Hearings on French-American School project begin

The yearslong battle between the French-American School of New York and residents living near the former Ridgeway Country Club finally reached the White Plains Common Council.

Public hearings opened on two proposals brought by the French-American School of New York dealing with the closing of Hathaway Lane between Ridgeway and Gedney Esplanade and the construction of the school”™s consolidated campus as well as a nature conservancy on the former golf course. The hearings, which were adjourned, are expected to continue during the August and September meetings of the Common Council.

Currently, the French-American School of New York has students from nursery school to 12th grade spread across three campuses in Scarsdale, Larchmont and Mamaroneck. The school hopes to consolidate its operations into a single location for 950 students built on a portion of the former golf course.

The most recent round of court battles regarding the school”™s plan to build on the site ended June 19, when Westchester County Supreme Court judge Joan B. Lefkowitz threw out all but one claim filed by the Gedney Association and residents of the neighborhood against members of the city council seeking to have the findings statement adopted by the council in December of 2013 vacated. A claim that the members of the council violated the Open Meetings Law remains alive. In her decision, Lefkowitz said that while “the affidavits in support thereof and in opposition to the motions ”¦ are sparse and weak ”¦ said facts do at least fit within a cognizable legal theory.”

Approximately 75 people watched the proceedings in the gallery in the Common Council meeting room, with more watching on closed-circuit televisions set up in the first and second-floor lobbies of White Plains City Hall.

Attorney Michael Zarin of Zarin and Steinmetz, a White Plains law firm representing the French-American School, began the hearing by making a 24-minute presentation on the school”™s plan to build on the site.

“We”™ve together spent over two and a half years of hard work getting to the (State Environmental Quality Review Act) findings that were issued, and FASNY and its consultants have worked hard getting those findings into the site plan that is before you,” Zarin said.

In his presentation, Zarin listed 13 key modifications to the project, including a school enrollment capped at 950 students as opposed to the previously proposed enrollment of 1,200, a mandatory busing program aimed at reducing traffic and increased landscaped buffer space around the campus and parking lots.

Residents on both sides of the issue gave their opinions about the economic impact on the White Plains community, traffic concerns and the use of 78 acres of the Ridgeway Country Club property as a nature conservancy.

“Let”™s get real, and let”™s get honest,” said White Plains resident Mary Ann Berry in support of the school”™s proposals. “If we say ”˜no”™ to a great school and a nature conservancy, what is the next alternative? Housing subdivision? Sports complex? Maybe some of the public housing the federal government is demanding?”

Addressing the council, John Ravitz of The Business Council of Westchester said, “When you look at the FASNY project, it is important to note that it”™s going to bring in the revenue for Westchester County and for White Plains. The new campus will generate $14.3 million in annual economic benefit and an additional $22 million for businesses throughout the county.”

Ravitz said the city would net $1.1 million in taxes annually.

“I”™ve heard there”™s going to be jobs,” said Andrew Swanson of Club Pointe Drive. “I”™ve also heard that FASNY is going to use nonunion labor in their construction. If this is the case, there will be disruption, protests. There will be difficulties with contractors in the Westchester area. They”™re unlikely to want to work on a project of that nature, and it”™s therefore likely the jobs, if indeed it succeeds, will go to business outside of Westchester County.”

The hearings on both proposals will continue at the White Plains Common Council meeting scheduled for Aug. 4.