complete the streets

http://www.completestreets.org/

Here's another idea for the WP Common Council (CC) to ponder.  The mayor has just announced that he will not seek another term.  I hope that my exposing him to new ideas was a factor in his decision.

As for the colossally unimaginative CC, "complete the streets" is a concept that can baffle them, like the apes dealing with the monolith in the opening of the 1968 movie "2001: A Space Odyssey".

It's really pretty simple.  CC members should get to and from downtown WP without their cars.  Yes, walk or use public transportation.  And eliminate those reserved parking spaces at city hall for them and for the commissioners.  Only then will they experience the enormous hostility to pedestrians that is White Plains.  Only then will they even consider something like "complete the streets".

Cars are the only issue in WP.  Move 'em, park 'em.  Park 'em, move 'em.  All for the convenience, not of non-residents, but for the convenience of residents of the suburbs of WP in almost Scarsdale and almost Harrison, where the CC members live.

Apartment dwellers: taxed but not heard.

I received this message:

Mayor Delfino and city commissioners will be attending the Fisher Hill meeting on Thursday.  There will be a presentation by LCOR - the developers of 55 Banks Street - as well as presentation by the White Plains Hospital regarding future plans, the Salvation Army future expansion plans,  and the development of the Shultz dealership property.  All are welcome.

How many homes are in the geographic area of the Fisher Hill association?

Other than the perfunctory "all are welcome", notice that they completely ignore the 500 homes at Bank Street Commons whose residents would be the most effected.  Apartment dwellers again are not even considered when such activities are planned.  Taxed but not heard.  That's the White Plains method.  If you live in a house, you count.  If you live in an apartment, you do not count.  This is especially true if the apartment dweller rents rather than owns.

betterplace.com

http://www.betterplace.com/

White Plains, try SOMETHING different!  More driving lanes and more parking garages do not solve any problems.  You just continue to escalate.  You never achieve anything.

CNA and CC Maps: CC closer to Scarsdale than WP city hall.

Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA):

http://www.wpcna.org/wpcnamap.jpg

Here again is the map that I had created showing the location of the homes of the six Common Council (CC) members taken from the White Plains web site:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=103040367337361097468.000445a6e9cc47e0e7b83&ll=41.026017,-73.760662&spn=0.059183,0.157757&z=13&om=0

I am guessing but I think that CC members correlate to CNA associations as follows:

Roach: Westminster Ridge

Power: Highlands

Hockley: Highlands

Malmud: Gedney Farms

Boykin: Idle Forest

Lecuona: Gedney Manor

Roach is almost in North Castle and the other five live closer to Scarsdale than to White Plains city hall.

Of these, Highlands is the only association with more than a few homes.  Remember, each CNA association gets one vote.  The few in the houses make decisions for the many in the apartments.

The complete list of CNA member organizations is repeated below for convenience:

Battle Hill

Bryant Gardens

Carhart

Colonial Corners

Downtown (BID)

Eastview

Ferris Ave

Fisher Hill

Fulton Street

Gedney Circle

Gedney Farms

Gedney Manor

Gedney Meadows

Gedney Park

Havilands Manor

Highlands

Hillair Circle

Holbrooke

Idle Forest

North Broadway

North Street

Old Mamaroneck Rd

Old Oak Ridge

Prospect Park

Rocky Dell/Reynal Park

Rosedale

Saxon Wood

Soundview

Westminster Ridge

Woodcrest Heights

White Plains Downtown Residents Association web site

http://www.downtownresidents.com/

This is the group run by Rob Tamboia.

It is not to be confused with:

http://www.wpbid.com/

The White Plains Downtown District Management Association is the Business Improvement District for the City of White Plains.

The Business Improvement District (BID) appears to be the Downtown group that is already a member of the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA).