UPDATED: FASNY Responds to Gedney Association President

• Correction: A previous verision of this letter stated that wording for the "Phasing of Master Plan Implementation" section was from the DEIS, when it was from the Greens to Greens Conservancy's website. The current wording is from the DEIS. 

• Editor's Note: The following is a letter to the editor from French-American School of New York spokesperson Geoff Thompson. His letter is in response to a July 12 article titled "Gedney Association: FASNY's Proposed Conservancy is a Distraction." 

To White Plains Patch, 

The accompanying paragraphs provide the specific wording taken from the French-American School of New York's Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) as it relates to the planned Greens to Green Open Space Conservancy.

These sections from the 500-plus page document clearly state the intention of the school to establish the 84-acre Conservancy protected by a permanent conservation easement "at the time of approval of the proposed Project" for the former Ridgeway Country Club property. 

The precise DEIS wording is submitted to Patch in response to the comments of Terence Guerriere, President of the Gedney Neighborhood Association, regarding the Conservancy. His remarks were included in an accompanying story that ran with Patch's news story last week about FASNY's announcement that it has retained the Teatown Lake Reservation to do a four-season baseline study of the botany and biology of the Greens to Green open space acreage.

Mr. Guerriere persists in making public statements maintaining that FASNY is not making a serious commitment to creating the Conservancy. He does so despite the fact that the DEIS wording clearly states that the Conservancy will be created when the overall plan for the property is approved and that it will have an irrevocable, permanent conservation easement placed upon it that will preclude any future development.

The DEIS further outlines the approach that will be taken with the Conservancy including the steps that will be implemented immediately as well as future programmatic additions that would be made based on available funding.

It is explicit and makes the school's intentions clear.

Phase 1 establishes the approach to the conservancy.  The "aspirational" elements are in Phase 2 and involve potential programmatic enhancements that are tied to funding.  As I have previously stated, the DEIS deals with the entire 129-acre property including the conservancy as well as the campus. It is a unified proposal for the whole property.

The 84 acres of conservancy will have a permanent inviolable conservation easement precluding development that will carry with the property in perpetuity. The same information is on our website, in the paragraph titled "Permanent Conservation Easement": http://greenstogreen.org/conservancy-facts.html

We urge all residents to read the DEIS wording. This is the document that is under review by the City of White Plains.  And rest assured that the Conservancy is an integral part of the overall plan, that the 84 acres will never be developed and that the Conservancy will be created at the time of the approval of the school's overall project plan.

- Geoff Thompson 

The following excerpts are from the DEIS:

Executive Summary (page S-9) and also Chapter 1:  Project Description (page 1-24)

FASNY intends to enter into a permanent, irrevocable conservation easement on the Conservancy that would allow educational uses and minor accessory structures (e.g., storage sheds) associated with FASNY but prohibit any residential subdivision on the Property. The conservation easement would be fully binding on FASNY and any successor in interest to the Property. A third-party, independent beneficiary that has yet to be identified, but could potentially be a land trust organization, and/or the City of White Plains, would be named in the conservation easement. The conservation easement "beneficiary" would have the authority to enforce the restrictions within the conservation easement on FASNY, and any successor in interest. The conservation easement would be recorded in proper legal form at the time of approval of the Proposed Project*

Executive Summary (pages S-12 and S-13) 

Phasing of Master Plan Implementation

Implementation of the Conservancy Master Plan would be coordinated with the Campus construction and would be subject to all conditions of approval of the overall Special Permit for the Property and available future financial resources. The full construction phasing plan is described below under “Construction Phasing.”

Master plan implementation would rely heavily on modifying land management practices rather than traditional construction activity. This being the case, FASNY intends to initiate changes to current maintenance activities that would begin immediately. FASNY has already ceased applying pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides to the Property. Through coordination with the City of White Plains, FASNY will develop an interim maintenance plan that will allow FASNY to attain its Conservancy goals while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing appearance across the Property. FASNY intends to target removal of invasive and undesirable plant species, as well as introduce native vegetation types appropriate for the Property and the defined habitat types. These initial efforts would not require construction activities or bringing in materials from offsite other than materials necessary for general land maintenance.

Stage 1
FASNY commits to providing the three (3) small gravel parking areas, enhanced maintenance and security, entry features and signage, outdoor classrooms, FASNY gardens, and maintenance of existing golf cart paths as walking trails with additional mowed paths within the Conservancy as part of Phase I of Campus construction. FASNY would also remove invasive species and introduce native species in former fairways and greens. A Conservancy “steward” would be also retained by FASNY and would coordinate restoration of the habitat areas in alignment with FASNY’s educational mission.

Stage 2
FASNY intends to implement the following aspirational elements of the Conservancy as funding becomes available: habitat restoration, wetland restoration, stream restoration, propagation greenhouse, community garden, seating areas, shade structures and storage sheds, rehabilitated bathrooms, observation deck and floating pier, and woodland boardwalk and outlook within the Conservancy as funding becomes available. It should be noted that the ultimate realization of certain of the elements shown in the Master Plan would also be dependent on the natural progression of ecological functions and growth cycles of plant materials.