The Potential of Mount Vernon: A Turnaround and Rebirth

**The following are remarks as prepared for delivery by Mayor Richard Thomas, Fleetwood Neighborhood Association Meeting, Riverside Memorial Chapel, January 31, 2018

Great to see everyone. Thank you all for coming out tonight.

One person is missing — Bill Cappello. Normally, he would be up front. He’s not feeling well. I talked to him earlier. We were on the phone for about an hour. This will be shorter. I promise.

First, we talked about the potential of Mount Vernon; for a turnaround and rebirth. Millennials, seniors and businesses all want transit-oriented communities. Mount Vernon has three train stations — no one else has that. Investors are looking at us and that is a positive sign.

But to get the kind of investment we want and need requires planning. New development helps merchants; lowers property taxes; improves quality of life. But it also means construction inconvenience and traffic and parking concerns.

Planning is how we get the right balance — growth that’s smart and sustainable. On the planning front our Comprehensive Plan is moving forward finally. The administration has dedicated money to getting the comprehensive plan going. It’s an essential tool because it provides the road map for smart growth.

The City Council is supposed to pay half, but we’re not going to wait. No more delays. On the subject of waiting, please tell the City Council to pass the cable contract. A new contract will mean new equipment to improve service, provide local access programs, and lower rates for seniors. Delays cost you money.

Neighborhoods like Fleetwood need more than the big picture. They also need the particulars of developments like 42 West Broad Street. Let me address the two key concerns I’m hearing. The first is taxes. There is no tax break. When complete, the developer pays the full property tax bill. There will be no payment in lieu of taxes or PILOT.

PILOTs are in the news because the school district keeps suing the city and IDA. This is crazy. It’s like suing yourself. It’s taking money out of different pockets of the same pair of pants. Everyone loses except the school board’s lawyers.

In the case of the Enclave, the IDA did authorize a PILOT. But only after an analysis by a third-party Columbia professor found that the benefits like jobs, amenities, stores and economic activity would outweigh the cost of the incentives.

The city certainly understands the financial pressures the school district is facing. The city faces the same ones every day. But, the answer is not to waste money on lawyers battling over a shrinking pie. The answer is to grow the pie.

My goal is to grow our local economy, so we can lift the burden on taxpayers, and that means ending the completely counterproductive litigation with the schools. Growth can certainly cause inconvenience, which means traffic and parking. There’s a developer’s fund that may help.

Now is the time to hear from residents and merchants and work with the City Council on how best to use those funds. We are also looking at ways the city can create more parking. Smart growth requires a dialogue.

Finally, let me tell you that we are turning the corner on progress. Results are happening around the city. Here’s the most recent example. After years of neglect, last Friday we started the cleanup of the Department of Public Works yard.

When we are done, the city will not only be in compliance with all federal environmental regulations, but in the process, we will have opened up 20 acres of city property for fields and pedestrian walkways along the Hutchinson River.

Realizing our potential by planning smartly and paying attention to the particulars is how we make progress on moving Mount Vernon.

Originally Published in The Westchester County Press — February 6, 2018