First Public Hearing Held on White Plains Comprehensive Plan
The first public hearing on the White Plains draft comprehensive plan was held last week in the Common Council chambers.
It has been more than a quarter of a century since an updated comprehensive plan for the City of White Plains has been adopted.
“It’s aspirational, educational, concise and dynamic,” Planning Department Commissioner Christopher Gomez said at the start of the Feb. 5 hearing on the 440-page draft blueprint for the city, dubbed One White Plains, which is anticipated to be adopted in the spring.
“The city is a living organism. Change is inevitable,” Gomez remarked. “It is a policy document. It’s about codifying community vision. This has been a robust process.”
City officials kicked off the process two-and-a-half years ago with a listening tour in 12 locations and a Zoom meeting. The council named 15 members to the Comprehensive Plan Committee that held 11 meetings. In December, the council declared itself the lead agency in the process.
There are 145 initiatives contained in One White Plains under six elements: play, work, connect, live, green and strengthen. The initiatives range from short-term to long-term goals.
“This plan really has been a labor of love for this city and I hope that shines through,” said Raina Kadavil, a member of the Comprehensive Plan Committee.
The draft plan includes possible changes for several large properties in White Plains, including the Farrell property, a former golf course. There are suggested modifications to existing zoning, subdivision and environmental regulations, particularly in the R1-30 district for lots over 10 acres, which would allow attached housing, or clustering. Current zoning only permits single-family detached homes.
In addition, the draft plan proposes an evaluation of potential amendments to current zoning regulations for conservation developments, permitting attached housing units on parcels greater than five acres.
Melanie Kolby, a resident of Heatherbloom Road, stated proposed amendments to zoning regulations that would allow clustering techniques for large properties in single-family zoning districts on parcels greater than 10 acres and permitted attached housing present “a substantial risk to the distinctive character and open spaces of our R-30 districts, potentially resulting in significant consequences for the affected neighborhoods.”
“The notion of altering zoning regulations to allow attached housing units and clustering in R-30 zones under the guise of conservation is fundamentally contradictory,” Kolby stated. “True conservation efforts should focus on safeguarding open spaces, preserving natural habitats, and maintain the ecological balance of an area. The introduction of attached housing and clustering in these zones stands in stark contrast to the very essence of conservation.”
Ben Brown of Ferris Avenue was one of several speakers who maintained affordable housing in the city was an area that deserved more attention in the plan.
“Affordable housing is an often-misunderstood term,” said Evelyn Santiago, a longtime Lake Street resident and a teacher in the White Plains School District. “It encompasses more people than is imagined. A lot of people need affordable housing.”
The Common Council adjourned the hearing to its Mar. 4 meeting.
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