SECOR HOMES CIVIC
ASSOCIATION, Inc.

VIA FACSIMILE

Original Mailed

November 13, 1999

Paul J. Feiner, Town Supervisor
Town of Greenburgh
Post Office Box 205
Elmsford, New York 10523

Dear Paul:

On behalf of the Secor Homes Civic Association, Inc. (SHCA), I thank you for meeting with SHCA residents regarding our area’s issues and concerns. Our members found the October 26^th meeting very informative and welcomed the opportunity to share their views with you.

As you requested, we note below the following parcels of land in the Secor Homes area that SHCA believes should be included in the moratorium on development that the Town is considering. These areas are:

The 12.52-acre Ferncliff maintenance facility site located off Secor Road across from Ferncliff Cemetery. In 1994, the owners of the property threatened to develop this parcel with approximately 50 homes if their plans for a maintenance facility were denied a use variance. The use variance was ultimately denied, but, to date, no housing proposal has been submitted. If such an application were submitted, a housing development would considerably affect traffic on Secor Road and the nearby 9A corridor. Therefore, we recommend that the parcel be up-zoned from R-7.5 to R-10, or even R-15. This up-zoning is reasonable given that all other large parcels on Secor Road were up-zoned from R-7.5 prior to their development (Melissa Drive, Jean/Jennifer/Barbara Lane, etc.). It should be noted that the parcel is not dedicated cemetery land for burial. It is currently used for storing dirt/fill.

The 7.3 acre WFAS radio station parcel. Numerous attempts have been made to expand the use of the radio station over the years. SHCA is not requesting that the parcel be up-zoned. Instead, we would like the Comprehensive Plan Committee to draft a definitive statement that can be referenced by the Town's boards when applications for expansion are submitted. We believe the statement should unambiguously state that the existing commercial use is inconsistent with the parcel's current zoning and that any expansion of the commercial use would be inconsistent with the Town's goals and plans for the surrounding residential area. Furthermore, since AM/FM radio stations are prohibited uses in residential districts, but are allowed in General Industrial districts, we respectfully request the Comprehensive Plan Committee consider what incentives could be offered to the property owner to encourage relocation of the station to a permitted GI zone (e.g., land swap, property tax waivers, etc.) so that the residentially-zoned property could be restored to residential use.

Together, the adjoining WFAS and Ferncliff parcels meet the 20-acre threshold generally used by the Comprehensive Plan Committee for moratorium consideration. However, until the impact of opening Sprain Road is fully understood, a reduced acreage threshold should be considered on any parcel of land situated on 9A between the northern border of the Village of Ardsley and the southern border of the Village of Elmsford or situated on the 9A feed roads (Secor Road and Dobbs Ferry Road) to reduce possible traffic impacts. We suggest a five-acre threshold on these roads.

The five-acre threshold would include the WFAS site, the Ferncliff site, the Greenhouse/ Nursery sites, as well as "the farm" in Poets' Corner, which consists of a 6-acre parcel at the intersection of Secor Road and West Hartsdale Avenue and a surrounding separate 8- acre L-shaped parcel with access on both Secor Road and West Hartsdale Avenue. All of these sites deserve moratorium consideration.

At our meeting you indicated strong support for a moratorium on development in the Secor Homes area. We appreciate that support.

I would appreciate if you would advise me of your planned action on the above and keep me informed regarding the moratorium. Our community is very concerned about the potential for commercialization of Secor Road.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or wish to advise me of further action regarding this or any other matter affecting the SHCA community.

Sincerely,

/Signed/

Carol A. Wielk
President, SHCA

cc: SHCA Officers
SHCA Members