The City-appointed Comprehensive Plan Review Committee [CPRC]

 co-chaired by Mary Cavallero and John Martin, and the Planning

Department staff under the direction of Commissioner Habel, have

reported as charged.  The Citizens’ Plan Committee [CPC] has

prepared documents, sponsored several public meetings and

made presentations to you on May 1st.  Various unaffiliated members

 of  the public have also testified, as well.  Now we must all move

forward.

All will recognize that there are some differences between the CPRC

 and the CPC materials–differences in subject matter and

differences in approach.  The CPRC reports hew closely to the format

of the 1997 Plan and are an able summary of how the City has applied

that Plan.  CPC materials raise other significant issues not

covered in the 1997 Plan including, notably: City/School District

interdependence, fiscal issues not contemplated a decade ago,

changing demographics, the ramifications of new technological

advances and urban core design concerns. CPRC and CPC

differences must be reconciled and bridged if we are to arrive at a

meaningful, useful set of needed changes to the 1997 Plan.

We respectfully suggest that the public hearing process be kept open

until the October meeting, at the least, nd that the interim period be used

by the City to integrate CPRC, CPC, and other materials received or

yet to be proffered. Extensive Council work sessions can be anticipated,

using analyses and summaries prepared by City planning staff, with

the possible assistance of an objective professionally qualified

consultant.  This would be similar to the procedures followed during

1994-97, when consultants were retained to work with City staff and

a City-appointed management group, as well as with a broad range of

citizen groups. and then with the Council.  The resulting Plan was favorably

acted on by the Mayor and Council in 1997.   We understand that funding

 for that staff assistance was provided from  Community Development

 [CD] funds.

Our group, committed to work with all entities of the City government,

expects that you will call on us (and other citizen groups) as may be

appropriate.  We are confident that a cooperative City-citizen effort

will yield a formal proposal for Plan action by the Council during 2006. 

This could be recognized as the completion of the five-year review

prescribed by the original Plan and would logically lead into

succeeding five-year plan reviews.

Respectfully submitted, 

Robert H. Levine (for the Citizens’ Plan Committee)

3 Brentwood Avenue

White Plains, NY 10605