I have watched the debate over Form Based Code (FBC) here in
New Castle with a combination of bewilderment, amazement, amusement, and now,
disappointment. I served 12 years, 4
terms on the Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education. When my service on the Board was over, I
vowed to myself that I would keep a low profile and stay out of school and Town
issues. I can no longer remain silent.
Form Based Code is a solution to a problem for sure, just
not the problem the Town Board seems to be using as the excuse for the
proposal. When I first heard about the
idea, I had to look up the political party of the Board members supporting the
idea. FBC, as proposed here for the Town
of New Castle is a transfer of wealth from the taxpayers to the real estate
owners and developers. It is an idea
that usually a republican could love. Instead,
it is the democrats supporting it. The
local republicans oppose it. Politics makes for strange bedfellows indeed.
Why would a progressive democratic administration support
easy development and profits for landlords and developers at the expense of
current taxpayers? Actually, it is worse
than that. The Town is using the CCSD
taxpayer to pay for this change. This election, while about electing a new
Supervisor and Board members, is really about the schools. It is about
protecting the CCSD taxpayer and more importantly, the CCSD students. It is about protecting your real estate values.
I have heard that it is a backdoor way to get affordable
housing. If so, why not just partner
with a specific developer on a specific plot of land and build affordable
housing? I think Conifer did it here in
Town and as far as I can tell, it is working.
The building, hard by the Saw Mill and the Metro North tracks is fully
rented. The affordable housing at
Chappaqua Crossing is fully rented. I am not aware of any issues.
The solution for more affordable housing is directly build
more affordable housing. The solution
for making it less bureaucratic and less time consuming for developers and
landlords is to directly address the rules and regulations that are the
hinderance. The Town's Zoning Board and Architectural Review Board do serve a purpose. Yet, here we are with the
Town government trying, allegedly, to backdoor affordable housing as if it
needs to be snuck in the back door. It
does not. The success of the other
affordable housing properties in Town is evidence of how the residents of
Chappaqua will not only support an affordable housing development, they will
embrace it.
Town elected officials know that the residents, the
constituents, the taxpayers, and anyone I missed do not want this sweeping change. It is clear to me from watching Town meetings,
from driving around town, from reading social media, from talking to individual
residents, and from reading the submissions to the FGEIS that a super majority
of the Town opposes this change.
I watch this FBC developing, and I ask myself why the hurry,
why the need to accept an incomplete and inaccurate FGEIS? Why are 3 of the 4 members of the Town Board
in such a hurry to pass and implement this prior to the results of and seating
of the newly elected Supervisor and Board Members? The only explanation I can come up with is
that they do not believe there is universal support for the idea. They are trying to jam it in before it can be
stopped.
Common sense says the exact opposite should be
happening. The upcoming election should
be used as a proxy for what the residents want.
Instead, the Town Board is trying to make it moot. Why?
Either they are worried that the idea will be stopped in the voting
booth or there is some other incentive for why they are pushing for FBC. The rumors of a political quid pro quo are
rampant. I am not so cynical as to believe
that, but I am also not so naïve as to believe it could not be possible.
As I said previously, I served 12 years on the CCSD Board of
Education. The operable word is served. While I was elected to use my good judgement
and expertise, it was in service to the district and the taxpayers of the
district. It appears as if the Town
Board does not appreciate that they serve the community. They appear to be serving their own interests
or worse, special interests. Politicians
being politicians.
The Town Board knows that this will likely have a large
impact on the CCSD budget and taxpayer.
90+% of New Castle taxpayers are also taxpayers to the CCSD. The environmental impact studies highlight
this. You cannot add hundreds (or more)
of students to the schools without materially forcing an increase in the CCSD’s
budget and thus raising taxes. It is
disingenuous of the Town Board to not consider the effect on the CCSD taxpayer
when the overlap is so material.
The Town is very intentionally and clearly shifting a tax
burden that results from one of their decisions onto the schools. Then they can say that they did not raise taxes, the schools did. What is even more surprising and
disappointing to me, one of the candidates for Supervisor is a one-term member
of the School Board that has stated she now supports the FBC (after previously
voicing her objections based on the reasons above) and the burden being shifted
to the schools. A four-term member of
the school board feels so strongly about the issue that she has agreed to run
for the Town Board. I served with both. One of them was the President of the PTA, a
Harvard Law School Graduate (Barnard undergrad), and, again, a four-term school
board member. While I did not always
agree with her, what I learned during our many overlapping years is that she is
the most dedicated person serving both the schools and the Town.
I moved to Chappaqua over 22 years ago for four
reasons. One, the schools. Two, the schools. Three, the schools. Four, the small-town atmosphere. From my years of serving on the school board,
those are the reasons I heard that most of the residents moved here. I cannot believe that anyone moved here
hoping that the town would become materially more commercial, materially more
crowded, and the school taxes would be raised even more than they would be
otherwise. Yet, the Town Board persists. Who do they serve?
Whether the Town Board wants it or not, this election has
become a proxy for the resident’s approval of the FBC AND the resident’s
approval of the process and the way the Town Board has pursued this policy. I urge you to educate yourself on the FBC
issue, on the candidates, and on the opinions of the residents regarding the
FBC. Then, take the time to go
vote.
One group of candidates has a local political machine with
its own agenda separate from the resident’s agenda that can turnout the
vote. The other group of candidates have
the interests of all the residents in mind.
Let’s Unite New Castle, not divide it.
In an election that has no State or national candidates on
the ballot, EVERY vote counts. I urge
you to vote. Early voting has
begun. Election day is days away. Get out and vote.
