Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Zoning Mg Special Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Yonkers residents urge delay, greater transparency on proposed Ludlow Park film studios
Summary
Several Ludlow Park residents pressed the Yonkers City Council for a community meeting and environmental review before a zoning change that would allow film studios in an MG district advances; health, traffic and transparency concerns were central.
Residents of Ludlow Park told the Yonkers City Council on Feb. 11 that they want more time, clearer information and a formal community meeting before the council advances a zoning change to add a special-use permit for film studios in the MG zoning district.
The speakers’ central concern was process: they said the city and the project developer have not provided adequate advance notice or materials, and they asked the council to halt any vote until the community has been fully informed. "The thrust of my remarks is really about the way this whole project has been handled vis a vis the community, and the lack of trust that has been built up," said Ruth Montgomery of 7 Fairfield Place. Montgomery said she had been told by Majority Leader Rubo that he would not vote to approve the special-use permit unless community concerns were satisfactorily addressed.
Why it matters: Residents said the proposal could change a largely residential area into a more industrial zone and could affect air quality, traffic and neighborhood character. Several speakers asked the city to involve outside regulators and to hold a properly noticed community meeting so residents can review detailed site plans and mitigation commitments.
During the public comment period, residents said a developer-led tour of the site that drew about 30 people did not substitute for a community meeting. "If we had billed that as a community meeting, I'm sure we would have had many, many more people," said Eileen O'Connor of 71 Valentine Lane, who said she was "thankful that it's not gonna be voted on" at this meeting.
Public-health concerns were raised by Dr. Robert Marl, a family physician who said Southwest Yonkers is officially designated a "disadvantaged community" under a recent New York State constitutional change and urged review by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. "When you have a disadvantaged community ... the most important part of this is the question of what does the health look like in that community? Will it be worsened by a project?" he said, asking that state environmental authorities evaluate whether large production facilities and associated truck traffic could make existing health disparities worse.
Other residents described potential traffic impacts from an expanded campus. A speaker identifying himself as Sparrow of 63 Sunnyside Drive said the area already sees increased school-bus traffic and that the site's current zoning allows low-density housing ("possibly 1,200 units on the site," he said), but that adding a variance to accommodate studios would effectively create an industrial overlay in the neighborhood. Philip Armstrong, 50 Landscape Avenue, warned the five studios proposed now could be only the first phase: "This is only the first step in this development," he said, and predicted further redevelopment after a zoning change.
What residents asked for: multiple speakers requested a council-organized community meeting with clearly presented site plans and the chance for two-way discussion. They also asked that environmental and traffic impacts be evaluated by appropriate agencies and that the city explicitly disclose how the site could be used beyond the initial studio buildings.
Council action at the meeting did not include a vote on the zoning change. The public comment segment on this project concluded before the council proceeded to the regular agenda and votes later in the evening.
