Greenburgh 2025 year in review -the highlights

2025 Greenburgh Year in Review

Greenburgh had an eventful 2025! These are some highlights. Am currently working on 2026 goals and will be sharing the goals with the community shortly. Have a fantastic 2026.

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor

🏢 Economic Development & Business

• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – Spout’s announced plans to open a market on Central Ave. The Hartsdale Market (part of Key Foods) signed a lease at the former Rite Aid on E Hartsdale Ave. Inkaterra Market, K Pot, Gotham freeze, Il Sorrentino restaurant have opened at the 4 corners and on Central Ave. And – Best Buy is relocating to the former Christmas tree store on Central Ave. Picklr Francise is taking over the Buy Buy Baby building near the Midway Shopping Center and planning a commercial indoor Pickleball court. Apple Bank opened a new branch on Central Ave. Regeneron continues their expansion. Brightview Assisted Living under construction off of Dobbs Ferry Road.

• GREENBURGH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND RIVERTOWNS ROTARY HONORS LOCAL BUSINESSES – Both civic groups have joined forces and honor different businesses that give back to the community. The Greenburgh Chamber of Commerce has sponsored a number of great events for our local businesses. A few years ago my office helped organize the Chamber. For many years Greenburgh did not have a local chamber supporting local businesses.

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🥕 Farmers Markets

• TWO NEW FARMERS MARKETS – Two new farmers markets. The Greenburgh Farmers market on Manhattan Ave offers free produce to those who stop by (a first in the county). And a new farmers market opened next to the Hartsdale train station this fall. Both are coming back in 2026.

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🏛 Museums, History & Cultural Projects

• ODELL HOUSE MUSEUM LEADER KNIGHTED BY FRENCH GOVERNMENT – The historic Odell House is being renovated and should be open in the fall. The French government was so impressed that they knighted Susan Seal in appreciation of her advocacy. Rochambeau & George Washington strategized at the Odell House -tricked Britain and won the war.

• BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM – The Fairview Empowerment Group organized an exhibit that is travelling around the county highlighting world famous and major leaders who lived in Greenburgh who made a major contribution to society. Cab Calloway, Gordon Parks, Vernon Jordan, Roy Campanella are a few of the leaders highlighted. In 2026 the Fairview Empowerment Group plans to expand this initiative by placing banners featuring famous Greenburgh leaders around the community.

• CHILDREN OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS – Rabbi Mara Young of Woodlands Community Temple is the host of a fascinating series –featuring children of Holocaust survivors. Monthly interviews of different Greenburgh residents feature fascinating stories about parents who escaped the Nazi’s.

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🌧 Flooding, Drainage & Storm Response

• DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS – The town removed obstructions on Manhattan Brook which will reduce flooding after storms. We plan to remove a bridge on the Saw Mill River in the near future –which will reduce flooding in the N Elmsford/Babbitt Court area. Our town staff has also completed a number of smaller drainage projects. The Town Bd has been appropriating millions towards drainage improvements in recent years. The Town Board also approved legislation authorizing tax breaks for those who suffered significant property damages after storms. We had previously asked the State Legislature to authorize local governments to enact the changes.

• FULLER CENTER HELPS VICTIM OF HURRICANE IDA REBUILD HER HOME ON WARREN – After Hurricane Ida a house on Warren Ave was destroyed. A non profit organization called the Fuller Center reached out to hundreds of volunteers who rebuilt the home for the family-saving hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Fuller Center also helped individuals with disabilities with ramp installations and assisted many others.

• GIVING OUT SAND BAGS – During recent storms the town has given out sandbags to residents to help reduce impacts from storms.

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🛣 Roads, Bridges & Transportation

• ROAD REPAVING – The town spent over 7 million dollars repaving town owned streets NYS repaved Knollwood Road and promises to repave Dobbs Ferry Road (near Saw Mill River Road) in 2026.

• CENTRAL TAXI SAVED – Last year I read that Central Taxi, which serves Hartsdale, Edgemont, Scarsdale and Greenburgh was close to going out of business. I worked with the manager, Peter Blier and am pleased to report that the taxi business will continue.

• ARDSLEY ROAD BRIDGE FINALLY COMPLETED AFTER FIVE YEARS – Repairs at the Ardsley Road bridge inconvenienced motorists for close to five years. In late November the bridge repairs were finally completed.

• A NEW SIDEWALK ON DOBBS FERRY ROAD – A new sidewalk on Dobbs Ferry Road from Knollwood to 119 is almost completed. A new 270 Ft pedestrian bicycle bridge was built by the state in Tarrytown to enable people to more easily get to the Mario Cuomo bridge.

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🔧 Community Services & Programs

• REPAIR CAFÉ – The Fairview Empowerment Group organized their third Repair Café at the Theodore Young Community Center this spring---offering residents free repairs on possessions.

• ARTISTS & CRAFTERS MARKET – My office, working with artists, organized our 2nd annual Arts Fair featuring local artists at Richard Presser Park this spring. We now produce cable TV interviews with many of the local artists whose work is featured at Greenburgh Town Hall, the Library or the Byrne Center at AF Veteran park.

• STUDENT NEWS NETWORK – Blake Feinstein of Edgemont HS has produced interesting news stories about life in Greenburgh. Other students from Woodlands HS and other schools serve as reporters.

• CIVIL SERVICE PREPARATION – The Greenburgh library sponsored a very informative program teaching residents who are looking for work how to take civil service exams and improve their chances of getting government jobs.

• SNOW ANGELS/TECH ANGELS – Students continue to volunteer their time helping the elderly and disabled when it snows. Student Tech Angels led by Josh Topf of Edgemont High stops off at the Theodore Young Community Center every other weekend giving seniors free Tech advice.

• VETERANS BARBEQUE – Our veterans committee has been organizing a veterans barbeque for over a decade. This year's barbeque was a big success.

• DIAPER DASH – The parks department organized the 2nd annual diaper dash –featuring children under two who are now participating in their first competition –crawling or running.

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🏘 Housing & Development Policy

• AFFORDABLE HOUSING – The 45 unit affordable housing complex on Dromore Road had their ribbon cutting ceremony during the past year. A green roof on top of the building is great for the environment.

• UNFINISHED BUSINESS – ADU legislation: Tthe Town Board held a number of public hearings on allowing accessory dwelling units. No action was taken in 2025. There is a dispute over what the minimum lot size for ADUs should be with some residents objecting to legislation that only allows ADUs for homes with larger lot sizes. I anticipate that the Board will enact some ADU legislation in early 2026.

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💡 Energy, Utilities & Environment

• CON ED-GREENBURGH JOINS CONSORTIUM OF 40 MUNICIPALITIES THAT FOUGHT TO LOWER RATE HIKES – Greenburgh joined a consortium of 40 municipalities joined forces, hired an experienced attorney and fought to lower Con Ed’s proposed rate hikes. Con Ed’s original proposed electric rate increase of 13.4% has been reduced to 2.8% On the gas side the original proposed 19% increase was reduced to 2%. The proposed agreement also addresses inequity between Con Ed’s investments in projects within NYC as compared to within Westchester.

• SOLAR CANOPIES AT PARKING LOT AT AF VETERAN PARK – New solar panels have been placed at Town Hall in 2025. More will be placed on the roof of other municipal buildings in 2026. We anticipate signing a contract to place solar canopies at our parking lot at AF Veteran park in 2026.

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📚 Library Initiatives

• GREENBURGH LIBRARY INNOVATIONS – The Greenburgh Public Library expanded the Library of Things with a range of new offerings including travel telescopes for beginners to explore the world beyond earth. New technology tools added this year include additional mobile hotspots, energy-usage monitor (Kill A Watt), an OBD II scanner for vehicle diagnostics, and Microsoft 365 software licenses that patrons can download and use on their own computers. Media and digitization took off this year with the addition of a VHS conversion service and digital film scanners to preserve personal memories. The Library also further enhanced the collection with practical items such as tire inflators, document shredders, and blood pressure monitors. In the New Year, patrons can look forward to additions to the museum pass collection, including the reintroduction of passes to the Frick Collection and an additional pass to Storm King Art Center, along with new technology and tools designed to enhance access, learning, and support everyday needs.

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⚖ Governance, Budget & Policy

• REBUILDING FUND BALANCE – The Town Board is committed to rebuild the fund balance. During Covid and the aftermath of Covid we kept tax rate hikes artificially low. The structural issue is that recurring expenditures driven by contractual obligations and inflation have outpaced recurring revenues. Revenues should be brought in line with these costs. The Town has two budgets: an A budget which is very small and a B budget which serves only unincorporated Greenburgh. The 2026 approved budget will see residents who live in the villages who have homes assessed at $750,000 pay about $31.31 a year more in taxes (10% increase). Residents of unincorporated Greenburgh who live in a home worth $750,000 will see the town portion of their taxes go up $112.54 in 2026-less than a 3% increase.

The average resident of a village paid about $315 to the town a year (about 1.5% of their total tax bill). Next year they will pay about $346 to the town. The town acts as a tax collector for the school district and county government --two governments that are independent of the town. We provide a few services to residents of the villages. Residents of unincorporated Greenburgh who have a house worth $750,000 paid about $4,009.79 in 2025. That amount will go to about $4,102 in 2026. I plan to create a citizens budget committee to look for ways to cut costs and improve efficiencies.

• EDGEMONT INCORPORATION STATUS – The sufficiency of a petition filed by some Edgemont residents to become a village was found insufficient by me in 2024 and is currently in litigation. The Town Board filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court challenging a law that treats Edgemont/Greenburgh differently from the rest of the state. The State Legislature has made it much more difficult for hamlets to incorporate but exempted Edgemont for 16 years from the new requirements.

• SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY – The Town Board hired an attorney experienced in social media policy to make recommendations regarding social media policies for the town. The Town Attorney has been reviewing the recommendations. We anticipate that a proposed policy will be presented to the Town Board in January, 2026.

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👮‍♂️ Public Safety & Facilities

• POLICE/COURT HOUSE – A consultant recommended that the town pursue renovations and expansion at the current police and court house location. The proposal is part of a draft facilities master plan to address the needs of the currently undersized facility.

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⚖ Courts & Judges

• TWO NEW TOWN JUSTICES – Judge Lia Rodriguez was elected in November as our new Town Judge, the 2nd Hispanic Judge to serve Greenburgh. The Town Board appointed Amy R. Foote as another new Justice at our December 23rd meeting effective January 1, 2026.

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🐾 Parks & Recreation

• NEW DOG PARK IN ARDSLEY – Ardsley Eagle Scout candidate Tristen Roberts built a dog park in Ardsley.

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📧 Technology & Communications

• NEW EMAIL ADDRESS – Town employees now have a greenburghny.GOV email address.

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The above are just some of the initiatives that took place this year. The town is very lucky to have many exceptional employees who work hard trying to be responsive to community concerns and civic leaders who are excellent advocates for their neighborhoods.

_PAUL FEINER, Greenburgh Town Supervisor