City Council District 6's blog

District 6 Council of Neighborhood Associations

City Council District 6 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:28:06 +0000

Through the District 6 Council of Neighborhood Associations, I meet quarterly with representatives of the neighborhood associations within the District. I would like to exchange ideas with representatives of the entire District at these meetings. However, there appear to be areas which do not have neighborhood associations and are not represented If you would like to participate, and your neighborhood is not among those listed below, please let me know. If you would like to form a neighborhood association, please contact Richard Sosis, President of the District 6 Council, at 632-5151

Residential Traffic-Calming Program

City Council District 6 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:27:35 +0000

Municipal

We all know that speeding on local streets adversely affects the quality of life in our neighborhoods. In 2007, the first year of the competition for the City’s new traffic-calming program, one of our District 6 neighborhoods was selected as the first of two neighborhoods in our City to participate. It is the area sometimes called Huguenot Lake, which is located “behind” New Rochelle High School, and includes Clove Road, Parcot, Otsego and Flandreau Avenues, and Argyll Avenue. The neighborhood’s application to participate ranked highest on the application criteria evaluated by our independent traffic consultants. By the time of this writing, the consultant has met with neighborhood representatives, designed proposed modifications to the streets, met with a large group of neighborhood residents to review the proposal, and prepared further proposed changes based on the neighbors’ responses. The changes proposed include a raised intersection, speed humps, and extended sidewalks at corners to protect pedestrians and narrow turns at intersections. If supported by 80% of the residents of the area, the trafficcalming measures will be installed later this year. I supported the inclusion of funding for two more trafficcalming projects in the City’s 2008 budget, and I plan to support continuing funding for this program in future years. Some of the criteria for selection include that the roadways be residential, local (not collector or arterial) streets and not emergency response routes, with average daily traffic of more than 500 but less than 3,500 vehicles, and that the proposed changes not divert traffic to other streets. If your neighborhood would like to apply for a traffic-calming program in your area, please contact the City’s Traffic Engineer, Michael Briska, at 654-2135, or at Mbriska@newrochelleny.com for information and application materials.

Wykagyl Shopping Center

City Council District 6 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:26:57 +0000

Municipal

The owner of the Wykagyl Shopping Center has applied to the Planning Board for approval of an addition to the Center. The proposal would expand the building behind the Houlihan Lawrence office and Big Top and add a second story in that area. The Zoning Code permits an expansion to the size and height of the building, provided the property owner satisfies numerous requirements, including adequate parking, prescribed setbacks from adjacent properties and roads, emergency access, loading docks, mitigation for adverse traffic impacts, and architectural compatibility (based upon the analysis of the Professional Architectural Review Committee). The Planning Board has jurisdiction over the application to require modification to comply with requirements and/or approve subject to conditions necessary to reduce impacts, or reject the plan. While as a Council Member I have no role in the Planning Board’s determination, I am concerned about the impacts of the proposal. I have been working closely with the most-concerned neighborhood associations, Northfield and 1270 North Avenue, and with the City’s staff who review the plans to assure that all aspects of the plan are carefully scrutinized and that all requirements are met in order to protect the neighborhoods and all users of the shopping center.

Dickerman’s Pond

City Council District 6 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:26:29 +0000

Municipal

You may not have known it was there, but the heavy construction equipment at Pinebrook Boulevard just north of the Quaker Ridge Road overpass indicates the location of Dickerman’s Pond. (Dickerman was the owner of the farm later sold to theWard family who renamed it Hillanddale Farm.) The project now under way consists of removing invasive weeds and silt from the Sheldrake River and the pond area, planting grasses and other natural water-friendly plants, and improving water quality and flow. A forebay will be constructed to trap debris and to be accessible for regular cleaning. Funded by the County, the result will be an visually and environmentally improved natural-looking pond area.

Tax Relief

City Council District 6 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:26:03 +0000

Municipal

Rising tax bills are a major concern to all of us. Each of us as homeowners may take advantage of the Small Claims Assessment Review program to have our own property assessments reduced. Since our taxes are calculated based on the tax rate per $1,000 of our assessment, if your property is assessed at an amount which does not reflect its accurate current market value, the Board of Assessment Review can reduce your assessment. I urge all taxpayers in District 6 to consider whether they should apply for a reduction in assessment this year. Take a look at your most recent tax bill and note the full market value shown. This has been calculated based on the residential assessment ratio and your home’s assessment. If it seems too high, you may ask the City’s Assessor’s office at 654-2054 or www.orps.state.ny.us for the application forms, or contact a local real estate broker who will represent you at a fee which is usually a percentage of your first year’s tax savings. Even if you have had a reduction before, you may apply again if your current assessment appears now to exceed the market value. Applications may be filed June 2 through June 17.

Greetings from Marianne Sussman

City Council District 6 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:25:28 +0000

Municipal

Dear Residents of District 6:

Thank you for re-electing me last year to serve as your representative on City Council by a vote of 65%. I appreciate the opportunity to continue to participate in the important decisions which are shaping the present and future of New Rochelle.

The rest of this newsletter relates to downtown, waterfront and citywide news, but here I take pleasure in addressing matters of special interest and concern to the residents of our Council District, the issues upon which I focus a large part of my day-to-day work. They range from emergency services to traffic safety to park development and protection, to new developments in our area and, above all, the protection of the beauty and quality of life of our neighborhoods.

Please let me know your thought on these, or any other, city issues by contacting me at MarianneSussman @optonline.net or at 740-7385.

Sincerely,

Marianne Sussman
City Council Member
District 6