WPCNR TALK OF WESTCHESTER AVENUE. November 15, 2004: The owner of a business on Westchester Avenue notes that Stop N Shop appears to be reneging on a promise it made to the city and that the city assured neighboring stores to provide parking for other businesses along Westchester Avenue. Here is our reader's letter with the details:
Hi John,
I always read WPCNR to get up to date info on our city of White Plains.Thanks for your work to get word out in the city.
Years ago I attended many meetings with WP city officials , Stop & Shop officials, Lawyers for lanlord of Westchester ave shops, Business owners of 106 Westchester Avenue strip of stores. At that time the City of White Plains was giving Stop & Shop a 90 parking spot Municipal parking lot . This parking was very important for the strip of stores on Westchester Avenue to operate their businesses.
Stop & Shop & City assured all involved that parking would be available for all stores customers adjacent to Stop & Shop for as long as businesses were to be located there. Last week parking attendants having been telling my customers they cannot park in lot.
I fight the daily battle every day of cars parked in my small parking lot behind Finn McCool's. It is a daily battle, but new businesses have come to town and don't provide parking for their employees. Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs don't let employees park in their lot. Where are they going ? Westchester Mall charges employees a hefty price to park cars monthly. These people are all seeking free parking elsewhere.
I understand Stop & Shop's position, but they did make an agreement when recieving a very large city owned parking lot for free and promised to let stores customers to use lot. I also have noticed that Stop & Shop is renting spots in lot for car dealerships on Westchester Avenue. Maybe if they opened up those 15 spots they would have enough parking for everyone.
I am not looking for problems but just trying to run a small business here in White Plains. We have been in business at Finn McCool's for almost 12 years. Many things have changed since we opened before the Westchester mall.
Thanks for your time.
Mike O'Donnell, Finn McCool's
