Dog Park in Ludlow Park

Planning Commissioner Jeffrey Williams made good on his promise to investigate why our Dog Park proposal is not moving forward. He took some time to assemble a comprehensive overview of the NYS DOT processes regarding this matter. The following outlines the approval process required by NYS DOT Region 8 for the use of their property:

1) Submission of Request – The NYS DOT needs a description of the property being requested for use including a location map, tax parcel information, dimensions of the property, proposed use of the property, and any proposed improvements to the area (fencing, paving, etc.)

2) Research and Recommendation on Request – The submitted request will be internally circulated to departments within the NYS DOT Region 8 offices for comment, calculation of the fee for use (see below), and recommendation on request.

3) Regional Director Approval – Upon completion of the departmental review by NYS DOT Region 8, and a finding of no objections to the request, the Region 8 Director will approve the request and issue a Use and Occupancy Permit. This permit is a 30 day permit that has an automatically monthly renewal, but is also revocable with a 30 day notice.

4) Associated Fees – NYS DOT requires a fee for the use of their property. The fee is based upon a percentage of the property’s land value. Typically, this fee is 10% of the land value per year. A waiver of the fee can be requested, with a stronger deference for its waiving if the City of Yonkers requests the waiver. Given the City current financial state, we would be unable to pay for the property use fee if it is not waived.

In his conversations with the NYS DOT Region 8 Real Estate Group staff, they indicated this process can take up to three months from request submission to approval. He'll be finding out if we can request the waiving of the associated permit fee at the time of the request submission to NYS DOT Region 8. He'll soon be setting up a meeting with us to supply to the City the details related to site treatment (fencing, paving, etc.). KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED!

Kathe