WHATS NEW
Summer 2008

|WMPF EVENTS| |ENVIRONMENT|  |LAND USE & DEVELOPMENT|  |HOUSING|  |DESIGN|  |MUNICIPAL REFERRALS|

Environment

Agricultural District Applications and Recertification Process Moves Forward

A second meeting of the steering committee for the recertification of the Ag District took place June 11^. A scope of work for the consultant has been finalized, and proposals are being solicited.  An information letter regarding the recertification process to all Westchester municipalities was sent along with a map and list of the farms in the district, and a survey form for farm owners is being finalized. Next meeting in August will include a discussion of the Ag District with Dr. Somers of NYS Ag and Markets.

Flood Action Task Force Update

To date, the Flood Action Task Force has received applications for 11 flood control projects from eight communities to date (Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Larchmont, Briarcliff Manor, Rye, Tarrytown, Harrison, Mamaroneck) with more expected over the next few months.  Projects range from upgrading existing piping and catch basins to significant improvements to drainage channels and the creation of stormwater basins, with total project costs from $335,000 to $10,000,000.  The Flood Action Task Force has met with the communities at a pre-application meeting and will be working with them to identify a County purpose and for them to prepare more detailed applications, which will determine the degree to which the County may contribute financially.  Proposed projects for County funding must then be reviewed by bond counsel and the Board of Legislators before receiving final approval.

Stormwater Management Workshop A Success

More than 140 people attended the June 4 stormwater management workshop at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.  The “technical” workshop was primarily sponsored by the Westchester County Soil and Water Conservation District and Department of Planning, with support by the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, Flood Action Task Force, and Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District.  The workshop included four nationally recognized experts, two from Biohabitats Inc., one from The Horsley Witten Group and one from the University of Connecticut, speaking on how to design and maintain various stormwater management facilities to improve water quality and control flooding and to plan for low impact land development from a stormwater management perspective.  The workshop was approved for 6.75 professional development hours (PDH) for NYS licensed professional engineers and landscape architects by the Practicing Institute of Engineering Inc.

A second workshop, also at the County Center, is scheduled for October 2 on bio-engineering methods and associated techniques for water quality and quantity control.  This workshop will again be sponsored by the Westchester County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Indian Brook-Croton Gorge Watershed Plan Presented at Regional Meeting

Susan Darling, Associate Environmental Planner, presented the Indian Brook-Croton Gorge Watershed Conservation Action Plan at a regional Hudson River Watershed Meeting at the Beacon Sloop Club in Beacon, NY on July 2.  The meeting was sponsored by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program and the Hudson River Watershed Alliance.  Representatives from over 18 different watershed groups in the Hudson River Basin attended.

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Land Use & Development

Updated Roster of Principal Municipal Officials Available

An updated Westchester County Roster of Principal Municipal Officials has been printed and distributed to all municipalities.  The roster is prepared for the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation and the Planning Department by Planning staff who periodically update the on-line version in an effort to keep it as current as possible.  See the roster on-line.

Westchester Municipal Planning Federation Spring Seminar Held

The recent spring 2008 WMPF Clerks Seminar drew close to 30 planning and zoning clerks from around the county, as well as a young Japanese student from the Japan Local Government Center in New York City, who is studying American land use practices.  Lukas Herbert, Associate Planner, used a power point presentation to illustrate his discussion of the referrals process, how it has changed and what should or should not be referred.

Westchester 2025 Presented to Seniors Group

On June 20, staff gave a presentation on Westchester 2025 to the Livable Communities Council meeting for the West Central Region, held in Hastings-on-Hudson and hosted by staff of the Department of Senior Services and Programs and the Westchester Jewish Community Services.  Staff will also give a similar presentation to the Council for the North East Region on August 7 in Mount Kisco.  The presentations help coordinate parallel planning efforts and share information with the Livable Communities outreach and educational efforts to professionals, non-profits and citizens involved with senior issues.  Some issues shared by both efforts include transit oriented development, planning for pedestrians and the disabled, affordable housing and transit planning.

Staff will also prepare a uniform presentation outline which will be utilized in the upcoming meetings/work sessions at the municipal level.  The presentation will include several sections that will be tailored for each municipality to give details on zoning and comprehensive plan scenarios as well as demographic overview.  A mockup of the presentation will be presented to the Planning Board at their July meeting for review and comment with meetings beginning soon thereafter.  This work will help build to a countywide future land use map that will illustrate the regional ‘vision’ and show potential densities (and infrastructure requirements). 

East Coast Greenway Grant Submitted to NYSDOT

Staff completed and submitted a grant application for the Westchester Avenue Non-Motorized Facility to NYSDOT for the Transportation Enhancements Program (TEP).  The grant applied for would be $2.5 million to help defray the cost of constructing a multi-use pathway along the County-owned portion of Westchester Avenue, which would also be a segment of the East Coast Greenway.

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Housing

Work Completed on Two Buildings at Fellowship Hall, Bedford Hills

Before

After

Ground Breaking Ceremony Held for Symphony Knoll, Croton-on-Hudson

Croton Housing Network, Inc. hosted a ground breaking ceremony at the proposed Symphony Knoll development, an 11-unit affordable housing project for residents over the age of 55 located at 15 Mount Airy Road, Croton-on-Hudson.  County Executive Spano and County Legislator Burton, as well as other dignitaries from the Village of Croton, attended the ceremony.

The project will include a number of energy efficient measures, such as Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs in all common spaces and low water use toilets and plumbing.  Each unit will also be handicap accessible and include an outdoor terrace.

The total cost of the development will be approximately $3.5 million.  Westchester County contributed $340,000 for land acquisition through its New Homes Land Acquisition program, $319,440 through its Housing Implementation Fund for infrastructure and $635,000 from its share of federal HOME funds.  Other funding sources include the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency and funding under the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program provided by New York State.

Eight units will be rented to residents with incomes at or below 50 percent of area median income, which is $40,650 for a two-person household.  The other three units will be rented to residents with incomes at or below 60 percent of the county’s AMI, which is $48,780 for a two-person household.  The rents will range from $790 to $960 a month.  The units will be affordable for a minimum of 50 years.

Sprain Lakes Estates Construction Moves Forward

Major progress has been made on the Sprain Lakes Estates affordable housing project in Yonkers with construction expected to be completed by the end of the summer.  The County has committed more than $850,000 for infrastructure costs related to this development.  Thirty four semi-attached, single-family homes are being constructed on a 4.21-acre site.

Seventeen of the units will be affordable, in accordance with the requirements of the Housing Implementation Fund.  The balance of the units will be sold at market rate.  The affordable units will have a mix of affordability.  Five of the homes will be sold to families at or below 50% of the County’s area median income; eight will be sold to families between 51% and 80% of median income; and four will be sold to families between 81% and 100% of median income.

Update:  Lead Safe Westchester Grant Program

As of June, 1, the Department is at the mid-term point for the administration of current grants from HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control.  The Planning Department has enrolled 79 completed applications with a total of 224 housing units in properties located throughout the county that will participate in the Lead Safe Westchester program.

Current activities include:

• A public bid for lead-based paint contractors.  On June 4, 2008, technical specifications were made available to contractors for upcoming lead hazard control activities.  The deadline to submit bids was June 25, 2008 with the hope that we will contract with new firms.  Once the bids are reviewed, contracts will be awarded to EPA certified firms.  Improvements will be made to approximately 100-200 housing units over the next year;
• Marketing - increased marketing efforts to encourage property owner participation are underway.  LSW ads are published in various print publications such as the Journal News and the Pennysaver; notices of funding availability will also be posted on local cable access channels that are broadcasted throughout the county; and
• Education and Outreach – Staff will attend upcoming community wide events, such as cultural heritage events that will be held throughout the summer at the Kensico Dam, to promote the LSW program to tenants and landlords.  As a result of attendance at prior events, several multi unit buildings have been identified as potential properties for the LSW program.  The property owners see the benefits of the program however, staff still spend a considerable amount of time convincing tenants to cooperate by explaining the dangers of childhood lead poisoning.  We expect that outreach staff will also expedite the application process, so that all paperwork is received in a timely manner.

At this time, Department staff continues to complete program objectives, as outlined in the work plan approved by HUD.

Conference Held on Hudson Valley Affordable and Workforce Housing

Planning staff attended the second annual Housing the Hudson Valley Conference on Affordable and Workforce Housing sponsored by Pattern For Progress, a nonprofit regional planning and policy development agency.  Among the highlights of the conference held at Marist College was a panel discussion covering a new regional housing needs assessment effort being conducted by the Planning Departments of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties, moderated by Norma Drummond.  The genesis of the study is based on Westchester County’s study and Allocation Plan.  The assessment being conducted by a consultant overseen by the three Counties is taking on its own unique nature and covers a broad range of issues.  As a result, the study is documenting a higher level of need than the more focused study conducted for Westchester County.  The presentation showed that over 72,000 housing units will be needed in the tri-county region by 2020.

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Design

Interpretive Signs Installed at Harbor Island Park

New interpretive signs were installed at the Harbor Island Park West Basin Salt Marsh Restoration site in the Village of Mamaroneck with funding from the Westchester County Soil and Water Conservation District.  The three colorful signs describe the organic function of a salt marsh, the important wildlife habitat they provide, and explain and illustrate the restoration process.  A historic aerial photograph shows the sandy, scallop-shaped shoreline at the site before the area was filled and the edge hardened.  These and other images will help park users understand the crucial role that wetlands play in the overall health of a waterbody – in this case the Long Island Sound.

The signs are in place just in time to highlight additional work at the park that was completed in late April.  This work included planting new maritime shrubs and grasses plus weed removal; the work was funded by a grant from the New York State Conservation District as a result of increased funding from the Environmental Protection Fund for this type of project.

On a recent visit to the site, a number of people were seen strolling on the gravel pathway that circuits the park, pausing to read each sign.  When questioned, a resident who said he frequents the park commented, “We all liked what had been done to the park – now we understand what it is and why it was done.”  A sign also was installed at each of two stream restoration sites, at Columbus Park in Mamaroneck Village and New Rochelle High School.  A sixth sign was installed next to the StormTreat System stormwater management site at Glen Island Park in New Rochelle.

Engel Park Overlook and Plantings, Town of Ossining

Working with the Town of Ossining and the NRCS, the Design Section has prepared construction drawings to create native planting areas and an overlook along the Hudson River shoreline.  This work will complement the playground and sprayground that was installed in the past three years and also designed by County Planning staff.  Construction will begin shortly and be completed by the spring of 2009.

Main and Division Streetscapes, City of Peekskill

The City of Peekskill received a grant to improve sidewalks along Main Street and adjacent side streets.  After several meetings and revisions to the sidewalk Master Plan, it was determined that traffic improvements to the intersection of Main and Division Streets should take priority over any other improvements.  In an almost unprecedented collaboration, the Design Section is preparing the construction documents with the assistance of the County Department of Public Works traffic engineers.  These improvements will not only improve the vehicular traffic movement through the intersection, it will also allow pedestrians to safely cross a very busy truck route.  Additionally, a small rain garden will be added along Division Street in an effort to treat some of the roadway stormwater.  This project will be out to bid by the end of the month and construction will take place in the spring.

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Municipal Referrals to the Planning Board

Between May 16 and June 15, 2008 the County Planning Board received 64 referrals of proposed planning and zoning actions from Westchester’s municipalities.  These referrals include notifications submitted pursuant to the NYS Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR).  Of the referrals received, 42 were determined to be jurisdictional and 22 were determined to be non-jurisdictional.

Of the jurisdictional referrals, 16 were for actions pre-determined by the County Planning Board to be matters of local determination that require notification only; acknowledgements of receipt were sent back to the referring municipality.  No further action is required on these matters.

For the entire year 2008, the County Planning Board received a total of 268 referrals; 184 of these have been jurisdictional. Of the jurisdictional referrals, 95 (52 %) were for actions pre-determined by the County Planning Board to be matters of local determination that require notification only.

Planning Board action is needed at the July meeting to approve actions taken by staff in response to 30 referrals received with response letters dated from May 16 to June 15, 2008:

·        Comment (LWC) letters sent in response to 18 referrals.

·        Local Determination/No Comment (LDT) letter sent in response to 12 referrals.

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