January 23 Meeting and Initial Response from National Resources

On Thursday, January 23 a few members of the LPRA Board were able to have an introductory Zoom meeting with i.Park Riverdale. Lynne Ward, Head of National Resources, participated with a full team, as did the City of Yonkers Commissioner of the Planning & Development Department, Carolina Fonseca and Planning Director, Jaime Martinez. 

Participating for the Ludlow Park Residents Association were Jane Barker, President; Eileen O'Connor, Vice President; and Ruth Montgomery, Board Member.  Our goal was to persuade i.Park Riverdale to schedule a community meeting so they can introduce residents to the specifics of their plans and provide a forum for residents to ask questions.  The goal being for residents to have a full understanding of their proposal.

Just prior to our meeting, i.Park Riverdale sent the following response to the letter the LPRA submitted to the CIty Council, outlining how they will be addressing the stated concerns.  Much of the Zoom meeting was spent discussing these issues.

Click on the image below to read the memo that attempts to address the concerns listed in the LPRA letter.  The red text marks i.Park Riverdale's responses to the LPRA concerns that appear in black text.

LPRA Actions to Date

• LPRA Letter Presented to the City of Yonkers Planning Board (December 11, 2024)
  
  

Summary: LPRA told the Planning Board that this project will negatively impact our neighborhood and character. Our concerns include:  traffic congestion, street safety, and radically altered views of the property shorn of its old-growth trees lining Valentine Lane. Our environmental concerns include erosion, stormwater runoff exacerbating local flooding, long shadows in winter months, increased light pollution from on-site lighting, construction related health issues arising from local lead contaminated soils, and inattention to the potential for archaeological finds. LPRA requested that a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) be prepared for this project, as required for TYPE I Actions.  We requested a community meeting with National Resources to address concerns about the project’s scale, traffic, and environmental impacts.

• Email and Flyer delivered to neighbors asking that they send comments to the Planning Board

• Police Community Meeting December 18, 2024

We highlighted our concerns as it relates to the Police Department and alerted neighbors to the issue. We specifically highlighted our concerns over increased traffic around the schools and the negative impact this would have on pedestrians. Several residents voiced their concerns upon learning about the project and expressed irritation at the lack of transparency by the City of Yonkers. At the meeting Representative Lakisha Collins-Bellamy, City Council President, and Corazon Pineda-Isaac, Second District Councilperson encouraged residents to reach out to them in emails.

Current Status

The Planning Board has recommended that the City Council amend the City’s Zoning Ordinance to add a “Planned Film and Educational Development” use to the MG District zoning that applies to the property.  The current MG district precludes the construction of film studios and the other commercial projects proposed by National Resources, thus their need for the change to the Zoning Ordinance. The City Council has received this recommendation and has held a public hearing. You can watch the hearing (Public Hearing 1, January 28, 2025) at https://view.earthchannel.com/PlayerController.aspx?&PGD=ynkny&eID=2894. As of 2/2/2005, the proposed amendment is still being considered by the Council's Real Estate Committee and a vote by the Council is not yet scheduled.

If this change to the Zoning Ordinance passes, National Resources will apply for the Special Use Permit and submit their detailed plans for a Site Plan review. The Planning Board will hold a hearing before approving the Site Plan and if approved the project will go to the Yonkers City Council for final approval.  The City Council will hold its own hearing before its final vote.