Harrison REVIEW THE
June 7, 2019 | Vol. 7, Number 23 | www.harrisonreview.com
Countytoreviewsecurity measuresafterVirginiashooting
Tune up
Students of the Southern Westchester BOCES repair a SUV for the Rye Police Department as part of a community partnership program. For more, see page 6. Contribute photo
Following the horrific May 31 shooting at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Westchester County Executive George Latimer is directing county Department of Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Gleason to lead a review and evaluation of security measures and protocols at all Westchester County facilities. “What last week’s shooting shows us is that in these times, we must work to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep those in our facilities safe,” Latimer said. “This shooting occurred in a municipal building where residents are required to come in for various permits, receive paperwork, etc.—exactly like what occurs in municipal buildings in Westchester and nearly everywhere else around the Country.” Gleason added, “Our Department is committed to keeping Westchester residents and employees safe. We constantly review all real-world incidents that occur and update our security procedures and protocols in response if needed. We will be
conducting a similar assessment in the aftermath of the Virginia Beach tragedy.” Further, to honor the 12 victims of this horrific act of violence—many of whom were public servants who dedicated their lives to serving their community—Latimer has directed flags on Westchester County facilities be flown at half-staff. “These 12 innocent victims were everyday people who were just living their lives. This is not normal and this is not right,” Latimer said. “Our nation must act now to stop these senseless mass shootings, unless we want to see any trip to a public space become a potential nightmare.” In recent years, the county police have conducted Civilian Response to Active Shooter, CRASE, training for hundreds of county residents. CRASE training provides people with practical guidance to help them survive an active shooter event if one occurs in their workplace or other location where they are present. (Submitted)
MTA, AvalonBay hold groundbreaking to start TOD project property to AvalonBay in April, allowing construction to begin. “I’m pleased that the MTA and AvalonBay are moving forward on this marquee project that we hope will set the bar for future transit-oriented development efforts in our region,” MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber said. Housed on a 3.28-acre site along Halstead Avenue, the development intends to spark a downtown rebirth, serving as a catalyst for the revitalization of the town/village of Harrison. This previously underutilized parcel of property presently contains a surface parking lot that is too small to meet current commuter demand. Under the design completed
by the developer, and approved by the town/village with input from Metro-North and MTA, the surface parking lot will be replaced by a series of pedestrian-oriented, four-story buildings lined with retail stores on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors, including affordable apartments that will be subsidized by Westchester County. A mixed-use building at the eastern end of the site will create a vibrant streetscape with direct entry for several town home units and residential amenities at street level. Its interior and upper stories would provide 598 spaces of structured parking, of which at least 475 would be reserved for the public and commuters,
an 85 percent increase over the 257 Metro-North-owned parking spaces that exist today. An additional 187 parking spaces for residents and 96 for retail customers will be located in another parking structure behind the first floor of the mixed retail/residential buildings on the western end of the site. The existing parking spaces owned by Harrison on the north side of the station are preserved for customers and will not be affected by construction or the project. There will be closures of part of the parking lot during the construction process. Alternate will be provided, and customers will be diverted to the other lots within walking distance from the station. (Submitted)
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MTA Metro-North Railroad and AvalonBay Communities held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Harrison train station on June 5 to mark the start of construction of a mixed-use development project on the south side of the station. This transit-oriented development project will be the first of its kind in the railroad’s system, and it will include a garage for commuters and the public, housing complex with 143 apartment units (7 of which are affordable units), 27,000 square feet of retail space, as well as two pedestrian plazas at the station. The garage will increase commuter parking by at least 218 spaces. Metro-North reached an agreement on the sale of the parcel of
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