Neighbors Respond to Tree Removal at George Field and Cooper Green
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Many were dismayed to see trees and vegetation removed to accommodate a storm water retention basin at George Field and a rain garden at Cooper Green opposite the Scarsdale Public Safety Building on the Post Road. For some it was difficult to understand why removing established trees would alleviate flooding and others were shocked at the extent of the project.
However engineers contend that the seven-acre dry detention pond at George Field and the rain garden at Cooper Green will eliminate flooding in homes in the Grange, along Greendale,Oxford and Cambridge roads as well as Rugby Lane, Windmill, and Windmill Circle. And once the new plantings are installed, the area should again be beautiful.
Warren Breakstone, a Cambridge Road resident was a longtime advocate for the project and is pleased that it’s finally in the works. He said, “Mayor Flisser and the board of Trustees should be commended for their leadership in tackling the storm water issues in Greenacres. This has been a problem that plagued this neighborhood and many other areas Scarsdale for many years, and after much study and deliberation, a solution is finally at hand. Once this project in South Fox Meadow is completed attention should turn to the Cayuga/Middle School area, which is in dire need of a solution as well. Certainly no one likes to see trees cut down, but significant budget has been set aside for new plantings on the tail end of the project.”
Tracy Jaffe, who lives across from George Field, was a bit more skeptical. She said, “I truly hope that the end result justifies the destruction of so many trees, plants and the natural habitat for wildlife. People used George Field for impromptu games. Too bad we’ll no longer have this space for recreation.”
Eton Road resident Anna Decker was also sad to see the trees fall. She added, "We're amazed to see the goings on at George Field. It honestly makes me so sad to see all those trees come down and I miss our swamp that gave our area a woodsy feel. Still, I'm optimistic and hope that the beautiful natural plantings will actually come to fruition and having seen a flooded field after many storms, I understand the need just wish it didn't come at such a cost.Truth be told, I've cheered from the sidelines as our feisty George Field has gobbled up a couple big earthmovers and left them stuck in the mud. I feel like its our little protest! I'm also keeping my finger crossed that they won't be touching our beautiful willow tree on the Post Road side."
We asked John Goodwin in the Village Manager’s Office for an update on the project and here is what he shared:
"The South Fox Meadow Storm water Improvement Project is progressing as scheduled and workers have not encountered anything unexpected.
The initial work at George Field Park and Cooper Green involved the clearing and removal of underbrush and trees and the re-grading of the land in preparation of excavation for the dry detention basins at George Field Park, located between Post and Greendale Roads, and Cooper Green, located between Mamaroneck Road and 1162 Post Road across from the Public Safety Building. A number of these trees were dead, dying and/or considered scrub or underbrush. Although George Field Park and Cooper Green will look barren during construction, there is an extensive landscaping plan involved for both locations. At George Field Park 590 trees, plants and shrubs are being replanted and at Cooper Green, 30 new trees will be installed and over 1,000 plants and shrubs will also be planted. These plants and trees purchased by the contractors from local nurseries and will be installed during the upcoming planting season."
What do you think? Share your comments below:
Why Does Simon Cohen Want to Burst the Bubble on Dobbs Ferry Road?
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Questions have arisen over why Simon Cohen is challenging a proposed deal between the Village of Greenburgh and Game On 365. The company wishes to lease the property that was formerly the site of Frank’s Nursery on Dobbs Ferry Road to build a 161,500 square foot sports bubble. Cohen has launched a campaign against the deal claiming the site is zoned for residential use and that it’s a bad deal for Greenburgh. Cohen raises concerns about who is paying for an environmental clean up of the site, the terms of the deal and the RFP process. He has launched a website called “ Help Burst the Bubble ” to promote his cause and encourage residents to tell the Greenburgh Town Board to turn down the deal. He recently published a letter stating his objections on Scarsdale10583 which prompted many more emails and comments to the site.
But what’s really behind Cohen’s campaign? Is he just an interested local resident or is there more behind the push. It turns out Cohen only moved to the area a few weeks ago, and should have been well aware that he was moving near the site of a potential sports bubble. In addition, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner claims that Cohen’s lobbying efforts are being funded by a competitive company, House of Sports, that is planning to open a similar sports facility in Ardsley, less than 3 miles away.
We emailed Cohen and asked him directly about his affiliation with House of Sports and the motivation behind his campaign and here is a copy of his reply;
“I am not affiliated with or supported by the House of Sports although I do know them. I have recently moved here after a messy divorce, I am creating a nice second home environment for my children with space to live and play. I feel that the Game On 365 organization are meerly creating a smoke screen to take your mind off of this entirely scandalous lease debocle. Rent AND taxes that are way to low.
My objections are very clear as detailed in my many many emails, letters, mailings and print ads. This is just the wrong proposal for the wrong site. They are paying $1.32 per square foot and re-selling it at $40, fourty dollars, doesn't that in its very self raise a flag? Aren't the town under pricing it? I'd say so. Just for one!!
In defense of the deal, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner recently sent Scarsdale 10583 the letter below and asked us to post it on the site. He believes that Cohen has sent out misleading information and here is Feiner’s version of the story:
A lot of misleading and wrong information about the town's plans for Frank's nursery has been sent to residents from a company that is planning to build another sports facility in the area. The company, House of Sports, has funded a very expensive opposition campaign against the sports bubble because they don't want competition. I have received many calls and emails from residents wanting to know what is going on. Members of the Greenburgh Town Board have decided to start our meeting on Wednesday evening July 25 at 6:30 PM (an hour earlier) at Town Hall to provide the public with the opportunity to learn more about the proposal and to ask questions.
The proposed lease with Game On is for 15 years. The town will receive a minimum of $260,000 a year in revenue. After three years the revenues increase to $300,000 a year. And-the revenues escalate to $330,000 by the end of the 15 years. In addition, Game On will help the town cleanup a contaminated site ---they have agreed to pay $100,000 for the cleanup. The town factored the taxes into the rent. If the costs of the cleanup are excessive both the town and Game On have the right to back off from the lease. We have compared the revenues we are receiving to rent other localities that have sports bubbles in their communities receive. The town is generating much more revenue from our proposed agreement with Game On that neighboring localities. For example: Mt Vernon is receiving $65,000 a year. Armonk is guaranteed $134,900 Even with the taxes deducted from the rent, the rent payments we receive will be above market value.
In addition to the above, the town will benefit because we're getting more improvements to town land. Game on's construction costs will be site enhancements, utilities, septic, landscaping, paving, drainage, lighting on property owned by the town. At the end of the 15 years it's our property!
Some people have asked: how did Game On become the preferred tenant for this property. Last year, after the town took ownership of the property due to a foreclosure, we had a community meeting at Frank's. A number of proposals for the property were discussed. Neighbors objected to many of them. We put up a big sign outside of Frank's inviting people/businesses to submit proposals. I located letters that I sent to the Westchester County Board of Realtors and the Construction Industry Council of Westchester (letters were dated August 10) requesting that they circulate the RFP to their members. I also sent out notices about the RFP to newspapers, blogs, social media contacts, etc... We received three bids. Two bids were to purchase the property- the Sports Bubble was the third bid. Property values are not at the high point right now. We decided that leasing the land was best for the town. In 15 years we probably will get a few million dollars more for the property. And we're getting almost $5 million during the life of the contract. In addition, at the end of the lease we will own a clean site-something we don't own. We currently are paying over $50,000 a year in taxes to the school district, county and fire districts-and getting nothing in return.
Will there be traffic? A traffic study will be conducted as part of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). The Westchester Field House is an ideal project for the area since the majority of its business will occur during off-peak traffic hours; after school, during the evening, and on weekends. Also, as an indoor sports facility, the busiest season will be winter. During the winter, all neighboring properties (Westchester Golf Range, Elmwood Country Club, Rumbrook Park, Carlson's Nursery) have very little traffic, if any.
The Westchester Field House will have more parking than is required by code.
The process for the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) has started for the site and meets New York State requirements. The Town of Greenburgh has declared itself the lead agency as the owner of the property.
In comparison to similar commercial land leases, the lease payments are above market value.
Instead of selling the property in a depressed market, the Town board opted for a 15 year land lease which will generate close to $5,000,000 for the Town. The financial benefits to the Town include retaining ownership of a valuable property while receiving annual income that far exceeds any potential tax it would receive from selling the property.
As is standard with a land lease, Game On 365 will begin paying full rent upon the issuance of building approvals. Full approvals are anticipated within one year.
Game On 365 has agreed to pay for the Phase II environmental study. If any remediation is required, Game On 365 will spend up to $250,000 to clean up the site without the Town incurring any out of pocket expense.
The Westchester Field House is a multi-sport training facility with turf fields for activities and clinics where kids will be supervised by trainers, coaches and parents at all times.
Game On partners have more than 15 years of experience operating similar successful recreational facilities in Bergen County, New Jersey. Both the Soccer Coliseum in Teaneck and Superdome Sports in Waldwick are operated by Game On partners.
An attractive amenities building will replace the current dilapidated Franks Nursery. This building will sit in front of the dome substantially improving the overall visual impact from Dobbs Ferry Road.
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
What do you think? Post your comments below:
Pro-Palestinian Billboard Posted at Scarsdale Train Station
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Commuters at the Scarsdale Metro North train station were shocked to find an anti-Israel billboard along the train tracks today. The billboard features several panels, each documenting a change in the Israel-Palestine borders over time, and says “4.7 Palestinians are classified by the U.N. as refugees.” The four maps show “Palestinian Loss of Land 1946-2010,” and depict the status of the land of Palestine in 1946; the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan; the State of Israel before the 1967 Six Days War; and the State of Israel in 2010, including Palestinian territories “occupied” by Israel.
Similar billboards have been posted at a total of ten Metro North stations.
The billboards were paid for by Henry Clifford, an 83-year-old anti-Israel activist based in Essex, Connecticut. Clifford is the head of a small anti-Israel group named the Committee for Peace in Israel and Palestine (also referred to as COPIP). COPIP is a member of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, which is a bigger anti-Israel coalition operating out of Washington, D.C. Clifford has also expressed his pro-Palestine beliefs in “letters to the editor” to several newspapers and news websites. COPIP also backed a divestment campaign targeting TIAA-CREF for investing in companies that allegedly help Israel maintain the occupation.
Fox News turned up at the Scarsdale station on Thursday morning, and here is a clip of their report :
Community members were quick to react to the placement of the billboards in their midst.
Rabbi Jonathan E. Blake, Senior Rabbi at Westchester Reform Temple said, “The images in these ads grossly distort the facts and utterly disregard the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They are apt only to inflame passions and exacerbate tensions rather than work toward a just and mutually negotiated two-state solution. What we need now is less one-sided rhetoric and more real dialogue about the hard compromises and powerful opportunities that could bring peaceful coexistence to Israelis and Palestinians.”
Rabbi Shira Milgrom of Congregation Kol Ami added, "The central issue is not whether we are pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli. Hopefully, we are both. Seeking a just and peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East means being both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine, in other words, pro-peace. Pro-Peace means that each people has rights to sovereignty and self-determination. One-sided, misleading and distorted propaganda does not serve the interests of peace."
John Harris, a Scarsdale resident and Chair of the N.Y. Chapter of the AntiDefamation League, called the billboards, “misleading and biased, falsely suggesting that Israel has pursued a campaign to deprive Palestinians of their land and to make them refugees. These ads ignore the reality that the Palestinians did not own the land prior to Israel’s creation in 1948, that Israel has repeatedly tried to exchange land for peace only to be rebuffed by Palestinian leaders, and that a succession of Israeli governments has been committed to achieving a two-state solution with the Palestinians. This campaign is only the latest attempt by the proponents of these ads to delegitimize Israel.”
Rhonda, the commuter who alerted Scarsdale10583 to the new campaign said, “This is a scary, manipulative smear campaign against Israel and a very inaccurate portrayal of Israel. It accuses Israel of taking land from the Palestinians in a series of 4 generic, incorrect maps. This is sponsored by a "Committee for Peace"? There is absolutely nothing peaceful about this billboard. These billboards are in targeted Metro-North stations and are meant to incite and anger. Who is paying for and allowing these billboards? Why is this message on a CBS billboard? This is totally unacceptable.”
In a position paper from the AntiDefamation League, they point out that the situation is complex and cannot be summarized on the maps. According to the ADL, the maps fail to reflect several key facts:
Prior to 1948, much of the land was owned by non-Palestinian absentee landlords who lived in Beirut, Damascus, Cairo and Baghdad.
Israel has made repeated efforts to exchange land for peace, such as the 1979 peace agreement with Egypt, which led Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula; the full disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, which gave control of the territory to the Palestinian leadership, and other Israeli pull-backs from the West Bank that granted administrative control of a number of cities to the Palestinian Authority.
The commitment of successive Israeli governments to achieving a two-state solution with the Palestinians, and an expressed desire to engage in land swaps of major settlement blocs in the West Bank as part of a final status agreement. This commitment by Israel has been met by repeated failures on the part of the Palestinian leadership to seriously engage with Israel in peace talks.
Israel maintains that since the Palestinian refugees are the result of a war forced upon Israel by invading Arab armies, it is not responsible for the current plight of the refugees. However, Israel has stated that, on humanitarian grounds, it would participate in an international effort to resolve the situation, including helping refugees settle in an established state of Palestine, contributing to an international refugee compensation fund and considering individual cases of family reunification for refugees with Israeli relatives.
The placement of the billboards is very timely as on Monday July 9, 2012, a commission of jurists appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel's presence in the West Bank was not occupation under international conventions and recommended state approval of some of the unauthorized Jewish settlement outposts. The commission's report added new fuel to the ongoing major controversy that has been going on for decades about the legality of Jewish settlements and complicated the already faltering efforts to forge an overall Israeli-Palestinian agreement.
Non-Residents Hogging Scarsdale Tennis Courts
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Tennis players who use the Brite Avenue tennis courts were surprised to find that the Village was enforcing the rules last weekend. The courts are usually jammed from eight am to noon on Saturday and Sunday mornings -– and players often tie up the courts on the previous Thursday morning when they can call the attendant to reserve weekend courts. Some of the groups would reserve the same court for consecutive hours, claiming a court for two hours during peak times.
However, this past weekend the courts were strangely empty. One group was playing on Court 1 and noticed that others were being turned away. Why?
It turns out that many of the players who had previously occupied the courts were not Scarsdale residents. They were on the courts as non-resident guests or without a permit altogether.
In response to complaints from Scarsdale taxpayers the Recreation Department asked the attendant to enforce the rules which bar non-residents from playing on the courts before noon on weekends
As a result, at 10 am on Saturday, three of the four courts were empty – signaling to some that the courts at Brite Avenue were primarily used by those who don’t live in town.
Development of Frank's Nursery Site Is Fraught With Problems
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This letter was submitted by Greenburgh resident Simon Cohen regarding property on Dobbs Ferry Road: I’d like to make you aware of a development project in the Town of Greenburgh near my home that is not only fraught with issues, but also has me wondering what is really going on. Supervisor Feiner and the Greenburgh Town Board have decided to lease Town-owned land located at 715 Dobbs Ferry Road (the former Frank’s Nursery) to a start-up company, Game On 365, to build a sports bubble facility (161,500 sq. ft and 8 stories high) in a residential zoned area.
The proposed lease is terrible for Town residents and the Town will lose money on this lease. Here are some of the major issues:
NO TAXES TO BE PAID BY TENANT: The Town has decided to personally pay any and all taxes owed by private business Game On (Lease p.2). After the $6.9M facility is assessed, the Town will pay taxes of around $250K or more. The Town will collect $260K in rent from Game On. The amount the Town will pay in taxes each year will almost equal what is collected in rent. This doesn’t even include the likely increase to the Town in community services from such a huge facility. The Town will NOT MAKE ANY MONEY OFF THIS 7 ACRE PROPERTY FOR 15 YEARS. Game On, however, boasts that they will have a gross income of $2.4M in year 1 and $5.1M in year 6.
GAME ON TO COLLECT MORE SUBLEASING 7,500 SQ. FT. TO RETAIL TENANTS THAN THEY WILL PAY THE TOWN IN RENT FOR THE ENTIRE FACILITY (161,500 SQ. FT. ON 7 ACRES): Game On has projected to earn $300-330K in annual rental income from 5 subtenants who will be using approximately 7,500 sq. ft. (less than 5% of their entire square footage) of their Clubhouse building. Game On will be paying the Town $260-335K in annual rent for the entire facility. When the economics of a deal don’t make sense, it is a clear indicator of something else going on behind the scenes.
TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR UNKNOWN ENVIRONMENTAL CLEAN-UP: The Town will use taxpayer money to pay for an environmental clean-up (Lease p.14) on this site that is known to be contaminated and they have been keeping this fact (that taxpayers will pay for it) from residents.
NO RENT PAYMENT DURING DEVELOPMENT OF UP TO 3 YEARS: Game On won’t pay a dime until after Town approvals, which could take up to 3 years, and they can walk away at any time (Lease p.16-17).
NO FINANCES REQUIRED FOR LEASE FROM START-UP COMPANY: The lease doesn’t contain any standard provisions for finances, guaranty or security. This is because Game On plans to raise the $7.5M for the facility construction and operation AFTER they sign the 15-year lease with the Town. The Town bears ALL the financial risks.
NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDIES HAVE BEEN DONE: The Town has illegally decided not do any traffic, parking, noise, EMF, aesthetic or community services studies (SEQR) PRIOR to entering the lease (which is considered to be an action under SEQR). With the Fortress Bible Church and School is built just 2,500 ft. east on the same road, environmental impacts need a hard look. Residents will not be protected from potential harms without these studies being done prior to the lease, as the law states they must.
TOWN REJECTS MUCH BETTER OFFER: The Town has an offer of $1.5M to buy the property “as is” and the adjacent property (2 acres smaller) is on the market for $3.5M. If sold, the Town can immediately add this property to the tax roll for hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, which is hundreds of thousands more each year than they will receive with the current lease.
Does this all sound crazy to you?
What’s even more insane is that the whole RFP (Request for Proposals) process (issuance and developer selection) was tainted and predetermined. The RFP was designed around Game On and Game On tailored their proposal to fit things that others had no knowledge of. BEFORE issuing an RFP on the property, the Town spent NINE MONTHS negotiating with Game On. This included several presentations before the Town Board and countless meetings, emails and phone calls.
For example, the Town put forward a resolution solely to change the zoning of the property for an “indoor sports complex” use months before the RFP was even issued, Feiner admitted speaking to “tons” of people about the Game On proposal prior to the RFP being issued, and the other proposals received were never even looked at by the Town Board (this is all on video). This sham RFP process was detrimental to other interested parties and contrary to public interest in getting the best deal for the property.
The Town will also receive a lower than market rent payment. The Town never assessed the property to learn fair market value. The tainted RFP process led to only 3 proposals on a rare 7-acre site in southern Westchester off major highways. And just hours after having “opened” the proposals, the Town immediately agreed to the rent that Game On suggested in their proposal without negotiating. The residents of Greenburgh have been shortchanged on a bad deal for a below market rent.
The Town officials have done whatever they can to hide things from the public and mislead residents.
What is really going on here?
The lease is available on the Town of Greenburgh’s website. There will be an informal meeting on July 18th at 7pm at Frank’s Nursery and then the Town Board will vote on July 25th at 7:30pm at Town Hall.
I hope that local residents will attend both meetings to learn what has been going on and will contact Supervisor Feiner ([email protected], 914-438-1343 - cell, 914-993-1540 - office).
Thank you for your time.
Simon
[email protected]
www.HelpBurstTheBubble.com
