RyeCity REVIEW THE
June 22, 2018 | Vol. 6, Number 25 | www.ryecityreview.com
Westchester seeks to install red light cameras By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer
Jill Krutick has opened up a fine art gallery in Mamaroneck showcasing some of her works. The gallery, located on Mount Pleasant Avenue, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 14. For more, see page 6. Photo/Franco Fino
County board approves White Plains senior housing project By JAMES PERO Staff Writer After a vote by the county Board of Legislators, Westchester will add dozens of new affordable housing units aimed at accommodating seniors. The project—Mount Hope Plaza in the city of White Plains— will kick-start the addition of 56 units of affordable senior housing for residents 62 years old or older that make between 50 to 60 percent of the median income. On Monday, June 7, the Board of Legislators unanimously approved the acquisition of a property located on 65 Lake St. in
White Plains for $2.1 million under the mandate that it will be used for senior affordable housing for the next 50 years. The building will be six stories and consist of 48 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments as well as 41 parking spaces; the project will cost upwards of $25 million—some of which will be subsidized by grants from New York State that include $2.8 million from the New York State Supportive Housing Opportunity Program. “This is a dream project,” said Board of Legislators Chairman Ben Boykin, a White Plains Democrat. “… These are the kinds of projects we need more of in West-
chester County and I’m thrilled to see it moving forward.” The project will mark the culmination of efforts by the city of White Plains, county government, and The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, who currently owns the property. According to the last census conducted in 2010, a little more than 16 percent of Westchester County’s population is 65 years of age or older—a rate that is expected to climb in the years to come. In a survey conducted by the New York State Office for the Aging in 2011, Westchester County’s proportion of residents who
are 60 or over is projected to grow from nearly 190,000 in 2010 to more than 260,000 in 2040. Westchester County mirrors a trend of increasing average age seen nationally over the past 16 years. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2017, between the years 2000 to 2016 the median age in the U.S. rose from 35 to nearly 38 as the average life expectancy teeters around 78—a level fueled in part by increasingly effective medical treatments and knowhow. With the median age expected HOUSING continued on page 9
Westchester lawmakers have requested permission from the state to install red-light cameras throughout the county. In a special meeting on June 11, the county Board of Legislators voted unanimously to ask New York state government to allow the county to install up to 100 cameras at intersections and create a new traffic and parking enforcement agency. At the moment, county lawmakers have not revealed prospective locations for the redlight cameras. “The measure was passed in order to get it into the hands of state legislators quickly, because the state legislative session is ending,” said White Plains Democrat Ben Boykin, chairman of the Board of Legislators. “This does not mean that the county is on the verge of installing red light cameras.” If eventually approved by the state, the county government would be required to draft and approve a local law authorizing the red-light cameras, which could take longer depending on public discussion about the law. During the June 11 special meeting, legislators approved what’s known as a home rule, enabling legislation that grants
the county permission to request authorization from the state government. County lawmakers called for the special meeting on June 8 in order to get permission from the state before the end of its legislative session. The state’s session ends on June 20, after press time. State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Yonkers Democrat, and state Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, a Mount Vernon Democrat, have sponsored the bill on the state level. If the county’s request makes its way through the state Legislature and is ultimately approved by the end of the legislative session, it would need the approval of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. The state bill suggests that redlight cameras could prevent drag racing and accidents. Typically, the cameras take pictures of drivers running through red lights or those stuck in the middle of an intersection. Afterwards, tickets are mailed out to violators. Under state law, local governments must first get permission from the state Legislature to install the cameras. As of press time, the cities of Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains and Yonkers already CAMERAS continued on page 8
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