A Neighborhood of Dependency or Learning?

The French American School purchased 128 acres in White Plains to consolidate their campuses. Many thought it was a win-win for the school and the community as it would preserve much of the open space that was once the golf course of the Ridgeway Country Club. And yet, residents near Gedney Farms see it another way and are lobbying to prevent the school from making Ridgeway their new home. In a recent debate for the County Legislative 5th District’s seat, the topic came up. The three candidates danced around the issue without giving a firm answer. Aren’t you tired of politicians playing it safe and not giving answers? I know I am.

Terrence Guerriere, a real estate attorney and President of the Gedney Farms Association, recently voiced his concerns on a local radio show. Gedney Farms has about 1,400 residents who have enjoyed a relative quiet lifestyle due to their proximity to the golf course. Residents believe that 1,200 students, teachers, and administrators coming into their neighborhoods Monday through Fridays would change the character of their peaceful neighborhood. Really? In Fulton Park, which has seen homeless, ex-convicts and drug users dumped in our neighborhood for years. We’d love a school. I guess it’s all about perspective.

A more salient issue is that the former country club paid about $300,000 in property taxes to White Plains, and a tax-exempt school would not, causing White Plains residents to bear an even larger tax burden. The school would require infrastructure changes to sewers and roads and could increase the risk of flooding as much of the property is located on wetlands. Having just been flooded out myself (8ft of water in my basement), the infrastructure proposals are probably inadequate. The school would require an increase in services for sanitation, police and firemen. I disagree. There is only the need for police and fire if there is a crime and/or fire. The staffing of both are adequate to address anything that might happen at the school or its property. Sanitation would be provided for by a private carting service.

The French American School submitted plans for a $60 million, four-building complex to the city of White Plains this past May. If approved, they’d be consolidating three separate locations from Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Scarsdale into one, allowing K through 12th grade to all be in one location. Aren’t all our politicians clamoring for consolidation, whether it is viable or not? Here’s a start.

According to the school, “plans for the property would preserve over 60 acres of the site as permanent and publicly accessible open space; restore and enhance the natural conditions of the site; and improve the existing stormwater and drainage conditions of the property.  Less than five percent of the site will be covered by impervious surfaces.” However skeptical neighbors wonder who will bear the cost to maintain the 60 acres of open space and wetlands. There is nothing mentioned regarding increasing the ability of the infrastructure outside the property to be able to handle the additional drainage from the site. This is one of the most focused upon issue in our flooded neighborhood.

If not a school, what would Guerriere prefer to see on the site? “A golf course,” he replied. He claims that the White Plains Comprehensive Plan said that the best use of the property is a golf course, and if not, there should be single-family homes. According to Guerriere, the area is zoned for ¾ acre lots and since much of the property is wetlands only 30 homes could be built on the 128 acres. While I appreciate his position and want to agree, White Plains passed on the purchase of the land when they had the opportunity. I would be happy it’s a school moving in and not more subsidized housing? School is only open from 8AM to 3PM, and maybe 6-ish with extracurricular activities. Between holidays, summers off, and limited hours, its not a bad option considering what they could get.

In my town, Supervisor Paul Feiner has created neighborhoods of dependency and guaranteed votes at reelection time by committing lower social-econmic people to his largesse, while the rest of us must fund it! When a forty-eight unit subsidized housing unit was proposed for our neighborhood, Paul Feiner went  pedal-to-the-metal to make it happen. No neighborhood wants this. We would have gladly taken a school.

For now, the White Plains Common Council has imposed a moratorium on the development of open space and plans to extend it beyond the October 3rd expiration date. That's a smart direction to pursue. The extension would give the city more time to study land-use laws for four golf courses, the Hutchinson River Parkway Reservation and the Mamaroneck River East Branch. Again, really? They should have gone through all of this before the FASNY property purchase or told them they would be stopped early on. In the meantime, the Council did vote to move forward with an environmental review of the French American School’s proposed project. That’s a positive sign for FASNY but still doesn’t adequately address the neighbors concerns. Maybe there’ll be a politician with an opinion and will actually take a stand on this. It should be interesting to see how it plays out.