Development: How Much is Too Much? How High is Too High?

White Plains, NY is in transition.  And there as many opinions about the state of this transition as there are citizens.   We are a city of two distinct populations. The citizen population which is growing rapidly as a result of the new residential developments mushrooming all over the city.   If our live-in population has not reached the 60,000 mark, it will soon.  Meanwhile there is the White Plains, NY commuter population that works here but lives elsewhere. This population is well over 300,000 and also increasing rapidly. I won’t even discuss the throngs that come to shop here. White Plains is a holiday shoppers dream and the  “Holiday shopping population” is a population unto itself.

Nowhere were our growing pains more apparent than at the candidate debate that I attended on Wednesday night.  Two independent candidates are taking the stage and support for their platform is growing.  The independent candidates aren’t against development per say, but they want the city to have a master plan for development and STICK TO IT. They also want to make sure that the deals that are struck with large developers help feed the city coffers.  Like every other citizen, I have my own opinions on this election  and must say that I have a growing sense of urgency about making sure that our city government has a more cohesive plan for future development. Right now it seems that for the big developer almost anything goes.   

Buildings are reaching for the sky in areas where 13 stories was the previous limit for residential condos, suddenly Trump Tower comes in at 35 stories along with 1 City Place which is for the moment a high-end rental tower. When the towers were first proposed, they were justified using the “wedding cake” analogy. The towers represented the top of the White Plains skyline “wedding cake.” Building height would be tired downwards from that point.   That worked until the Ritz Carlton came along.  Now the top of the wedding cake has moved down the street and is 42 stories in height and not 35.  The Ritz Carlton had gone through several incarnations prior achieving its final form.  Each time, there was a change, the number of floors increased. The White Plains skyline is getting more crowded all the time.

Recently, a new commercial development by the same builder as the Ritz Carlton and Trump Tower was proposed a half a mile away.  It was called “Station Plaza” and included a complete renovation of the White Plains Train Station.  The proposal included another hotel and three huge office buildings 40 stories in height each.  That’s one funny looking wedding cake.

 

Ten years ago, the downtown was a sleepy place after 8 PM at night. Now it bustles with activity into the wee hours of the morning.  Initially, incentives were needed to entice builders to consider White Plains.  Tax breaks, zoning concessions, selling of public land at a discount were all part and parcel of  selling the developers on White Plains.  What was good for developers was also good for the city and what was good for the city was good for its citizens, which is good for developers etc.  However, this virtuous circle has limits.  Now that White Plains is a hot spot with builders crawling all over each other to purchase land, do we really need so many  incentives?  No, we don’t.   Do we have to let buildings reach new heights without making sure builders pay their fair share of the infrastructure costs?  No way.  Let’s be honest here.  The building isn’t “free.”  New water lines and sewer lines have to be installed.  The electrical grid has to be upgraded, more sanitation, fire, and police must be hired to accommodate the increased population.  At Wednesday evening’s debate, it was noted that new equipment for the White Plains fire department was required to deal with the super tall Trump Tower and Ritz Carlton.

There are also other concerns.  What happens when someone who bought on the 13th floor of a large luxury complex and paid top dollar for the “views” finds that their new view is of glass and steel that blocks all sunlight?  There is a financial toll that some of this construction has that is only felt by a few people at a time. But it is there, and don’t these tax paying citizens who bought their homes with the understanding that a certain building height was built into the zoning laws deserve more from their government then “that’s too bad – you are in a close-in neighborhood – so deal with it.” I think they do.  Taking a “hit” for the good of the city is one thing, but having  a few home owners suffer significant losses in property values isn’t fair at all.  The pictures of houses that I include here are from a close-in neighborhood off North Broadway.  These homes are less than two blocks from the Ritz Carlton.  Can you imagine looking down the street from your Victorian home to see 42 stories of glass and steel?

There is also the “me too” effect. As the downtown has grown to new heights on Main St. of White Plains, the landlords of commercial properties along the northern end of Mamaroneck Ave. are asking “how high can I build?”  Already rents have risen to the point where most of the Mom & Pop stores are gone – replaced by Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, Legal Seafood, Applebees and Target.  There is a danger that the little green monster of greed will destroy the character of White Plains and convert it into one giant Mall that could convert White Plains, NY to Anytown, USA. I don’t want to seem overly dramatic. But it seems as though our government officials want White Plains to become a “mini-me Manhattan.” First of all, there is only ONE New York City.  I think the height of hubris on this point came when the city started having a ball drop off the tallest building on New Year’s Eve.  Main St. in White Plains, NY will never become Times Square in Manhattan – I don’t care how many balls you drop. 

This election presents a great opportunity for the citizens of White Plains, NY to have an honest conversation about development, its costs,  and its effects, on the general character  and nature of the city. The fact that the two independent candidates for city council have gained so much momentum and the fact that one of our former mayors who has been silent for years is coming out support of both independents is strong evidence that and honest and open discussion is long overdue.