The Goods

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Category: The Goods; Published: 28 October 2015

libraryrendering1 There are ambitious plans afoot to renovate and expand the Scarsdale Library to meet the needs of the community now and in the future. Library Director Elizabeth Bermel reports that the library is heavily used by all segments of the community. The library's vibrant children's program is well-attended by toddlers and caregivers; teens come to do homework, study and work on group projects; it's a frequent workplace for those who don't have offices, community groups use it as a meeting place and everyone enjoys speakers, movies and even concerts. However, the outdated facility can barely accommodate all who wish to meet there.

After years of research, focus groups, visits to neighboring libraries, surveys and studies, the Board of the Library has now solidified their recommendations to update the library to incorporate new technologies, provide flexible multi-function work and meeting spaces and bring the current building up to code. According to Bermel, the goal is to "transform the outdated building to meet future needs."

At a meeting with the Scarsdale Board of Trustees on Monday night October 26, representatives from the Library Board and their architects and advisors updated the trustees on the steps they have taken to define their needs, and formulate plans for the library of the future.

Library Board President Terri Simon said that the library is "tired and inadequate," and falls short of "what our community has come to expect." She explained that in 2012 the board adopted a five-year plan to strengthen the role of the library in the community with expanded programming for children, teens and adults. They sought to "improve the experience with a comforting, welcoming space." Representatives from the library board toured other libraries to see how the building could be renovated and retained Lathrop Associates to do a conceptual master plan.

Preliminary estimates show that it will take $18.5 million to realize their plans. This funding will be secured through a public-private partnership in which the Village funds a portion and the rest is underwritten by private donations. The Board retained Plan A advisors to provide them with a fundraising feasibility study and then appointed a campaign committee which is headed by former Scarsdale Mayor Robert Steves, Betty Pforzheimer and Dara Gruenberg. They are currently working to secure donations from local residents.

In 2015, the Library Board hired Dattner Architects to develop schematic plans for the new library, which according to Simon, "Strike a balance between what we love about the existing library and transforming it into a building we can use in the years to come."

Daniel Heuberger of Dattner Architects explained that the new library would be forward-thinking, meet programmatic goals, be flexible and accessible, integrate technology and the environment and fit into the historical context of Scarsdale.

Plans for the new library include a glass entry with a café and public assembly space that can be used during the day and at night, even when the library is closed. In order to open up the library, the mezzanine level of the main reading room will be removed transforming it into a "lofty and light-filled" space. A windowed wraparound gallery will be added to bring in light, provide more seating and integrate the library with the grounds outside. The gallery will also have sliding doors to enable visitors to access outdoor tables when the weather allows.

Staff offices will be consolidated into one location on the lower level, which should improve effectiveness and efficiency. An outdoor amphitheater, also accessible from the lower level, will provide space for performances and presentations.

The Scott Room will be reconfigured so that the space is flexible and can be broken up into smaller spaces, depending on programming needs. Two smaller conference rooms will also be added for community use as well as smaller meeting spaces throughout the library. Meeting spaces will include networked flat screens to allow participants to collaborate and communicate.

What else? The library will feature a "green roof" t libraryrendering2 hat is planted and will cool the building, retain water and slowly release it.

Summing up, Heuberger said, "The new library will be cutting edge and extend the range of people who will be interested in coming. It will be a better place to be."

Due to the extent of the project, it is expected that the library would need to be closed during the renovations for 12-18 months. It has been suggested that a temporary library would be set up at the Village-owned facility at Supply Field.

Realizing these plans will require significant contributions from residents. The Scarsdale Village Board initially indicated that they would kick in $4.5 million, but that number is still to be determined. At the suggestion of Bob Steves, a working group with representatives from the Library Board and the Village Board will be convened to examine the plans and the options for financing the work.

A reception to unveil the plans and launch the campaign to the community will be held at the library on December 3rd. Details to follow.

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Category: The Goods; Published: 22 October 2015

panel Do the laws that regulate the size of homes in Scarsdale need to be changed? Are oversized new homes affecting the character of the Village? That's what Mayor Jon Mark hoped to learn more about when he asked the Scarsdale Forum to host a panel on development on Thursday October 15th. Seth Ross, a former chair of the Planning Board was the moderator and panelists included Lewis Arlt of Houlihan Lawrence, developer and realtor Steve Rakoff, Village Planner Elizabeth Marrinan, Ron Schulhof from the Conservation Advisory Council and me, Joanne Wallenstein.

Each panelist brought their own perspective to how the building of new homes is affecting the neighborhoods and the real estate market.

Lewis Arlt contributed sales statistics that showed a 9% decrease in homes sold this year to date compared to the same period in 2014. The median sale price, $1,450,000 is down 3% from last year. He noted that homes priced at under $2 million are selling quickly while those priced above $3 million are sitting on the market. While in 2014, 14% of the homes that sold at prices above $2.9mm were new, this year 8 out of the 17 properties that sold for more than $2.9 mm were new, reflecting growth in the market for new construction.

Steve Rakoff discussed the builder's role in "replenishing the housing stock," and keeping Scarsdale's housing stock competitive with areas like Rye and Greenwich. He believes that some of the Village's older homes, such as ranches and splits, are beyond their useful life and need to be replaced. Buyers are looking for amenities such as large kitchens, family rooms and luxury bathrooms that are not found in older homes. As for the appearance of bulk of these homes, he called for landscaping to shield it. He was concerned with the fall off in sales for high-end homes and said that everyone should be concerned about why this is occurring and how Scarsdale can attract more buyers for homes priced above $3 million.

Village Planner Elizabeth Marrinan explained the role of the Planning Department and the enforcement of Village Code to regulate development in the Village. She pointed out that though the development of new homes is very visible, it represents a small percentage of homes in Scarsdale. The total number of existing single-family homes in the Village is 5,400 and the construction of new homes each year is less than 1% of the housing stock.

Here are the number of demolitions and new homes approved by year:

Demolitions New Houses paddingtonroad

2011            26                 26
2012            34                 24
2013            31                 26
2014            39                 39
2015 (ytd)    31                 31

Ron Schulhof examined the effects of development on the tree canopy. While the tree canopy is currently at 50%, Schulhof discussed the risks to large trees posed by the building of new homes. Often trees are clear-cut, and those that remain are not adequately protected from root damage, when large vehicles are parked on their roots while work is done. He explained that some of the trees that are lost or damaged are 50 -100 years old and simply cannot be replaced. Though the village does require permits for tree removal violation of these ordinances can result in significant losses and the diminishing of the canopy. The CAC recommends that the Village implement a Canopy Replacement Assessment that requires the landowner to either replace what's on their property now or pay a hefty fee that would be used to plant trees in other locations. The CAC also recommends that the Village should require owners of newly developed property to plant or protect existing street trees.

I spoke as well and recommended that the Trustees re-examine the floor-area-ratio code and study the effect of eliminating the exceptions to the code that allow builders to build homes that exceed the size stipulated in the FAR. See more here. I also commented that I was not concerned with masking the appearance of bulk with landscaping. Instead I am concerned with the bulk of new houses where sometimes a 6,000 square foot home replaces a 2,500 square foot home on 1/3 of an acre.

A lively discussion followed the panelist's comments.

Several interesting comments were made by members of the audience:

Linda Blair said, "I am not sure why we want to compete with Greenwich or Rye. We have something very special here and we should attract buyers who appreciate it."

Carol Silverman said, "I purchased a ranch many years ago and have been very happy in it. I never regret my decision to buy it and will stay there for as long as I am able."

Michelle Sterling said, "Let's face it – builders will build homes to the maximum size they can. We can't depend on them to address this issue." She then asked, "Who is going to turn this ship around?"

Another observer said, "Perhaps this problem will solve itself. If interest rates are going up, and there isn't a market for homes that cost more than $2.5 million, maybe development of expensive new homes will not be economical."

Seth Ross concluded the discussion by asking people to continue to address this issue by emailing the trustees, writing letters to the newspaper or commenting on Scarsdale10583. What do you think? Do the laws need to be re-examined or are you happy with the level of development in Scarsdale? Input your comments below or send letters for publication to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Category: The Goods; Published: 06 October 2015

naan As lovers of Indian food we never fully recovered from the loss of Dawat which served great fare in an elegant setting on the Post Road in White Plains. While others spent Friday night in synagogue, our temple was Dawat where we were greeted by Anu, a stunning hostess dressed in a sari who settled us into a cozy corner banquette where our kids could sit at or under the table when they weren't watching the tandoori chef roasting meets in the glass enclosed oven.

When Dawat unexpectedly shut its doors, we mourned the loss but moved further south on Post Road to Bengal Tiger where a large man in a turban guarded the door and summoned us from the bar when a table was available. We'll never forget the hot summer day when Bengal Tiger and the neighboring dry cleaning establishment blew up in a fire of mythic proportions. I went to the scene and found Post Road closed and several exhausted firemen lying in the street trying to recover from inhalation of the acrid smoke.

The closing of Dawat and the immolation of Bengal Tire left us without a good Indian restaurant nearby and I was intrigued when I heard about "Coriander" on Larchmont Avenue in Larchmont. We set a date to go and found a modestly adorned eatery with a bar and a large statue of an Indian goddess. After ordering the requisite Taj Mahal (beer) we examined the lengthy menu which had too many good choices. Since we had a party of five – we decided to go for it, and ordered quite an array of appetizers followed by entrees and sides to share. In retrospect, we probably over-ordered, but we did have the chance to taste a nice selection of what Coriander has to offer.

Everything was delicious and it was difficult to pace ourselves so that we had room to try everything we ordered.

We started with Shrimp Rangoli which were pan seared and served in creamy orange tikka sauce. The Lassoni Ghobi was crisp fried cauliflower in a garlic tomato sauce and the Vegetable Samosas were light and filled with peas and potatoes. My favorite was a dish that merged India with Mexico – Chicken Lsooni Tacos --a stew of shredded chicken in garlic tomato sauce served over garam masala tortillas. I'll be back for another order of those soon. The kebabs were also highly recommended so we went for a curried chicken tikka kebab which was marinated in homemade yogurt spices, garlic and cilantro. Another standout.

And those were just the appetizers. We ordered freshly baked naan (bread) which comes plain or with your choice of shredded radish and herbs or pistachio and cherry. We couldn't pass on the cucumber and mint raita and chutney to top the warm, fragrant naan. For entrees we tried the Indian Ocean Tiger Shrimp with fennel, garlic, yogurt, saffron, and cilantro along with the Chicken Tikka Akbari, marinated boneless chicken breasts. The Saag Paneer, creamed spinach with sliced paneer (cheese) was rich and delectable.

The menu includes a full range of soups, salads, lamb dishes, curries and vegetable entrees. Many of the selections are gluten free and indicated as such on the menu. There was far more than we could try, even with a table of five.

anu But the best surprise was at the end. The hostess came over to chat – and had a quizzical look on her face. I introduced myself and asked about the origins of the restaurant. She explained that her husband and son are chefs and that they have also opened another Coriander in White Plains. She mentioned that they were formerly in Pelham – and before that....at Dawat! It didn't take long before we realized that she was the beautiful woman in the white sari who greeted us each weekend in our younger years. My husband was beaming when he was reunited with Anu, his exotic muse.

Coriander
154 Larchmont Avenue
Larchmont, NY 10538
(914) 235-1306

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Category: The Goods; Published: 15 October 2015

Greenburgh Police arrested three pickpockets who stole purses from shoppers at Target in White Plains, Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle and other retail stores in Greenburgh. The suspects distracted senior shoppers then stole their purses and used the stolen credit cards to purchase merchandise on their accounts. The arrests were the result of a four-month investigation by the Greenburgh Street Crime unit. These same suspects may have been responsible for incidents in Mamaroneck and Port Chester.

Arrested were Dawn Boykin of 2010 Bruckner Blvd Bronx, NY who is charged with 6 counts of Grand larceny 4th degree and CPCS 5th degree; Toni Green of 2010 Bruckner Blvd Bronx who is charged with Grand Larceny 4th degree and Bonita Brown of 931 Prospect Ave. Westbury, NY who is charged with Grand Larceny 4th degree.

Possible Abduction

Greenburgh Police are investigating a possible abduction that took place at a bus stop on Tarrytown Road at around 8:30 am on Wednesday October 14, 2015. Police received a call reporting that a Hispanic male in his twenties (20's) operating a red car wearing a white hoodie, stopped at the bus stop west bound on Tarrytown Road by Manhattan Avenue. The Hispanic male got into a physical altercation with a Hispanic female in her twenties (20's) who was at the bus stop and physically forced her into the red car and fled northbound on Manhattan Avenue. The female was wearing dark clothing. This department is currently investigating the incident and asking anyone with information to contact the Greenburgh Police at (914) 989-1710.

Details: Written by Joanne Wallenstein; Category: The Goods; Published: 29 September 2015

fire On Sunday September 27, 2015, at approximately 9:00 P.M., fire broke out at the Sprainbrook Nursery, at 448 Underhill Road in Greenburgh. The Greenville Fire Department responded along with Greenburgh Police Officers. The nursery building was fully engulfed by flames and the roof collapsed. Greenville Firefighters extinguished the fire which caused extensive damage to the property. The premises were closed for business at the time and there are no reported injuries.

In August 2012 owner Al Krautter announced he was closing the nursery after it had been in business for 68 years. He cited property taxes and fuel costs of $200,000 per year and competition from big box stores likes Home Depot. If the town of Greenburgh approves, the property will be purchased by Formation Shelbourne Senior Living Services to build an assisted living facility.

This is the second recent fire at the site. In December 2014 a big fire set off an explosion of several large propane tanks and shook nearby homes.

The cause of the fire on Sunday night has not been determined and the incident is currently under investigation. The Greenville Fire District Cause and Origin Team and the Westchester County Department of Public Safety conducted a walk thru with a K9 dog trained to alert to possible accelerants. Greenburgh Police Detectives also photographed and measured the scene.