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OKAY.[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1500 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: JDudek@Greenburghny.com https://ny-greenburgh.civicplus.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings]
30TH AND PM AND WE'RE GONNA START THE MEETING, UM, WITH, UM, THE PRESENTATION BY MARKWE'LL DISCUSS THE AVALON VAN UPDATE.
CAROL, YOU NEED A MICROPHONE? YOU NEED A MICROPHONE? I SPEAK.
UH, ON BEHALF OF AVALON BAY, UH, I'M JOINED BY LINDSEY ROMANO, WHO'S THE VICE PRESIDENT OF ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR AVALON BAY.
UH, BRIEFLY, WE'VE BEEN BEFORE YOU PREVIOUSLY, THIS IS A PROCESS FOR THE AVALON GREEN COMMUNITY, UH, OFF OF TAXTER ROAD.
I THINK YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH IT.
IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT CAME WITH, UH, YOUR SUPERVISOR FIRST GETTING ELECTED.
IT DATES BACK ALL THE WAY TO THE NINETIES WHEN THAT PROJECT STARTED.
UM, THE, THE, THE, IT WAS, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS DONE IN PIECES.
THE, THE LAST APPROVAL WAS BACK IN 2014.
THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 617 UNITS.
UH, THERE WERE 51 AND ARE STILL 51 AFFORDABLE UNITS, AND ROUGHLY AT MOST TIMES WITH FULL OCCUPANCY.
AND, UH, WE THINK IT'S A VERY BIG SUCCESS.
I WILL REMIND YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A STORY FROM THE APPROVAL PART OF THIS THAT I KNOW THE SUPERVISOR WILL REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS TREMENDOUS OPPOSITION AT THE BEGINNING, AND THERE WAS GREAT CONCERN FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS TO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH BUILDING MULTIFAMILY HOUSING.
AFTER WE BUILT THE FIRST PHASE, WHICH WAS 108 UNITS, THEY DID AN AUDIT.
THEY FOUND THERE WERE, I THINK IT WAS THREE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN THAT CAME OUT OF THE, UNDER EIGHT UNITS.
IT BECAME THE MOST EXCITING THING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAD EVER SEEN.
AND AFTER MORE THAN 50 FIGHTING, THE APPROVALS THEY CAME IN, SUPPORTED US FOR THE NEXT FIRST 444 UNITS AT 68 ON PHASE THREE, BECAUSE IT'S WORKED OUT VERY WELL FOR THEM.
UM, IN ANY EVENT, ONE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE APPROVAL, AS YOU'RE AWARE, AND THE REASON WE'RE BEFORE YOU, IS THAT THERE WAS A SHUTTLE SERVICE TO THE, UH, TO THE TRAIN THAT WAS CONDITIONED.
ONE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE APPROVAL FOR AVALON GREEN TWO AND THREE.
UH, IT ALSO HAD A PROVISION WITHIN THE APPROVAL THAT AFTER THREE YEARS, IF THERE WAS NOT, UH, ADEQUATE, UH, USAGE, WE COULD, AVALON BAY HAD THE RIGHT TO COME IN AND MAKE A PETITION TO THE TOWN BOARD TO ASK TO BE RELIEVED OF THAT RESPONSIBILITY.
UH, THE REASON FOR THAT WAS THERE WAS A LONG DISCUSSION AS TO WHETHER IT WOULD ACTUALLY BE USED AND AT THE TIME, AND THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS RESOLVED, AND THAT'S THE WAY IT REACHED WITHIN THE APPROVAL RESOLUTION.
WE CAME TO THE BOARD INFORMALLY REQUESTING THAT, UH, WE, WE SUGGESTED THAT WE GO TALK TO THE COMMUNITY, NOT OUR OWN COMMUNITY, WHO WE KNEW WAS NOT USING THE 'CAUSE.
WE HAD THE NUMBERS OF WHO WAS USING IT, BUT WE WERE ASKED TO SPEAK IRVING SPECIFIC ASSOCIATION.
WE'VE HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THEM AS TO A CONTRIBUTION TO ONE OF THE NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE IN CONTEXT OF THIS, WHICH IS SOME PARKING OVER AT THE EAST IRVINGTON, UH, AT THE TAXI ROAD PARK, WHICH WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE, UH, AS A, UH, SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY IN CONTEXT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.
UH, I'LL ALSO MENTION THAT THEN WHEN WE CAME BACK TO YOU HOPING THAT AT THAT POINT WE WERE READY TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WASN'T A FINANCIAL ISSUE THAT WAS NOT PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM UTILIZING THE SHUTTLE.
UH, WE WERE ASKED TO PROVIDE A FREE SHUTTLE.
WE DID IT FOR 30 DAYS AT YOUR REQUEST.
WE DID IT IN THE CONTEXT THAT, AND THE WAY THAT WE WERE SUGGESTED TO DO IT BY YOUR STAFF.
AND THE REPORT OF THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO YOU.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S AN AVERAGE OF SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 13 TO 18 PEOPLE USING IT.
UH, A DAY AT A 1,265 RESIDENTS, IT'S LESS THAN 1% OR ROUGHLY 1% OF THE USAGE.
AND FROM A TRAFFIC STANDPOINT, HONESTLY, THERE ARE 18 SHUTTLE TRIPS THAT GO BACK AND FORTH, WHICH IS MORE THAN IF EVERYBODY GOT IN THEIR OWN CAR AND DROVE.
YOU'RE NOT REDUCING TRAFFIC BY USING THE SHUTTLE, WHICH IS GOING BACK AND FORTH.
UH, WE ARE WILLING TO DO THE, UH, THINGS THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AS PART OF THIS.
WE'RE HERE MAKING THAT REQUEST TODAY TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT ACCOMPLISHED.
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SO THERE, DID YOU JUST, COULD YOU JUST CLARIFY IT? WE'RE HAPPY TO, WE'RE HAPPY TO GIVE IT.WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT? WE HAVE THE, THE, THE PETITION SEEKS THE, SEEKS THE REMOVAL OF THE CONDITION, WHICH SAYS THAT WE HAVE ALREADY READ IT TO YOU.
SAYS THAT SUBSEQUENT TO THREE YEARS AFTER THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED, THE APPLICANT MAY PETITION THE TOWN BOARD TO DISCONTINUE OR CUT BACK THE SHUTTLE SERVICE DUE TO DEFICIENCY OF DEMAND.
UPON RECEIPT OF SUCH PETITION AND NOTICE TO THE RESIDENTS OF AVALON GREEN, AND AFTER A PUBLIC HEARING, THE TOWN BOARD MAY, IN ITS DISCRETION, SUSPEND, CURTAIL OR TAKE SUCH ACTION AS SEEMS APPROPRIATE, RESPECTIVE SHUTTLE SERVICE.
SO OUR REQUEST IS TO DISCONTINUE THE SHUTTLE SERVICE.
WE, WE HAVE MET WITH THE, UH, CIVIC ASSOCIATION AND MAY HAVE TOLD US THAT THEY WOULD ESTIMATE THE DONATION WOULD BE $120,000 FOR THE CREATION OF THE PARK, FIVE PARKING SPACES FOR THE PARK, WHICH WOULD BE DONE THROUGH A DONATION TO THE TOWN.
SO THE TOWN WOULD BE ABLE TO CONTROL THAT WORK THAT WOULD GET DONE.
AND WE ARE, WE ARE ABSOLUTELY, UH, HAPPY TO DO THAT ON BEHALF FOR THE COMMUNITY.
WE HAD NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, UM, MONTHS AGO, AND THIS WAS LIKE ONE ASSOCIATION TIME.
PARKING, PARKING SECOND SIDEWALKS.
BUT WE, WE DID DO THE SIDEWALKS FROM OUR SITE DOWN BELOW.
WE DID DO, AS PART OF OUR PROJECT, THEY, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT SIDEWALKS THAT GO UP THE HILL AWAY FROM OUR PROPERTY.
BUT THOSE SIDEWALKS THAT ARE THERE NOW ON THAT SIDE OF THE STREET WERE CREATED BY US AS PART OF OUR PROJECT.
I REALIZE THAT THERE'S ONLY 1% RIDERSHIP.
I WONDER WHETHER ANY CONTACT IS MADE WITH THAT 1% TO LET THEM KNOW THAT OBVIOUSLY THEY, YOU ADVERTISED TO BELIEVE TO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY THAT THIS WAS DEVELOPED TO.
UM, DID ANY OF THAT 1% CONTACT YOU WITH ANY DIRE CONSEQUENCES THAT OCCURRED IF THE SHUTTLE STOPPED AT NO, I MEAN, THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY CONCERNS AND WE HAVE BEEN WIDELY COMMUNICATING IT, UM, BROADLY TO THE WHOLE, WHOLE COMMUNITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'LL WORK THROUGH IT WITH EACH OF THEM AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE TAKEN CARE OF.
BUT YEAH, THIS IS, THIS IS NOTION, IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT'S HAPPENED FOR AVALON OR FRANKLY FOR ANY OF MY CLIENTS SHUTTLES THAT ARE GREAT WEARY.
UH, AND I DON'T WANT TO DO ONE TO MENTION ON, ON, ON THE RECORD, AVALON IS SOMEWHAT IS A COMPANY THAT WINS AWARDS ALL THE TIME FOR SUSTAINABILITY, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THIS COMMUNITY.
I'VE LOOKED INTO IT, THEY SINCE, SINCE OPENING, THEY'VE SPENT OVER $120,000 REPLACING SINCE THEY'RE OPEN, ONLY SINCE 2014, 1200 FIXTURES, WHICH IS CUT BACK 25% OF THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON PHASE, UH, ONE AND TWO AND 42% OF THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON PHASE THREE.
SO, I MEAN, THIS IS A RESPONSIBLE COMPANY, THIS IS NOT, IT'S JUST THEY'RE SPENDING ALL SORTS OF MONEY ON THE SHUTTLE EVERY YEAR.
AND IT JUST, IT'S JUST NOT, JUST DOESN'T HAVE ANY USE.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS.
I THINK IN THE FUTURE THOUGH, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT, IF WE'RE GOING TO PUT A CONDITION ON A SHUTTLE, THEN TO LOOK AT THE ACTUAL COST.
UH, I, I HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE CHARGED TO THE RESIDENTS WHILE WHEN WE APPROVED THIS.
UH, AND I, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THE COST CON CONTRIBUTES TO THESE PRESCRIBERS YET OR NOT, BUT IT HAS NOTHING OF NO EFFECT ON YOU.
BUT, UH, IN FUTURE CONSIDER CONSIDERATIONS, THEY WILL SHUTTLE.
'CAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA, BUT OF COURSE PROHIBIT, UM, IT, IT MAKES, I WILL SUGGEST TO YOU, PART OF THE ISSUE WITH THE PROBLEM IS YOU CAN'T RUN IT ALL DAY.
SO YOU RUN THE MID PEAK HOURS.
PART OF THE PROBLEM NOW IS PEOPLE DON'T WORK PEAK HOURS ANYMORE.
IT'S JUST, AND THAT'S NOT JUST COVID, THAT'S BEFORE COVID.
PEOPLE ARE JUST ON DIFFERENT SCHEDULES NOW.
IT USED TO BE YOU COULD RUN A SHUTTLE SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO EIGHT 30 AND YOU'D CAPTURE AN ENORMOUS PART OF THE PEOPLE THAT TRAIN.
IT'S JUST NOT THE WAY PEOPLE WORK ANYMORE.
AND SO IF YOU TAKE THE SHUTTLE THERE AND YOU'RE GETTING HOME AFTER SIX 30, NOW YOU GOTTA FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET HOME USING A TAXI CAB OR SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK.
THAT'S WHY PEOPLE, EVERYONE WANTS EVERYTHING ON DEMAND.
SOMEBODY, UM, PAGES THAT, UM, BECAUSE THERE'S DIFFERENT TIMES, UM, SAID, THESE ARE INTERESTING, A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS OVER PROJECT.
AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU WERE, WERE VERY AWARE
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ANY PULSE, UH, DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS.SO REVIEW OF ALL THE, UM, CONCERNS, HAD THE REPRESENTATION WAS MADE AND THEN PRESENT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT TOOK US, WE REALLY WERE TRYING TO WORK CO ONLY 12 YEARS.
BUT, UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, SCALE THAT SOME ANALYSIS.
I I THINK THAT, THAT, THAT WOULD BE, I CAN ONLY TELL YOU ANECDOTALLY, IT HAPPENS WITH ME ALL THE TIME WHERE I HAVE PEOPLE COME UP TO ME AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT YOU IN THAT PUBLIC AREA, TURNED OUT THIS THING WAS GREAT, BUT YOU NEVER HEAR THAT PART OF THE STORY.
FIRST ON THE SECOND SIDE PHASE, THAT'S YEAH.
SO ANYBODY IN DOES THIS WELL, I'M, I'M IN SUPPORT OF, I DO.
I DO THINK WE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE SURE WE'RE SOLID, SOLID GROUND, GROUND.
KNOW WE'VE HAD, HAD A HISTORY, HISTORY, FIRE, FIRETRUCK PAST AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE DON'T A CONTRIBUTION MADE TO THE TOWN.
SO YOU'LL HAVE IN RETURN FOR TAKING OFF THE RESTRICTIONS.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT SOLID, RIGHT? YOU'RE DEALING WITH A PUBLIC COMPANY.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, PART OF THE DELAY AT ONE POINT WAS GETTING THE ATION.
WE HAVE TO GET APPROVED TO DO THAT, WHICH IS ALREADY DONE, BEEN DONE.
SO WE WOULD ASK FOR THIS, PLEASE TO BE PUT ON YOUR BOARD MEETING FOR A RESOLUTION.
AND YOU CAN SAY THAT THE DONATION, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO PHRASE IT, I'LL LEAVE THAT TO YOUR COUNCIL.
YOU KNOW, YOU GIVE US, WE NEED LIKE 60 DAYS TO PUT IT UP OR WITHIN 60 DAYS SO THEY CAN GET A CHECK.
SOMETIMES IT TAKES A LITTLE TIME FOR THEIR COMPANY.
I'LL, I'LL GET IT IN AS QUICKLY AS WE, AND BY WE'VE HAD A PROBLEM.
NOT MY WASN'T MY, WASN'T MY VERY GOOD.
NOW YOU HAVE TO PUT THEM TO BED TIME.