Legacy of longest serving mayor: mixed at best.

from: Ken
to: digital@lohud.com, letters@lohud.com
date: Dec 6, 2018, 8:32 AM
subject: Alfred Del Vecchio, White Plains' longest serving mayor, dies at 95

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/white-plains/2018/12/05/former-white-plains-mayor-alfred-del-vecchio-dies/2213019002/

Projects completed during Del Vecchio's tenure included the Westchester One office building, the Westchester County Courthouse, the White Plains Public Safety building, the Galleria mall, a new Metro North railroad station and several other office buildings and shopping areas.

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Credit or blame?

Westchester One is an out of scale monstrosity.

Country courthouse is OK, except for the monster one way streets that surround it and slash through much of White Plains. 

Public Safety building has a police car entrance more secret than that to the Bat Cave. On weekends police are in the basement bunker, unaware of violations on street level.

Galleria mall: biggest mistake. Should have been Central Park. What a mess.

The railroad station is only now catching up on 30 years of neglect and poor original design.

You quoted a former protege and long time commissioner. What were the circumstances of his departure?

No one wants to say a bad word about a recently departed but put a little effort into it.

Open space on roofs of apartment buildings and municipal garages revisited.

Open space on roofs of apartment buildings and municipal garages. Saturday, January 30, 2016 by Kenneth Matinale

With just a little imagination we can substantially expand the amount of open space in urban downtown White Plains...

The City of White Plains should require all new residential apartment buildings to have green and recreational roofs. Any existing regulations that might inhibit such addition of this to existing buildings should be reviewed and reconsidered.

If there are no inhibiting regulations, the City should start a long term program to encourage decision makers for existing residential apartment buildings to make the necessary changes where possible and use all that open space for their own residents...

The Trump residential apartment condominium at the City Center has on its roof space atop the public parking garage: tennis and basketball courts and what appears to be a small golf hole. Use Google Earth to check for yourself...

Renderings of the new residential apartment project at 60 South Broadway, the old Westchester Pavilion, suggest that the roof will contain multiple recreational items, including swimming pools...

The City has many municipal parking garages scattered around town to serve the many multiple lane roads that slash through downtown. Obviously each garage has an open top level, which could be made into a green roof at the very least or more imaginatively into a public open space, some with recreational elements.

Yes, the City would lose parking spaces but it cannot sustain continual increase in cars driven and parked. There can never be enough roads and never enough parking. People need to move around in different ways. And, no, the Bee Line is not the answer. That county bus system is a ridiculous ($115 million a year) option for people moving around White Plains. The City needs to step up its efforts on this.
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New Vision For Whole City Block In County Seat

It would add restaurants and retail to a currently people-unfriendly area close to the White Plains train station.

By Lanning Taliaferro, Patch Staff | Nov 27, 2018 10:13 am ET | Updated Nov 27, 2018 3:04 pm ET patch.com

Ginsburg Development Companies presented its idea for City Square Monday to the White Plains Common Council...

But one amazing highlight wouldn't be open to the public: an almost one-acre landscaped roof deck on top of the property's parking garage to be called City Park, accessible to people who work or live in the complex...

The transformation of Westchester Financial Center into City Square would be the first development project under the area's new Transit District Development Zone, designed to make the neighborhood near the train station more pedestrian friendly with new retail and restaurant offerings...

An amenity that the entire complex would be able to enjoy is "City Square Park," an almost one-acre landscaped roof deck that would sit on top of the property's 1,033-space parking garage and will be accessible from all buildings.

This Central Park would feature a dramatic fountain with plentiful seating, a putting green, a BBQ Pavilion and a 2,000-step, 4-level walking path with landscaping and sculpture features.

"City Square Park is a unique feature that will become a favored spot for all of those who live and/or work at this special place," concluded Ginsburg.
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Hudson Link: more empty huge buses downtown for no good reason.

Hudson Link monster size buses are the latest. I have yet to see any passengers. Any data on this?

And if/when there are passengers, what percent will do more than get on the train to Manhattan? Maybe get on a private corporate bus that takes short cuts through residential streets to corporate parks along 287?

What are Common Council members thinking: Hey, White Plains must be hot stuff if all these buses come here! Yeah, like letting a stranger use your bathroom. How does that benefit you? That's probably true for most of the cars cutting through downtown during afternoon rush hours starting about 4:00 PM. Are people stopping to spend money in WP? Or just whizzing through, literally, not figuratively.

Then there's this:

Hudson Link: Reality far from the expansive original vision
by Matt Coyne, Rockland/Westchester Journal News Published 6:00 a.m. ET Oct. 22, 2018 | Updated 8:00 a.m. ET Oct. 29, 2018

Read for yourself, if can get past the annoyingly amateurish lohud ad blocker blocker.

Hole in the ground tradition of development.

Once there was a train station building on Bank Street where now stand twin residential towers of about 22 stories.

The train station was demolished in the 1970s and remained an embarrassing hole in the ground for parts of three decades. Small trees began to grow.

Let's combine that with the fact that the Continuum rental building just south took ten years to get built.

There is a mega hole in ground bordered by Post Road, South Broadway and Maple Avenue. In other words, where everyone can see it. Destruction has not been followed by construction. Hold that thought.

The mini mall that contains the DMV is another potential hole in the ground. The Asian market there has closed because of planning for the Hamilton Square mostly residential development. So has Bob Hyland's place and others.

Building in White Plains seems excruciating. City decision makers have got to look themselves in the eye and ask themselves why.

Emergency vehicles change traffic lights but not in White Plains.

Google search on "emergency vehicles change traffic lights":

https://www.google.com/search?q=emergency+vehicles+change+traffic+lights&rlz=1CATAAB_enUS635US635&oq=emergency+vehicles+change+&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.12075j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Read for yourself. The White Plains Public Safety building is on the southeast corner of mega one way streets Martine Avenue and South Lexington Avenue, which is a direct route to the hospital.

Emergency vehicles, both ambulances and fire trucks, begin blasting their horns and sirens blocks before reaching there or the preceding one way Main Street because they know that drivers do not stop when they have a green light. So, ...

Why don't emergency vehicles change traffic lights in White Plains?

EV charging stations at the two White Plains train stations: how many cars are charging?

The County Center parking lot has no EV charging stations but it's near the train station and was almost full today, Thursday September 6, 2018. A  couple of EV were parked near the tracks but obviously not charging: a Chevy Bolt and a Tesla.

People are back from summer vacation and it's a good day to check whether EV charging stations are being utilized at the two MetroNorth train stations:

White Plains:

Only two of eight EV spaces were occupied; both were charging cars. That's the least of the three times those EV spaces have been checked. See posts below.

North White Plains:

All seven EV spaces in the MTA garage had cars BUT only one was even connected to a charger. All chargers were lit and apparently operational. One space was again occupied by a non EV Rav 4, which again had been booted.

Electric cars, i.e., Electric Vehicles (EV): can they be charged in White Plains? Friday, August 24, 2018

Secret location of eight EV charging spaces in surface lot north of (train station) TransCenter Garage. Monday, August 27, 2018

All EV charging stations occupied in MTA garage at North White Plains train station. Wednesday, August 29, 2018

All EV charging stations occupied in MTA garage at North White Plains train station.

Yesterday's post stated that 5 of 8 EV (electric vehicle) charging stations were occupied in parking spaces provided by the City of White Plains near the White Plains train station in the adjacent Fire Station parking area. Lack of signs and an absurd location were mentioned as possible explanations for the empty spaces. Today at about 10:45 AM only 4 of 8 had EV charging there. Maybe people are still away on summer vacation. Except, ...

Photos below are for the year old Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) five story parking garage on the east side of the train tracks at the North White Plains train station.

Westchester County has surface parking at that train station but apparently does not provide any EV charging stations. Nor does the county have them in the County Center parking lot near the White Plains train station.

I did not notice any EV sign outside the MTA garage but there was one inside the main entrance.

Level 2: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Those EV charging stations are clearly visible as soon as you exit the elevator on Level 2.

Striped no parking areas on both ends.

All seven EV charging stations were occupied at about 10:00 AM today. The Toyota Rav 4 on the right is not an EV and that's probably why it was booted.

Obviously, the signs are clear. And while only half the City of White Plains EV spaces were charging today, those in the MTA garage, one Metro North train stop away, were all full (one against the charging rules).

So, there seem to be EV owners who want to charge their EV at the train stations. And there are people living in downtown White Plains apartments who need EV charging stations at their apartment buildings. More on that in subsequent posts.

5 of 8 "secret" train station EV charging spaces occupied today.

BACK parking lot of the fire station 10:30 AM Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Secret location of eight EV charging spaces in surface lot north of (train station) TransCenter Garage. Monday, August 27, 2018

Photos in this post were taken about 6PM Sunday August 26, 2018, which may account for there being no cars parked in the EV charging station spaces but not for the absurd location of these spaces. They are not in a public surface parking lot like that south of the "TransCenter Garage". No, the EV spaces are in the BACK parking lot of the fire station. There are no signs directing you to this area.

All this suggests a lack of serious purpose by the City of White Plains...
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Comment from a Common Council member Aug 27, 2018, 8:46 PM:

Please go back and take a picture of the same area any week day. You will find virtually every space taken so this secret is not such a big one! 6 PM on a Sunday for a picture there? Really?

My reply:

Read my first sentence.

If there's a sign pointing to any of the 20 EV spaces, send a photo.
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Today, Tuesday, August 28, 2018 I observed train station EV charging spaces occupied:

9:00 AM  two of the eight
10:30 AM  five of the eight

Two may have been going to work. The other three, ...?

Obviously, the location is not a complete secret. Just as obviously, complete secrecy was not the original point.

At about 10:25 walking through the County Center parking lot, which was not full, I observed among cars parked along the side of the train tracks these electric vehicles (EV) that could that could be charged:
- two Teslas
- Chevy Bolt.

There's no way to know if the drivers are aware of the EV charging stations just on the other side of the tracks. Data from the Parking Department would be the best way to judge how well and diversely the spaces are used.

Common sense dictates that the lack of directional signage and the differing instructions for the 20 city wide EV charging stations should be of concern.

Here's the main page for metered parking in White Plains:

http://whiteplainsny.gov/index.aspx?nid=332

The Galleria parking garage is referred to as:
Lexington-Grove East
Lexington-Grove West.

Grove Street was renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd in the previous millennium. Grove Street no longer exists.

Each of those two sections of the Galleria parking garage have EV charging stations as mentioned in:

Electric cars, i.e., Electric Vehicles (EV): can they be charged in White Plains? Friday, August 24, 2018

Secret location of eight EV charging spaces in surface lot north of (train station) TransCenter Garage.

Photos in this post were taken about 6PM Sunday August 26, 2018, which may account for there being no cars parked in the EV charging station spaces but not for the absurd location of these spaces. They are not in a public surface parking lot like that south of the "TransCenter Garage". No, the EV spaces are in the BACK parking lot of the fire station. There are no signs directing you to this area.

All this suggests a lack of serious purpose by the City of White Plains.

Street view. EV spaces up and behind truck.

More photos below.

Electric cars, i.e., Electric Vehicles (EV): can they be charged in White Plains? Friday, August 24, 2018

http://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/index.aspx?nid=368

Electric Vehicle Charging
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in White Plains

The City of White Plains currently offers twenty publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in parking structures and lots throughout the City.

Eight EV charging spaces are located in the surface lot adjacent to the White Plains TransCenter Garage on the North side. Four of those are Level 2 charging stations and four are Level 1 charging stations. Monthly permits are available for $129.00. This fee guarantees a spot and includes parking and electricity...
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My comments in my previous post:

... Galleria (Lexington-Grove) parking garage ...

1. no signs directing you to the location of the EV charging stations
2. different types of EV charging stations at each of the two locations tried
3. 60% of the EV charging stations found were not operational

I may try this at one or two more city public parking areas. Will the result be better? Does anyone in city government care? Do the car companies selling EVs care? Or is all this just another feel good exercise, a Kabuki dance?
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Yeah, there are signs but only near the spaces. There are no signs indicating that any such EV spaces exist, much less where they are. Plus, the signs are confusing and there are three different types of signs and seeming procedures here and at the two Galleria garage locations. It is reminiscent of the early days of pumping your own gas with different interfaces and payment methods.

Electric cars, i.e., Electric Vehicles (EV): can they be charged in White Plains?

I'm considering getting an EV. I have not had a car this year (2018) after decades of having a car. Living in downtown enables being car free.

Of course, if you live in a house and have a private garage, you can charge your EV easily enough. You would know the procedure and have working equipment. But if you live in an apartment building, you need to convince the building management, either a rental company or a condo/co-op board, to install charging equipment.

As a supplement to charging at home, you would also want the option of charging your EV batteries elsewhere. Where? How about one of the MANY huge public garages that constitute the architectural definition of downtown White Plains?

The City of White Plains has that, sort of.

http://www.cityofwhiteplains.com/index.aspx?nid=368

Electric Vehicle Charging
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in White Plains

The City of White Plains currently offers twenty publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in parking structures and lots throughout the City.

Eight EV charging spaces are located in the surface lot adjacent to the White Plains TransCenter Garage on the North side. Four of those are Level 2 charging stations and four are Level 1 charging stations. Monthly permits are available for $129.00. This fee guarantees a spot and includes parking and electricity.

Twelve additional EV charging spaces are now open and available for use. They are located in the following public parking garages:

Lexington-Grove East Garage (100 Main St.) - 3 chargers
Lexington-Grove West Garage (100 Main St.)-2 Chargers
Hamilton-Main Garage (365 Hamilton Ave.) - 3 chargers
Longview-Cromwell Garage (11 Longview Ave.) - 2 chargers
Lyon Place Garage (1 Lyon Place) - 2 chargers

To utilize one of the above charging stations, customers should download the free 'EV Connect' app. This will activate the charging station and allow the customer to monitor the charging process remotely. Once the app has been activated, the customer pays $1.50/hour, which covers both parking and electricity, through the normal payment process at the garage pay stations.

For more information, please call: (914) 422-1232.
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Wow, that seems pretty comprehensive. I installed the 'EV Connect' app mentioned onto my Android phone. Yesterday about 5:30 PM I went to the Galleria (Lexington-Grove) parking garage in search of the five EV charging stations that constitute 25% of those in city public parking spaces and 42% of the EV charging stations in the public garages.

I entered the Galleria garage on foot (remember, I don't have any car, much less an EV) from Martine Avenue near South Lexington. I did not find any signs directing one to an EV charging station. I continued into the Galleria food court and asked a guard. He had no idea. I left and walked up Main Street and noticed an office inside the "east" Galleria garage. I walked down in there and entered the office. The person behind the desk had no idea but called someone, who was then put on a speaker phone so that I could ask questions. I got enough information to find the two Galleria (Lexington-Grove) locations.

One is in the middle of that creepy underpass that divides the Galleria, you know, the one where almost no one walks. I went inside on the "east" side and finally found three EV charging stations adjacent to the sidewalk, down a few steps from the sidewalk. No signs anywhere to indicate their location.

The instructions on each were in font size of about five and it was dark. I opened the 'EV Connect' app on my phone and tried to engage each EV charging station in turn. I have not put credit card information into the app, so I don't know why the programmer who wrote it did not check for that right away. I stumbled through trying to get the app to find the stations, including loading an ID. I used the parking space number but apparently that was not it. Finally I realized that all three EV charging stations were "unavailable", i.e., not operational.

I walked across the street and entered the "west" part of the Galleria garage from Martine Avenue. I had been told that those EV charging stations were on level three, which in White Plans parlance was street level. I found them in about a minute along an inside barrier on a slant. These two EV charging stations were illuminated and had EV Connect written on them, which the other three did not.

I fired up the EV Connect app again and it appeared to find them. I also located, in small print, the ID and entered it. The app warned me that it was going to start charging both my EV and my credit card even though it did not have any information on either. I waited about a minute for it to fail and give me an error message but it's state did not change and I closed the app.

So:
1. no signs directing you to the location of the EV charging stations
2. different types of EV charging stations at each of the two locations tried
3. 60% of the EV charging stations found were not operational

I may try this at one or two more city public parking areas. Will the result be better? Does anyone in city government care? Do the car companies selling EVs care? Or is all this just another feel good exercise, a Kabuki dance?

Should I get an EV?

Common Council twice warned about dangerous bus traffic downtown. Maybe if they lived downtown ... Monday, September 25, 2017