WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. January 23, 2008: City Hall announced today the Orchard Street property targeted for a 3-home subdivision, pending creation of  the Bernard Place street to enable the subdivision, has been the subject of city hall analysis and scrutiny for six months. Paul Wood, the City Executive Officer said that the property had been quietly considered as a possible Open Space the city might acquire.  The city, he said,  had not previously announced the property as attractive to it,  because they did not want to be seen in interference with a contract before the Planning Board. The contractor was seeking at the time, and still is,  approval of a two-lot subdivision into a three-lot subdivision.

City Has Been Exploring Orchard Street Subdivision Conumdrum for six months.

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. January 23, 2008: City Hall announced today the Orchard Street property targeted for a 3-home subdivision, and creation of  the Bernard Place street, to enable the subdivision has been the subject of city hall analysis and scrutiny for six months and that the property had been quietly considered as a possible Open Space the city might acquire.  The city had not previously announced the property as attractive,  because they did not want to be seen in interference with a contract. The contractor was seeking at the time for approval of a two-lot subdivision into a three-lot subdivision.

In a statement to WPCNR issued by the Mayor’s Office, it was stated  today that the property had been on the list for two months, dating back to the time when the Mayor reconstituted the makeup of the Open Space Committee. The Mayor’s Office statement denied that the letter signed by Councilman Thomas Roach and Dennis Power sent to the Mayor last week had prompted the announcement  last Friday to The Journal News that the property was been considered to be added to the Open Space possibly to be acquired list.

 The statement, in addition said that the property had been under analysis by the city as to how it might be saved, since Mr. Neubauer had made known his plans to subdivide the two-lot subdivision into three since last summer.

Hockley  Letter Also Not a Factor

The Mayor’s Office statement to WPCNR said that Councilman Glen Hockley’s letter appearing in The White Plains Times one week ago had nothing to do with  the Mayor announcing the property being announced to The Journal News by the city last Friday, as suddenly being considered to be designated as attractive to the city for open space preservation

WPCNR asked Paul Wood since any acquisition of the Orchard Street parcel land would come at a high price  several million dollars (since it could support  3 homes mostly worth $1 million a piece),  how,  should the city seek to acquire it,  would it pay for it?

Paul Wood, the Mayor’s Executive Officer, said that the city’s “open space incubator program,” where Starbucks payments to the city are designated for open space acquisition could be a source of funds to handle any debt service required to purchase any open space the city might seek either there or elsewhere in the city.

Previously the New York Trust for Public Land has been engaged by the city to negotiate with property owners for tracts the city wished to preserve, most recently, the Ben Simon property.

Six Months of Anxiety

The land first came to the attention of the city and opposition formed against the proposed subdivision last summer. Al Gassman, a naturalist activist had opposed it at first due to his fears that the subdivision lot was a pathway for wildlife and that developing it would pose a threat to the Eastern Box Turtle. Subsequently, the Box Turtle threat appeared to be unfounded. However, the prospect of opening the wooded area behind the subdivision to possible future development, and possible runoff into the reservoir across route 120,  should the city seek to sell off the balance of the forested land, prompted neighbors to continue their opposition.

Future Park? Mayor: Needs to Be Examined.

Mayor Joseph Delfino, speaking to WPCNR, asked if the forest property beyond the subdivision might be opened as a park (it is now “POSTED”), said he did not know, but that would have to be looked at as to whether  it could even be de-POSTED. He noted that the former shooting range of the White Plains Police Department which was adjacent to the larger forested tract, he thought, was contaminated due to years of use as a shooting range. The shooting range property suitability to be opened up for open space enjoyment would also have to be looked at if the community was interested in that.