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CityREVIEW NewRochelle March 24 & 31, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 9 | www.cityreviewnr.com
Mayor: City is region’s ‘hottest emerging market’ By SIBYLLA CHIPAZIWA Assistant Editor
Local champs Heather Flaherty, 47, celebrates a victory in her in-ring debut at Champs Boxing Club in New Rochelle. Flaherty and a handful of her stablemates took part in an amateur showcase against Ireland’s Kinsale Boxing Club prior to Bryant “Pee Wee” Cruz’s pay-per-view bout against Ryan Martin on March 18. For story, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith
Rye lawsuit over Playland thrown out by judge By JAMES PERO Staff Writer A lawsuit filed by the city of Rye seeking to overturn Westchester County’s authority over capital projects slated at Playland was thrown out by a state judge this week. The suit, filed by the city in August 2016, sought to overturn the county’s status as lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, SEQR, which would have given Rye a greater say in the approval of millions of dollars in improvements slated to take place at the park this year. The historic amusement park is located with-
in the city. “We gave it our best shot, but we didn’t prevail,” said Rye Mayor Joe Sack, a Republican. “One thing that has not changed is that the residents of Rye bear 100 percent of the quality of life impacts at Playland.” Sack added that the city will not appeal the judge’s decision due to cost and time constraints. While the city has consistently argued that projects at the park—which abuts Rye’s residential neighborhoods—should fall under the scrutiny of the City Council, a state judge ruled in favor of the county, which owns Playland as a part of the county parks system.
According to a decision by Judge Gretchen Walsh, among other things, the city failed to show reasonable evidence that its neighborhoods would be adversely impacted by the projects. In a statement, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, championed the decision to dismiss the suit. “This ruling means the county can get back to the business of saving Playland,” he said. “We are pleased with this ruling as it enables Standard Amusements, in collaboration with the county, to move forward on our plans to upgrade the grounds in support of our mission.”
As per an agreement struck in May between the county and the management company Standard Amusements—the new operators of the nearly 100-year-old amusement park—the park is set to undergo $60 million in capital improvements, the cost of which will be split between the two parties. Under the terms of the deal, Standard would manage the park for 30 years and also pay the county a fee that rises annually by 2 percent. The agreement punctuated years of failed negotiations between the Astorino administration PLAYLAND continued on page 8
In his 12th State of the City address, Democratic Mayor Noam Bramson highlighted not only the vast development coming to New Rochelle, but also that what makes the city great is its diverse population. Speaking to a standing-room only crowd, with a full overflow room, the March 8 address was held in City Hall for the first time. The New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, which organized this and past addresses, decided that the once private event be made accessible to the public, especially ahead of what Bramson believes was his most optimistic address in his 20-year tenure as an elected local official in New Rochelle. “The city is making significant, measureable progress on our major priorities,” the mayor told the Review, pointing out downtown development, access to the waterfront at Echo Bay, and environmental sustainability. “We are moving in the right direction, including public safety and fiscal health.” In his address, Bramson spoke at length of plans for the downtown, something many community members have waited for years to improve. “I can report to you that New Rochelle has the hottest emerging market in the entire Hudson Valley,” he said to the audience. More than a dozen development projects are underway, including a new transit
district—an area designated to provide public transportation— at the Burling Lane triangle, just feet from the city transit center, and several residential projects targeting millennials. Bramson also revealed the advent of 24 free Verizon Palo kiosks at key locations citywide, which will provide access to high-speed Wi-Fi, maps, local attractions, charging ports and more. “A connected community is a strong community,” he said, adding that New Rochelle is now on par with even Manhattan’s ability. The Palo kiosks are a result of a request for proposals for a high-speed Wi-Fi service, and Palo was chosen after a competitive process. The kiosks come at no cost to the city since the financing will paid through advertising, according to city officials. Partisan politics have at times stood in the way of progress on the City Council. But today, Bramson pointed out how the current seven-member City Council has operated as a team in getting the ball rolling on development. The council managed to vote unanimously on the three pillars of sparking the upcoming changes to New Rochelle: creating and adopting a downtown plan; investing in infrastructure through a 10-year, $150 million capital program the council approved beginning with its 2017 city budget last December; and moving MAYOR continued on page 9
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