Issues
Schools & Overcrowding
Our schools are bursting at the seams! The schools are already over capacity. School budgets, classroom sizes, and teachers are not prepared to take on an additional influx of students.
The "Enrollment Update" for the Board of Education as of September 5, 2023, underscores a significant trend of rising student numbers, particularly at the secondary level in middle schools and high schools like HMX/MHS, marking the highest increase in recent decades. This trend extends to the Mamaroneck Avenue School (MAS), notably zoned for the Hunter Lot area, where classrooms are now operating at full capacity.
This surge in enrollment exacerbates existing challenges, as classrooms are already densely populated with students. The further addition of students under these circumstances is likely to strain resources even more, impacting the quality of education.
It's crucial to acknowledge that maintaining and enhancing the educational experience our children receive and rightfully deserve becomes increasingly challenging in such a densely packed and resource-constrained environment.
Parking
This project will significantly reduce the number of public parking spots available to residents and patrons supporting the businesses on the avenue. The Hunter Lot is a multi use lot, not just for the Library, Emelin, Movie Theater, and local Shops and Restaurants, but also for the court, Building department and Police & Fire department.
Misleading Information
Mamaroneck residents are being misled about the eligibility rules for these units. The housing will be available on a LOTTERY BASIS to people meeting the financial criteria (which ranges from 30% AMI to 120% AMI with the Area Median Income (AMI) for all of Westchester County being $146,800) and who currently live in the 9 county area including Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Fairfield Counties and all five boroughs of New York City. Residents of Mamaroneck will NOT be prioritized.
Need for Affordable Housing
The Village of Mamaroneck proudly exceeds the state requirement for public housing (several of our neighboring communities do not). Our Village, including our Mayor who grew up in affordable housing, is for more, done in a responsible manner.
Traffic
Traffic is already congested due to the proximity to the Avenue and Boston Post Road as well as traffic related to the police, fire, Emelin Theatre, municipal buildings, and post office. The traffic at this location during commuting hours will come to a standstill.
Emergency and Other Critical Services
Fire, Police, Post Office and EMS have voiced concerns: they do not have the resources for more residents and the location of this development could impact access for emergency services.
There is an enormous strain a project this big will place on our first responders and our seriously aging infrastructure.
Focus on Flooding
Flood Mitigation has been a major concern of village residents for years. This needs to be prioritized over a new development targeting non-residents.
In a recent survey of residents, flood mitigation was voted the top issue (second was concern about overdevelopment).
Overdevelopment is a factor in the flooding of Mamaroneck neighborhoods. Development of any kind should be halted and resources focused on flood mitigation. More development adds to already congested roads.
Conflicts of Interest
There are numerous conflicts of interest.
One of the three members of the Board of Trustees who is in favor of the development (Manny Rawlings) was a defendant in a landlord and tenant lawsuit for non-payment of rent filed by the favored bidder (Washingtonville Housing Alliance, who submitted a proposal with Westhab, Inc) and has been ordered by the judge to pay to Washingtonville Housing Alliance over $20,000.
A second member of the Board of Trustees (Leilani Yizar-Reid) stated at the March 24 Board of Trustee Meeting (starting at 1:02:15): "I cannot afford to live here. I will benefit greatly from living in that place. Me. So how will it benefit people? It will benefit me."
Adding to the complexity, Yizar-Reid's involvement as a former Board Member of the Washingtonville Housing Alliance, as evidenced by her LinkedIn profile, further blurs the line between her personal interest in affordable housing and her responsibilities as a Board member. Furthermore, her former position on the board of the Community Resource Center (CRC), a potential beneficiary of the Westhab proposal, adds another layer of conflict. Her company, River Rise, notably hosts a bi-monthly event called “The Space” at the Washington Housing Alliance Office (136 Library Lane), underscoring yet another issue of potential conflict.
These connections raise questions about the impartiality of her decisions on housing matters within the village.
Another conflict concerns Trustee Lou Young, who has engaged in direct communications with one of the bidders (1/22/24 BOT Work Session time stamp, 3:32:15). This interaction suggests a closeness with a party potentially involved in the development, which could influence Young's decisions.
All conflicted members of the board who may gain personally should not vote. They should not be acting in their own interests but the best interests of the Village.
Mandate of the Board
According to the general power granted to the village board of trustees, under section 4–412 of the New York State Village law, their powers should be exercised for what is deemed expedient or desirable for, among other things: "the safety, health, comfort, and general welfare of its inhabitants [and] the protection of their property". Given the cost and the compromise to infrastructure, this development offers no benefit to any homeowner in Mamaroneck; there is also no benefit to any person renting in Mamaroneck unless that person wins the lottery for a new home in this development and so to push this project seems outside of the mandate of the board.
In conclusion, who does this project benefit? Based on the information available, we lose a valuable asset, we over-burden the infrastructure (including schools as well as emergency and other critical services), we lose parking, we increase tax-payer costs and we decrease home values all while disregarding current concerns of the residents of Mamaroneck (including flooding and poor existing infrastructure).
As residents of Mamaroneck, we demand this project be put aside until a more thoughtful approach can be taken in collaboration with the community.
Process
The process is extremely concerning. The RFP process was a blank slate so developers could share their visions, unconstrained by any concerns for the village or town. No impact studies addressing the basic concerns outlined above have been made generally available.
There is no transparency into the economics for this development: how much is the developer paying for this land? How much will be collected in taxes from the new residents?
The Village has no professional representation to evaluate the best use for this property which has been a point of disagreement between Mayor Sharon Torres, Deputy Mayor/Trustee Nora Lucas and the three other members of the Board of Trustees, including Lou Young who stated that he is ready to vote on this matter now.
Changing the Character of Our Village
Whether it's 'affordable' or market rate housing, apart from the other economic considerations, it's too big for what is a residential neighborhood of mostly single family homes. Even the commercial district on Mamaroneck Ave. is mainly 2 story buildings. It isn't in character with what is still a charming village.