JOEL GINGOLD'S REMARKS TO THE VILLAGE BOARD 7/24/24, REGARDING THEIR APPROVAL OF THE 1 HALF MOON BAY HOUSING

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JOEL GINGOLD'S REMARKS TO THE VILLAGE BOARD 7/24/24, REGARDING THEIR APPROVAL OF THE 1 HALF MOON BAY HOUSING 

GOOD EVENING - JOEL GINGOLD, 55 NORDICA DRIVE

THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT TONIGHT

I HAVE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS TO THE BOARD, AND WILL ONLY ATTEMPT TO SUMMARIZE THEM HERE

I HAVE LIVED IN CROTON SINCE 1943, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN THOSE 80+ YEARS THAT I FEAR FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THE CHARACTER OF OUR VILLAGE

THIS BOARD HAS APPROVED, OR IS CONSIDERING, OVER 450 NEW DWELLING UNITS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS – THIS COULD MEAN 500 OR 1,000 OR MORE NEW RESIDENTS IN OUR VILLAGE, PLUS SEVERAL HUNDRED ADDITIONAL VEHICLES

TO COMPOUND THE PROBLEM, THE BOARD REFUSES TO LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF ITS CONSTITUENTS OR WORSE, QUESTIONS THEIR MOTIVES 

IF, BY MY COMMENTS, YOU CHOOSE TO LABEL ME RACIST, OR CLASSIST, OR NIMBYIST OR ANY OTHER “IST,”, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO, BUT MY CONCERNS ARE TOTALLY FOCUSED ON THE WELL-BEING OF THE VILLAGE IN WHICH I HAVE DWELT, AND TO WHICH I HAVE CONTRIBUTED, SINCE LONG BEFORE ANY OF YOU WERE BORN

THERE ARE 5 MAJOR HOUSING PROJECTS APPROVED OR UNDER CONSIDERATION AND NUMEROUS SMALLER ONES, INCLUDING ACCESSORY APARTMENTS

WHILE THE IMPACT OF EACH INDIVIDUAL PROJECT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN CROTON MAY BE NEGLIGIBLE, TAKEN AS A WHOLE, RED FLAGS FLY UP IN A VARIETY OF AREAS

YET, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS AS TO HOW WE ARE TO ABSORB THIS TOTAL ONSLAUGHT AND HOW WE ARE TO INTEGRATE ALL OF THESE FOLKS INTO OUR COMMUNITY. 

THE REAL QUESTION IS THAT WE DO NOT KNOW IF ALL OF THIS MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT WILL ALTER THE NATURE OF OUR COMMUNITY. BE IT VILLAGE SERVICES, PARKING, TRAFFIC, PARKS, RECREATION, SCHOOL POPULATION, ETC. 

IS IT NOT LOGICAL THEN TO PHASE THEM IN SLOWLY OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS AND SEE FIRST-HAND WHAT, IF ANY, IMPACT EACH OF THEM MAY HAVE ON THE QUALITY OF OUR LIVES BEFORE AUTHORIZING THE NEXT ONE?

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE LISTEN TO US!   SLOW DOWN THIS PROCESS!

THE 1HMB PROJECT IS A CASE IN POINT

THEY HAVE ASKED FOR CHANGES IN ZONING REGULATIONS AND HAVE COMPLETELY TRASHED THE VILLAGE’S CONCEPT OF TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT. IF THIS IS TRULY A TOD PROJECT, WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE A MOTORIZED SHUTTLE TO THE STATION?

AS THE VILLAGE MANAGER SO COGENTLY POINTED OUT, BECAUSE OF THESE REQUESTED CHANGES, YOU HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO EVEN CONSIDER THE PROJECT – RIGHT HERE, TONIGHT, YOU CAN JUST SAY NO!

AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THE REAL REASON THEY ARE PROPOSING 280 APARTMENTS, RATHER THAN RE-RENTING THE WAREHOUSE, IS THAT THEY WILL MAKE A LOT MORE MONEY THAT WAY, IF ONLY YOU WILL BOW TO THEIR DEMANDS

WE ARE MEETING IN A ROOM DEDICATED TO GEORGIANA GRANT. I KNEW GEORGIANA WHEN SHE WAS ON THE BOARD AND, WHILE I MAY NOT HAVE AGREED WITH HER 100% OF THE TIME, I KNEW THAT GEORGIANA TRULY CARED ABOUT HER CONSTITUENTS AND ABOUT OUR VILLAGE. I FIND THAT SUCH EMPATHY HAS BEEN ABSENT SINCE SHE STEPPED DOWN

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LISTEN TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS! THESE ARE NOT IDLE COMPLAINTS, BUT HEART-FELT PLEAS TO MAINTAIN THE CHARACTER OF OUR VILLAGE.    DESPITE THE OFFICES YOU HOLD, YOU DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE ALL OF THE ANSWERS. THE COLLECTIVE VOICE OF CROTON SAYS: “SLOW DOWN!” AND MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THAT COLLECTIVE VOICE MAY BE CORRECT. 

DELAY ALL PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT ALREADY FINALLY APPROVED. DO NOT TAKE ANY ACTIONS NOW THAT WE MAY ALL REGRET IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

DO NOT TARNISH THE MEMORY OF GEORGIANA GRANT

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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