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RyeCity REVIEW THE

September 2, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 36 | www.ryecityreview.com

Legislators condemn Rye’s Playland Article 78 By JAMES PERO Staff Writer

NEW FACES

The Rye City School District will be home to more than a dozen new faculty members for the 2016-17 school year. This week, read 10 profiles of new members at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and check out more new faces in the Review next week. For more, see page 6. File photo

FBI plans to relocate field office to Midland Avenue space Following the expiration of its current lease agreement for its location in White Plains, the FBI will relocate its field office to a larger facility in the city of Rye. The agency is expected to relocate from 222 Bloomingdale Road in White Plains to a newer 30,000-square-foot facility at 600 Midland Ave. in Rye, according to an FBI spokeswoman, who wished to remain anonymous. The relocation, which is expected as early as December, will transpire out of need to “stand alone” and in the interest

of improving security, according to the spokeswoman. The agency will be the only tenant in the Midland Avenue building. The new FBI field office, which sold for $6 million in January 2015, according to New York Commercial Realty Group, will continue serving as a centerpiece for counter-terrorism in Westchester and Putnam counties. Aside from the agency’s plans to improve security, officials would not disclose any further information about the move to Rye. Rye City Manager Marcus

Serrano, who didn’t have any knowledge as to why the FBI was relocating to Rye, said, “It’s beneficial in case we need to work with them for any reason.” He also noted that Michael Corcoran, the city of Rye police commissioner, is happy with the FBI’s plans to relocate. According to Serrano, the city does not have any jurisdiction relating to the FBI’s purchase of the two-story Rye building, but “there would not be any major consequences” as to whether or not the FBI relocated

to Midland Avenue. The building was once occupied by USAlliance Federal Credit Union, a full-service nonprofit financial institution. The bureau currently has 18 field offices in the state, including three main offices in New York City, Buffalo and Albany, and five smaller resident agencies in the metropolitan area. Corcoran and Rye City Mayor Joe Sack, a Republican, could not be reached for comment, as of press time. -Reporting by Franco Fino

Amidst a mounting legal battle between the city of Rye and Westchester County over proposed capital improvements to Playland, many county lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle have continued to assert the county’s authority over the park’s future. The county Board of Legislators’ Litigation Committee, which convened on Aug. 25, has already rejected Rye’s claims that the county had mishandled SEQRA procedure, as well as claims that the county failed to inform the city of developments at the amusement park. “If the county were to cede that responsibility to the city of Rye, it would establish an improper and likely deleterious precedent for all the other county park properties throughout Westchester,” said Legislator Lyndon Williams, a Mount Vernon Democrat. “This precedent could greatly increase the timeline for all county renovations and repairs.” Rye Mayor Joe Sack, a Republican, as well as Michael Gerrard, an attorney retained by the city who drafted the city’s initial notification of its intent to file an Article 78, have repeatedly claimed that the city has been kept in the dark throughout the process of formalizing projects at the park. “People have differing opinions of what’s been offered and what’s on the table,” said Rye

City Councilwoman Julie Killian, a Republican. “The whole thing could benefit from sitting in a room to talk, as opposed to corresponding by email, so that there’s no misrepresentation of what a ‘seat at the table’ actually means.” According to Rye City Attorney Kristen Wilson, now that both sides have firmly taken stances, the county will have until Sept. 23 to submit its arguments to a New York State Supreme Court judge. She told the Review there is no current estimate on when the judge will render a decision. If Rye wins its Article 78, the county would be forced to return back to the drawing board and undergo an entire environmental review process for projects at the park once again. This will allow the city to challenge a declaration of lead agency—which is the first step in a SEQRA process—in front of the state Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner. Among the major projects that have given the city pause are plans currently being mulled by the Board of Legislators to either remove or renovate the park’s historic pool, which could potentially open the door for a new dining area. In May, the county entered into a 30-year agreement with the management company Standard Amusements, that aims to inject PLAYLAND continued on page 9