Village Reverses Parking Provision and Encourages Leaving Leaves on Lawns

There was good news for aggravated commuters at the Scarsdale Village Board meeting on Tuesday night December 13th. Mayor Flisser opened the meeting by announcing that the Village will not enforce a new “head-in” parking regulation that requires drivers to park nose-in at the Freightway Garage. Many now back their cars into spots in the morning to ease their exit at night. When the Village changed the policy, some residents were furious. For now, the Village Manager will monitor traffic flow and will not issue any tickets for backing into a parking spot.

Several residents came to the mike to commend the Mayor, Village Board and Trustees for listening to commuter’s concerns and doing a quick turnaround on their policy. Among those who commented were Josh Frankel and Kevin Goldman.

The Mayor also announced that the Village will recommend that residents utilize onsite leaf mulching, whereby leaves are mowed into the lawn and end up as mulch. Next fall, the Village will experiment with shredding leaves in Chase and De Lima Parks and will undertake an education program to encourage residents and landscapers to reduce the cost of leaf pick-up by using leaves to mulch lawns instead of blowing them to the curb and carting them away. A resolution was passed at the meeting to encourage mulching in place.

Trustee Mark reported on a meeting of the West Quaker Ridge and the Middle Heathcote Murray Hill Neighborhood Associations held at the Crossway Firehouse where residents called for a revision of the Village code provisions on home generators. After several recent storms knocked out power for long stretches of time, many residents would like to install back-up generators to power their homes when the power goes out. In response to resident requests, Mark said the Village Trustees will call a meeting of the Law Committee to review the code.

Other agenda items included:

• Approval of an updated Freshwater Wetlands Map and zoning code amendments to strengthen the Village’s ability to protect and enhance local freshwater wetlands.

  Approval of a special use permit to allow a new clothing store, MAG Tricote, to open in Christie Place in the space now occupied by the Christie Place sales office.

  Approval of an application by the Chabad Lubavitch Organization of Westchester to place a menorah in Chase Park from December 20 -28.

Opening on Committee for Historic Preservation: The Village Board is currently seeking applicants to fill an opening on the Committee for Historic Preservation. If you wish to apply, visit the Village Website to complete an application here:

Here is a description of the position: The Building Inspector advises the Committee for Historic Preservation regarding each application filed with the Building Department for a permit to demolish all or any substantial part of any building in the Village. The Committee for Historic Preservation meets to decide whether the building in question appears to be one of significant historical impact. Based on their determination, they may advise the Building Inspector as to whether or not it is required that the home owner make an application to the Board of Architectural Review for a Certificate of Appropriateness to determine if a demolition permit application should be granted. If the Committee for Historic Preservation approves a demolition permit, they may impose certain conditions. Members of the Committee for Historic Preservation are appointed to serve three-year terms. The Chair of the Committee for Historic Preservation is appointed to a one-year term.