Date:    February 14, 2005

To:       Members of the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee

CC:      Mayor and Common Council

Please accept our appreciation for the important task you are undertaking for our city.

Background

When it unanimously agreed on September 8, 1997 to “accept and recognize” the Comprehensive Plan as “the basic policy framework for actions relating to land use, community facilities, and public improvements,”  the Common Council agreed as well on the need for periodic Plan review and up-dating through a broad-based process of community involvement. 

In furtherance of that spirit, our Citizens' Plan Committee report of November 22, 2004, 1997 Plan Update, suggested a framework approach for updating the 1997 Comprehensive Plan, envisioning a community-wide participatory effort to review the Plan's underlying  assumptions, projections, and recommendations, to recognize what has thus far been accomplished, and to seek citizen and official interest and assistance in the needed updating of the Plan. Following distribution of the report and summary findings, we sponsored a public meeting at Ridgeway School on January 13th which was attended by nearly 200 citizenswho expressed, in no uncertain terms, their desire to be heard

Shortly thereafter, the Department of Planning issued its report of January, 2005, 1997 Comprehensive Plan Review and Analysis, which, in addition to recognizing specific Plan implementations, identifies numerous areas worthy of attention and which may involve significant changes in the Plan. 

Finally, a number of us were interested observers of the organizational meeting of your Committee on February 9, 2005. The tasks you have been charged with are to result in a  final report which will deal with “whether, and to what extent if any, any elements of the 1997 Comprehensive Plan should be amended.”  The report will then be considered by the Mayor and Council, which will “determine whether or not to accept the Committee's recommendations.”

This is not an easy program, all will doubtless agree. Permit us a few suggestions:

A Grassroots Process                                                                                2 of 2

Almost from the outset of the 1997 effort, it was recognized that the formulation of an all-encompassing Comprehensive Plan could not be left solely to staff and consultants. Citizens, taxpayers, elected and appointed officials had to feel confident that individual and collective actions affecting our community reflected the best joint thinking available.  And so it is again. 

Then, there was a Comprehensive Plan Citizens' Committee along with eight substantive task forces (as outlined on the title page of the Plan). All of the Plan's proposals came through one or more Task Forces: those 400+ citizens were, in effect, the authors of the Plan. This “ground-up” approach has been shown to work: any changes to the Plan will be more readily understood and supported by the population-at-large. The task force approach should now be re-instituted, albeit in compressed form and with very explicit assignments.

The work should  focus on:  urban design elements (not limited solely to the core area, but including areas such as West Post Road, which do not exhibit economic vitality), special problems such as St Agnes and New York Hospital, the City's (and the School District's) current and future fiscal condition--particularly in light of recent rating agency evaluations, and housing matters--specifically the viability of public housing as a result of federal cutbacks, as well as the set-aside approach to achieving affordable housing.  Other priorities may be identified in the Planning Department's report. 

At the close of 1997, every household and taxpayer was mailed a summary of WHITE PLAINS VISION - A Plan for the 21st Century, comprising eight newspaper-size pages (including a map in color of the basic land use plan).  Because of considerable population influx and turnover it is likely that only a very small number of households have retained that summary. We strongly urge your Committee to undertake a similar mailing now to every household and taxpayer, the contents of which would include an abbreviated summary of the 1997 Plan as well as an enumeration of the key matters requiring attention at this time.

We look forward to assisting you in every appropriate manner and trust that you will call on us.

Sincerely,

Robert H. Levine

(for the) Citizens' Plan Committee