1,400 Cars or Flooding Mitigation? You Decide – November 30th

Incoming Rye Councilman Richard Filippi shared the following update with MyRye.com on an important hearing that will impact the Blind Brook watershed and flooding in Rye:

November 30th there is a public hearing in the town of New Castle at 7:00pm at the Whippoorwill Library that is important for many Rye residents to attend or face increased flooding.

Current Situation

While the airport is limited by strict regulations, the open land surrounding the airport IS NOT. There is an individual who owns property near the airport who has a proposal to develop his land for a two story parking garage for 1,400 cars.   His development must go through the zoning process in New Castle , and get exceptions to some of the wetlands usage requirements as well as a zoning change for the land usage. The first hurdle is to get approval from the Armonk/New Castle Planning commission. The hearing is on Nov 30th.

The fact is that citizens have worked very hard to prevent the airport from becoming a more regional hub and commercial area.

The Sierra Club, as well as the Airport Citizens Advisory Committee is determined to keep the airport to its agreement that there will not be heavier planes, expanded runways, more run off and development in a critical watershed.

This project is an attempt to end run the regulations against expanding parking. Parking is one of the key components preventing the expansion of the airport. If 1400 additional cars can park, then the airport will have the availability to meet demand, because there is parking . Of course, the issue is also paving a watershed area that runs into Blindbrook.

History

There is a long history with the County, and as both Suzi Oppenheimer and George Latimer explained, that the airport is not intended to become a viable option beyond a small county airport. When the County legislators voted to let it expand 7 years ago, it was with strict limitations on runways, parking and usage. The intent is to not allow it to become viable regional airport serving anyone who would rather fly out of White Plains than Bradley or

LGA.  A critical component of what stops further growth is the limit on parking, and there are strict rules in place that the airport must abide by. The primary concern about growth is that the airport sits in the watershed that  provides water to  9 million people. Of course, it is important to us for flooding.