WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. September 7, 2005: At the monthly Common Council meeting Tuesday night, the Council approved without comment the payment of $1.4 Million to the city by The Jefferson at 300 Mamaroneck Avenue as the method by which JPI, builders of the 281-unit luxury condo-townhouse complex would meet their affordable housing obligation. Originally intended as a rental, The Jefferson is about to offer their units and town houses as condominiums.

Very quietly, city assessibles continued to decline.

The council simultaneously approved $131, 801.70 in tax certiorari  settlements for a pair of elderly condominiums, resulting in $500,000 plus in certiorari paybacks by the city school district further pressuring the School District budget for 2006-07, now in preparation. WPCNR is awaiting the School District figures on exactly how much the latest certiorari hit will be on the district.

After an impassioned plea from affordable housing advocate Rose Noonan, not to approve the payment in lieu of, the Council voted 7-0, rebuffing her request. No Councilperson commented on their decision or indicated whether this was now the standard city policy that condominium complexes could pay a one time fee. With two Condoplexes awaiting public hearings next month (having been continued to October), this is a key issue.

 The $1.4 Million JPI payment to escape offering affordable units from their inventory, was calculated from a fee schedule assessing a fee for each of five two-bedroom units, and eleven one-bedroom units adopted by the Common Council August 1, 2005.

Two More Condos Follow Bay Hills Condo Lead.

Crystal Towers Condominiums at 20 Old Mamaroneck Road and Heritage Towers Condominium on 15 Stewart Place are the latest city condos,  to join the march of assessed properties that have come to the Delfino Administration for tax relief and reassessment that have been settled by the city without a court fight.

Bay Hills Condominiums in the posh Southend received a $215, 691.25 total certiorari last month, costing the school district an estimated $862,765 in certioraris.  For every tax dollar the city gives back, the City School District has to pay back four.

Crystal Towers, according to the paperwork submitted with the Common Council agenda, but not disclosed in the Common Council official agenda, received a tax refund of $71,549.31 cumulative for the tax years 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. The assessment of the property has been lowered from a high of $487,800 to the new assessment value of $325,000 a decline of $162,800.

Heritage Towers at 15 Stewart Place will receive a $60,252.39 tax certiorari covering the years 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06. The assessment of that complex has declined from $1,129,410 in 1998-99 to its present assessment of $925,000. The total decline in assessment is $204,410.

The Council also approved bonding of $680,000 for the purpose of buying heavy duty rolling stock for the Department of Public Works.

Scope on St. Agnes Property Closed.

The Public Scoping Hearing on the 390-unit St Agnes North Street Community senior condominium complex was closed.

The public has 10 days to submit written comment to the Planning Depart, 255 Main Street White Plains, NY. The hearing saw the repeat of Wyndham Close concerns about traffic, storm water runoff, size of the complex, and raised again the issue of what the rezoning precedent requested by North Street Community would mean for the development of the rest of the New York Presbyterian Hospital property adjacent to the the former St.Agnes property.

C.J. Follini, the principal of North Shore Community told WPCNR exclusively that the group was not talking or considering partnering with New York Presbyterian Hospital to run the complex for them. Follini said they did not have the experience or expertise of administering a senior care facility, and were not in the mix. He said he was considering six possible partners in the project. He said he would talk to New York Presbyterian Hospital “as neighbors” but was not considering them as a possible working partner.

Marc Pollitzer of the North Street Association warned the Common Council not to spot zone and to stick with their zoning for the hospital property, warning they would not be able to defend granting other specific zoning changes to another developer,  if they crafted a special zone for the North Street Community, as is being requested by the developer.

Next in the process is the Common Council acceptance of the scoping document.