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Community Corner

FASNY PR/SPIN MACHINE

I RECEIVED THIS IN AN E-MAIL THAT WENT VIRAL YESTERDAY.  HAD TO SHARE....VERY INFORMATIVE.
September, 2013   
Mischa Zabotin Chairman of the Board of Trustees French-American School of New York   
RE: your city wide mailing.
   
You have once again demonstrated your ability to spend large amounts of money on your PR campaign to convince White Plains residents how wonderful your plan to build your large, tax exempt, private, elite campus in White Plains will be for all of us uncultured White Plains residents.   What I refuse to do is to allow you to continue to spin the truth and outwardly lie to the public about the past, present and future of this project.  No, I do not have the resources to do a city wide mailing but with the help of recipients of this informative response, I can certainly reach many people.
    
THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR CLAIM OF A 50% REDUCTION IN TRAFFIC
1.       You have claimed that there will now be a “50% reduction in traffic in both morning and afternoon by implementing a mandatory busing program.  Not only did you fail to provide the data that allowed you to make this most exaggerated claim, but we have proof that during the 2011-2012 school year your 800+ students come from 48 different municipalities, 61 different zip codes and three different states!! Most of these municipalities in fact do NOT provide busing and/or are looking to change the policy to be more restrictive regarding private school busing.  You even ignore the number of students who take part in afterschool activities as well as the pre-school/nursery school children. Also, let’s not forget your plan is to add 400 addition students to your present student body. Your ‘math’ simply does not add up!  
 
THE TRUTH ABOUT SETBACKS 
2.       “Set backs have been increased to a minimum of 75 feet for adjacent residential properties…”How can you boast about 75 feet setbacks when that is current zoning and your plan was originally in violation? Of course you had to change it – giving away ice in winter again?     

THE TRUTH ABOUT DECREASING PARKING SPACES 
3.       We have “reduced the number of parking spaces on the site from 428 to 378….” OH NO YOU DID NOT!  You actually increased the spaces by 48.  Again, let’s do the math.  You removed 50 spaces from the parking lots (from 428 to 378) but you ADDED 107 spaces to the internal roads.  The total parking spaces are actually 575.  Therefore you have INCREASED the parking spaces by 48!!  
 
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FASNY’S SUMMER HASTE AND PROFESSION REVIEWS 
4.       “After almost two years of review, no one can reasonably claim that the project is being rushed through or that there has been a lack of transparency.  Not only has the City hired its own professionals to review the project at FASNY’s expense, so has at least one neighborhood group.” 
Mr. Zabotin, it is the oldest trick in the book for a developer to submit controversial plans in the middle of the summer in hopes of slipping things past the public.  Is it true you insisted on submitting it on July 15, prior to City staff’s completion of their comments and then tried to force the City to set a meeting for mid August for acceptance of the draft FEIS as complete?  It was in that document, for the very first time, details of the North Street access to the school was revealed.  There was absolutely no outreach to our White Plains Schools even though you are proposing to actually move our High School’s entrance and eliminate parking spaces for our High School.  The copy of the draft FEIS provided to Gedney Association (via FOIL) does not contain expert commentary by the City with respect to the North Street or Bryant Avenue access.  We have repeatedly requested the City to provide us with any such report if it exists without even an acknowledgement ofour requests.  WE HAVE REPEATLY REQUESTED THE CITY TO ALLOW US TO DISCUSS THE PLAN WITH THE COMMISSIONERS AND WE HAVE BEEN REFUSED BY MEMBERS OF THE CITY ADMINISTRATION.  The only thing truthful about your comment is that the Gedney Association did, in fact, hire its own experts in the field of air/noise pollution, hydrology as well as traffic and first -  they said there was missing information but second - what they had of FASNY’s plan was unworkable.
     
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONSERVANCY 
5.       “If one of the alternative entrances were chosen by the Common Council there would be a very modest reduction in the overall size of the Conservancy….there would be a slight increase in impervious surfaces…”  All I can do is shake my head.  You are proposing to add a 3000 foot multiple lane, impervious driveway along with an internal turnaround that runs smack through the middle of this ‘conservancy’ and encroaches on the City’s imposed wetlands setback!  Not to mention the baseball diamond on parcel D’s northern border for FASNY’s use,   are we still suppose to believe you? 
This project brings nothing to this City, only takes from it.  You are not only massive but a tax except institution which will place a burden on an already financially stressed City.

Mr. Zabotin, lastly, you insist on shifting the burden from yourself to the City.  It is FASNY’s burden to present an acceptable plan, not the City’s burden to pick one.  The City is not, and should not, be your partner in this massive development.  You keep omitting the fact that the City may accept one or more of your plans OR ACCEPT NONE OF THEM!

I too encourage everyone to forward this letter to as many White Plains residents you can and, if you have not already done so,  contact your elected officials today and remind them that the residents of White Plains are their constituents, not an outside developer.

Ellen Del Vecchio-Lee 57 Hathaway Lane White Plains, NY  10605   

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