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Residents press Greenburgh board for on‑site review after notice of fence removal and to move forward on Taxter Road sidewalk
Summary
Multiple Edgemont residents urged the Town Board to meet in person with commissioners about plans to remove a fence and to finalize a promised Taxter Road sidewalk, citing safety, missing variances in a nearby Knowles project and requests for clearer notice and technical review.
Residents of Edgemont told the Town Board of Greenburgh on Feb. 11 that a planned removal of a backyard fence and a long‑promised Taxter Road sidewalk require more direct engagement before any final action.
Donald Siegel, who said 24 neighbors signed a petition opposing the fence removal, asked the board to “meet with the commissioners and the chief of police ... in real time, not some Zoom or Teams meeting for at least an hour” and to hear a PowerPoint and data the neighbors compiled. Siegel argued the town’s desktop traffic report contained errors and warned removing vegetation and fencing could worsen driving speeds and safety conditions for nearby homes.
The concern grew into a larger safety debate about Taxter Road, where residents and the Edgemont Community Council said lack of sidewalks and sight‑line obstructions put pedestrians and schoolchildren at risk. Joseph O’Neil, an Edgemont resident for nearly 70 years, urged the board to install signage and other traffic controls near the pond and school crossings. Neil Grunstein, president of the East Irvington Civic Association, told the board: “It’s only a matter of time before something horrible happens,” citing a recent head‑on crash and a petition supporting the sidewalk.
Supervisor Paul Feiner said the town takes pedestrian safety seriously and said the board has added sidewalks to budgets and prioritized them historically, calling safety “nothing more important than life.” At the same time, other board members cautioned that recent fiscal findings have tightened available funds and that some residents worry about the burden of snow removal on private homeowners if sidewalks are built.
To move the discussion forward, board members proposed a two‑step approach: a preliminary Zoom briefing to review resident materials followed by a committed on‑site visit when conditions permit, with a promise that no final decision would be made before an on‑site review. Several residents pressed for the town to arrange both a technical review by traffic experts and a visible site inspection that includes commissioners, police and school district representatives.
The board agreed to place the Taxter Road sidewalk matter on the next work‑session agenda in two weeks and to coordinate follow‑up meetings; residents asked the board to ensure complete and accurate application materials for land‑use items such as the Knowles project before public hearings.
The public‑comment portion of the meeting closed with the board pledging follow‑up: a virtual meeting to review materials, a commitment to an on‑site visit when safe, and a work‑session discussion on the sidewalk funding and implementation schedule.
