Wednesday, November 21, 2007

UNUSED OFFICE PARK LAND FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING..WATERWHEEL FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING...HOUSING AUTHORITY BUS TOUR DEC 9

Westchester County has contacted me advising that they are looking into a new opportunity for the creation of affordable housing: studying the feasibility of developing affordable housing on unused office park land. I believe that this idea is a creative initiative-- worthy of follow up. I support the study and will ask the Planning Dept, Town Board to cooperate with the study. Greenburgh is one of the municipalities in Westchester with office parks. I agree that the development of new housing on office park sites has some benefits, including better land utilization, reduced environmental impacts over construction on greenfields, enhanced 24/7 security, possible housing for office buildings workers within walking distance and improved landscaping to enhance the area. I will also ask that this suggestion be forwarded to the Greenburgh Affordable Housing Committee.



At last nights Town Board meeting the Town Board members agreed to issue an RFP (Request for Proposal) for developers to turn the waterwheel property in Ardsley into affordable housing.



Members of the Town Board and Greenburgh Housing Authority will be taking a bus tour of the Greenburgh Housing Authority sites on Sunday, December 9th from 3 PM to 9 PM. We will meet with housing authority tenants, discuss concerns and work hard in the coming months to address quality of life matters. If you’d like to join us on the tour, please e mail me at pfeiner@greenburghny.com



HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't suppose you've thought about how to pay the costs of educating the children who will be living in the affordable housing you're creating.
Please do not ignore this very real cost which will fall most heavily on single family residence owners - including seniors!

Anonymous said...

John Donne said that "No man is an island" which means that it isn't all about one or some people.

No village or town can survive if there isn't room for people who are not wealthy. Affordable housing benefits all, not only the people who live in that housing. If some properties do not carry their full weight then it is still OK, unless you want to see those who make living possible and pleasant have to come from some distant place where they might be able to afford today's extraordinary housing costs -- assuming that such a place exists.

Anonymous said...

The hell with affordable housing,do something that will help us with taxes.
You have too many parks sell the land so new homes can be built to help with receiving some good
revenue.
Isn't it funny no one thinks about the residents that have paid taxes for so many years,who have reached a point of no return.
Why do you say affordable housing why not call it what it is welfare.
No one gave us any help so why must we pay for others to live off the fat of the land for nothing.
Paul start thinking about the people who cannot make ends meet anymore.Where can they go. Will you consider giving these people a house or an apartment for no money.

Anonymous said...

to 3:36, MOVE.

Anonymous said...

Moving does not solve the problem I built my home with plenty of sweat.
I did not receive it like you did as a gift.
When someone gets something like you did you never think of others that are having a problem making ends meet.
tOO BAD FOR YOU.
I'll keep pushing for legislation to have some parklands sold to developers so the town could receive good revenue from taxes.

Anonymous said...

feiner talks about affordable housing but what has been proposed in ardsley is low or no income housing for the homeless on 9A. unless waterwheel is used for workforce housing, then the town's taxpayers should just say no to feiner's proposal and sell the waterwheel to the highest bidder and get the property back on the tax rolls!!

Anonymous said...

9:11 is right. And Ardsley's mayor and Board should insist on workforce housing.

Anonymous said...

It is more than time to have the Waterwheel property and ALL properties paying taxes. I am sick of paying such high taxes---especially school tax when I have no children and if I did I would need to send them to private schools anyway as Greenburgh Schools are close to the lowest in NY! I also hope to God that if you do choose to try "affordable housing" ANYWHERE other than available park sites, that the actual tax paying citizens have a voice that will be heard, and that that is what decides the where of this issue. I do not want "affordable housing" at the Waterwheel for the effect on the area, as well as the horrible burdens already compromising traffic on 9A! Who actually owns the Waterwheel property?

Anonymous said...

Sell Waterwheel!!

Anonymous said...

I dont think we can afford it at this time. We should sell.

Anonymous said...

I dont think we can afford it at this time. We should sell.

Anonymous said...

"Greenburgh Schools are close to the lowest in NY"

This is not at all true:
https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb

Anonymous said...

Most park land can not be sold because of legal restrictions. We should sell Waterwheel. Put it back on the taxrolls, use proceeds to either increase reserve or reserve for new Police Station/Town Court.

Anonymous said...

If it is too be affordable housing, no specail rights for Ardsley people. All town residents/employees/volunteers get treated fairly. I see Hartsdale FD is looking for volunteers, maybe this would help. No Ardsley First.

Anonymous said...

The waterwheel property is going to be for workforce housing

Anonymous said...

Is that guarnateed, in writing, that it will be workforce housing? Who will be eligible, volunteers/workers townwide?

Anonymous said...

Forgetaboutit you know that there are no guarantees in Greenburgh.

Anonymous said...

The housing authority board has done such a poor job in representing the tenants,that it is time for a big change.
Whomever was in charge did not follow through with what they were supposed to do to keep the tenants safe and happy.
Barnes was the laison person in charge from the board who did not fullfill her job and those taking orders were even worse.
Now maybe Brown who lived in the area all her life could help the people living in these buildings.
We will have two new people on the board and they seem to know what the needs of the people are.

Anonymous said...

Will the Housing Authoirty be in charge of the Waterwheel property??

Anonymous said...

Keep in mind that the bulk of the unpaid taxes which resulted in the foreclosure were for Ardsley property taxes and for Ardsley School District taxes, and only a tiny amount was for Greenburgh town taxes. Ardsley should have foreclosed, but it permitted the town to foreclose.

So don't get into another war, pitting the town against a village.

Sure the property should be used for workforce housing, but Ardsley deserves priority.

Anonymous said...

Excuse me -- but the law is the property belongs to the town -- so the town should not give it away.

Anonymous said...

The unpaid taxes are a small amount of the value of the property. Please, stop twisting the facts.

Anonymous said...

Seems like the entire town board is in favor of this resolution. Good idea. We need workforce housing that is affordable. Glad to see everyone is starting to work together on the Town Board.

Anonymous said...

better for the board to work together than to fight each other. Good news for the town.

Anonymous said...

If there is a waiting list for Greenburgh Public Housing, my guess is we will see a lawsuit soon enough against what will likely be a racially segregaged housing plan.

Anonymous said...

Maybe they can combine waiting lists? I would think some people on the waiting list for Greenburgh Public Housing are working and could qualify for the Waterwheel housing.

Anonymous said...

Do you really want what you are asking for?
Will YOU be willing to throw families out of their homes when the qualifying family member loses her/his job?
Will YOU be willing to evict a long term tenant who has lost eligibility because she/he retired?
Will YOU be willing to pay increasingly larger amounts every year to properly maintain and periodically renovate the property?
Tying housing and employment together is as potentially catastrophic as tying health insurance to employment. Think this one through BEFORE stepping into the quicksand.

Anonymous said...

You are right, this is exactly what happened to the employees at United Hospital in PortChester. And in wasnt the doctors, or even nurses, for the most part who lived their. It was hard working dietary aids, nurses aids, etc. And they had a harder time finding jobs. Read some of the Journal News reports, it was heartbraking.

On the other hand, when White Plains Hospital considered having housing, both the Board and the City (which had been asked to subsidize) said no. Wise decision. Instead White Plains focuses on keeping taxes low, so people can afford private housing.

The Waterwheel property should be sold.

Anonymous said...

I have been advised that the waterwheel property will be sold. The town will receive about a million dollars. The property will also be used for affordable housing. This is a win-win.

Anonymous said...

If it will be sold for affordable housing, who will control who gets to live there. It should not be ardsely only. Will it be back on the tax rolls? Or is this a bargain sale to AFD? Is the town allowed to sell property, other than at auction? Is this a no-bid deal?

Anonymous said...

The property should either be sold at auction to the highest bidder, or should be contributed to the Greenburgh Housing Authortiy, which should have Section 8 apartments built there. Section 8 has different programs, not just the voucher program, but also a program to subsidize govt building apartments for low-mid income. White Plains did this; not only do they have the Winbrook, an older typical public housing, but they have scattered site section 8 buildings they built, to help integrate areas and build additoinal housing.

Anonymous said...

For the best interest of the residents the Water wheel property should be sold .this sale will lower taxes considerably.

Anonymous said...

selling at less than Fair value will result in a lawsuit.

Anonymous said...

No new lawsuits. Bernstein is out of commission.

Anonymous said...

And he is the only lawyer around????

Anonymous said...

No, but he is the only lawyer who uses lawsuits to gain power and make trouble for those he doesn't like, like the Supervisor.

Anonymous said...

7:26, Well this is typical of Feiner crowd, crowing at a man being seriously ill.

So Hal, where are you to comment on this lack of sensitivey in the Holiday season? Answer -- one sided as always.

Anonymous said...

I agree. The property should become part of Greenburgh Public Housing.

Anonymous said...

There are so many problems with public housing in Greenburgh why add more to the disaster that is happening.
At the last meeting residents from piblic housing gave an overall view of what's happening to their rental apartments.
We do not need for people to live under such bad conditions.
Sell the property and put the money toward future taxes.

Anonymous said...

Low income housing is a nice theory, but it cannot be instituted on the backs of middle income taxpayers.

If the Water Wheel property is to be converted to low or no income housing, it CANNOT be given tax exempt status, as the 770 SMRR property was. The owners of the property (or either the county or the state, or whomever's idea this is) need to pay their fair share of taxes, as we all do. And the assessments should be based on the FMV of rental income, not $400/mo or whatever the rent will be.

Why should these families been entitled to a top notch education without someone, other than the local taxpayer, footing the bill?

Anonymous said...

The reason that the Leon wants it as subsidized housing is to cut down on firefighter costs (why Feiner wants to give it away - political payback). What Leon, like Feiner, always ignore, is that we all pay more school taxes than other taxes, and even if they are doing a great, or even good job, with keeping down Village, Town or whatever taxes, if the result is an increase in School taxes, they are not doing anyone any favors.