Task force chosen for White Plains transit hub

The White Plains mayor”™s office announced the names of 13 members on the stakeholder task force to help oversee the redevelopment of the White Plains Metro-North station.

Mayor Thomas M. Roach will join members representing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, state Department of Transportation, residents and local businesses to take part in developing the vision of the new transit center and working with the consultant, New York-based Parsons Brinckerhoff.

The project, which aims to more effectively combine train, bus, taxi and possibly bus rapid transit at the Metro-North station in downtown White Plains, has picked up speed since August, when the mayor”™s office announced a request for proposals to study the idea.

The city received a $1 million grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in December 2013 to fund the consultant firm, chosen earlier this month, that will study the roughly 0.5 mile radius around the train station. The project had been held up by talks between the authority and the city, according to a previous Business Journal report.

In addition to the mayor, the task force membership includes: Michael Shiffer, MTA vice president of planning for Metro-North; Ed Buroughs, Westchester County planning commissioner; Todd Westhuis, state Department of Transportation; Justin Brasch, a Metro-North commuter and resident; Lawrence Salley, chairman of the White Plains Housing Authority; Mary Cavallero, former chairwoman of the White Plains Planning Board; Patty Cantu, co-president of the Battle Hill Neighborhood Association; Peter Mosbacher, senior vice president of community development for Webster Bank; Richard Payne, a cycling advocate and resident; Robert Weisz, CEO of commercial real estate development firm RPW Group; Susan Fox, president and CEO of White Plains Hospital; Timothy M. Jones, managing member of development firm Robert Martin Company LLC; and William V. Cuddy Jr., executive vice president of CBRE Brokerage Services.

Jonathan Kirschenbaum has been named the task force”™s coordinator. He was previously a planner for the city’s Community Development Program. Kirschenbaum”™s new position will be funded by the grant and he will act as the liaison between the task force and .

A previous version of this story referred to Parsons Brinckerhoff as a developer on the project. It is a consultant.