A QUICK UPDATE ON THE FINKELSTEIN SITE---TROVE OF DOCUMENTS RECEIVED FROM THE VILLAGE, MORE TO COME SOON

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short EVERYTHING CROTON.

MICHAEL BALTER SAYS:

PLEASE NOTE: REVISED WITH ADDITIONAL INFO

As folks here know, I have been reporting for some time on the sale of the Finkelstein site to a trio of partners led by Monday Properties.

I am just now receiving a trove of documents from the village requested via the New York Freedom of Information Law.

These documents indicate that the village has been aware since February 2022 that the buyers desired to have the site rezoned to accommodate a mixed commercial and residential development. The figure of 300 apartment units which has been rumored for many months is in fact one that the village discussed with the presumptive developers, as an upper limit if the amount of commercial space was limited. (Village engineer Dan O’Connor did the calculation of what the property could handle in terms of housing density.)

There is some interesting history to how all this came about that I will get into in the full report.

The village has worked with the developers to help develop their plans and it is clear from the documents that this cooperation from the village was key to the final decision of the partners to go ahead with the purchase of the property, for a fairly stunning price tag of $23,800,000.

Those most closely involved in this include Mayor Brian Pugh, village manager Bryan Healy, (former) Trustee Ann Gallelli, and village engineer Dan O’Connor. 

(Village engineer Dan O’Connor did the calculation of what the property could handle in terms of housing density; the exact number was 292 units.)

All of this is well documented. I have more reporting to do, including interviews with the principals, and then will prepare a detailed report for The Croton Chronicle for sometime late next week.

An important aspect of all this is that village officials have clearly not been forthcoming about what they knew and when they knew it about the buyer’s plans for the property. This lack of transparency does nothing but breed distrust between the people of Croton and its government.

No matter what one’s views on housing, affordable housing, the future of the village, etc., I hope we can all agree that we have a right to be kept fully informed at all times about things that affect us all and the village we call home.

HAMAS SAYS ITS MILITANTS KILLED 3 PEOPLE AT JERUSALEM BUS STOP

Hamas says its militants killed three people at Jerusalem bus stop--Story by By Ibrahim Dahman and Eyad Kourdi, CNN • 7h

Hamas said the attackers behind a Jerusalem bus stop shooting that killed three people on Thursday were members of its military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades.  Seven people were also injured after the two attackers, identified by Hamas as two brothers, opened fire on a group of people in Jerusalem, authorities said. Read more at Hamas says its militants killed three people at Jerusalem bus stop (msn.com)

MICHAEL BALTER--CROTON CHRONICLE--WHOSE BOAT IS THIS?

Welcome to The New Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short EVERYTHING CROTON.

MICHAEL BALTER--CROTON CHRONICLE

Whose boat is this?

A mystery sailboat has been moored off Croton Point Park for about a month. Who does it belong to and why is it there? Authorities have been alerted, but so far no one is in a rush to do anything.

MICHAEL BALTER----READ MORE AT THE CROTON CHRONICLEWhose boat is this? - by Michael Balter (substack.com)

MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSE TELLS STUDENTS TO EXPLORE SEXUAL IDENTIES, UNDERSTAND THE POLITICS OF PRIVILEGE

EXCLUSIVE: Middle School Course Tells Students To Explore Sexual Identities, ‘Understand The Politics Of Privilege’....excerpted One class offered to middle schoolers aims to help students “develop a greater understanding of their own race, class, gender and sexual identities.” Students as young as 11 who take the course will “understand the politics of privilege” including “historical reasons for structural racism, classism and discrimination. MORE AT EXCLUSIVE: Middle School Course Tells Students To Explore Sexual Identities, ‘Understand The Politics Of Privilege’ | The Daily Caller

KRISTIN TATE---CORPORATE WOKE-ISM IS DYING

During the mass psychosis that seemed to overtake our country after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and then with the onset of the pandemic, government agencies and corporations fell over themselves to show their worthiness to those preaching “woke” ideology. “DEI” and “ESG” became new acronyms, with the opening of diversity, equity and inclusion offices and the trend toward environmental, social and governance investing.

For several years, the zeitgeist pointed in a decidedly left-wing direction. But in the past few years, ESG investing has fallen into serious decline, as the veneer of “corporate responsibility” hit a solid wall. It turns out that such virtue signaling is not only rejected by many consumers but also unprofitable.

Put simply, corporate wokeness is dying. Read more at Corporate Woke-ism is Dying (msn.com)

THE HINDENBERG IN 3-D---AN AMAZING PHOTO ARCHIVE

FROM Leo Boudrea===At 804-feet-long and 135-feet-tall, the Hindenburg was the largest airship ever built. It was built for luxury and it could take passengers across the Atlantic quicker and cheaper than ocean liners. It had a dining room, library, lounge with a grand piano, a smoking room and private cabins and it could hold more than 70 passengers. A promenade on each side of the airship had wall-sized windows that opened so that passengers could watch the scenery throughout their trip and enjoy the ocean breeze. READ AND SEE MORE AT The Hindenburg in 3-D | Flickr