Friday, June 12, 2015
Editor’s Note: This week, NewCastleNOW asked Town Planner Sabrina Charney some questions about the Comprehensive Plan outreach scheduled for Monday, June 15, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Bell Middle School. Below are her responses.
NCNOW: What is the purpose of next week’s outreach?
Charney: Next week, the public gets to understand how their visions for New Castle begin to fit into a planning document. They can see, for example, how the desire for sidewalks or bicycle paths gets incorporated into Comprehensive Planning language.
The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee needs the public’s input and suggestions regarding the Comprehensive Plans goals and objectives that incorporate the priority issues, assets and challenges that the public identified at the previous public outreach meetings. This document helps guide the local government officials as they make land use decisions for the future of New Castle.
NCNOW: Why should residents attend?
Charney: It’s important for the Town of New Castle and the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee to make sure they have input from the public regarding these larger goals, so that when it comes time to think and evaluate a variety of strategies and options, the public understands what goal they are trying to meet and how best to accomplish that goal.
NCNOW: Will residents hear about specific options for improvements to New Castle?
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: September 20, 2013
Editor’s Note: I’ve been following the town’s effort to re-look at its 1989 master plan and bring it up to date. Most of us come out of New York City with our personal plans to live a great suburban life—and have no idea that these master plans exist and that towns must and do have them. I found it hard to understand not just what a master plan it is, but why it matters and why anyone would want to help re-make it.
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Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Editor’s Note: Last week was jam-packed with Master Plan-related meetings. Supervisor Greenstein in a “conversation” sponsored by the League of Women Voters, a presentation by the firm contracted to perform $6.5 million of infrastructure repairs for downtown Chappaqua, a Board of Ed meeting in which members discussed their fears that the $600,000 for Greeley road improvements may not be enough, a Pace outreach session to recap Master Plan efforts so far and show what’s to come, and Bob Kirkwood resigns from Master Plan Steering Committee. Below are “in brief” and more lengthy accounts and observations of each—as well as some of the editor’s opinions [in brackets].
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Master Plan review process picks up from last sping’s public outreach sessions
Monday, March 9, 2015
by Christine Yeres
On Thursday, March 12, a meeting is scheduled for 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Chappaqua Library to recap for residents where the Master Plan review stands and to chart its next steps. Below is Town Planner Sabrina Charney’s memo apprising Town Board members of her meeting—closed to outsiders—with Pace representatives and the Master Plan Steering Committee members on February 12, 2015. Later, by email, NCNOW submitted some questions about the report, to which Charney supplied some responses.
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Tuesday, January 20. 2015
Editor’s Note: NCNOW has trimmed down. The town itself does a fine job as a community bulletin board, pushing out notices and announcements, so NCNOW will concentrate strictly on keeping track of the Master Plan process.
Supervisor Rob Greenstein reported two weeks ago that the Master Plan process is alive and well, but it hasn’t been well at all. The process has been not-started, then false-started, restarted, derailed by the supervisor, then bypassed for Chappaqua Crossing—and possibly for Rosehill—and is now supposedly back on track.
It’s had no-money, some money for an outreach by Pace, more money for a survey, a canceled (or postponed) survey, money for a consultant (Pace) to pick up where Pace left off. Tonight Pace will speak to Town Board members as well as Master Plan Steering Committee members about what comes next—and whether or how the “transit-oriented development” on town-owned property supported by the supervisor will be included in the Master Plan review. Below is the video of Pace’s presentation of January 20, 2015:
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Saturday, November 22, 2014
by Christine Yeres
THIS MEETING WAS CANCELLED
According to the home page of the town’s website, “The New Castle Master Plan Steering Committee and the Business Development Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. to hear a presentation on “Transit Oriented Development – The Path to Downtown Revitalization.” Supervisor Rob Greenstein has frequently touted the benefits of transit-oriented development (TOD) for the Chappaqua hamlet, maintaining that approval of retail at Chappaqua Crossing would act as additional motivation to strengthen the existing hamlet by means of TOD.
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October 24, 2014
Editor’s Note: A notice appeared on the town’s website this week informing residents that the Master Plan Steering Committee has decided to postpone to February/March 2015 the survey that was to have taken place in September/October of this year. Their reasons are set out below. They also endorsed the release of a Request for Proposals for Master Plan assistance.
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September 26, 2014
by Chuck Napoli
Several responses to my piece last week, “Op-Ed: In planning main streets, the mix is crucial,” made me realize just how deep a misunderstanding people have of the beneficial role chain stores play—when managed smartly by municipalities through Master Plan tools – in the most successful towns.
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Tuesday, September 16, 2014
by Chuck Napoli
Mix it up in the hamlets so that they provide a retail recipe composed of chain stores and what we call mom-and-pops. Chain stores have met our convenience and consistency needs—they have the style and, according to my wife, “the-size-8-fits-me-just-right”—while Barry and Rick’s Britches-type mom-and-pop shops offer highly specialized products, along with service and experiences that provide that friendly, personal touch that suits you specially and where everybody knows your name.
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Friday, July 18, 2014
Editor’s Note: The Town Board has appointed Chris Roberta to the Master Plan Steering Committee to head the “commercial development and hamlets” subcommittee, which was at first led by Supervisor Rob Greenstein. Roberta met for the first time with the subcommittee on Monday, July 14. [Correction: July 14 was the subcommittee’s second meeting with Roberta.]
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May 16, 2014
by Maggie Christ
I went to last Saturday’s visioning session for the Master Plan, and thought it was really interesting. That said, there were only about 40 people there [I heard that there were 100 at the first session], and the younger demographic was not well represented. It was free-flowing and well-moderated, guided without being directed. In my breakout group, only two people had kids in school. There are two more sessions—on Wednesday, May 21 at Seven Bridges from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. and Wednesday, May 28 at the Chappaqua Library from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., sponsored by the League of Women Voters of New Castle. If you have concerns or desires—and who doesn’t!?—you want your voice heard. We talked about everything from sidewalks to trees to retail development, parking and housing and traffic on 117 and more. I know well how hard it can be to get out of the house in the evening for three hours, but it’s really something to make time for.
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Next opportunity is Saturday, May 10, at Greeley 9:00 a.m. to noon
See photos of the evening in “Read more…”
May 9, 2014
by Christine Yeres
A crowd of around 100 attended the first of the town’s outreach sessions to hear what residents like and dislike about their lives in New Castle. Facilitators from Pace Land Use Law Center managed to engage breakout groups of 18 to 20 in different classrooms, saw to it that everyone was heard from, and jotted down words and phrases that captured the gist of each participant’s comments and ventings on the five major topics in the agenda. The format was relaxed. Marian and Gray Williams attended, with Marian calling several times in her group for “Quick!-a-show-of-hands!” on various issues. I asked her afterwards for her impressions of the evening.
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Town Board, out of the way! Just let Pace do its job.
May 2, 2014
by Chuck Napoli
Retail development at Chappaqua Crossing is the conflict that needs to be resolved, the result of a broken decision-making process exemplified by leaders defending pre-determined choices and pushing for “buy-in” from the public. Happens all the time, conflicts go unresolved, civic trust erodes.
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April 25, 2014
by Supervisor Rob Greenstein
Although the prior Town Supervisor was on the Master Planning Committee, this was not an assignment I asked for. I did not want to be on the Steering Committee. It was offered to every single town board member, and many non board members as well. It was also offered to a few members of the commercial work group committee.
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Greenstein resigns from steering group the following day
April 25, 2014
by Christine Yeres
Supervisor Rob Greenstein was fresh from a Master Plan Steering Committee meeting with its Pace consultant when he entered Tuesday’s Town Board work session. His update on the Master Plan process triggered questions from Board members and a protracted argument with a member of Greenstein’s “commercial development and hamlets” Master Plan subcommittee. Greenstein resigned his place on the committee the next day.
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April 11, 2014
Editor’s Note: Deputy Supervisor Lisa Katz read the following statement on Chappaqua Crossing in last Tuesday’s Town Board meeting. A lively argument between residents, supervisor and town attorneys ensued. Below are her remarks:
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With 50 comments since publication
March 28, 2014
by Christine Yeres
When Supervisor Rob Greenstein read a statement last Tuesday setting out his thinking on two current development proposals—to rezone for grocery-retail at Chappaqua Crossing and for a Spa on the Legionaries property—and explained why he doesn’t favor declaring a moratorium for either, Deputy Supervisor Lisa Katz responded, “Moratorium aside, I do think we have to make sure we plan before we develop.” The week before, Town Board members seemed genuinely relieved that independent professionals from Pace’s Land Use Center had come to umpire, but several inconsistencies still plague the long-delayed Master Plan process.
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March 21, 2014
Editor’s Note: The town of Searsmont in Maine has about one-sixteenth the population of New Castle’s. Yet its 1,400 residents conducted a genuine Master Plan for their town and documented the effort in a 38-minute video that touches all the right points, really. Like why you need a sense of humor. And how, miraculously, people might disagree in discussions, but “it stays in the room” and people leave as the friends and neighbors they are.
Here are some excerpts, followed by the entire video.
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Monday, March 10, 2014
by Rob Greenstein
We continue our Community Conversation with another question, this one on housing.
Would you like to see a mixed-use residential and commercial area near our train station in downtown Chappaqua, (that is, “transit-oriented” development)?
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March 7, 2014
by Christine Yeres
Last November, the previous Town Board had it in mind to have comprehensive infrastructure and “streetscape” work done in 2015, but there is some question of whether the ancient water mains need attention sooner. In last Tuesday’s work session, Town Board members heard a repeat presentation by one of the firms, WSP, that pitched its services in November for the $6.5 million project. NCNOW submitted questions to all five Town Board members following the meeting; Supervisor Rob Greenstein responded to them.
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Monday, March 3, 2014
by Rob Greenstein
We continue our Community Conversation on the Master Plan with another question this week:
If commercial development at Chappaqua Crossing is anchored by a grocery store, what other uses would you want to see there?
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February 28, 2014
by Betty Weitz, Ph.D.
It’s a mistake to treat master planning and development proposals simultaneously.
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An appeal to “Shop Local,” streetscape improvements will go forward, business development team formed, Master Plan review will launch

Tuesday, February 25, 2013
by Rob Greenstein
After a very tough winter, many of our downtown merchants are hurting—BIG TIME! This tough winter comes after years of our merchants struggling with difficult economic conditions and other longstanding issues that have impeded growth and discouraged capital investment. We are in the final stages of forming our Downtown Business Development Advisory Committee, and also have in place our Master Plan Steering Committee as well as consultant for Master Plan outreach to the community.
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