Council Chambers Packed for FASNY Scoping Session

Half the people who packed into the White Plains Common Council chambers on Monday are opposed to having a school campus or its athletic fields in their backyard where a quiet serene golf course once was.

The other half dreams of uniting three school campuses to one gorgeous site where its students could learn at their optimum potential.

Both groups, however, were asked to put their opinions of the French-American School of New York’s (FASNY) campus at the former Ridgway Country Club aside for the night.

“The sole purpose of this meeting is to comment on things that should be included in the scope, that have not been included in the scope,” said Steven Silverberg, a legal consultant hired by the City. “There will be no vote, in fact not for many months until there is a very thorough process. It’s not whether you favor or oppose the application. There will be an opportunity for that later at a public hearing.”

Mayor Tom Roach explained to those who attended the public scoping session that they needed to focus their comments on what they think should be included in the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for FASNY’s application for a special permit to run a daycare/nursery school through twelfth grade campus and nature preserve on the 129-acre site.

Public comments on the scoping document can be made in writing until 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, and should be sent to the City Clerk, at White Plains City Hall at 255 Main St. or by email at cityclerk@whiteplainsny.gov.

Click here to view the scoping document; here to view FASNY’s application on its website; and for a background on the project.

One thing that those for and against the project could all agreed on was that the impact on surrounding property values should be thoroughly studied in the DEIS.

“Something else I didn’t hear discussed was impact on property values,” said Heide Schroeder, a Haviland Lane resident, at the meeting. “With more demand and people wanting to live here [to move close to the school], that is positive for us.”

Schroeder said that FASNY's proposoal is the best option for the city and "really positive for White Plains."

Conversely, Gedney Association President Terence Guerriere said the potential reduction of property values—as a result of a having a tax-exempt school where a golf course was—should be investigated in the DEIS. The , which represents the Gedney Farms neighborhood where the property is located, has expressed an organized . 

“We haven’t heard anything about the impact of the people from this project,” said Guerriere, a candidate for common council. “The project doesn’t assess the socioeconomic impact of the people of White Plains.” 

Leonard Gruenfeld wanted to make sure the long-term financial implications of the project were also explored in the document.

“They are here to serve the community, and are here for the long-term and not for the short term,” said the Franklin Avenue resident.

The public also requested that the following be studied in the DEIS:

•  Analysis of parking demand
• A thorough study of the nature preserve
• The visual impacts from new construction, and loss of trees and vegetation
• Impact from lighting
• Infrastructure capacity, such as storm water retention, gas and electric
• Change in character and change in quality of the neighborhood
• Impact on surrounding developments like the Burke Foundation and New York Hospital
• Impact on surrounding streams and watercourses
• Impact on the public school system
• Design alternatives based on zoning and other land use changes proposed by the City

Frances Jones—co-president of the White Plains Council of Neighborhood Associations, board member of White Plains Concerned Citizens for Open Spaces; and president of the Rocky Dell/Reynal Park Association—said she would like to know how noise, fumes and vibrations would be measured, citing the City’s zoning ordinance which states that these conditions can’t be more objectionable for a special use, than a use that does not require a special permit.

After the public spoke for more than two hours, the council had their say and requested that the DEIS additionally explore pedestrian access to the site, and alternative means of transportation and alternate ways to reduce traffic.

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