REJECTION OF WHITE PLAINS TRAIN PLAZA RFQ

By Dennis J. Power

I, together with Council President Malmud and Council Members Boykin and Roach, submitted the following Op Ed Article to the White Plains Times and other media publications, rejecting the Train Plaza RFQ.

At the June 10, 2007 Common Council Meeting, Louis Cappelli, in recognition of the stated opposition of the Council majority, withdrew his request for an exclusive right to redevelop City-owned land at the White Plains train station.

We, the undersigned Council Members, opposed the exclusivity agreement for a number of reasons. By agreeing to limit potential suitors for the site for a lengthy time, market forces would be eliminated resulting in a reduced return for the City, both financially and in terms of the nature and quality of the development. By opening the process to other developers and obtaining citizen input for our hometown vision, we can encourage ideas more in keeping with our current infrastructure and the nearby residential neighborhoods and the Bronx River parkland.

We were stunned when, at the conclusion of the August 23 Council Work Session, we were presented with a "Request for Qualifications" (RFQ) for redevelopment of the train station area. This document is essentially the rejected exclusivity agreement in new clothing. Boykin, Power, Roach, and Malmud (the only four Council Members present at the meeting with the Mayor) were neither consulted nor asked for input. In fact, the item was not even listed on the agenda. A brief inquiry that night resulted in our being informed that the RFQ would be distributed immediately.

The Mayor's blueprint for the process of redeveloping the area at the train station is flawed in a number of respects. Under the Mayor's proposal, the City would commit to a developer without consideration of any actual plan. Under the terms of the Mayor's proposal, any City official would be prohibited from even discussing alternative proposals with interested parties. This restrictive approach, while clearly favorable to the selected developer, removes much of the City's leverage in controlling what is developed at the site and works against achieving an optimum result for our residents. The RFQ does not even require a proposed land sale price. By entering into this process, we would be waiving our right to compare competing proposals to ensure that the project selected is the best possible. Let us focus instead on the needs of our City rather than a developer's demands.

It is not in anyone's interest to embark on a lengthy process which will cause individuals and the City to expend money and time if there is no hope that a satisfactory conclusion will be reached. We therefore publicly and unequivocally state our opposition to this process. We serve notice that we do not support the RFQ recently released by the Mayor's office through the Commissioner of Planning and will avail ourselves of all measures at our disposal to bring this ill-considered proposal to a quick end.

The land we are discussing, some of the most valuable real estate in the metropolitan area, is currently owned by the people of the City of White Plains. The decision on how or whether the land should be further developed must be considered from the perspective of their benefit alone. There is no urgency on the part of the City, and allowing others to create a false sense of urgency does not serve our interests. A careful and reasoned approach, with input from our residents is what is required. The RFQ process unilaterally put in place by the Mayor does not serve that purpose.

Respectfully submitted,

Council President Rita Malmud, Councilman Benjamin Boykin, Councilman Dennis Power, Councilman Thomas Roach