Preserve the Village in a Park

This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Fox Meadow resident Lena Crandal:
Letter to the Editor: The front-page article in last week's edition of the Scarsdale Inquirer mistakenly reported that no one spoke in favor of the proposal to amend Article IV of the Scarsdale building code entitled "Lot Area Coverage." I was the lone ranger amidst the crowd.

I also think I was the only one who read the proposed amendment in the middle of the thick packet provided at the back of Rutherford Hall. This section of the zoning chapter regarding lot coverage in residence "A" districts is all about saving some land for landscaping. It doesn't matter if blue water can seep through 6 inches of gravel in a plastic pitcher to turn paper towels blue. What does matter is that no one in his or her right mind would plant an oak tree in the middle of a stone driveway, regardless of its drainage pattern.

You've all seen the new houses built so close to one another that there's only room for a row of evergreen shrubs. What I tried to explain during my 6 minutes before the village board is that landscape architects like the Olmsted Brothers, the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, planned much of Scarsdale. The basic idea was to have lovely homes in a pastoral setting, so that those stressed out from working in the city could slowly unwind as they saw different green vistas at every curve. That's why our older housing stock generally features one or more large mature trees and other interesting plantings.

So, yes, get rid of the gravel driveway exception to lot coverage in Section 310; but also rewrite the legislative intent, so that it's clear that some unadulterated land is necessary around our homes to support a variety of trees, shrubs and maybe even some flowers. I don't want Scarsdale to look like the borough of Queens with pavement and "brick jobs" everywhere. I don't think I'm alone in my love of our "village-in-a-park." Although, I certainly was the only one who spoke in favor of the proposed amendment to Section 310.

If you agree with me that we need to preserve open spaces around our homes, then please contact the Scarsdale Village Board ASAP. It's easy; just send an email to Mayor@Scarsdale.com. If you love the big box houses the developers are convinced you want to purchase, then do nothing. That's how democracy works.

Lena Crandall
227 Fox Meadow Rd
Scarsdale, NY 10583