WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD COUNTY
BUSINESS JOURNALS
FEBRUARY 27, 2017 | VOL. 53, No. 9
4 | PRIVATE CONCERNS YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS
23 | HISPANIC CONNECTION westfaironline.com
Building goes up, tensions arise in Mount Vernon BY BILL HELTZEL bheltzel@westfairinc.com
A Squaring off Gayle Marchica and John Girolamo of the Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce stand near the five-way intersection at Main and Spring streets. The group opposes plans that would transform the intersection into a roundabout. For story see page 13. Photo by Aleesia Forni
lawsuit over a dispute between property owners in Mount Vernon has exposed allegations of heavy-handed government and noncompliant development. On the surface, the lawsuit is a private dispute between Blue Rio LLC, the developer of La Porte Apartments at 203 Gramatan Ave., and Frank DeLeonardis, owner of a vacant building at 177 Gramatan Ave.
But the petition filed in state Supreme Court in White Plains on Feb. 3 suggests a greater controversy. Without naming the city of Mount Vernon as a defendant, it paints a picture of city officials improperly using the private dispute to hold up construction. “It’s extraordinary,” said Blue Rio attorney Andrew G. Celli Jr. “The city is putting its thumb on the scale until we pay.” “They have genuine site safety issues,” responded Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas, whose actions Blue Rio is questioning. » MOUNT VERNON, page 8
End of a free ride?
LAWMAKER TOUTS TOLLS FOR CONNECTICUT INTERSTATES BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
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ringing tolls back to Connecticut highways may not inspire hosannas from residents, but state Rep. Tony Guerrera thinks it’s an idea whose time has come. “The benefit is bringing more revenue into the state,” Guerrera, a Democrat who chairs the state’s
Transportation Committee, told the Business Journal. “And it’s not just the people who live here. People driving back and forth from New York to Boston use our highways. They don’t necessarily pull over to use our gas but they use our roads. “We have one of the highest gas taxes in the nation already,” Guerrera said. “Something’s got to give.” According to the American
Petroleum Institute, Connecticut’s gas tax of 39.85 cents in January was the sixth highest in the country – lower than neighboring New York’s 43.88 cents but considerably higher than Massachusetts’ 26.54 cents. The national average is 31.04 cents. Every other state in the Northeast uses some kind of toll system, which Guerrera said underscores his belief that residents and visitors alike, despite some grumbling, will acclimate to the idea. “We need revenue for our infrastructure to maintain and improve our roads, bridges and so on,” Guerrera said. “There has been this perception that the gas tax would always be replenished, but that’s not the case anymore.
GM and Ford say that half of their fleets will be electric or hybrids in another few years.” In January, Ford CEO Mark Field said, “Our investments and expanding lineup reflect our view that global offerings of electrified vehicles will exceed gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 15 years.” The automaker announced a $4.5 billion investment in electric vehicles in 2015. Earlier this month, research firm Technavio said the global high-performance electric vehicle market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 38 percent through 2021. “You and I aren’t going to be going to the gas pump once or twice a week anymore – if ever,” Guerrera said. “So what do we do
for revenues?” The lawmaker’s solution is a network of all-electronic tolls, rather than the old-fashioned booths with human operators, patterned after the E-ZPass system familiar to drivers on the Massachusetts Turnpike or highways and bridges in New York state. That way, Guerrera said, “You go right on through at 60, 65 miles per hour without slowing down. The system reads your (electronic) tag or, if you don’t have one, sends you a bill.” Connecticut has $3 billion-plus in transportation infrastructure needs, he said, adding that some estimates indicate the state could bring in as much as $600 million per year with tolls » TOLLS, page 8