Last week, in Part 1, I challenged Mayor Bramson’s claim that there is a $7.5 million net benefit from New Rochelle development. I provide evidence that Avalon 1 & 2 would pay $10,042,821 in City, School & Library taxes if not for their 30-year tax abatement. Today, in Part 2, I will reveal the actual number of children in the New Rochelle School System registered from 255 Huguenot Street (Avalon 1) and 40 Memorial Highway (Avalon 2). A FOIL response from the New Rochelle School District, which was CC’d to Mr. Richard E. Organisciak; Superintendent of Schools, exposed the actual number of school children. I bring these verified figures to your attention because Mayor Bramson asserted an incorrect number of students 18 months ago when he proclaimed a $2 million surplus from New Rochelle development then went into the witness protection program never responding to my challenge.
With the corroboration out of the way I present the hard, cold number of school children from Avalon 1 & Avalon 2 (see chart above).
The number used to calculate the tax burden is $20,000 per student, so if we multiply $20,000 X 115 students, the burden placed on New Rochelle taxpayers for the 2010 – 2011 school year is $2,300,000!
New Rochelle taxpayers must foot the bill for 115 students that amounts to $2,300,000 for two buildings developed with 30-year tax abatements. This is but one year of 30 with 20 plus years to go. Exacerbating this egregious school tax revenue loss is the fact that 18 months ago there were 80 school children from these same buildings so that’s a 44% increase in one school year and a nearly 100% increase over the “minor impact” of 58 students anticipated in the Avalon EIS* (Environmental Impact Study) done by Saccardi & Schiff, Inc., who is a political contributor to Mayor Bramson.
These studies, used by the IDA to grant tax abatements, grossly underestimate the burden on the school district, city services (police, fire & sanitation) and parking while artificially inflating benefits of sales tax, employment etc.
Figures based on undisputed facts don’t lie. Contrary to Bramson’s political rhetoric there is no benefit to New Rochelle development; all that exists is a titanic wedding cake with two candles pointing skyward, which can be used to chart a course home from the Throgs Neck Bridge. While Bramson attempts to hype New Rochelle development he only succeeds in revealing what a disaster he has created.
I am awaiting additional FOIL responses for Part 3, which will follow.
*pg. IV-195
C. Schools
Proposed School Age Children to be Generated
The Avalon on the Sound apartment community will have a minor impact on the City School District of New Rochelle with approximately 58 new public school children expected to reside within the completed project.
This article is the second article in a series.
- As New Rochelle’s 2011 Mayoral Election Looms, Bramson Ratchets Up Phony “net benefit” Claims for Downtown Development (Part I)
- Bramson’s Unsubstantiated Claims of New Rochelle Development Debunked (Part II)
- New Rochelle Mayor Bramson’s Voodoo Development Claims (Part III)
Avalon was not only a
Avalon was not only a finacial disaster but an asthetic one too. After the first tower was built, even Bramson admitted he wasn’t happy with the exterior of these buildings. He said they were “non-descript” if I remember correctly. Now we are stuck with another one of NRs screwups. Two ugly tax abated buildings. I liked the apartments that were there before better. Maybe if the city tried to build some nice looking low rise townhouses there we would be better off. Go down to First St and Fourth Ave in Pelham and look at the nice building they put up over there. If only we could get something like that in NR.
Wake Up New Rochelle
Wake up New Rochelle these political hacks are bleeding you dry. Mr. Galletta is too politically correct, to me the wedding cake and two candles looks more like a phallus and two testicles because we’ve been screwed. Vote them out in November.