Town Adopts 2008 Budget, Scrutinizes Myrtle Blvd Traffic

by Harriet Kline

(January 1, 2008) The Mamaroneck Town Board met on December 19 to formally adopt the 2008 budget and to tackle the issue of traffic flows at the Myrtle Boulevard, Murray Avenue and North Chatsworth Avenue intersection.

Also, although not discussed at their public meeting, minutes of the Board's December 6 work session provide an update on the high-rise apartment proposed by Forest City Daly.

2008 Budget - Quiet Passage

The Town 2008 Budget (see: Preliminary Budget Up 6%) was unanimously adopted. There had been little substantive discussion - and no citizen comment - since the public hearing on December 6. The only comments, and those were brief, had to do with whether or not the entire budget should be posted on the Town website in the future. (An overview is available on the site; see: Preliminary Town Budget 2008.) No decision was made on the matter, but the issue will be discussed as the 2009 budget is prepared in the fall.

Myrtle Boulevard Traffic Conundrum

Just before their regular meeting, the Town Board met with the Town Traffic Committee to discuss the new traffic light configuration at the Myrtle Boulevard, North Chatsworth Avenue and Murray Avenue intersection. The intersection was recently revamped in response to safety concerns voiced for many years by residents of the Washington Square area. A grant for the project had been obtained from the NY State Department of Transportation with help from US Congresswoman Nita Lowey.

However, while the changes address safety concerns of pedestrians at the intersection, they appear to have increased congestion of automobile traffic, especially in the morning and evening rush hours.

Phil Cimino, the Town’s consulting traffic engineer, was on hand to describe the complexity of the intersection and the impacts of the unexpected closing of the Weaver Street bridge and Con Edison’s gas leak repair work just as the new configuration became operational. He said that while the intention was to enable pedestrians to safely cross the intersection by eliminating the “turn on red” signs, the bridge and gas line work along with this change has resulted in backups on the Chatsworth bridge linking the Town and the Village of Larchmont.

Several residents were on hand to discuss their concerns and offer some suggestions for improvement. Sam Orans suggested that a red arrow be installed to prevent autos from entering the intersection at the time pedestrians were observing the “walk” signs. Similar signage is being used successfully at some midtown Manhattan intersections, he noted.

By the end of the discussion, more than a dozen suggestions had been proposed to mitigate the situation. There was also agreement on the need to wait patiently until Con Edison has completed its road work – work that, unfortunately, is dependent on several consecutive days of 40 degree weather. Once work is finished and underground traffic detectors are operational, the situation can again be assessed and proposed solutions evaluated.

Where is the New Myrtle Avenue Parking Lot & Madison Avenue High-Rise?

Residents who followed the sometimes controversial permit process for a proposed multi-story apartment building on Madison Avenue may wonder why they have yet to see any signs of construction. (See: FCD Apartment Gets Board Approval.) The mystery is somewhat clarified by minutes of a Town Board’s December 6 work session.

In October 2006, Forest City Daly-Mamaroneck LLC was granted a special permit to construct an eight-story apartment building on Madison Avenue. The agreement with Mamaroneck Town also included FCD-Mamaroneck’s promise to build a two-story parking garage on Myrtle Boulevard.

Minutes from the December 6 work session indicate that this permit expires on April 18, 2008. David Levet, FCD-Mamaroneck representative, appeared at the session and told the Board that because of current real estate market conditions, the developer cannot go forward with the construction at this time. The minutes further indicate that FCD-Mamaroneck asked the Town for a 36-month extension on the permit.

Board members were willing to entertain the extension proposal on the condition that a firm date would be set for the completion of the parking garage. In addition, an agreement was forged that would apply a month-by-month penalty for failure to complete the garage on time. For every month delay in finishing the garage, one month would be deducted from the 36-month extension on FCD-Mamaroneck’s permit to construct the apartment building.

As next steps, Town Counsel Bill Maker will draft an amendment to the special permit, FCD will review four construction bids, and a public hearing will be scheduled to discuss the proposed amendment to the permit.

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