President’s Letter

Dear Neighbors,

The City’s draft Comprehensive Plan update, One White Plains, has raised serious concerns by many White Plains residents regarding a number of significant changes. It appears that the City Administration’s vision is to pursue strategies that would increase densities across the board and reshape zoning in the City’s traditional single-family neighborhoods. Some of these concerns are:

• The push for Manhattan-type density Downtown and whether the City’s infrastructure and services can accommodate this proposed density;
• The recommendation to permit attached housing on remaining large open spaces including the former Ridgeway Country Club property which would conflict with the historic character of the Gedney Farms neighborhood;
• Permitting attached cluster housing on acreages as small as 5 acres in existing neighborhoods of detached single-family housing;
• Permitting the extension of multi-family apartment buildings on campus-office zoned sites in the low-density southern end of the City. This would impact many properties like the former General Foods property on North Street, Bryant Avenue and properties in Rosedale along Mamaroneck Avenue.

The Gedney Board believes that these proposed modifications among others, will negatively impact the delicate balance of land uses in White Plains and result in a significantly altered character for the City. Other Associations have raised similar concerns and plan to voice their views at the Public Hearing to be held on Monday, February 5th at 7:30 PM at City Hall.

Please click here to review the Gedney Association’s letter to Mayor Roach regarding the draft plan. Your input in this matter is crucial. We urge you to attend the Hearing on February 5th, and if unable to be there, call or write to the members of the Common Council.

Regards,

John E. Sheehan
President

ONE White Plains Comprehensive Plan
Public Hearing – February 5th at 7:30pm

Location: Common Council Chambers, 255 Main Street, 2nd Floor

The Gedney Association’s Vision Statement on the One White Plains Comprehensive Plan

Pertaining to Gedney Farms:

• Preservation of low-density single-family zoning;
• Preservation of historic character of Gedney Farms;
• Encourage Open Space Preservation;
• Protection of Area Watercourses and Wetlands resources;
• Preserve natural areas that provide flood protection;
• Reduce cut-through traffic;
• Preserve R-30 single family zoning on golf course properties;
• Consider and manage flood risk; analyze properties at risk such as former FASNY property and other areas such as Gedney Park Drive.

Pertaining to South End of City:

• Protect low-density single-family zoning;
• Prohibit cut-through traffic on local streets;
• Prohibit multi-family apartments on existing low-density office parks;
• Limit retail to community related needs and limit to existing local retail centers;
• Maintain requisite fire and police services and consider future needs. 

Pertaining to City-Wide Issues:

• Protect the delicate balance between Downtown and surrounding single-family neighborhoods;
• Consider impacts and limits on City Infrastructure (i.e. schools, sewers, roads, traffic congestion, fire & police services and parks and recreation services);
• Return to lower height restrictions of residential and office properties in Downtown zoning;
• Limit multi-family housing to Downtown;
• Assess the decreasing role of retail facilities Downtown;
• An Open Space Plan should be a key component of a revised Master Plan;
• Examine the decline and changes of the office market downtown.

Annual Membership Dues via PayPal

As we approach the annual dues renewal period, we want to highlight a couple of important points. First, for the past 5 years, our dues have remained at $45. If you’ve used PayPal for over 5 years, your account might still show the old dues amount. Please check your PayPal settings to ensure your recurring payments are set at $45. Second, some might not be aware that PayPal automatically sets up recurring payments unless specified otherwise. This has resulted in some members unintentionally setting up multiple recurring payments. Please take a moment to review your PayPal account, and make sure PayPal aligns with your preferences. Your attention to these details is appreciated.

District Galleria Project

Mr. Louis Cappelli and his team recently provided an overview of the proposed development for the Galleria property during a presentation to the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA). To access detailed information from the presentation, including renderings and a two-minute video, please click here. Additionally, the District Galleria team invites all interested parties to share their thoughts by completing a questionnaire.