Supervisor Reese Berman Town Board Members North Castle Town Hall 15 Bedford Road Armonk, NY 10504
Re: Sale of 48 Chestnut Ridge Road by Town of North Castle
Dear Supervisor Berman and Town Board Members:
I am writing to voice my strong objection to the Town Board’s plan to sell the two acre lot at 48 Chestnut Ridge Road. This property is open space that has been owned by the town for years. It is located on a relatively undeveloped section of Chestnut Ridge Road close to Westmoreland Sanctuary. The property is part of an important biotic corridor that runs along the east side of I-684. The property is heavily used by wildlife in the area as evidenced by the numerous animal tracks including those of the bobcats that live in the immediate vicinity.
The current administration was elected on a platform of preserving the Town’s open space. Yet now you are talking about selling town open space for development. I am puzzled by this contradiction as well as another. Recently, the Town spent $20,000 to study the biotic corridor that runs along the west side of I-684. At the same time, the Town Board is discussing paying an outside consultant $20,000 to study developing a parcel located in the biotic corridor on the east side of I-684. How do you explain this disconnect in your actions?
It is bad fiscal policy to sell off our open space to help balance the budget. Former Supervisor John Lombardi proposed selling 48 Chestnut Ridge Road for the same purpose several years ago. At that time, the Open Space Committee, of which I was co-chair, blocked the sale of the property. The current Open Space Committee continues to object to the sale of the property. Are you going to ignore their advice and embrace the ideas of a previous administration? If so, what kind of message does this send?
In closing, I would like to remind the Town Board, that 48 Chestnut Ridge Road belongs to the people of North Castle, not the Town Board. If the Town Board proposes to sell this property, then the people of North Castle must be allowed to vote on this matter.
