Cayuga Road Resident Urges Planning Board to Turn Down Development on Garden Road
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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This letter was submitted to the Scarsdale Planning Board by Robert Reiffel.
August 18, 2024
Re: 80 Garden Road Proposed Subdivision
Dear Members of the Scarsdale Planning Board,
I have resided at 15 Cayuga Road since 1985. There was one flood in our neighborhood before we moved in and two since then. During the flood of 2007, we had 5 feet of water in our house, as did virtually everyone in the neighborhood. The flooding was so severe that the neighborhood was roped off, meaning that ambulances could not access it to assist a young boy, who got an electric shock from water in the basement and another woman who broke her leg.
After that storm, the village of Scarsdale contracted with D & B, spending more than $250,000 to study flooding in the Village. Our area was determined to be one of the most severely impacted. Since then, one culvert was improved, but virtually nothing else was done to help our area.
Although we, personally, took steps to mitigate the effects of flood damage by moving the location of our downstairs door after the flood of 2007, in 2021, we had 2 ½ feet of sewer water come out of the downstairs toilet, flooding us again. Similar to the events for which the residents of Barry Road petitioned the Village in 2019, this demonstrates the inadequacy of the Village’s sanitary sewer system.
In approximately 1985, Richard Haggblad, the Village Engineer, told me that he had warned the Village that, when our area was developed in the 1960s, the infrastructure was inadequate. Since then, there has been more and more development of houses, pools, and other impervious surfaces, without any corresponding improvement in infrastructure.
Therefore, there are several reasons why it is imperative that the proposed 80 Garden Rd. development be rejected, once, and for all.
First of all, what is the objective of this meeting? According to the Scarsdale Village website, “The planning board also controls construction activity on Village- designated wetlands lots through a procedure designed to protect the ecological character of the surrounding area.“ That means the responsibility of this board is not simply to allow the developer to proceed at will, but also to protect the neighborhood.
In this instance, the developer proposes to build a number of houses in an area that is already a wetland. Recognizing that, he proposes to add 4 feet of fill to allow the construction of dry wells. This will be inadequate, since the recommended height of a drywell, itself, is 4 feet and the recommended minimum clearance to the seasonal high water table beneath that is an additional 2 feet. Therefore, the drywell will take up the entirety of the 4 feet of fill and the additional 2-feet of clearance between the bottom of the drywell and the underlying wetland will not be met. Moreover, there must be topsoil on top of the drywell to allow grass or other vegetation to be planted. Therefore, the 4 feet of fill well not be adequate. Furthermore, a drywell is supposed to empty completely within 72 hours. Therefore, any emptying of the drywell will only be at the expense of making the wetlands worse.
In addition, the developer proposes to drill wells for freshwater, because Scarsdale’s municipal water supply is not adequate to reach the area.
There are two kinds of wells to be considered: A ground water well sucks up groundwater and uses it for supplying the house with fresh water. Some of that water will do down the drain, and some will be used for watering lawns. Since the water was harvested from groundwater, the net effect on flooding will be nil.
However, the most common type of well is an aquifer well, which is drilled hundreds of feet deep and specifically excludes ground water. This means that whatever water is brought up to the surface will only increase the ground water, thereby increasing the flooding. This happened when Fenway Golf Club was allowed to drill deep wells for golf course irrigation, exacerbating flooding of all the streets downhill from it.
In addition to the inadequacy of the Scarsdale water supply to provide fresh water to the area, the addition of multiple new houses would add an even greater burden to a sanitary sewer system that has already proven inadequate, as evidenced by the sewer back up described above, and to the homes in the Barry Road and other areas. It would be unconscionable to allow this to happen.
Finally, a number of years ago, the Village enacted regulations regarding removal of trees, understanding how such activity exacerbates flooding by removing the absorptive capacity of the trees. The proposed subdivision at 80 Garden Road will remove hundreds of trees, thereby further exacerbating the flooding problem. It will take a minimum of 10 years for newly planted trees even to begin to approach the absorptive capacity of the trees removed in construction.
Therefore, for the above reasons, and because it is your responsibility to protect us, this proposed project must be denied approval, once, and for all.
Yours Sincerely,
Robert S Reiffel
15 Cayuga Road
Scarsdale, NY
New Playground To Be Installed in Greenacres
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 1217
Work has already begun on the new playground in Greenacres. After the Village received funding from a grant secured by NY State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin they quickly went to work on replacing the Village owned portion of the playground across the street from the Greenacres Elementary School. Plans include new climbing structures for both young and older children as well as swing for infants.
The equipment will be welcomed by the many new families who are flocking to the neighborhood following the renovation of the elementary school.
At top is a photo from the evening of July 30, 2024 and below are renderings of the new equipment that will be installed soon.
Commenting on the work, Brian Gray, who is Superintendent for Parks and Recreation said, “The Contractor is in the final stage of demo and clearing the existing site for the installation of the new playground apparatus. I am hesitant to provide a timeline and work schedule as all work is determined by weather. If all goes to plan – installation of apparatus will take approximately one week followed by the installation of new safety surface which is anticipated to take a day or so. “
Stop by and take a look at what’s going on – and bring the kids who will enjoy seeing the backhoe, the steam roller and construction in process.
Where They Are Heading: College List
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The Class of 2024 are now graduates of Scarsdale High School. What now? Where are they headed next year? We reached out to the class and here are the names of those who wished to share their plans for next year. Add you name to the list by emailing us at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.
| Darius Toosi | Bates College |
| Tobias White | Bates College |
| Ryan Chen | Binghamton University Source Project Honors Program |
| Ella Hayes | Boston College |
| Christina Semple | Boston College |
| Yasmin Yogaratnam | Case Western Reserve University |
| Claire Matula-Osterman | Colgate University |
| Violet Martin | College of Charleston |
| Jack Greco | College of the Holy Cross |
| Shannon Kelly | College of the Holy Cross |
| McKinley Conlan | College of the Holy Cross |
| Anna Henry | College of the Holy Cross |
| Danielle Barro | Cornell University |
| Eliza Goldban | Cornell University |
| Janghee Lee | Cornell University |
| Serena Wu | Cornell University |
| Billie Eichel | Duke University |
| Stephanie Sensel | Duke University |
| Peter Silver | Emory University |
| Rachel Zwaig | Emory University |
| Brian Lourenco-Reis | Fairfield University |
| Jake Goldstein | Hamilton College |
| Maya Orad | Israeli Defense Forces |
| Tayt Rompala | Lafayette College |
| Charlotte Raff | Lafayette College |
| Maya Regenstreif | Lafayette College |
| Shayna Klingsberg | Lehigh University |
| Lila O’Doherty | Lehigh University |
| Mason Friedman | Lehigh University |
| Taj Grewal | McGill University |
| Camryn Brosgol | Middlebury College |
| Samantha Michelle Loeser | Muhlenberg College |
| Ava Schnipper | New York University |
| Annika Fuehrer | New York University |
| Ethan Karp | New York University |
| Carolyn Chen | New York University |
| Yikuan He | New York University |
| Monica Ferluga | Northeastern University |
| Caitlin Higgins | Notre Dame |
| Will Nicholl | Ole Miss |
| Noah Friedel | Penn State University |
| Henry Koevary | Purdue University |
| Yeonsoo Go | Purdue University |
| John O"Connell | Purdue University |
| Cole Liebowitz | Santa Clara University |
| Anna Mone | Scripps College |
| Maya Katcher | Skidmore College |
| Adelia Bandsma | Smith College |
| Amal Bilal | Stony Brook University-Simons STEM Scholars Program |
| Hilary Ziffer | Syracuse University |
| Beatrice Martin | Syracuse University |
| Mitchell B Broff | Syracuse University - Falk |
| Deanna Matula-Osterman | Syracuse University |
| Oscar Langford | Texas Christian University |
| Alex Ben-Gera | The Ohio State University |
| Emma-Noelle Hyler | The Ohio State University |
| Yejin (Jean) Sung | The University of Chicago |
| Charlie Kapner | Tulane University |
| Grant Lieberman | Tulane University |
| Benjamin Fromme | Tulane University |
| Wes Ulrich | Tulane University |
| Harley Koch | UNC Chapel Hill |
| Emily Attar | UNC Chapel Hill (Honors Carolina) |
| Timothy Stoffels | UNC Chapel Hill (Honors Carolina) |
| Sammy Fenigstein | Union College |
| Allen Belfer | University of Buffalo |
| Evan Smith | University of Buffalo |
| Max McEvoy | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Randee Smith | University of Delaware |
| Sydney Geringer | University of Maryland |
| Chase Geringer | University of Miami |
| Jasper Dorr | University of Miami |
| Chase Simon | University of Michigan - Business |
| Dillon Harris | University of Richmond |
| Samantha Cohen | University of Texas |
| Katherine Sanchez | University of Texas Austin |
| Spencer Rosen | University of Texas Austin |
| Ashley Gross | University of Texas Austin |
| Remy Leuchter | University of Texas Austin |
| Aidan Pierce Brennan | University of Texas Austin |
| Cameron Roberts | University of Texas Austin |
| Max Meizlik | University of Texas Austin |
| Gabriel Levy | University of Texas Austin |
| Julia DeNelsky | University of Texas Austin |
| Mitchell B Broff | Syracuse University - Falk |
| Deanna Matula-Osterman | Syracuse University |
| Oscar Langford | Texas Christian University |
| Alex Ben-Gera | The Ohio State University |
| Emma-Noelle Hyler | The Ohio State University |
| Yejin (Jean) Sung | The University of Chicago |
| Charlie Kapner | Tulane University |
| Grant Lieberman | Tulane University |
| Benjamin Fromme | Tulane University |
| Wes Ulrich | Tulane University |
| Harley Koch | UNC Chapel Hill |
| Emily Attar | UNC Chapel Hill (Honors Carolina) |
| Timothy Stoffels | UNC Chapel Hill (Honors Carolina) |
| Sammy Fenigstein | Union College |
| Allen Belfer | University of Buffalo |
| Evan Smith | University of Buffalo |
| Max McEvoy | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Randee Smith | University of Delaware |
| Sydney Geringer | University of Maryland |
| Chase Geringer | University of Miami |
| Jasper Dorr | University of Miami |
| Chase Simon | University of Michigan - Business |
| Dillon Harris | University of Richmond |
| Samantha Cohen | University of Texas |
| Katherine Sanchez | University of Texas Austin |
| Spencer Rosen | University of Texas Austin |
| Ashley Gross | University of Texas Austin |
| Remy Leuchter | University of Texas Austin |
| Aidan Pierce Brennan | University of Texas Austin |
| Cameron Roberts | University of Texas Austin |
| Max Meizlik | University of Texas Austin |
| Gabriel Levy | University of Texas Austin |
| Julia DeNelsky | University of Texas Austin |
| Lucas Kantor | University of Texas McCombs School of Business |
| Sorin Kalashian | University of Vermont |
| Vanessa Thurman | Vanderbilt University |
| Ellis Geringer | Villanova University |
| Taylor Mann | Wake Forest University |
| Natalie Beldner | Washington University |
| Riley Meltz | Washington University |
| Graduate School | |
| Julia Page Barbera | Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University |
Food Notes: Wonder is Opening and DeCicco's is Stocked
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 2905
We received notice that a new location for Wonder has opened on the Boston Post Road in Larchmont, with one scheduled to open on Central Avenue in Scarsdale in September.
We stopped in to take a look and to understand the concept and here is what we learned. Wonder has transitioned their roving food truck concept to bricks and mortar locations and is now offering food from 14 restauranteurs for order and pick up or delivery to the following zip codes: 10528, 10538, 10543, 10580, 10583, 10605, 10709, 10801, 10804, 10805
The food is actually cooked in a large kitchen on site in Larchmont so it’s the best of both worlds – world class recipes, restaurant cuisine, cooked on site, and easy to pick up.
Here is the concept, as described by Wonder:
Wonder–a new kind of food hall–is revolutionizing the food industry by creating the mealtime super app, operating a collection of delivery-first restaurants and pioneering a new category of “Fast Fine” dining. Featuring some of the world’s best chefs including Bobby Flay, Jose Andres, Nancy Silverton, Marcus Samuelsson and others, along with award-winning restaurants from across the country customers can experience any combination of these chefs and restaurants all together in one order for the first time.
Food from the following restaurants is available in Larchmont Alanza, Alanza Pizza, Bobby Flay Steak, Burger Baby, Detroit Pizza, Di Fara Pizza, Fred’s Meat & Bread, Limesalt, Mainstay, Room for Dessert, Royal Greens, Streetbird, Tejas, Wing Trip, Yasas
Wonder officially opens in Larchmont on Thursday July 18 and to me it looked like an easy solution for lunch or dinner. Salads, steaks, pizzas … with flavors from Mexico, Italy, the Mediterranean, NYC and more. You’ll having a hard time deciding what to choose.
Check them out and order online here.
Update from DeCicco’s in Scarsdale
Walter at DeCicco’s in Scarsdale asked us to let readers know that the store is stocked. Big deliveries arrived this week and you’ll find the refrigerators filled with your favorite yogurts, milks etc. and plenty of items on the grocery shelves.
Come back to the store and check out the inventory.
A National Debate in Your Mailbox
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 973
(This is the opinion of site founder Joanne Wallenstein) It seems that political campaigns have ignored the mandate to go green, at least when it comes to direct mail. The race between County Executive George Latimer and Congressman Jamaal Bowman for NY Congressional District 16 has unleashed a barrage of mailings in record-setting volumes. Battling for votes, both sides of the campaign are flooding mailboxes with up to three oversized color postcards per day, and recently we’ve started getting hand delivered “door knockers” at our house as well.
How much is too much? Is anyone reading all this material? Though the postcard barrage may be a boon for the printers and the post office, which badly needs revenue, are they effective at getting us to vote?
That’s what I was thinking when one of the mailers arrived featuring a large Scarsdale10583 logo and a link to an article we posted last year about Jamaal Bowman’s vote on the infrastructure bill. How did our local website get wrapped up in the postcard blitz?
It turns out this has been the most expensive Congressional primary race in U.S. history. More than $22 million has been spent as money poured in from around the country due to Bowman’s stance on Israel. The biggest spender was a super pac called “The United Democracy Project,” funded by pro-Israel advocates who spent $14 million on mailings, television and radio ads in favor of George Latimer.
Though this is a race to represent Westchester, it has become a referendum on what’s going on in the Middle East instead.
While votes on foreign policy are one small part of a Congressman’s job, shouldn’t the focus be on how well a candidate can represent the interests of his/her home district? Somehow that point has been lost.
Anyone who has been watching local politics for the past thirty seven years knows that Latimer has been here for us in every way possible. He supports environmental initiatives, recycling initiatives, stormwater remediation and projects to safeguard our community against flooding. He is for transparency in government, he is pro-choice and he has managed challenging situations regarding immigrants, finding practical solutions for asylum seekers.
Most of all he is visible and on a first name basis with many of his constituents. In Scarsdale, we see him at Village Hall, at the library and at community events. In so many ways he has shown that he cares.
What’s my point? This election should be about the people of NY #16. And the $22 mm spent on the campaign could have gone a long way in Westchester toward replacing our aging stormwater systems, maintaining roadways, safeguarding open space, stocking food banks, building affordable housing and funding programs that directly assist those in need.
Instead, we’re ending up putting millions of dollars of printed materials into the recycling bin, resulting in more efforts downstream to cart away the paper and hopefully repurpose it.
For those who support Israel, wouldn’t it be more effective to send the funds directly to the Israeli Defense Fund rather than spending it on a convoluted path to influence a vote in Congress that may or may not occur after the war is over?
Maybe local elections should go back to being funded by local donors and focused on local issues. Foisting national single interest donors on small municipalities like Scarsdale undermines the democratic process.
