Underhill Farm Project Would Be a Win for Yorktown in So Many Ways
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
A few so-called civic-minded people think they have all the answers. Though they are loud their complaints are simply fiction. Here are some things our community needs to hear regarding Underhill Farm:
Fact: Age does not make something historic. There is only one building on the property, that being the main Underhill House, that historians say is of significance. Underhill Farm plans on investing $1 million to preserve and enhance the mansion. The remaining buildings on the property have been inspected by a historical preservation expert. Those buildings, now dilapidated, were deemed historically insignificant.
Fact: Underhill Farm has the only current remedy to fix the traffic problem at the Underhill Avenue-Route 118 intersection. Underhill Farm plans to provide $450,000 to fix the intersection with other funds coming from future tax abatements on improvements to the property. Flow and timing at the intersection will be improved and the intersection will be made safer for pedestrians.
Fact: Underhill Farm’s development plan fully complies with Yorktown’s tree ordinance, one of the most stringent in Westchester County. In addition, of the 500 trees to be removed, about 200 are dead or invasive or not native to the area. Underhill Farm will plant in excess of 300 trees that blend well and are native to our area.
Fact: Without Underhill Farm, the proposed senior center will not have the parking necessary to be built.
It’s a shame that a straightforward development project has to continually clarify the truth because truths can’t be handled or accepted.
Brian Wolfson
Yorktown Heights
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