Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in White Plains public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues
Buddhist temple on environmentally sensitive Sycamore Lane site
The proposed Buddhist Temple at 1 Sycamore Lane needs variances to build within the 100-foot wetlands buffer and to make up a 10-space parking shortfall. The case was pushed to October 7, so neighbors near the wetlands site will weigh in next month.
Leffell School campus expansion
The private school wants to add onto Building 1 and alter campus facilities. No enrollment increase is proposed, so traffic impacts shouldn't change — but neighbors may still weigh in.
Two-family conversions on Lafayette Street
Two companion applications would turn single-family houses into two-family homes, each needing variances for lot area, frontage, and setbacks. This touches on neighborhood density and housing supply.
Proposed Buddhist temple at 1 Sycamore Lane
A proposal to convert a single-family property into a Buddhist temple with multiple accessory buildings, most of it inside the 100-foot wetlands buffer. Neighbors and environmental impacts are likely flashpoints when the hearing resumes December 2.
Youth Bureau grants and library funding
A package of Youth Bureau agreements won approval: Jumpstart for Dads, college-credit courses with the College of Westchester, space at Calvary Baptist Church, county summer youth employment funding, SAMHSA alcohol-prevention money, Liberty Partnerships, and the Youth Police Initiative. Frei-Pearson called the Youth Bureau 'the secret sauce' of the city.
Electric shuttle service for downtown and close-in neighborhoods
A new Chapter 8-8 on Mass Transportation Services goes to public hearing December 7, paving the way for an electric microtransit shuttle. Council President Presser credited the Battle Hill Association's advocacy and a demonstration project.
City Hall roof, facade, and HVAC modernization
The council created two new capital projects — C5705 for City Hall roof and parapet wall replacement and C5706 for City Hall HVAC — funding long-overdue building repairs.
1 Water Street site plan amendment
Councilmember Valerie Simmons flagged that the approved 1 Water Street project dropped its original three-bedroom units, urging developers and the council to plan more family-sized housing as household compositions change.
Verizon Cable Franchise Renewal
The city's cable franchise agreement with Verizon is up for renewal, with a public hearing set. This deal governs cable service terms and related support for community programming.
Recreation partnerships: Little League, Knicks, benches
The council approved the Little League's use of Gedney Field, joined the Junior New York Knicks program, and accepted donated wooden benches for the Delfino Park platform tennis courts.
Disabled veterans tax exemption
A proposed local law would give seriously disabled veterans a property tax exemption under state Real Property Tax Law Section 458-A. A public hearing is set for November 2 before any adoption.
2026 Street Closures for City Events
Selected downtown streets will close again for the New Year's Eve Spectacular, which draws thousands with fireworks, bands, and music. Mayor Brasch invited families to attend.
Fire Apparatus Repair Funding
The fire department needs extra money from the general fund reserve to cover repair costs for its fire apparatus — keeping emergency equipment running.
Water Street Connector linear park (C5691)
The city is leasing an overgrown 56,000-square-foot Urban Renewal Agency right-of-way near Water Street for 50 years to turn it into a public park connecting Hillside Terrace and Ferris Avenue to downtown. It's funded with $2.25 million of the city's $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, with public design sessions coming early next year.
Water Street Connector
The city would lease Urban Renewal Agency land along the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Extension to build the Water Street Connector — part of reshaping downtown connectivity.
Council public-comment procedures
A resident asked whether council members should be allowed to respond or correct facts during Citizens to Be Heard, or whether that should happen in a separate process. The council is still figuring out its rules.
1 Water Street site plan amendments
The developer of the 380-unit transit-oriented project at Ferris and Water wants minor amendments: a bit more retail space, reconfigured below-grade parking, a larger public and dog park, plus rooftop solar and battery storage. Newer council members asked for the detailed August submission in writing before any decision.
CDBG Staff Salary Schedule
The agency approved raises for Community Development Block Grant staff so their pay tracks the city's union salary schedule and step increases for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026.
Whitmore Estates subdivision of former Windward School property
A developer wants to turn the old Windward School site into 13 house lots with a new public road. Neighbors worry about drainage, rock removal and construction impacts, and won extra time to have an engineer review the plans.
Farrell Estates at Ridgeway 105-lot subdivision
The former Ridgeway Country Club site is proposed for a 99-lot single-family subdivision on about 127 environmentally sensitive acres. Developers revised the plan to protect the Gedney Esplanade trees and wetland buffers, and the final environmental review could reach the board by April with action by May or June.
78 Woodcrest Avenue four-lot subdivision and rock removal
A plan to split a three-quarter-acre lot into four building lots requires removing a large rock outcropping and an aging stone wall along Springdale. Board members pushed for alternatives that would preserve the rock and slopes, questioning blasting impacts on neighbors.
New 12-unit apartment building at 510 North Broadway
A vacant office building would be replaced by a 12-unit for-sale condo building near the North White Plains train station. The plan includes a stormwater system that would also fix existing flooding behind neighboring Brookdale and Holland Avenue homes.
12-unit apartment building at 510 North Broadway
Comstock got a height variance to build a three-story, 12-unit apartment building — a small addition to the city's housing stock.
Adora Row mixed-use project extension
Two downtown-adjacent projects got more time: 'The Loft' at Court and Quarropas Streets received a one-year site plan extension, and the Adora Row mixed-use project at 80 Westchester Avenue has an extension application under review.
Parking lot at 322 Central Avenue
Alliance Automotive got the special permit it needed to install a surface parking lot in the B-3 business zone.
Cannabis delivery operations in Waller Avenue parking lot
A resident alleges legal cannabis distributors stage large tubs of product in the Waller Avenue parking lot for transfer to smaller delivery trucks, with no security, near a building where children pass through.
Residential street parking and traffic safety requests
A fatal crash two years ago and several trees struck by cars show a dangerous speeding pattern on Battle Avenue in Battle Hill. Residents want the city to study safety improvements on streets designed in 1905 for Model T speeds.
Downtown and commercial signage approvals
A batch of sign decisions hit downtown businesses: approvals for Yale New Haven Health, The Altos, and Greystar's master retail sign plan, plus a do-over for Doner Haus's wall sign at 186 Martine Ave.
Bus stop sidewalk accessibility
A Park View Court resident says the sidewalk in front of his house is narrow, uneven and in disrepair, forcing a disabled neighbor to cross the street to find a usable path; his ADA funding records request was denied.
Brookfield Commons Phase 3 extension
The council signed off on lender-required paperwork for the third phase of the Brookfield Commons affordable housing development, which brings roughly $8 million in County infrastructure funding to the city.
Property tax assessment refunds
The city settled assessment challenges from eight property owners, refunding about $115,000 in city taxes with no interest. That's money coming off the tax rolls, though the amounts are modest.
Municipal parking garage rehabilitation
The city is borrowing $3.03 million to fix aging parking garages — membranes, joints, drains, lighting, and fans — plus a $275,000 electrical upgrade at City Center Garage. Expect repair work in the garages over the coming year.
YWCA resident conditions at 69 North Broadway
A resident of the YWMA/YWCA at 69 North Broadway described reduced services, pest problems, lost security, missing hygiene supplies, and no carbon monoxide or smoke alarm inspections. She asked officials to intervene.
Taxicab ordinance overhaul
For the first time in ten years, White Plains updated its taxi rules: new metered fares that reflect higher fuel and insurance costs, cheaper medallion transfers and accessible-cab medallions, and new leasing rules for medallion owners.
290 Ferris Avenue tree removal and site buffering
A resident says a county-sold forest at 290 Ferris Avenue was clear-cut, possibly in violation of the tree ordinance, and the light-industrial truck parking site ended up with minimal buffering despite council requirements.
Library Parking Structure Rehabilitation funding increase
A 2024 engineering study revealed major structural problems in city garages, and the library garage is the worst priority. Phase 1 column repairs need an extra $3.5 million because deterioration extended into surrounding slabs; the mayor called the overall garage repair bill 'the tip of the iceberg.'
Rodent activity on Martine Avenue
A resident says rodent concerns are spreading through the city, with rats drawn to soft dirt and possibly worsened by upcoming construction. He wants to know if the city has a mitigation plan before the problem escalates.
Pedestrian and child passenger safety grants
Police picked up $35,000 in state grants: $6,000 for child car seat education and $29,000, mostly overtime, for seatbelt and dangerous-driving enforcement.
Ebersol Rink capital improvements and sponsorship legislation
The city partnered with the New York Rangers on a youth hockey program at Ebersole Rink. Council Member Caruso called the rink an underappreciated gem that leverages outside funding well.
Traffic safety grants for police
Police picked up $35,000 in state grants: $6,000 for child car seat education and $29,000, mostly overtime, for seatbelt and dangerous-driving enforcement.
E-Bike Enforcement (May Luv Initiative)
The city's crackdown on e-bike delivery riders is showing results — 77 tickets and 34 warnings since May — but officials say many riders are transient and local ordinances won't stick. Education through restaurants and the BID is the main tool going forward.
Sale of City Center Garage to the City
The city is buying an interest in the major portion of the parking garage at 237 Martine Avenue, borrowing up to $11.1 million to do it. This shifts a piece of downtown parking infrastructure into public hands — a move that could affect parking rates and downtown development decisions for years.
23 Quarropas / Court Street permit extension
The 141-unit, 100% senior affordable project needs one more year to close financing, with Westchester Medical coming in as a healthcare provider. The board raised no objection.
AT&T antenna upgrades at Westchester Mall
AT&T is swapping out antennas on the mall roof for slightly smaller ones — invisible from the street. Federal law forces the city to approve eligible equipment upgrades like this.
Honda dealership outdoor storage and fence access
White Plains Honda needs a zoning approval for outdoor vehicle storage and a new wrought-iron fence on its property line. The board supported it after the dealer agreed to shift the fence about two feet so emergency and garbage trucks can reach the neighbor's rear.
Affordable housing buy-out fee calculation
A resident found that the Harlem and Holland Avenues development's affordable housing buy-out fee was calculated using 2021 income data, coming in at $3.03 million instead of roughly $3.9 million under current figures. He's asking why planning staff didn't flag the outdated formula citywide.
Smoking in White Plains parks
The city wants to update its smoke-free rules to explicitly cover marijuana and vaping, and to extend the ban to school district fields and playgrounds the city shares. The pitch is education first — ask people to move along, not write tickets. The council votes September 8.
Rusty cannon ahead of Battle of White Plains 250th anniversary
The Revolutionary War cannon along the Bronx River Parkway is rusted and in disrepair just weeks before the 250th anniversary of the Battle of White Plains on October 28. The cannon sits on county property, and the speaker asked officials to make a call to get it repainted.
Sale of city-owned properties — 90 Lake Street and 49-51 Robertson Avenue
The city owns a useless, wedge-shaped 0.05-acre sliver across from Kensico Place that it picked up in a 2018 foreclosure. No department wants it, so it's set to be sold to the neighboring auto body shop for $15,000.
Fire Station 2 feasibility study cost
The city will spend $400,000 to figure out the future of the Ferris Avenue fire station that also houses parking and public works — renovate it, rebuild it there, or build on the Water Street parcel. The study will also look at other uses for Water Street if a new station doesn't pencil out.