Okay. Good evening everyone.
I call this march. I call this march 30th, 2026, A special meeting of the common
council of the city of White plains to order. Councilwoman santiago, please Lead us in the pledge of
allegiance to our. Rise for the pledge.
I pledge, pledge allegiance to The flag of the united states of america and to the Republic for which it stands.
one nation under god, Indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.
madam clerk, could you Please call the roll? Mr. Caruso.
present. Mr. Fry pearson. Here.
miss presser. Here. Mrs. Santiago. Present. Miss simmons here. Mr. Wolff.
here. Mr. Mayor. Here. Before we get on to the First item of business, I just want to say that this is A regularly scheduled work
session, which often becomes A special session of the white plains council.
these are scheduled every month. And I just want there was a Little bit of confusion, and I wanted everyone to know that This is standard procedure for
the way we run city government In white plains, and if you have any questions, you can
certainly ask me or Any of us afterwards. Now, our first item of business Is a communication from the
commissioner of public safety In relation to an agreement with winifred madison burke Rehabilitation hospital to use
property located at 7085 Mamaroneck avenue to conduct
fire department training. I moved to file and Spread the communication.
I second the motion. All in favor?
I carried. I asked unanimous consent to Offer an ordinance entitled
ordinance of the common council Of the city of white plains, to the white plains, to white Plains, authorizing the
commissioner of public safety To enter into an agreement with winifred masterson.
burke rehabilitation hospital To use property located at 785 mamaroneck avenue to conduct Fire department training.
unanimous consent is granted. I move the adoption of The following ordinance.
I second the motion. Madam clerk, please Call the roll.
mr. Caruso. Yes, mr. Pearson? Yes.
miss presser. Yes. Mrs. Santiago. Yes. Miss simmons? Yes.
mr. Wolfe? Yes. Mr. Mayor. Yes.
just so that everybody Understands that was so that we can use the burke Rehabilitation center for some
fire department training, Which is stated clearly anyway. Our next item is a capital Project entitled traffic light
pole replacement. The commissioner of public Works intended to report on
this but was unable to make it. I was given this background On this capital project.
two vehicular accidents Occurred last year, one at the intersection of hamilton avenue And cottage place, and another
at fisher avenue and bank Street, both of which resulted in the destruction of Traffic signal poles.
this capital project Encompasses the design and construction of the new Poles at these locations.
the project was initially Estimated at $470,000. The department of public works Put the construction portion of
the project out to bid, and Received bids that exceeded the original estimate due to Inflation and tariffs.
accordingly, the department Requests an additional $125,000 for this project, bringing The total project to 595,000.
our next item is a capital Project pertaining to the proposed acquisition of The city center garage.
I'd like to call mike kelly, Senior assistant corporation counsel to the podium.
good evening. Kelly, senior citizen Corporation counsel.
uh, proposed capital projects C5687 is for the proposed acquisition of the white Plains city center garage.
city staff have been working To lay the groundwork for the acquisition of the garage, Including the negotiation of an
agreement with the owner of the City center retail development and performing the legally Required environmental reviews
of the transaction. Staff is now attempting to Finalize negotiations over the
acquisition of the garage. The acquisition of the garage Will enable the city to remove
the garage from the challenging Financial and operational situation it is now in, and Further enable the city to make
much needed improvements To the garage. The proposed draft capital Project would involve the
issuance of $8.3 million of Bonds of the city to finance the acquisition.
this number was based upon Information available to the city, as the amount of the Principal and interest on the outstanding garage bonds, The amount owed to the bonds
insurer, as well as amounts Being held by the bond trustee. This past friday, the bond Trustee and the bond insurer
informed us of their position That the amount to pay the principal and interest on the Bonds would be higher than
expected, approximately $11 million. Staff is working with the Insurer and the trustee to
account for this increase, and Is staff's intention that a more accurate amount will Be ready for the council's
approval on april 6th. That being said, even if the City were required to pay more
to retire the bonds, the amount Would still be well within the value of the garage and Would continue to result in a
substantial savings to the city. Thank you.
I just want to thank you in Particular for all of your hard work on this.
this is a very difficult and Complicated project, and it is imperative and a great thing Ultimately for the city, that
we will take over the city Ownership of the city center garage and get things on an
even keel and fix Up those problems. So thank you. All right. Thank you very much.
our next item is a presentation From commissioner of planning chris gomes on downtown Revitalization initiatives.
good evening. Good evening, mayor And common council.
I have the exciting privilege To present again the downtown
revitalization initiative award That the city did receive just a couple of years ago now.
it was a $10 million Grant award the city got. If you all recall, there Are multiple rounds.
the cuomo administration At the state level. I had this $10 million option Available to certain as a
competitive grant for Many municipalities. It was like a hunger games Esque kind of competition with
her neighbors. And I was part of many of the Applications for many years.
and just recently, in round Seven, the city was awarded the $10 million.
many of you here and in the Audience, I know we're very excited, attended a lot of the Public meetings and hearings we had on some of the proposed Ideas, but I'm going to give
you a refresher, because we're Getting to the point now. We're at your april Council meeting.
you're going to have the first Contract with new york state to fund two of these Specific projects.
so we all deserve a Round of applause. It's been a long road. Yes. And I want to Celebrate with this picture.
this was again the $10 million check. We tried cashing it, But alas, it was.
just a piece of cardboard. And this is full disclosure.
this is my image that we took, The official image that the governor's website Press release had.
you can see I'm behind The governor there. Behind. I'm right there With my eyes closed. So every.
picture literally. One of the most exciting Moments in our planning career here in white plains.
and I do want to thank The planning department. I mean, everybody was involved In this, but I would be remiss if I didn't point out judy As our deputy commissioner,
christy knecht, we had eileen Mclean, katie crawford, uh, ingrid's here as Well in the picture.
so a lot of the administration Worked on this with the planning department. So and I can see many of you In the photo here as well with
your eyes open. Um. So this is what happened.
we submitted back in 2023. Uh, we were awarded the grant Excitedly in 2024, as I noted.
and then we embarked kind Of on the tail of the city's comprehensive plan outreach, Which was multiple years on,
kind of a parallel track of Outreach and engagement, both in the spanish speaking Community as well as the
business community, to really Kind of get ideas to shape the types of projects.
we were going to fund This $10 million grant. Um, so we had, as you can Imagine, a lot of digital outreach and some great Feedback from the community.
um, this all kind of culminated In the purpose of the outreach, I should say, was to really Have an open call for projects.
so while the $10 million was For a lot of city projects I'll get into in a moment.
there was also the opportunity For people in the public, business owners to apply for a Portion of those grants funds. So there was a public Kind of call for projects.
we also established a Local planning committee. So there were six Total meetings.
these were people that were Members of the community. That really helped kind of suss Through the applications for the use of these grant funds.
and so here we are the last Few steps, the lpc, the local planning committee, in Consultation with the
consultants that we hired Through new york state or we were basically forced to hire, They're wonderful, but they
were part of the grant. Uh, they were very wonderful.
I shouldn't say it that way. And they helped us with the Local planning committee, prepare a cip, a strategic Investment plan that went up to
new york state for approval. That was essentially us Identifying what we wanted to
fund, how we're going to fund Them, and how it was going to really revitalize Downtown white plains.
we did find out that Was in december. In may of last year, we found Out that we had city projects
that'll get into the moment. Seven of them were funded and The kind of smaller, private,
not for profit applications. Five of them were funded.
and as I said, as of march And coming up in next week's council meeting, we're going To have our first contract with
new york state for the city Council, the common council's authorization to get This project moving.
so this is the. Downtown revitalization area That in the aerial photography,
all the red outline is kind of What we identified as kind of the project specific area.
and these are essentially the 7 or 8 projects we kind of combined, two of them that were Actually funded, and I'm going
to hit each of them very high Level now for the benefit of the public.
and these are things, again, You'll be seeing in the coming months as the contracts get to The council and these projects move along.
incidentally, the amount to About 8.5 million of the $10 million grant are all directly Against state grant funding to improve and enhance our Already wonderful downtown.
so we had $1,000 we'd put In for installation of new
windows, handicap accessible Bathroom and new paint, a fresh coat of paint or so, maybe More at the slater center.
so that's a $600,000 Grant we're excited about. Pretty straightforward there.
um, one of the larger ones was, Uh, we've been looking at, uh, for a long time in the Comprehensive plan, additional
east west bike access and enhancing our bicycle Infrastructure.
so the hamilton avenue Corridor, which planning departments offices look right Out on, and we see people kind
of biking through there, we Think would be a wonderful idea to have a two way bike lane.
very challenging. We've been talking About this for years. Even the transit district Plan from a decade ago.
um, but this is something we've Finally gotten funded to some extent to 2.7 million.
lots of designs still to go. But it's something that, you Know, we've put out there in the past.
this one I'm very excited about. This is our water Street connector. We're going to brand it.
this is. Just. The east of the pepe Cadillac dealership. Um, off water street.
this really connects what was Or is an unused right of way that the urban Renewal agency owns.
uh, back way back during urban Renewal, martin luther king boulevard here was to extend Under ferris avenue, under the
train tracks, out towards The bronx river parkway. Uh, that was Obviously never built.
so the urban renewal agency Does have these two sort of, uh, parcels here out parcels, I Should say, where we've looked about greening for a long time.
we've thought about if you Go out there now, you'll see images of people with these Desire lines of crossing from
hillside terrace, walking down Into our downtown through this nice little kind of Green, informal oasis.
and the goal with the funding And our grant ideas, uh, and working with some design Concepts with the consultants
already, is to really create an Engaging, safe, uh, connector pathway between the ferris Avenue community and downtown,
which includes lighting, Potentially some, you know, new trees or canopies, maybe even a Playground at the flatter area.
so this is exciting coming To a theater near you. We've gotten state funding to Really enhance what is a very
used piece of green space in The heart of our downtown.
similarly, the carhart neighborhood is Famously under parked.
we've looked at This for a while. How do we provide more public Park opportunities here? So this is off waller avenue.
if you blink, you might miss it. But the city doesn't own a Surface parking lot, which is used, but not, you Know, kind of sparsely.
and so the thought with Commissioner livingston and others was, could we green this And create an opportunity for a public park facility?
so we've gotten $745,000. It's right behind the td bank Off of mamaroneck avenue behind the cvs.
kind of. So it is kind of a nice Opportunity for kind of an infill pocket park and same Idea to be designed fully.
but this is an example of, You know, water bottle filling stations if we can afford it.
um, dog park play equipment, That kind of stuff will be a nice kind of opportunity With state funding.
I should have ended on this Because this is the most exciting one of all.
everybody. I kind Of wish howard. Waldman was here and our Friends in fisher hill, and we've heard about This for a long time.
uh, the clock does not work. I mean, it's I think it's right. Twice a day, we're Not sure, but it is.
and so. This clock tower. Um.
we. Have grant money in here, $270,000 to both fix the actual mechanism so the Clock will work again.
and then we also have this Concept during this process to reimagine and kind of refine it.
so is there a way To beautify it? Is there a way to Think outside the box? Um, and in speaking with the Mayor recently, you know, it's
beyond just kind of looking at Sort of artistic competition or ways to kind of wrap or be Creative and from a visual
perspective, but also the Base of the clocktower. I mean, it's really something That you're seeing thousands of
people a day traverse. There's no seating, there's no Opportunity for, you know, kind of signage or kind of maybe It's stuff about the community.
so we've had a lot of ideas and And the mayor had a great one on that regard as well.
so we did have a Public idea session. The deadline was march 20th.
a lot of people have responded with what they Would like to see. And as we move forward, the Thought was, and I've seen this
on social media, there was a Lot of excitement around around branding this like Saving our clocktower.
we're not tearing it down. This isn't my, well, kind of My idea, but I saw it on social
media as well that when we Opened this thing, we maybe the city should have like a
lookalike competition Or something. That kind of really brand that Marty mcfly and doc brown have been there.
so just to close, um, this Is two actual projects. This is both streetscape Improvements right to our
downtown sidewalks and then Something that again, the city for at least a decade, uh, I've Been here, we've talked about
ad nauseam, and that's a real branding campaign For our signage.
so folks both have directional Signage, but also a real true brand to the city.
so this was something that we got over $1 million, 1.3 million. And, you know, just examples Of illustrative examples.
these aren't, you Know, sussed out yet. But this is what was in our Application from planners
enhancing our planner stock To maybe creative benches, uh, even bike racks.
there's many ways to look at sort of the bike infrastructure, even so far as Artwork on garages.
you know, we have to, again, Get into the weeds on this. But other communities have done Things to sort of beautify and kind of create this cohesive
vision, even Decorative lighting. This is the handler Walk, as everybody knows. Uh, right there, that goes To a chester maple garage.
so is there a way to do Some creative lighting or architecture there?
and the same idea, thinking outside the box For court street. Um, and then, you know, this Is, again, they're not going to
look like this, but this is Sort of like the kind of things that, you know, we could Potentially do, you know,
branding, even identifying Parking facilities. So using this money both to Design and be creative with
infrastructure for signage in A way that, uh, you know, is quite costly, frankly.
we used to have something there. But, you know, how do we brand On the train bridge and have information kiosks?
so all to be decided. But this is something as well As the clock tower that you'll be seeing coming to april Meeting, just authorizing us to
enter the city, to enter in a contract to finally Get this money.
that's been a long time coming. And last but not least, there Is a small project fund we put
in for. This is kind of individual Grants for sort of business
owners and the like up to $75,000 to, you know, look at outdoor seating opportunities For art in the community in
facade enhancement. So this is something we Have to work through.
we have $600,000. But frankly, I've been involved In these projects in other communities in terms Of facade grants.
and depending on how much Interest we get from the community, you know, the City has to administer. We'll see, because It is reimbursable.
folks have to go out and spend the money and then Be reimbursed. But we're hoping that there
could be some Takers here as well. And that's it. There's any questions?
well, I'll just say thank you. I know that you and I had a Very long meeting recently
about it. And these are really, you know, That many of us worked hard.
I know vicki pressler, our Council president, as well, to get this funding.
and it's really going to Beautify our city, make it better, safer and give Us more green space. So I want to thank you and Deputy commissioner mizzi for
all of your efforts on this. You're here.
so item six is a presentation On the proposed application submitted on behalf of f45 Training white plains for a
proposed health club at 25 north lexington avenue. I'd like to invite philip
future of architects To the podium. Nice to see you.
I should be working.
right. Okay.
okay. Reboot sometimes Means a boot.
good evening, mr. Mayor. Members of the common council.
interesting. I'm philip proctor Of pep architects, p.c., um
representing um vital lifestyle F45 training white plains.
uh, in this special use permit Application for an existing um
in an existing demise. 2250 square foot retail space On the ground level of 25 north
lexington avenue.
I apologize. For visuals.
um, this is, uh, on the hamilton Avenue side of the building.
um, that's hamilton Avenue in the foreground. Uh, I apologize for That, uh, cut off shot.
um, the, um.
the proposed space is an Existing demise area and it is
below parking in the building And above parking, and it has
retail on either side. It is not adjacent to any
existing residential Occupancies. The proposed use is an Instructor led group fitness
studio operating exclusively On a scheduled class model.
the facility does not Operate as an open gym. Class attendance is limited By pre-registration, and
controlled class capacity Is limited to approximately
30. Through an online Registration system, walk ins
or unscheduled use is not Permitted and there is no spa
or food service in the proposal. The studio is located within a Dense, walkable mixed use area
and is expected to primarily Serve individuals who live or work in the immediate Surrounding area.
um. At the march 17th uh Planning board meeting, the
planning board voted to provide A positive recommendation to
the council on this matter. Um, I'm happy to Answer any questions.
seeing none. Thank you so much.
looks like a nice thing. It's not a giant space. Looks like having an additional Health club in our city is a good idea, so thank you.
thank you. Good evening. Good evening.
our last item for this evening Is a presentation for a proposed application At one sycamore lane.
I'd like to invite commissioner Of planning chris gomez and deputy commissioner judy metz To the podium for an overview.
thank you, mayor and council. So this evening I'm going to Give a brief overview of sort
of and I have a nice Little nifty chart. You've seen these probably in The past on the galleria mall
to hopefully distill what Is a fairly complex, uh, environmental review process, Site plan, process, etc.
into, you know, just a few Bullet points at a general high level this evening.
I'll do that fairly quickly. And then we're going to Hear from the applicant. We thought it kind of Necessary, frankly, with a
newly constituted council with A few new members, of course, to get an update from the Applicant in terms of the the
site plan that has been Submitted for the site, um, and then via zoom, we do have the Independent wetland consultants
that the common council had Retained to really look at the wetlands issues.
both analyze. Their scope of work was to both Analyze the applicant's sort of wetland analyses and their Studies, as well as kind of
guide the council moving Forward in terms of recommendations for any, any
sort of mitigation Or work, etc.. So I'll start and then I'll Hand it over, I guess, to mr.
steinmetz on the applicant, And we'll finish again with the independent consultant The city has retained.
um, so here we are to date. Um, I'm going to go through Quickly and then kind of some
general next steps so You can follow along. But there was an application And you'll get more detail in a
moment from the applicant, uh, For the buddhist temple at one sycamore lane.
uh, that was back on January 10th of 2025. Um, and there are multiple Variances that are also
associated with that Site plan, parking, etc.. Again, the applicant can get Into some of that detail on a
site specific basis. But that was submitted to the council way back In january of 2025.
now in february, at the Regularly scheduled council meeting, there was an action By the common council to, uh,
declare themselves lead agency Under secre, which is a state environmental quality Review act for a coordinated
environmental review. Now what does that mean?
that means that because there's A site plan to redevelop the site that has associated Variances that are required from the zoning code.
both you, the common council And the zoning board have some jurisdiction in the approval Of any type of project in the
future on the site. So when there's more than One approval agency that has
jurisdiction, in this case, The new york state law really recommends and for this type of
action, frankly, Requires a coordination. And having one established lead Agency or approval agency that
will conduct the environmental review to study the Kind of impacts.
you know, by virtue of this Redevelopment may occur. Traffic, parking, wetland Disturbance, all those things.
so the council, by action on February 3rd, declared the intent to say we're going to Be the lead agency for the
environmental review Of this entire project. Now, the project Is obviously again.
what's being proposed is to Build a buddhist temple, but the action includes analyzing What the impact of any
variances granted will be, as well as sort of site Specific concerns.
so you are the common council Declare their intent on february 3rd and you also in April, established with no
objection to the zoning board Of appeals, that you are, in fact, the lead agency under The state environmental quality
review act to review the entire Action so I can get into the weeds if there's questions.
but essentially, that's the Important key here that this project, you know, cannot Move forward until such time.
there's a conclusion on the Environmental review by you as lead agency.
in february, there was also The action to retain this independent wetland consultant, Which you'll hear from again,
we'll medlin from from woodard and curren is on um And read as well.
and then also where we are this Evening again is march 30th,
and we're going to hear from The results of that which have been posted as part of this Agenda, that independent
wetland analysis. So next steps in a Very general sense.
um, the common council, you Know, at some point moving forward, can clearly refer to a Complete site plan application,
making sure everything is Complete prior code, like we always do in a site plan Application process to all city
departments, boards and commissions for Review and comments.
so that's an important step. Um, and then ultimately, Based on that sort of referral
process and moving along And getting the requisite information, this body needs To make environmental kind of
analysis moving forward and Conclusions, ultimately, this common council will have to Weigh in, make a determination
and findings essentially on All the potential environmental impacts by virtue of the Variances, site plan, etc., for
this application. And then, and only then would The zoning board of appeals
have the ability to consider And take action formal action on any variances.
and then once assuming Variances, it got to that point where granted, then the Application would come all the
way back to the common council To consider what would then be a conforming site plan, because The requisite variances have
been granted. So it's a long road. This is a very general.
um, those are the Different steps. I can't put time on those Steps, but I just want to let you know kind of where we Are and what's ahead so I can
answer any questions and dive Into the weeds any further. Yes, I.
have, because I'm brand new. I have a very simple question. Um, so what exists there now
versus what they're Planning to build? You'll hear in great detail, But it was a single family home
with, uh, you know, some other Outbuildings and such, you know, tennis court or Padel tennis court.
so it's been vacant For some time. And they're proposing a Buddhist temple and some other, um, you know, I want to steal The applicant's thunder, but.
okay, quite a few Resources there. Um, it is an environmentally Sensitive site.
I should have said that from The beginning in the sense that there is wetland presence on Site, as well as outcroppings,
a flowing watercourse. So under the zoning code of the City, it is classified as an
environmentally sensitive site, Which really does two things. One, it requires sort of a Level of scrutiny as a type one
action under secre, which is A little bit higher level of scrutiny, of course, but it Also down the road for any site
plan approval would require A supermajority of the common council as the approval agency To approve a site plan, which
means five votes as opposed To a typical majority of four. So thank you.
but yeah.
so the area you said already Was a prior previously a home and outbuildings for those Built on the wetlands, the environmentally sensitive area.
I'll let the applicant in our Consultant weigh in on that. But know that there's buffer Areas around the actual they're
not on the wetlands but There's actually buffers. And that's part of what the Action is going to be, is how
do you, as the common council Define in our independent consult will weigh In on that later on.
um, what type of buffer? We have different types of Buffers in our zoning code. Restrictive. Protective.
a lot of the mapping of that, as you all is the Approval agency. The determinations frankly made On whether the wetlands have
been disturbed previously, what The current condition is, etc.. So, um, you know, upon our Independent consultants
recommendation and other Factors, you, as the common council, will make the Determination of where that
buffer should be. Um, but no, not the Actual wetland itself, but encroachment into the buffer In any case, however that gets
defined is obviously part of I Shouldn't say obviously is part of the applicant's proposal.
you'll see in a moment. Can you? Just one quick thing.
can you give a quick, quick Overview of how we hire the independent consultant And how that works? Yeah. So the city I it was Actually my recommendation.
um, again we have some very Competent staff of course, but we don't have necessarily Wetland hydrologists on site or
within sort of city Staff resources. So which is typically done During the environmental review
of these types of projects. The common council basically Authorized the establishment of
an escrow account so the City didn't pay for it. The applicant.
much like in all environmental Reviews, puts money into an escrow account and the City independently finds a consultant that we believe Is sort of has the right
resources, staff, expertise. What an intern who you hear
from, um, is well Known to the city. They've been used quite Frequently on large environmental reviews for the City, uh, working with dpw.
so, for example, analysis of Just recently the environmental review process for The gallery of mall.
we have consultants woodard and Kern, a different division of woodard, but so they're well Familiar with westchester as
well as these sorts of issues. So it was, again, our choice as A city to select the consultant
and get an independent review. Thank you.
I believe that you will be Introducing the applicant. Mr. Commissioner?
yes. So this is, uh. Mr. Steinmetz, on behalf of the Applicant who will introduce
the team.
while paulette is Teeing us up here. Good evening, mr. Mayor.
members of the common council, David steinmetz from the law firm of zahran and steinmetz. Very pleased to be here this Evening on behalf of the pro
ghassan foundation and the buddhist temple at One sycamore lane.
I am joined here by paulette Dmowski, our project architect, and angela tang from the Buddhist temple is here, along
with several members of the Foundation and some of the buddhist monks.
you all have the materials that We provided in advance in front of you.
regardless if we have Some difficulty here. Yes. So I'm going to keep going. So we use our time efficiently.
so we're here tonight in Connection with the repurposing of this four acre Property at sycamore.
rosedale. And I appreciate the introduction from Commissioner gomez.
one thing that I would mention, Just so I know so many of you are new and have not Heard this before.
um, this actually has been Pending since well into 2024. Um, it came before the Common council in 2025.
once the wetland issues were Identified as significant and we began to seek a coordinated Environmental review.
the application actually began In 2024, in front of your zoning board of appeals For a variety of variances.
I say that just because I want All of you to know that this applicant has been at it for a While, has been quite patient,
and I'm really happy to be here Tonight because I'm pleased that you finally got This wetlands analysis.
um, I'm delighted that your Wetlands consultants are on screen because it is a really Important issue and it's one of
your primary concerns As lead agency. So the property is located in The r-1 30 zoning district.
the significance of that Is that makes religious institutions a Permitted lawful use.
so we are not seeking anything With regard to the legality of having a house of Worship on this property.
a house of worship Is indeed permitted. Responding to the question About what's there.
um, there is a single family house, A pool, an outbuilding, a
tennis court and a variety of other things that Were developed?
I think this goes back Into the 40s and 50s. It's a really kind of a neat Old large house, which has
paulette will explain In a little while. The concept is to reuse That particular structure.
however, responding to the Second half of your question, there actually are a number Of those improvements that are
either in the wetland or the Wetland buffer are here we go. And
I'm going to let the wetland specialists tell You what's there. And I'm going to speak a little
bit about it Briefly in a moment. But the good news for all of Us in the city is that the
ultimate conclusion, I'm not Going to I'm not going to hide the the conclusion here.
the conclusion is that much of What's being proposed in this application actually improves The wetlands, removes
encroachments from the buffer, Things that have been there literally for decades.
and we think actually forget What I think your consultants have concluded there's No significant adverse
environmental impact to the wetlands as a result Of this application. So what we're looking at Here is that slide two okay.
what we're looking at here is The location of the property. You've got rosedale kind Of going on an angle.
and sycamore which is a private road here in the city coming in.
and that's our site on the left. The four acre site immediately on the opposite Side of sycamore.
many of you may know, is a Church and a montessori school. Um, significant, because this Is not the only potential
institution that would be Located in this neighborhood. As I would speak to a Little bit more in a moment.
next slide. Please.
that's okay. There we go. There's the stream.
there is a stream that meanders Sort of on a north south basis,
coming down sycamore and Slicing through this. This property been There for obviously.
for. It predates the House that's there.
um, it's been there since before the neighborhood Was was created.
but the significance is that When you go beyond us or upstream, there are several
properties that This stream crosses. It crosses lawn area that's
fertilized and homes That are there. It crosses under and I mean Under one of the houses on
sycamore that bridges The the stream. And the property immediately Adjacent to us has a manmade
impoundment or some other Structure that I'll defer to the experts in terms of the Significance of something that
was built into And on the stream. This is not a Pristine wetland area.
this is a neighborhood that has Historically, for decades lived in connection with the wetlands.
and some folks are actually Right up against, if not on top of the wetlands.
again, significant for what We're trying to do on this property and how it fits Into the overall context.
um, because I don't know if we Skipped the development team, did we skip the Development team slide?
you can go to the next one. Perfect. Well, you've got The project architect. Pull that behind me And me here tonight.
I want you all to know in terms Of what we've been doing for 18 or more months.
um, there is a project engineer From hudson engineering, our civil engineers, traffic Engineers from dts provident,
because there were Questions about traffic. Um, our wetlands consultant, Paul janey prepared the initial
wetlands report. The application is sort of Impending long enough that paul
has since retired. So the good news for me is that Steve marino from tim miller
associates was good Enough to take the baton. And I've worked with steve.
and some of you may know, Steve, I'm a highly regarded wetlands biologist in the County and in the region.
steve has agreed to come on and Basically assume what paul's work is and paul's Work is significant.
you all hired an independent Consultant at substantial and I mean substantial expense to The buddhist temple to review
paul's work. That was done.
that report is Now in the record. I think you have like a 40 Page report from these folks. And I'm again, I'm delighted They're here tonight.
we also have a landscape Architecture firm, benedictine ticehurst, significant because With a wetland application, the
subsequent plantings that go On to the site, the removal of invasives, the removal of Species that are not helping
the wetland, and the Replanting of the wetlands with appropriate species is critical To the life and the vibrancy of
the wetlands. We're proposing that.
why this site, angela, and the Foundation found this four acre site, found it to be in a in A lovely area and thought with
the stream and the Existing structure. It was a wonderful bucolic Place for a buddhist temple.
what's a buddhist temple? Um, buddhism as some of you may Know, fourth largest religion
in the world. Over 300 million Followers of buddhism.
buddha. Tibetan buddhism is not Your typical, for me, typical
congregational Religious practice. It's more of a private Meditative practice.
buddhist temples Tend to be smaller. Not always.
they tend to not attract large Congregational gatherings. It's more as you learn and you Can read where people actually
go for their own private Meditation in front of the buddha statue.
so this, this application is To build a buddhist temple or shrine, a place for some of the Monks to actually reside, to
study, to learn, to teach, And for parishioners to come.
you're going to have Hundreds of people coming. It's a small operation with a Handful of folks who would be
there at any one time. It's why it's conducive to This particular location.
let's go to the next Slide with the two more.
perfect. And this is a little hard to See on the screen, but you all
have it on in front of you. We put this together because as Someone who lives and works in
the city of white plains, I'm Quite familiar with the north street corridor.
I drive it every single day, Sometimes multiple times a day, from westchester Avenue to the hutch.
there are 13, I repeat, 13 Religious institutions along the north street corner.
they're all listed On your page there. I say that because this mile And a half stretch of our
county, of our city is one Of the most densely populated areas with religious Institutions in the county.
there are a lot of them. There are a lot of them In residential areas. They're permitted in Residential areas.
we have 13 of them Prior to this. Another reason why angela, when She was looking, found this to
be an attractive potential Place for a peaceful and quiet
religious institution.
let's go to our next slide.
so what we have here is a site Plan that lays out the site.
now I mentioned that this Application has been pending for 18 months or more.
as a result of the back and Forth that my architectural team, my client's architectural Team, engineering team and
others have had with the Building department, the department of public works, the Planning department, the zoning
board of appeals. There have been changes That have been made to this
application as a result of Interaction that has been conducted with the neighbors.
there have been reductions, There have been some of the buildings have Been made smaller.
some of the buildings have been Pulled further away from the wetland buffer area. And most importantly, there was An attempt to avoid a direct
connection to sycamore lane as The primary means of ingress
and egress. Originally, my client and the Team showed it an access to the
site from sycamore. There was objection from Some of the neighbors.
we evaluated the site Distance along rosedale. Determined that appropriate Lawful it institute of traffic
engineer site distance could be Established and they relocated
the the access point. This site plan that you have Before you shows a connection
to rosedale. It shows a small parking Area off of rosedale.
it shows the adaptive reuse Of the existing home that's
presently visible from rosedale As sort of the rectory or the
monks residence. You can see the square or Rectangular building with the
green area in the middle. That's the proposed shrine or Temple, and the reason that
there's an open Area in the middle. Again, this is not a large Church or synagogue or mosque
where a number of people would come in and pray simultaneously.
it's largely an open air Building that's quiet, peaceful, and you have an Opportunity to come in and and
meditate before The buddha statue.
paul, that's going to Explain some of the details. I'm going to let you go to The next slide and just talk a
little bit about the buildings, And then I'll take it back. Perfect.
so let's start with this slide. You got it. Okay. Thanks.
good evening mayor, council members, thank you So much, david. I just want to walk you Through the three buildings.
and I know there was some question about what's there now. And right now, there's an Existing two and a half story
single family dwelling Which we will repurpose. We we plan on doing an interior Renovation there, which will
house the parish rectory. So there'll be a teacher Living there full time.
it's very conducive for that. It's got a kitchen, bedrooms, And we're going to, um, modify
the outside a little bit just To accommodate the entrance to the new driveway.
but that building Will stay intact. Our second building Is the building.
is this building right here, Which is an we're calling it an
artifacts building. It's a much smaller building.
it's a single storey and It's a split level building. So you enter it at the the main
level of where the Parking lot is. And because the site cascades Down, the topography dips down.
you will exit the building On the lower level. So it's a split level so it's
half the size of the Existing dwelling.
the main building which is our primary building, is the temple.
and as david said, it's a Rectangular building with an open courtyard in the middle.
this will house visiting monks. There's some sleeping rooms For some three visiting monks.
the main shrine proper for the Buddha will be there where they do the worship and meditation.
and there are some meditation rooms in that, in that building. So I just want to point out.
what's the approximate Capacity of that. Great question.
three monks is the Capacity of people. Visiting, people visiting.
just so we have an idea, there are 150 people coming To this facility. There's going to be about 15 to
20 people at any Given time in there. Could you mention the number of
square feet in the Original house? Yes, the.
second building and The third building. How many? So the main the existing House right now is 2600ft.
the other accessory structure That we're proposing, the artifacts building is 4400ft,
so it's half the square footage. And then the principal Building is 6800ft.
so it's two levels. Yes, two levels.
so if I give you, you know, Length and width of these because I think that would be
very helpful to Understand the scale. The existing house is About 55ft by 80ft.
and it's I'll show You the plan of that. I think it will Be helpful to see.
I'm just going to jump ahead. This is the the plan Of the existing house.
so from this point to this Point, it's about 80ft. From this point to this Point, it's about 55ft.
the plan of the
temple is about 64ft by 90.
so very similar in footprint. And then the artifacts Building is about 32ft by 46ft.
so half. I'd like to just mention that
again that this is A four acre site. All the surrounding properties Along sycamore are one one acre
across rosedale. There are about, I think there Are either a quarter or a half
an acre, so much smaller. So when we think about the Property in these buildings, we
think about density. How dense is this Site going to be?
and if I just show you the. Just show you
this. This. Site plan.
this was prepared by Our landscape architect. You could see how much Green space there is.
so when we talk about building Coverage and density by code, we're allowed 20% Building coverage.
we're proposing 4.5%. So much less.
than. So when we think about Building coverage. Would you put the microphone?
sorry. There you go. How's that? Okay. How about that?
okay. So when we talk about Density and building coverage on a property, we think Of it in percentage.
so the zoning code allows 20% in this district of Building coverage.
we're proposing Only 4.5% coverage. So we have a lot more that we Could potentially build, which
were not because we want to Maintain that open space, that beautiful landscaping.
if you look at this, um, this Site plan, you can see I don't know if you could see my cursor.
uh, there it is. So this is the main temple. Everything in that light Brown color is building.
this is the artifacts building, And this is the existing house. So you could see how much green
space we're maintaining On this property. And like I mentioned earlier, The property does go down slope
from sycamore. So what you're perceiving at
that level is just The single story. You won't really see much of That building as it's built
down in that lower Portion of the property. You were talking before about Capacity for the building being
15 to 20 against worshippers. How much turnover is That then like in a day?
what are we actually Talking about. Because people are not going To be there I assume, for the
entire day. You know.
I have a similar question and I Don't know how buddhism works. If there's a man, you know, Like I'm catholic, so you go to a mass or service, you know.
so how do you mitigate, um, Preventing or having just 20 people at a time versus, you
know, 40 people Parking in an area? So.
okay, so, um, we didn't bring Our traffic consultant with us this evening because we were Told to try to keep this short
and introductory, but we did a Rather extensive analysis and had our traffic consultant Draft that into a traffic
report that was Previously submitted. And angela is here if we Need to answer any specific
questions, my understanding is That we have, first of all, 34 parking spaces, am I right?
yeah. 37 parking spaces. Um, we have more than enough Parking, in our opinion, for
the operation there. There's no desire to spend the Time, the effort and the money
to do this and have an Inability for folks to enjoy,
um, being parishioners in terms Of the number of people in a given day, probably under 50, If it turned over two times
behind the initial, it Doesn't get used a lot. It really is something that I Would urge you, as we do this
together and go through this Process to gather as much empirical data as we can On tibetan buddhist temples
because again, this is not something I'll speak for myself.
um, I haven't been To your congregation. You maybe not have not been to
mind, but it's It's not like mine. It's probably not like yours. And it's unique.
it's something that you all Have to take into account. Because we are not building a Church like probably 11 of the
other 13 on the corridor. I say 11 of the other 13.
I'll come back to the fact That one of them is a buddhist temple of a slightly different
nature, but at a Buddhist temple. And I'll come back to you, mr. Mayor, do you want To ask something?
well, I just I think It's a fair question. I mean, and I know I'm putting You and your client on the spot, but could the applicant Just give us some idea of how
how it works with us? Absolutely. Angela. Did you
know, could you please go up to The microphone and just tell us your name, please? Thank you. We just want to understand.
a lot of new faces. But thank you for you.
don't be nervous. We want. We want to hear it from you. Nicely into the Mic now and then. We'll hear.
that is better. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Yes, this is angela, So I'm kind of. Kind of volunteer to support This project financially and
also operationally. So we have a few Months here, you see.
so we have a very similar place In brooklyn, um, like a one
acre place. And every day they receive like A maximum 10% because tibetan
buddhism is like a Private consultation. It's not like, not like a Group chanting or group prayer.
we don't do that. That's why we estimate 10 to 15 people, maximum visitors and
only one, the only one big Celebration day is april 15th,
which is a buddha birthday. That's the only day probably We will see like 30 people.
and for regards to the operating hours We are looking at.
we try to avoid the school time. You know, we have a pretty Decent neighbors there, the
kids, school bus or whatever. So we are considering operating Hours from 10 to 4:00 and from
monday to saturday and sunday. Because the church Has activities.
we try to mitigate the traffic With our neighborhood church. So we are closed on sunday.
so you can be closed on sunday? Yes. And you're going to be 10 To 4 monday through saturday.
that's right. This is a very specific Question, but it relates to
what council member Santiago raised. How long does somebody I mean, I know it's individual, but
like, does somebody sit there For 7 hours or 2 hours or how does that work?
and that affects the flow of traffic and the Neighbors concerns. Yeah. Regarding the so we Don't we don't do that.
tibetan buddhism is just Self meditation at home. But normally the people come Over to see the master to
receive the instructions, The infraction? Probably. We know in the
current broken we Have a broken branch. It's basically people come over Like 1 or 2 hours, but we have
to reserve online because We follow the orders. We finish one person because We are not sharing the privacy
with each other. So if it's first come first.
so they have to book online For their reserved slot. Normally some people half An hour, but if some more
difficult questions probably Make them two hours per person for a slot.
yeah, I have a question. What is your one.
celebration. Day? You said you have. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So does. That.
bring a lot of people? Yeah. Um, so the both the Buddha's birthday, we call in us, we call vesak.
vesak day. Right. Um, in the lunar year is April, and for the western is
like, may 16th. That is the only day in a year.
what kind of crowd Does that attract? I'm sorry.
how many. People and how do you handle any extra people Who would come that. Way?
yeah. So we will put that Like, you know, because it's a birthday celebration. We will put a small golden Buddha there and people come
over for the flower there, or Just put some water clean as a
buddha statue and leave. They're not going to be there, Like for the whole day eating
or things. It's just a very quiet And peaceful activity.
council members. How many people maximum.
would come. 3030. On that day? Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.
yeah. Because in united states, we don't have the Public holidays. Only the people who have to Take their personal leave as
they come over. We don't see a big group.
but if you see singapore, it's A public it's a government official holiday.
we will expect more people. Yeah. Council president presser.
yeah, I just I think that for The purposes of understanding the how this
will be used. To think of it more as a Retreat than as a church.
mhm. Yeah. Yeah.
there are people who go to. People would not Reside overnight. There. Right.
there are, there are people who Will go to monasteries for a day of meditation as. So I'm thinking that that's
more of, of what We're talking about. But no, people are Not staying overnight.
this is not an inn. Right. Councilman caruso?
yes. So my understanding is you're Talking about having three visiting monks and residents And one monk pretty much
permanently there. So would that mean there'd Never be more than if people
are coming for instruction only There would never be more than four people there at a time.
no we don't. So normally. No. So the master.
right? The master Will stay here. But also he has other visiting Plans around the year.
so when he is away. We will invite the Visiting monk as a backup.
you know, the one we Have over there will be. Come over to backup.
yeah. So I think we have Determined that. And you can correct Me if I'm wrong.
it's been a while since We were in the numbers. At the worst case, daily Scenario would be 12 people on
on campus at any one time. Is that correct?
that's. I wouldn't say no from the monk. Right. Because when we define It as a temple, the volunteer,
we are not allowed to leave. Only the monk can Live on the site.
that is a religious requirement. But if you ask me to tell People, we will probably have a
volunteer drive over to Cleaning, you know, to do the administration this kind of Thing, but they are going to
leave end of the Day, end of each day. How many people are volunteers?
I would call probably a uh, maximum for for like one For cooking, cleaning and the
reception for. Yeah.
yeah. Yeah. Correct. And then there's The visiting people.
yeah. Oh, you are talking About the visitors?
yes. Our visitors. Yeah. Yeah.
yeah. Sorry. Yeah. It's okay. Yeah. We're trying to just. Get the. Approximate maximum.
number of. Yeah. 15. Yeah. 15. Yeah.
thank you. 15. So one. Monk. Uh, 3 to 4 volunteers, Plus the ten visitors. We are talking about 15 People maximum a day.
so. Yeah, quite a bit, we believe. Yeah. Um, that the site is over.
I've said it all along. We believe the site Is over parked. We we have, um, attempted to Minimize the parking and would
be delighted to explore ways to Reduce the parking, but we have parked the site for more people
then conceivably would be there. The monks are not Driving in and out.
um, the parishioners may or May not come in small groups. There's not again.
you're asking. You're asking the same Questions we did a year and a half ago.
there's not this typical. Oh, well, there's the 9 to 10 Group, and then there's the 10 to 11 group, and it turns Over multiple times a day.
again, I urge you, as we go Through this process together to ask your questions and To do some homework with us.
and I'm sorry, just One more point. Before.
I come to my seat. So the broccoli. Stay here by. The mic. Yeah. So, um, so I think in our Application, we particularly
put a brooklyn branch Office address. So if people have any concerns To see really to validate what
what is a tibetan buddhism Temple looks like, you can feel free to visit.
it's only like an Hour drive from here. It's exactly the same tibetan Buddhism branch, same teaching, same number of the monks.
all these kind of things. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.
um, just to try to move it along and get to the Wetlands consultant. One of the things that I want To underscore, because we just
saw the wetlands report, um, Within the last couple of days, chris, chris and eileen know I've been asking to to see this
report for some time, and we Really appreciate the fact that it was now made publicly Available that would incur and
completed it. I want to remind all of you the Analysis that your consultants
did was done last, I think, april. They were out on the site With our team and several city
officials for over two hours Doing, um, walking the site, doing auger tests of the soil.
they did a rather Extensive analysis. What my key takeaways, and I'll Let the experts speak to it in
terms of the conclusions. A the project will not result In a significant adverse impact
to the wetlands, which is a really important Threshold issue.
be much of what's proposed Here in terms of removing the invasives, removing lawn area And planting native and wetland
species will serve to only Improve wetland a and wetland
b, as you'll read in the report. And c and probably most Importantly, this is an issue,
a legal issue that we have been Discussing and making written submissions to the city Over the last year.
there is no legitimate basis For a, quote, restrictive buffer here.
a protective buffer Is appropriate. Um, while I think our Consultants feel it's probably not even necessary, there's a Big difference under our white
plains code between a Restrictive buffer and a protective buffer.
restrictive buffer. Could you. Sorry, mr. Steinmetz. We have a lot of New people here.
could you just describe in Short order the distinction? Absolutely. Just again, Thank you, mr. Mayor.
um, the restrictive buffer Would actually prohibit certain things from being Built within them.
period. The end. Nothing could be built in the Restrictive buffer that would preclude our development.
certainly aspects Of our development. We have been waiting for your Consultants to opine on that.
our consultant opined On that over a year ago. A protective buffer warrants Protection and analysis by
government, but certainly Not a prohibition. And again, you read your report.
my client waited a long time And paid a lot of money for you to go out and get your Own independent analysis.
it confirms what paul janey Told us over a year ago, and it tells us, actually, that The improvements that we're
proposing, not the least Of which is the extensive plantings that are being Proposed, will ultimately
improve the wetland. So we were pleased to To finally get this.
in terms of religious uses, I've not appeared in front of several of you.
some of you have known me For for quite some time. Some of you may not know we Represent a wide variety of
religious institutions Throughout the county, from churches and synagogues to the Archdiocese of the state of new
york to islamic centers. So I am not unfamiliar with the Law that that governs your job
when you're reviewing A land use application. Religious uses, as your legal Team will explain to you, are
presumed to have a beneficial Effect on the community. The case law, one of the Leading cases, cornell versus
bhagwati, talks about religious And educational uses, religious and educational institutions.
as a matter of law, you've got To weigh the benefit against the detriment of the community, And the law presumes a benefit to the community.
that's why you have 13 Religious institutions in residential zones along The north street corridor.
they are not anathema to to Sound government and existence.
and folks, I was amazed when I Came across this new york times
article from may 10th, 1992.
they say history repeats itself. Well, history is Repeating itself.
in 1992, the white plains common Council was wrestling with a
neighborhood group that was Opposing a buddhist temple on north street and councilman, I Think then councilman shulman.
he ultimately became mayor. Correct. Then councilman Shulman took on the cause of
trying to understand the issues and try to mediate Between the parties.
it was a multi year process With the neighborhood there opposing that buddhist temple, Our buddhist temple that's here
in our community today. The same community organization Had opposed the trinity church
in the 50s that's sitting At bryant at north street. So again, people have every Right to come to the microphone
and speak their mind. I know that I'm at too many Meetings, too many nights a
week, but I'm going to tell you This virtually every meeting I do with regard to a religious Institution, there's concern,
there's confusion, There's mystery. Now try taking on a Tibetan buddhist temple.
you're going to have a lot Of people who don't really understand and ask Your questions.
but I'm telling you this as a Matter of law, under new york state common law and the Federal statute, you all have
to give them the benefit of the Doubt because they're presumed to have a beneficial effect.
the exact same thing Happened 30 years ago. It's there now.
it was lawfully approved. I say that because I want to Make sure you all understand.
angela and her group are not Unaware of of what has been
going on. They have tried to work and
make some adjustments For the community. They have tried to make some Changes to their design and most importantly, they've Cooperated with the city, the
neighbors, and I don't know if all of the new Members know this.
the neighbors were not happy With your building department's interpretation that they issued With regard to their review of this application.
she submitted building plans. The building department Did what they do. Daimon and his team did what They do on every application. They reviewed it.
they issued a have Denial letter. And they told us what variances We needed in terms of parking, location, setbacks, etc..
okay. The neighbors felt that Damon and his office did not interpret the code correctly.
they challenged it in their own zoning board of Appeals application.
the zoning board unanimously Upheld damon's determination, and the neighbors then sued The city and challenged that.
you need to know that because, Again, I would like nothing more, and I think my client Would like nothing more than
peaceful, amicable coexistence With the neighborhood. That is their goal.
that's kind of what they Sort of stand for in terms of peaceful existence. And go read about Buddhism as I have.
it's really kind of interesting. It's a lot different from Some other religions. Having said that, you need to Know we're doing everything we
can to cooperate. The neighbors are going to Do what they have to do.
I'm sure they will. We are simply asking For a fair shake. That's it.
finally. Chris knows I've been asking for that wetlands report. Thank goodness we got it Because it says what I was told
over a year ago. My client had to pay, I think, Over $40,000 for the city to
get their own report, but It's now part of the record. Having said that, we are here Tonight to hear the wetlands
report proposed and or Presented by your consultant. We're here to answer Your questions.
I'm delighted that your Council is the lead agency. I'm sorry that you're going to Have to deal with some of the
baggage that comes along with This application, sort of that you guys didn't Listen to cy shulman.
he would have told you 34 years Ago that this this may well happen once again. It's here again.
um, we will do what's asked of Us by your professional staff. I don't think any of them are Going to tell you that our team
has been anything other than Cooperative and responsive, so I'm happy to answer any other Questions other than that.
this was our initial introduction of This application.
so you know what it's about. And you understand why We're here with a full team. And we're doing everything We can to bring a peaceful
religious institution into The city of white plains.
good. Are we going to hear from The wetland consultants now?
okay.
thank you. Thank you.
can you guys hear me now? Yes, yes.
hello. Good evening, Common council. Thank you for having us today.
my name is bill medlin. I'm a senior principal and Senior technical leader with woodard and I manage our National environmental planning
permitting practice area. I have worked with me and my Partner senior level ministry.
thank you again for the opportunity to talk With you tonight.
I'm going to start by going Over the scope of work that we engaged with the city of white Plains on initially back in
march of last year. And uh, and then I'll go into Some of the key findings.
and I do want to say thank You again to chris gomez and eileen, uh, as well As data to their team.
I appreciate the, um, The feedback so far. So where we started, in terms Of our scope of work was a
wetlands focus, um, field Assessment, desktop assessment
and permitting support for this Project that included review of
the project, documentation Provided by the client, by the
applicant on to include civil Engineering design plans that
were current at the Time we received them. Uh, landscape plans, um, Environmental documentation and
also a review of other publicly Available documents, um, to
support our wetlands Focus analysis. Uh, our scope included Geospatial mapping, which if
you look at the report, you'll See, um, we also had a site
visit, uh, as david Alluded to earlier. Um, a site specific assessment That we did on april 24th of
last year. Uh, with the whole team there.
uh, and then all of this Information was synthesized into a technical memorandum and Had multiple rounds of comments
and coordination, uh, with The city, uh, and our team.
um, so what were Our key findings? Uh, so we completed the desktop Assessment, and when we were
looking at the information that Was publicly available, we did see national wetlands Inventory, uh, and national
hydrography data set. Um, information there on the Site related to the stream
system that was there. Um, but there were no Previously mapped, uh, new york
state dec wetlands. Um, additionally, we completed Our site visit, as I mentioned,
in april of 2025 during that site visit.
as david mentioned, we did our Own independent wetlands and water body delineation, uh, Following the appropriate
local, state and Federal methodologies. Uh, we found consistent with What the applicant's consultant
found, one stream or Watercourse and two wetlands,
wetland, a wetland we didn't find that was Completely consultant or
completely consistent. Was wetland b had a small
difference in area Where we delineated. Towards the north side of the Site, that was about a, you
know, less than a 10th of an Acre difference just north of the elevated paddle Tennis court on site.
um, we noted, as paul noted, Um, the wetlands consultant for
the applicant, but the site Is previously developed and disturbed and that the Resources there are
historically altered. Um, interesting.
we were just provided with The, uh, october 23rd, 2025.
um, new york state d.c. Freshwater wetlands Jurisdictional determination,
which we have been Asking for for a while. And that letter found that the New york state edc determined
that there are no freshwater Wetlands on the site. That's an important Thing to mention
based on our assessment. It is our professional opinion, As david alluded to, that the
city of white plains should Utilize a protective rather
than restrictive Buffer on this project.
our opinion is that the project Does not have a significant adverse effect
under secret, with respect to wetlands and watercourses Specifically.
I would remind everybody that Our scope of the environmental assessment was related Directly to wetlands.
finally, from a planning and Permitting perspective, um,
while we are suggesting a Protective buffer, the the
wetlands that we delineated on Site may likely require a corps
of engineers permit, uh, which would be known as Nationwide permit or general
permit, uh, for the wetland Impacts associated with the removal of the elevated paddle Tennis court and other work to
be done within the limits of Disturbance and potentially an
associated clean water act. Section four of or excuse me, Clean water act of 1st march.
water quality certification. These are the most relevant and
high level findings From our report. Um, if others have questions, I'm happy to take those.
at this point in time. Councillor pearson I guess so.
in looking at it, there's. One stream and two Wetlands, right? Correct.
and if I understood your report Correctly, and I appreciate all the work that went into it, and I certainly appreciate that,
that we have a religious Institution that would be very beneficial to the city.
but if I understand it Correctly, what you're saying is that all of the building That would come with building this temple and would come with Disturbing kind of stuff that
was built in the 1940s and 1950s and wasn't so sensitive, would ultimately not create any Increased risks of flooding.
and just to belatedly preface This question, we have a community that's been hit With a lot of extreme weather
events, a lot of flooding. So there's a lot Of concern here.
can you just give us a little Bit more comfort on that point. In terms of an engineering Analysis for flooding?
you know, that was not part of The scope that we assessed from
a wetlands perspective, Specifically the building footprint.
and the disturbance will be Within the buffers, but the wetlands themselves may indeed Actually be expanded when they
remove the elevated paddle Tennis court and the footers and foundation, um, materials That are beneath it.
there wasn't a Replant that area. The wetlands may actually Expand on the site.
so then let me ask you a Question, which is probably born out of my ignorance.
and I appreciate the Wetland expansion. There was no looking into what
this will do with Increased and flooding. Might be an extreme word, But increased runoff?
it's going to cause problems For people when we have our, you know, once in a century
storms that we now Get once a year. We did not evaluate it from A floodplain management
perspective or a civil And resource engineering perspective, sir.
okay. Thank you. Commissioner gomez. Yeah. If I could. Just chime in.
um, yeah, I know the The consultants, right. I mean, this was a very narrow Scope, mainly because as we do environmental review Comprehensively on any of these
applications, we have very Sophisticated flood, you know, sweep requirements through the Department of public works.
and so we're well versed in Looking at, you know, flooding issues, what any sort of, you Know, watercourse issues are so
kind of outside of What they're studying. But that is definitely part Of any sort of environmental
review that will be Conducted by the city. So I apologize.
so we'll get information On that later. Yeah. Well just like everything. So any time any large Environmental review, the
stormwater prevention pollution Plan, pollution prevention plan sweep is a very voluminous Document that's provided by
applicants to the city. Anything over an acre of Disturbance, our city, either
internally through our Department of public works, engineering bureau or Consultants, depending on the
scale of the project, analyzes Flooding impacts of every project in the city.
so frankly, that's probably The biggest part of any environmental review the city Ever does is looking at these sweeps, which are, again, Incredibly voluminous, very
technical documents that Look at existing conditions, hydrology conditions, what May or may not be impacts of
proposed development, what Sort of mitigation is required before any sort of approval by Our public works department?
um, so yeah, it's a much Broader issue than, you know, wetland a and b in this Specific thing, which I know is
a very sensitive in terms of The actual building footprint. So absolutely part of any sort Of approval or moving forward.
um, so I don't want you to Think that there's any sort of it wasn't included here For as an oversight.
it certainly will be studied. No. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you for The clarification.
when does that. Councilman wolf. Commissioner gomez. So review.
so. The full review, just like Any site plan application. Um, you know, they have Submitted a formal site plan
before it gets referred out to All the city departments and boards and commissions, you Know, planning board, drb, all
that stuff. Um, there is the full, um, Completeness review to make
sure that the stormwater Pollution prevention plan that's been presented meets the Standards for the department of
public works to Conduct the review. Um, so that's the First thing, right?
that's the first check dam, So to speak, no pun intended. Um, and then once that's done, Any sort of environmental
finding by you write any sort Of secre before you can act to
approve something or vote in Anything, there has to be an environmental finding statement.
and that environmental finding Statement under seeker looks at everything from air impacts to
hydrology to wetland Impacts to traffic. Um, basically, there's a There's a litany of findings
that you make before you vote. So that would be done anytime Before, in this case, even
before any potential Variances could be granted. Because, as I said before, This application needs certain
variances as the Applicant represented. Um, the zoning board of appeals Is the only body in the city
that has jurisdiction to grant Variances from the zoning code, not the common council.
so they have jurisdiction, but They can't act or even make any formal vote on those potential Variances moving forward.
until you, as the lead Agency, who's coordinating the environmental review for the Entire project, inclusive of
any proposed variances, um, Makes a finding environmentally that there's not a significant Adverse impact, you know, um,
that can be mitigated As part of this project. So.
again, chris, I really Appreciate commissioner gomez. I appreciate all the Education you're giving us.
and I'm relatively new at this, As I think are my colleagues. Sure. But how would we?
it seems to me flooding is a significant environmental issue. So if we're taking care of the Wetlands, that's fantastic.
and it seems like this report From the experts gives us a lot of comfort there.
but aren't the wetlands Inherently disturbed if there is flooding? So how does that all work. Well in her inherently.
now disturbed? No. So if if the if the Results of making these changes increase the risks of water Overflow doesn't, that isn't
that relevant to the way in Which the wetlands are treated?
well, I think and I don't Want to you know, what. Will or the consultant Would talk is.
yeah, just. Enhancing the capacity of the Functionality of wetlands, I
think, is tied in instrumental Right to the functionality of, of how to retain water.
right. So it's a much bigger Discussion than just and I don't know if will wants To chime in about the functionality, right?
disturbed wetlands Versus purely functional. If there's going to be Improvements on site and how that delves into what the Ultimate downstream impacts
will be vis a vis flooding and a much more analysis Of the watershed.
but it's more of a discussion For, again, commissioner mignon dpw, in terms of how they deal With these very, very, very
detailed engineering studies. And frankly, you know, it is Usually the as I said, the
largest, uh, back and forth or Or the largest review lead time
item, I would say with any site Plan that both the planning board and the common council Evaluate is the stormwater
prevention pollution plan, And it really is in depth. So I mean, I could I'm an Expert to a point, but again,
the engineers at public works And others can speak and will. I don't know if you want To chime in about the
functionality of wetlands in Terms of capacity and benefits, I don't know.
the one thing I would say is That the applicant has done a nice job of avoiding The wetlands, right?
they've avoided the Stream that's on the site. The site itself is not located Within the fema 1% annual
floodplain. So in their Design, they looked at.
okay, well, here's where our Environmental features are and stepped back away From those things.
now the buffer is a is sort of A separate issue, but there are no direct fill impacts that Would take up wetland area and
turn it from wetland into Upland or piping of the stream,
or relocating of the stream. Um, those kinds of things.
so those are typically the the Types of activities that I see in my experience of planning And permitting and wetland
science and things like that. Or when fema gets involved Where you are going to drive a
flooding impact, the the site Of which is the wetlands.
and then, as I mentioned Earlier, it has a potential to
potentially even expand The wetland area. And in terms of the planting Plan that they put together,
it's going to be improvement from an ecological Function standpoint.
the site as it is right now is Particularly wetland b is sort
of a groundwater seepage Bowl type wetland, right.
and it's all lawn. It's partially filled with Woodchips and things like that.
if implemented, the wetlands Will be enhanced by what the applicant is proposing.
there are impacts To the site, right? I understand that, right.
but when you when you look At what's going on with the wetlands, those wetlands Will be enhanced in our view.
and I don't know if you want to add anything from Your perspective.
um, yeah. I'll just say at a high level By global, saying the impacts
to wetlands are limited to Removing the paddle tennis court that has existed there For decades, which is placed
above a wetland. So when we look at that, if You look underneath it, you can
kind of see groundwater Expressing itself, but there's no vegetation growing under it.
um, when that's removed, we Would anticipate kind of that's what he was talking about with An expansion of the wetland
area plus the planting Of native species. On the stormwater question, You know, we did not review any
stormwater control plans. We talked briefly with the team On site, and we understand they
have a plan for controlling Stormwater, uh, from the parking area.
uh, so that will have To be a separate review. All right.
mr. Mayor, may I respond very briefly to councilman Fry pearson? Um, first of all, tonight is Was not really we were not told
tonight was it going to be About engineering and flooding and stormwater management.
your question is totally Appropriate, and I'm glad you asked it because I in my notes, I was going to say something and I passed it too quickly.
you should know. You should all know that there Is presently no stormwater management on this Four acre site.
there are no manmade Contemporary stormwater features that you all and your
planning board and Your dpw requires. Of all of my clients, when they Come in with applications, this
site will have all New modern stormwater. What's the significance of that?
mr. Steinmetz the significance Is we, my client, cannot increase the rate Or volume of runoff.
they have to manage All of that water. That's why when we did this April investigation with these
gentlemen, you had at least 2 or 3 people from dpw there along with the Planning department.
so short answer, allow us to Come back when we come back and we're going to do a night On stormwater management.
I'm completely aware of the Flooding issues that have occurred in this community.
I sat in front of your zoning Board and listen to numerous people lament about Pre-existing conditions that
you all we all have In the community. This application Can't make it worse.
dpw can't allow that to happen. And I'm delighted I didn't Ask them to say that.
these gentlemen have explained To you that if we actually enhance the wetlands, we make Some of nature more functional
in dealing with Stormwater management. Another night, Another presentation.
I'll have my engineer here. I will have my wetlands Biologist explain what will has been talking about I got it.
we're not going to spend Millions of dollars to build a buddhist temple and have a Situation where it floods out,
and there's all kinds of poor Management that you won't your dpw won't let that happen.
regulation concern that at night.
patiently. Thank you.
thank you for your comment. And this is probably a little Premature, but having lived in
the rosedale area a lot of my Life and being in real estate,
I consulted with people on Willowbrook, where the stream runs down from all the way Up on samuels lane and.
the golf course by the golf. Course.
so I'm very concerned for the Future, and I don't expect you to answer that now About the runoff.
about how many roofs? Three buildings, roofs, 37 Parking spaces, how all of that
water is going to be handled. Going down to a little stream That I walked along on saturday
on rosedale avenue, just East of brooke hills drive.
and then a bigger area that's a Catch basin, which both I think
need to be enlarged to Handle future water. That's all.
just as a suggestion. Totally. Appreciate the question. Let the engineers speak to it. I hear you loud and clear.
I don't live far From that either. And I've walked the same card. Or you have. Councilwoman santiago.
I would be curious if you Do present on flooding. We had a historic.
we had two historic snowstorms. What was the current Impact of that? Would that be included In your report?
it wouldn't be in the report That was already submitted. And part of the record.
you already have a stormwater Pollution prevention plan. But I hear the question. I'll ask our engineers To respond to that.
and I'm sure you can talk to The commissioner of dpw and have the commissioner Of dpw respond to you.
again, having nothing to do With my client's property. You've got a you've got a Drainage basin that you've
heard from. The councilman has Existing conditions.
and I heard in the record has Lots of folks that live in that area that have Flooding issues today.
thank you, councilman caruso. And this may be a question for Later with the engineers, but
do you know, will this project Create more impervious surface area or less impervious.
on our site. Um, paula, can you can you Speak to that off the cuff? Just the surface area.
I'm not really sure. Councilman. Let us.
I don't have my civil Engineer tonight. I told him he didn't need To be here tonight, so. And I don't want to give.
that's a that's a critical Question that you deserve an accurate answer. Thank you. Council president presser. Thank you, mr. Mayor.
back to the wetlands. Do I understand correctly that The report showed that the
stream is not feeding into the Wetlands, nor is the wetland or
the wetlands draining Back into the stream? I remember that the draining
part being down into the ground. Is that.
do I have that correctly? Well, it does drain and It abuts straight line.
oh, it does. The stream on the side, so it Does drain directly to it, what
can be is isolated in that. It's a depression in The middle of the sky.
there is a small upland area That separates wetland d from
wetland a, um, but whether it Be does receive, uh, what we
believe to be Groundwater seepage. Although the source of that Groundwater is unknown.
that seepage comes in, as We mentioned, goes later to elevated mountain sport.
and it sort of flows through What would be generally a south southwestern direction.
so there could be subsurface Flooding that flows towards. Okay. Um. Thank you.
and the another question I Have, just to refresh my, my memory on the Benefits of wetlands.
if I remember correctly, a well Maintained wetlands almost act
like a sponge in terms of mitigating flood Flooding issues.
if that's a question, Then I would say yes. Um, there's the analogy I like To say is that the kidneys are
the watershed, and it's very Important that by protecting them, you do, um,
you do good for a variety Of things, including power
recharge, wildlife contract, Flood mitigation and things like that.
again, not speaking from an Engineering perspective or hydrology water resource Management perspective, but wetlands are important For managing flooding.
yes. Thank you. Thank you.
item seven we're Going to conclude now.
item seven is a communication From the commissioner of planning, transmitting the Technical memorandum pertaining
to one sycamore lane. I moved to file and Spread the communication.
all in favor? I.
just want to. Before we
conclude our meeting, I want to remind you. I don't want to mind.
I just want to share with Everybody that this is a very important and spiritual Week for most of us. It's easter and passover.
we, on behalf of myself and The council, we want to wish everybody happy and Meaningful holidays.
and may we all recommit to Doing our bit to make the world a little bit better.
that concludes tonight's agenda. Is there a motion to Adjourn the meeting? So move.
second. All in favor? Hi, carried. Have a great evening, everyone.
thank you.