often you may ask? Simply, it’s politics. It’s a cost free way for Mr Feiner, albeit the Town Board, to campaign without using his/their own money, campaign funds or donations. As long as it can be done under the pretext of providing information to the public, there are no campaign finance laws broken nor are any election bank accounts emptied, drained or depleted.

When there is an issue Mr Feiner wishes to promote, you might receive almost daily mailings arriving to you at either rate. We witnessed this numerous times in the past. One recent proposal has been Mr Feiner’s push for the ill-conceived and zoning deficient assisted living facility by the Formation Shelbourne organization where the current Sprainbrook Nursery sits. They are seeking to build a four-story, 94-bed facility on less than four acres of property and roughly 6,000 feet from a County of State right-of-way roadway – requirements under the two-year old zoning law recently adopted by Mr Feiner and his Town Board.

Mr Feiner has taken to endorsing projects that are primarily commercial by nature, regardless of whether they are built in a commercial or residentially zoned area. There are several examples that come to mind. The first was Westhab which he suggested to then County Legislator Lois Bronz be built on the former Kings Inn Motel site in Fulton Park. That was a transition parcel of land that was zoned half commercial and half residential.  But he didn’t care about zoning. By making the Town Board the lead agency for the project, they were able to disregard any and all legal standings previously maintained and allowed building to proceed. Mailings were done throughout the Town seeking support of this project. People sympathetic to Mr Feiner in the neighborhood also received these mailings. The rest did not. However, the multiple mailings cost us a significant chuck of money. Shouldn’t the Supervisor remain neutral about any projects?

Another project was the GameOn 365 proposal in the former Frank’s Nursery property on Dobbs Ferry Road. Emails acquired under the Freedom of Information Law confirmed Mr Feiner promised in private meetings with the GameOn 365 principals that he’d push the project through. When the area neighborhoods learned of the proposal, they revived their civic association to fight the 8-story sports bubble Mr Feiner felt was okay to build in this residential neighborhood. You see, the zoning had been allowed for a commercial establishment years ago. When Frank’s Nursery defaulted on the mortgage, they went into foreclosure and the Town acquired the property. Instead of selling it within the first 6-months of acquisition, as required by County and State law, Mr Feiner decided to hold onto it. Consequently, the zoning for the land reverted back to residential zoning. Had he not begun playing politics with the property and simply sold it, it would have been “grandfathered” to remain commercial. Not only were there multiple mailings supporting this project, he did separate mailings about holding a referendum, poorly written by his administration, in hopes of getting a passing vote. It worked but he ultimately lost because all of the neighborhoods stood united to only have residential housing built there. There were so many mailings for this project it’s actually hard to tally it all up.

Next up was the Brightview Assisted Living facility at Rt 119 and Benedict Avenue in the Glenville section of Unincorporated Greenburgh. This small tight knit neighborhood would soon be overwhelmed with a building that a) doesn’t fit the neighborhood; b) looms over Rt 119 and the beginning of Benedict Avenue; c) does not allow the average Greenburgh senior citizen on Medicare to live there; and d) could wind up following suit as so many other assisted living facilities and go bankrupt and need to repurpose itself into a condominium or co-operative apartment. Could this entire assisted living facility be a pretense to build an assisted living facility where apartment buildings would not be allowed due to zoning? We don’t know but wonder. There were numerous mailings from the Supervisor pushing the Brightview project. All we wonder is at what cost was all of this done and why was the Supervisor so invested in promoting it?

Beyond the major projects such as mentioned above, and there are more, he goes out of his way to do mailings vis-à-vis advertising for private companies and corporations. The latest recipient of Mr Feiner’s largess is the Hartsdale Kumon Center. While this may be a terrific business doing great work with kids needing additional help with their schoolwork for a fee, it is not the job of the Town to do a mailing or advertising blitz throughout the Town for private, for profit businesses. At $.46 per piece mailed, this is an unnecessary expense for taxpayers to bear and must stop. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

It Needn't Take Eight Years

Whether you call it a Comprehensive Plan, a Master Plan or something else, it’s an idea whose time is long overdue for our Town. In Greenburgh, a Comprehensive Plan already exists that was created numerous years ago by many forward thinking leaders. Most residents don’t know of it because Mr Feiner and his Board have allowed pretty much any design or proposal to be built, regardless of whether it blended with the surrounding area or not. However, eight years ago an effort was undertaken to create a new Comprehensive Plan for the Town, citing a need for a plan for the Town’s future.

Many residents, including ABG and the G10 favored this idea. But we favored it for more selfish reasons. We wanted a Comprehensive Plan in place to slow Mr Feiner and his Board’s spot-zoning explosions throughout Unincorporated Greenburgh. You see, when there is a Comprehensive Plan for a Town or Village, it makes rezoning more difficult to do according to NYS law and sets some ground rules in place that must be followed. The ground rules in Greenburgh are pretty much “anything goes” and it shows.

In Fulton Park, for example, Mr Feiner championed the Westhab low-income apartment building that has been referred to by most who see it as The Gulag, a hideously designed building mostly of exterior grey slabs that add no warmth, feeling of neighborhood or community to it and stands out like a sore thumb. It reminds many of the drab Russian buildings seen in the 1960’s and 1970’s, hence the name, The Gulag. In fact, residents were ignored when they asked for a more attractive and conducive structure to be built, being told it was patterned after area buildings, specifically the old Nynex phone company building across the street. Even it, designed and built in the 1950’s shows more character. Now that it is being leased to the County for DSS services, it will never be given a fresh look.

Another example is the Greenburgh Library, often referred to as “The Ski Slope”, an apparently award-winning design. But that matters little after the lead agency approved it and then tried to cut corners. Who was the lead agency? Mr Feiner and his Board, of course. And, they approved the design even after Mr Feiner said he didn’t like it – he was hedging his bets and was “playing” the public by doing his typical rope-a-dope, “I like it, I don’t like it.” While the old library offered more space and utilization even though it may not have won any awards, there were immediate issues with the new addition, overseen by Mr Feiner and his Town Board sans planning, building or construction experience.

The thermal heat pump HVAC system that was supposed to be put on the south side of the building where the drive and employee parking is, was not put there because the lead agency didn’t do their due diligence, their homework, or ask the correct questions of the plans. Had they correctly followed the process they often brag about, they might have learned that moving it to the other side of the building – which they authorized – and only going half as deep as they needed, would prove ineffective and be a waste of time, money and resources. Other issues continue to plague this facility: leaks in the roof, failed boilers for heat, inadequate and failed air conditioning units, lack of community room space, frozen sprinklers and leaks every year and more. Is it any wonder the Library was unable to stay open on weekends several years ago?

At the last Town Board meeting, another hearing for the proposed Comprehensive Plan was on the agenda. The watered-down and almost ineffectual newly proposed Comprehensive Plan was more proof that this has been shaped into a political agenda and wreaked of a lack of open government from 177 Hillside Avenue. Town Councilman Francis Sheehan and then Planning Commissioner Thomas Madden were leading this project. Members from different Boards were also members of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. You must keep in mind that all Board members for Building, Zoning, Planning and others are appointed positions by Mr Feiner and ratified by his Board. All of those Board members know they must tow the Feiner-line or risk being “Sonya’d”. So the shapes of these Boards along with their decisions are easily influenced and results had by Mr Feiner. His Board just knows to go along or be jettisoned in the next election.

Speaker after speaker as well as community leaders all bemoaned the changing of so many sections and how the document no longer reflected the will of the people who were given several opportunities to not only provide initial creation input, but to review various iterations of it at 5 road-show meetings. The people were clear. They wanted more green space, less traffic, smaller buildings, bike and walking paths and cohesive designs so buildings create a beautiful community, not a disjointed, ad hoc corridor of competing designs. Why did the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee summarily dismiss the will of the people? ABG staffers believe Mr Feiner told those he controls that it was what he wanted. Why do we think this? Because almost every time Mr Sheehan would report at a Town Board meeting that the committee was wrapping up its proposal for public consumption, Mr Feiner would throw another task at them that would delay them, sometimes for more than a year! He does not want a Comprehensive Plan because it will stunt his ability to help his developer friends.

Eight years is a long time for any committee to exist and not provide any substantive and positive conclusions. In fact, in Pleasantville, they are undertaking the updating of their Master Plan for themselves. Smartly, they have hired BFJ Planning to assist them with this undertaking and are already making headway. Their existing plan dates back to 1995 and they thought it time to refresh it as they have so little developable space left. One resident said he favored seeing more retail space in the center of the Village and a green gathering space instead of parking spaces. Obviously, he doesn’t get it. If you have retail, a) you must accommodate parking as to attract shoppers; b) short of restaurants, nail salons, pizza parlors and such, how much “downtown” shopping would be generated?; c) with current taxes, vis-à-vis rents, what kind of retail operation can afford to maintain their business especially if there is limited parking? Sadly, the retail they will get is limited mostly to large retail chains that small Towns and Villages seem to resist.

Having a plan for almost anything is a good idea. Undertaking such an intensive project is not for the faint of heart. The Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee took on a big task. They got sidetracked with city development planning terms like “charrettes” and “nodes” thanks to Thomas Madden and perhaps others. They wasted time on Climate Change when they could have used one line to say, “they would strive to have developers and the Town participate in the most ecologically sound practices to preserve our resources and environments.” In fact, the Town Board adopted LEEDS certification requirements that they never enforce that could work toward that end. The committee watered down other areas, which would allow extremely loose interpretation on zoning change requests by developers, giving Mr Feiner the carte blanche he currently has with spot-zoning changes he wishes to make.

The Greenburgh Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee needs to ask for a “time-out” and go back to the drawing board and construct a plan that is actually forward-thinking for the future and does not just explain what we currently have. This golden opportunity missed can still be salvaged. If the pressure from the corner office is too great, perhaps it’s time for a change in the committee and especially at Town Hall. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.

Sustainable Westchester Executive Director Out

In 2014, a town resident, filed a Freedom Of Information Law (FOIL) request for the Town’s GBList. The GBList is the Town of Greenburgh’s E-Mail list that Mr Feiner and his Board use at their discretion for whatever they deem appropriate. The resident’s argument, made in court and agreed to by the courts with their verdict, found that the request to be able to tell “the other side” of the story that Mr Feiner was telling was a reasonable one. However, even after being told to turn over the coveted email list, he refused. The legal department scrambled and filed an appeal at the eleventh hour. So, now the resident is forced to wait even longer.

Mr Feiner has posted jobs that he learns about on a private site he maintains. Another way to garner email addresses is for those out of work people to sign up. He doesn’t screen the positions, he doesn’t get paid for sending candidates, qualified or not, and he doesn’t guarantee your success. What he does guarantee is the growth of his contact list, including email addresses! His real fear with releasing the GBList is that he will be called out when he says something that is not true - which at times is often.

In a recent “post” for a position, really a self-promotion campaign for name recognition, he sent out the position of Executive Director for Sustainable Westchester. Below is the opening portion of the blurb that goes with the job description. We’re not posting it because we don’t want your email information, and have no ulterior motive. If you think you are executive director material and the position may be for you, click on the link below and get the entire picture. 

Executive Director

Sustainable Westchester

Sustainable Westchester, a not-for-profit organization, is a membership-based consortium of municipalities that addresses critical sustainability concerns within Westchester County. Formed from the merger of the Northern and Southern Westchester Energy Action consortia in 2014, Sustainable Westchester’s membership has rapidly expanded to include the membership of virtually every municipality in Westchester County and now serves more than 900,000 residents.

The organization provides a forum for communities to share ideas, develop programs and procedures, and formulate effective responses to important sustainability-related opportunities. It convenes and provides support to individuals in member municipalities through volunteer-led Working Groups. Presently there are four Working Groups: Land Use/Transportation, Energy, Materials Management, and Water.  The Working Groups set the strategic direction for initiatives in these areas based on the needs and opportunities presented to the member municipalities.   Website: http://sustainablewestchester.org/

We’re not sure why the previous Executive Director of Sustainable is no longer in that position. Could it be that he didn’t move the process along quickly enough for their Board of Directors and they gave him “the boot”? It reminds us of Westhab in Fulton Park. Their Vice President of Real Estate had sealed the deal with Mr Feiner and his Board and then hit all kinds of roadblocks from the neighborhood associations when the neighborhood associations actually did better research on the zoning, covenants, etc., than Westhab did, causing an over two year delay and significant reduction in the size of their project! Could it also be that due to the delay, the lower cost of fossil fuels and the lack of return once proffered by ESCO’s that Sustainable Westchester is not the Golden Goose it once was thought to be? ABG thinks so.

Below is a letter written by the Mayor of Scarsdale that appeared in the latest edition of the Scarsdale Inquirer about questions surrounding Sustainable Westchester. There are other communities as well who did not drink the KoolAid and go along with this. Rather, they asked the hard questions, studied the facts and made an informed decision with their community. This is the way government should work. When it does so in our Town, we'll finally get A Better Greenburgh.