Avalon’s Tax Abatement Comes Under Scrutiny by Peggy Godfrey (In Westchester Herald, September 7, 2009)
New Rochelle Councilman Lou Trangucci is planning to ask the City Council members at their September 8 meeting to sign a letter requesting that the downtown Avalon apartment buildings voluntarily make tax contributions to the city. He is suggesting a contribution of one million dollars per year for the next four or five years to help the city through the present financial crisis.
Among the items Trangucci enumerated is the $12 million Avalon would pay if full taxes were required. Presently their payment to the city is $650,000, based on their “profit” as projected in the pilot agreement which lasts 30 years with the city.
Layoffs in city service personnel have been threatened for next year and Trangucci’s proposed request to Avalon is a way of averting layoffs. Avalon, it should be remembered, will be adversely effected by any layoffs because presently 15-17% of the police, fire and emergency medical services are needed for downtown.
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Avalon projected there would be 58 school children in the two Avalon buildings. Anthony Galletta in a recent post in the New Rochelle Talk of the Sound website stated there were 80 children in these buildings which are 75% occupied. Since this figure is 38% above the EIS projections, Galletta suggests the amount of other city services stated as needed in the EIS are also not accurate.
Trangucci wants to have a discussion at the Council’s Committee of the whole on September 8. Residents continue to express concerns about these buildings. Ines Candrea feels Avalon should pay the same taxes as homeowners based on their assessments. Lorraine Pierce felt there has never been full disclosure on the benefits Avalon received. George Imburgia said the Avalon proposal is “nice work if you can get it, and you can’t get it unless you try.” Avalon residents in his view use our city services and do not pay their full share for them.
request to avalon
not helpful. it is a city responsibility now; horse is out of the barn so to speak regarding incentives and all residential communities are hurting. of course i emotionally agree with louis, but it is chasing a moonbeam. word on the financial street is even more damaging; very strong possibility that cappelli/trump towers might go chapter 11 in near future. this is very problematic given the business corporate laws of nys, but a real possibility and something cappelli has done in past although trump ego is usually against this approach. maybe bob cox has picked something up.
of couse the rest of the midtownplanning is suspect and forest city is a financial and ethical disaster. frankly i would much rather see this council invest time in some strategic applications — they can begin by studying the charter in terms of strong mayoralty, what is necessary to bring school district under city management, encourage city to take a strike if need be if they put pressure on school district to reopen contracts, etc…
i also remember the piety from council members several years earlier who expressed “surprise” at the deferred pay increase afforded them and the mayor. at that point they huffed and puffed about what they might collectively do to defer or refuse the increase. they have done nothing. now is a good time to surrender the increase, recapture the mayoralty increase — lots of money for a ceremonial mayor, etc….. and as far as civic leaders and crtics are concerned — draw some lines in the sand on holding first providers harmless regarding any table of organization issues until every single, swinging city department contributes publically a revised or new budget reflecting at least a 15-20 percent decrease in upcoming fiscal year.
and, yes, ms godfrey, i have a prediction about stimulus and other funding. nita lowey will likely come through with funds a few weeks maybe less before election day. george latimer and amy paulin — both good and concerned representatives — have both contacted strome and offered specific help and advice; amy had leads for grant and other funding; george promised to try to pull the state in a direction favorable to new roc if strome would provide some specifics.
net net, good lady, i see many good people working to the best of their God-given talents to try to help this city out. lets see what the council and administration are willing to do; giving up a false legacy at echo bay is really cheap at half the price.
health permitting, will see all of you who love this city at the armory friday.
warren gross