RyeCity REVIEW THE
December 2, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 49 | www.ryecityreview.com
Rye Brook considers law to regulate gun stores By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer
‘tis the
Season
Christmas arrived in Rye over the weekend in the form of Mistletoe Magic, a holiday-themed Purchase Street festival. For coverage, see page 6. Photo/Andrew Dapolite
City law prohibits food truck option for Rye Town Park By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer Despite interest from multiple food truck concessioners to fill the opening left by Seaside Johnnies’ exit, a citywide provision currently prohibits vehicular vendors from peddling out of Rye Town Park, according to the
city manager. Even with the Rye Town Park Commission recently drawing interest from Westchester’s famed food stand, Walter’s Hot Dogs, which is located in the town of Mamaroneck, Rye City Manager Marcus Serrano told the Review that it’s currently not possible because the city’s
current peddling and soliciting restrictions prevent any vendors from operating in public spaces throughout Rye. The commission’s desire for a food truck operation comes in wake of the owners of Seaside Johnnies, John Ambrose and Sam Chernin, formally declining the commission’s final offer
to continue their operation next season. Seaside Johnnies, the current tenant, has been operating out of the park since 2000. At the moment, the commission does not have a plan in place to offer any food or beverage for parkgoers or patrons of Oakland FOOD continued on page 11
The village of Rye Brook plans to propose a local law that would regulate where gun retailers would be allowed to open stores within the village. The pending legislation comes in the wake of the recent opening of a gun store in a contentious area in Harrison last month. According to Rye Brook Mayor Paul Rosenberg, a Democrat, that legislation “will seek to, on a local level, dictate where gun shops may be located within the village of Rye Brook.” Rosenberg told the Review that legislation could be proposed as early as the Dec. 13 village board meeting, and added that a first draft of that legislation had already been written. Both Rosenberg and Chris Bradbury, the Rye Brook village administrator, said the specifics are still being investigated by the village attorneys to prevent potential legal backlash of an overreaching law. Meanwhile, village officials have asked for collaboration from members of the Harrison town board in proposing the law. In a letter addressed to Harrison officials, Rosenberg asked them to join Rye Brook—and potentially other neighboring communities—in considering the adoption of legislation that would restrict the location of
gun stores regionally. Bradbury and Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican, said they have since discussed meeting. Similarly, the city of Rye has formed a gun safety committee in response to the location of the Harrison shop. That committee could look to propose similar legislation to regulate where guns could be sold within the city. However, city officials have not collaborated with officials in Rye Brook as of press time. Rosenberg’s letter to Harrison expressed specific concern about the location of L&L Sports, the gun store at the center of controversy. The shop opened in early November on Halstead Avenue in Harrison, and is less than 1,000 feet from Parsons Memorial Elementary School. Its proximity to the school and also two churches has drawn concern from town residents and its neighboring communities; an online petition protesting the store’s location has garnered nearly 3,500 signatures, as of press time. However, Harrison officials have said that there is nothing they can to prohibit the business from operating. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act prohibits someone from carrying a gun within 1,000 feet of a school unless the LAW continued on page 8