CNC Invites Public to Organizational Meeting November 30, 2020
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Scarsdale Citizens Nominating Committee welcomes the 10 newly elected members and invites the public to observe its first meeting Monday, November 30, 2020 at 8:00 PM. The meeting will be held via Zoom video conferencing service. Members of the public wishing to follow the meeting can do so by following this link: Come to the meeting to learn more about Scarsdale's non-partisan system for selecting candidates to run for Village office on the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party slate.
The CNC consists of 30 elected Scarsdale residents who represent their neighborhood election units (Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote and Quaker Ridge). Ten new members are elected to the CNC each November to serve staggered three-year terms. The volunteer group will meet from November to January to seek, interview, and evaluate potential candidates to run for Village office. This year the CNC will nominate individuals to run for three openings on the Scarsdale Village Board and Village Mayor. Trustee Seth Ross will be finishing his second two-year term and Trustees Rochelle Waldman and Jonathan Lewis will be completing their first two-year term. Village Mayor Marc Samwick will be finishing his two-year term. The General Village Election will be held at Village Hall on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
Scarsdale's non-partisan system has been operating successfully for over 100 years, following a contentious election in 1909. The goal of the non-partisan system is to attract qualified citizens who would otherwise avoid campaigning, but would be willing to run for office in elections. The CNC's deliberations and due diligence on all potential nominees is kept confidential to further encourage well-qualified volunteers to apply for a spot on the non-partisan slate. Typically there are four non-elected and non-voting administrative members of the CNC present to insure adherence to the procedural requirements of the Non-Partisan Resolution. Potential candidates also have the option to run for office outside of the Non-Partisan System under provisions of New York State law.
Are you interested in running for Trustee or Village Mayor? Do you know someone who would serve the Village of Scarsdale well? Contact any elected member of the CNC, or inform the CNC Chair, Eric Lichtenstein, at 917-864-1122 or edlichtenstein@gmail.com, or CNC Vice Chair, Steve Pass at 917-744-5026 or smpass@gmail.com .
Topic: CNC 2020 Public Meeting
Eric Lichtenstein is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: CNC 2020 Public Meeting
Time: Nov 30, 2020 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85397420451
Meeting ID: 853 9742 0451
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BOT Refers Recommendations to Reduce Home Bulk to the Planning Board
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Calls for changes to the zoning code to limit home size, height and the appearance of bulk were addressed at a work session of the Board of Trustees on Tuesday November 10, 2020. A Bulk Committee was formed in October 2018 and they presented their recommendations in July 2019. In October 2019, the BOT asked Village staff to study the potential impact of several proposed recommendations from the committee, but after the COVID crisis hit in March, the issue was put aside again.
Now, two years later, Village staff presented their findings to the Board, and the Board voted to send these five recommendations, targeted to achieve modest reductions in home size, to the Planning Board for review. The recommendations address maximum allowable height, reduce the size of a bonus that allows for increased FAR, require that bonus floor area is built only on the first floor and dictates that any homes that are 15,000 square feet and more receive a special use permit from the Board of Appeals.
Study by Village staff determined that these recommendations would not yield dramatic reductions in home size. In fact, they estimated that the floor area ratio of maximum sized homes would only be reduced by 5%. However, after studying the issue for years, the Board agreed to move forward on these recommendations as an initial step. As with all code changes, they will review the impacts in a few years to see if these have the desired affect or need additional tweaking.
The five recommendations are as follows:
-Reduce the maximum permitted height to 32 feet from 35 feet, measured to the midpoint of the roof.
-Reduce the Floor Area Ratio, (FAR) side yard setback bonus by 30%
-Eliminate the FAR requirement that in order to qualify for the side yard setback bonus, additions to existing homes must be built at the rear of the house.
-Clarify the code to specify that the FAR garage credit applies to the square footage of the floor level of the garage where cars are parked, but not to space on the upper floors.
-Require Planning Board site plan approval for single family residential projects involving more than 15,000 square feet of gross floor area rather than a special use permit from the Board of Appeals
Jeff Watiker, the long- time chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals explained that this worked started in October 2018. Village staff was asked to compare Scarsdale’s zoning tools with other municipalities. A Bulk Review Committee, including the Chairs of the Planning Board, Zoning Board and Board of Architectural Review was formed and they presented their findings to the Village Board in October 2019. At that point, the trustees asked Village staff to study the potential affects of the first two recommendations … height reduction and elimination of 30% of the side yard setback bonus.
They considered 33 new homes and 32 additions that were considered by the BAR from 2014 - 2017 to see how these changes would have affected the outcomes. Read the full report here.
Topline, they determined that the height reduction from 35 to 32 feet would not result in many non-conforming properties as 90% of the new homes and 87% of the additions were built at a height of 32 feet.
However, the reduction in the side yard setback bonus would have an impact as only 47% of the new homes and 92% of the additions would meet these new guidelines. Tables and charts showing the impacts can be reviewed here: For example, on a home that was permitted to be 700 square feet larger due to the side yard setback bonus, under the new law that bonus would be reduced to 490 square feet. While not dramatic, the 210 square foot reduction in allowable square footage could have an impact on the overall perception of home bulk.
Commenting on the recommendations, Village Planner Greg Cutler said, “I think these strikes a balance… There are not too many non-conformities and they will move the needle in a certain direction.”
Trustee Justin Arest asked to see some hypothetical examples of how these code changes might affect the design of new homes. He said, “What is bulk? ....There is no definition. Can we show this on some hypothetical homes? Non-conformities should not be a priority from my perspective.”
Trustee Lena Crandall said, “This is an incremental proposal. I believe it is reasonable. The community has been waiting a long time to address the bulk of homes being built.”
Mayor Marc Samwick favored sending these recommendations to the Planning Board for review. He said, “A lot of work went into this. An incremental step has real benefit. Whatever we do will be subject to review in the years to come. This is an admittedly gradual step to respond to the community and what we heard from prior boards. We can study this until the cows come home. It’s important to get this in front of the community. It would have to go to the planning board first. After we get their comments we can draft a change to local law.”
The board voted 6-1 to refer the recommendations to the Planning Board.
Halloween Window Paintings Reflect Children's COVID Experiences
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- Written by Joshua Im
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If anyone is wondering what's on the minds of Scarsdale kids, take a look at the display of Halloween window paintings this year. For the first time this year, many of the kids painted wearing masks and it seems to have influenced their work. What are the themes of their work? The pandemic, Zoom, masks and social distancing are depicted in many of the paintings.There are goblins, ghosts and witches on Zoom, quarantine scenes and the COVID 19 virus shown as the new worldwide terror.
The paintings are a window into the psyches of Scardsale's kids. Sad to say, but this is the scariest year ever! Thanks to Joshua Im for these timely photos.
Pandemic Prescription for Halloween
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The Plague Doctor at Scarsdale High SchoolThough it wasn’t your usual Halloween, Scarsdalians found safe ways to celebrate the holiday. The devised ingenuous costumes, many with themes involving the strange happenings this year including a Purell bottle, the Grim Reaper and several plague doctors, dressed up in Medieval gear.
You might ask, what is a Plague Doctor? According to Scarsdale Art Historian Linda Wolk Simon, these harken back to the outbreak of the bubonic plague in the 6th century when doctors visited the afflicted wearing pointy, beak-like nose masks. The “beak” was filled with rose petals or other pungent flowers to act as a kind of filter and, it was wrongly believed, protect or shield the wearer from the pestilence. By the late 17thc, “the doctor” became a stock character in Italian Commedia Dell’Arte, improv traveling theater. The character always wears that mask and a large flat hat.
At Scarsdale High School, in addition to plague doctors, we
saw a troupe of medical doctors (today’s superheroes), a school of sharks, bears, flying squirrels, astronauts, cowgirls, kangaroos, traffic cones and more.
The deans and principals wore black and orange Halloween t-shirts that read, “Halloween Seriously? 2020 is Scary Enough,” on the front, and on the back said, “Trick or Teach,
Be Afraid-ers,” and did their best to drum up the holiday spirit as Cohorts A and B left school on rainy weather on Thursday and Friday October 29 and 30.
Take a look at the high school students below:
The younger kids also had some fun. At Greenacres, students posed for Halloween photos in front of the newly-installed school sign and enjoyed spooky treats. Winners of the Greenacres costume contest were Lois Levy (Zombie Ballerina Jewelry Box - 1st prize), Lola van Santen (Zombie Cheerleader - 2nd prize), Nicola Dechiario (Butterfly Fairy - 3rd prize) and Finn Pearson (Slenderman).
Lois Levy as Zombie Ballerina
We also received some terrific photos of kids in costume and trick or treating around town. To add yours to our Halloween photo gallery, please email photos to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.
On Halloween, since guidelines discouraged door to door trick or treating, residents set out tables with individual Halloween treats for kids to take. See photos below of a Pandemic Pumpkin Patch in Davis Park and of treats set out along a popular stretch of Brewster Road in Greenacres.
Whatever your experience, it was a Halloween that no one will ever forget.
Brewster Road Trick or Treat
A Pandemic Pumpkin Patch in Davis Park
CAC Says Mow, Don't Blow Your Leaves
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- Written by Conservation Advisory Council
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Mowing leaves into tiny pieces on your lawn--also known as mulch mowing-- is healthier for your lawn and soil than piling or bagging them to be removed. Leaf-mulched lawns often need less fertilizer and water. It is also better for our environment because the pollutants from leaf blowers and trucks that must haul away the leaves are avoided. And, leaves piled in the streets can be a thing of the past! Homeowners around Scarsdale have been mulch mowing leaves for many years with great results.
Here are the facts:
Mulch mowing does not harm your lawn—it makes your lawn healthier. Decomposing mulched leaves nestle between the individual blades of grass where weeds might otherwise germinate. Once the small bits of leaves settle-in, microbes and worms start breaking them down. The nutrients from the decomposed leaves enhance the soil while also inhibiting weed growth.
Done correctly, mulch mowing should not make your lawn look messy.
As long as the mulch mowing creates pieces about the size of a dime or smaller, the shredded leaves quickly settle into the lawn without making it look messy. It is important that the leaves left on a lawn without shredding them can smother grass—be sure to mulch mow them!.
It’s easy.
Mulch mowing can be done with any standard homeowner or commercial lawn mower. Simply mow over the fallen leaves. All types of leaves can be mulch mowed. However, pine needles, which are acidic, may change the ph balance of your lawn if mulch mowed in large quantities; consider using pine needles as a mulch around the base of pine trees.
All landscapers have the equipment to mulch mow.
If you have a landscaper, ask them to mulch mow your leaves. Many, but not all, landscapers have experience mulch mowing. If your landscaper is new to mulch mowing, the following are key points for them to know:
Equipment:
To help shred the leaves into small pieces, it’s recommended that a mulching blade be used. This type of blade, which has grooves to shred the leaves, is inexpensive and available for any type of mower. Mulching kits, which include additional attachments beyond just a mulching blade, are also available at any mower distributor and can be fitted to commercial mowers.
Mulching Technique:
Mowing the leaves in a circular pattern, rather than back and forth in lines, will result in smaller pieces of leaves which decompose more quickly and will avoid “striping lines.”
Time: It should take your landscaper no additional time to mulch mow leaves rather than blowing them to the curb. In fact, if done correctly, it actually saves time. It’s just as easy (or easier) to mulch mow than it is to blow leaves curbside.
Cost:
Mulch mowing leaves should not cost more than having leaves blown to the curb or bagged. There are many landscapers in Scarsdale that have been mulch mowing properties for years at no additional cost. If your landscaper claims it will be more time-consuming, ask them to try it for a few weeks. They will see it takes no extra time.
If you mow your own lawn, just keep mowing!
You can continue using your mower without installing a mulching blade, but sometimes you may have to go over certain areas of your lawn twice to make sure the leaves have been cut into small pieces. Better yet, you can install a mulching blade yourself or bring it to any local mower shop to install. Try to mulch leaves once a week so the piles don’t build up too high for your mower, especially during the heavy drop of leaves. Remember to keep the blade sharpened and the deck height adjusted as needed.
Large piles of leaves will become markedly smaller when mulch mowed.
Shredding piles of leaves significantly reduces the volume of leaves. What looks like a huge leaf pile will shred into tiny pieces and quickly settle into your lawn. Even if you need to put some leaves to the curb during the heavy leaf drop, any reduction in leaves put curbside benefits our environment.
Excess mulched leaves can be placed in your garden beds.
Leaf mulch can be placed into garden beds to help prevent weed growth, to conserve moisture and reduce sprinkler usage, and to provide a protective layer in winter. Shredded leaves look great, are a healthy addition to your yard, and will save you the cost of buying wood mulch. Remember, to avoid damaging trees and plants, never place mulch directly against a tree trunk or shrub and never pile mulch more than 2”- 3” high in a garden bed.
Leaf mulch mowing benefits our local landscape, reduces the number of truck trips in our community, and gets large piles of leaves off our streets.
If you have any questions or comments, email Scarsdale’s Conservation Advisory Council.
Leaf Mulch Mowing Resources
Scarsdale Leaf Mulch mowing tutorial: Link https://www.scarsdale.com/424/Leaf-Mulch-Mowing
Educational panel with landscapers and representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension.
