White Plains CitizeNetReporter - <i>KING KOMMENTS:</i> Calls for City Department Heads to Weigh In on Hospital

White Plains Common Councilperson William King "Komments" weekly on White Plains CitizeNetReporter, and this week files this "take" on the New York Presbyterian Hospital Biotech Project in Public Hearings: I feel we need a full public briefing by city staff on NYPH issues and I would much prefer doing everything in public at our next Council meeting, with no more exec sessions from now on.

To date, we have heard from NYPH and many residents but the Council and the public have not heard any kind of full presentation by staff. You can brief us ahead of time at the work session if you'd like but it's more important that the public hears what (Planning, Building and Traffic Departments) have to say at a regular public meeting. Perhaps Edye (McCarthy, Accessor), could also address whether existing or proposed usages on the property already should be taxable or would be in the future.

I believe it is fair and relevant for the City to ask NYPH for an inventory of their existing space, with square footages, occupied and vacant, on their campus.

Many members of the public and other council members have asked for more specifics as to what type of research is contemplated for the proposed buildings as there is some concern over the range of biotech research so close to residential areas. What kinds of research are going on now in NYPH's existing space?

Tax Status Query

Are some of these activities being performed by private, for-profit companies? Are existing for-profit activities on the NYPH campus, if any, currently paying property taxes? If not, shouldn't they be?

This also calls into question the overall non-profit and non-taxable status of NYPH - can we get some kind of statement from the Attorney General's office as to when a non-profit institution crosses the line into for-profit status? How close is NYPH to this status? Do they have to get an annual certification of their non-profit status from the State Attorney General's Office or another office of the State or Federal governments?

Asks About Building Usage Inventory

Can we also get a definitive answer on how much of NYPH's existing space is being used for "central administration and services" for their whole 50-hospital or "northern region" network?

An example has been used several times about whether our zoning does or doesn't allow (I don't think I have heard a clear answer on this - maybe this discussion preceded my time on the Council - for the newer members like me, Ben (Boykin) and Tom (Roach), at least, could this be clarified?) so-called "non-campus specific" uses such as "laundry facilities" for the White Plains campus and other hospitals in the NYPH chain (including White Plains Hospital and United Port Chester). Are there such "central laundry facilities" on the campus now? How about "centralized hazardous waste collection and transfer"? "Payroll and Accounts Receivable"?

If someone were to say these kinds of activities aren't allowed in a residential/special permit zone, could NYPH come back and say 'they're going on now, on the White Plains campus, in the same zone (with or without the city's knowledge and acquiesence), and so there is precedent for such a use in this zone?'

Worries About Wasting Space

As I have been mulling over this issue over the last several weeks I think one of my core values that I have come to recognize is a big factor in my thinking is that I do not like the idea of wasting space, of building on open land when existing facilities could potentially be adaptively reused.

I have heard through the grapevine of how NYPH has downsized over time in various ways. Someone recently asked, and it indeed is a relevant question, isn't it?, - what's to become of the existing buildings in the "historic oval," many of which are in need of repair - from what I remember - I haven't been on their campus in more than a year.

Suggests biotech be moved to existing vacant office space

I would also like an answer to an old question posed to me by another resident - why can't biotech and research activities be conducted in some of our existing vacant office space? What about the nearly empty old Kraft headquarters right across North Street? Isn't our office vacancy rate still already pretty high?

NYPH and St. Agnes Combo?

I asked a week ago about the possibility of NYPH and St. Agnes getting involved in some sort of cooperative venture using mostly if not solely the underutilized space at the back of St. Agnes' campus on which I would like to hear your and NYPH's views.

Again, I hate to see NYPH plow up and build on their own "greenfields" when financially struggling St. Agnes' "brown and asphalt fields" lie fallow right next door. Like I said, it would have been like Fortunoffs building on NYPH property while the old Saks store just sat their empty - fortunately, Fortunoffs will rebuild on the Saks site.

No more office space, please.

More office space is definitely something, we (The Planning Department and Mr. King), have discussed that Downtown White Plains does not need more of from a traffic perspective. This would seem to have strong applicability to just outside of Downtown as well.

Traffic on Bryant and Mamaroneck Aves. is already heavy and of concern to surrounding residents. I thought I saw in the traffic portion of the DEIS that Bryant Ave. in the Highlands and in front of Bryant Crescent already is currently (before any NYPH projects) carrying half the traffic that Downtown Main Street does during the a.m. and p.m. rush hours. This is saying something since it is much narrower and goes through residential neighborhoods.

Environmental Questions

I am also still waiting for information from ( the Environmental Officer and the Planning Department) on acceptable environmental (air, other) thresholds - where we are currently and where would we be with the proposed NYPH projects.

Perhaps the other councilmembers and others will add their concerns and questions that (city departments) should address in public session.

Thanks - Bill King


Create an account		The White Plains Daily Internet Newspaper...Founded 2000 A.D....


			Designed and hosted by WestchesterInternet.com