THE FOLLOWING LETTER FROM JOEL GINGOLD WAS SENT TO THE CROTON BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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July 21, 2024

To the Editor,

The following was sent to all members of the Croton Village Board:

To the Village Board,

I hope this finds you all well.

I have lived in Croton since 1943, long before any of you were born. In those 80+ years, I have seen Croton grow from a railroad town of less than 3,000 residents to a thriving community of 8,300. Many changes occurred during that period, some for the better and others we wish had not happened. But, regardless of what ensued, the basic character of our village remained pretty much the same. The nature and spirit, and, yes, quirkiness, of the Croton in which I grew up and in which I chose to raise my own children, was that of a unique, small, tight-knit village, perhaps somewhat overly romanticized, but still a comfortable, consistent, and often exciting place for me and my family to dwell. But, now, after eight decades of residence, I fear for the future of our community. And it is a number of recent events that have prompted this unease.

In the recent past, this board has approved, or agreed to consider, over 450 new dwelling units which will bring 500-1,000 or more new residents, and hundreds of additional vehicles, to our community over the next several years. I have not heard any serious discussion as to how we are to absorb this onslaught and how we are to integrate all of these folks into our community. But worse than that, the voices of the community do not seem to have been heard, or at least taken seriously.

Some years ago, the board circulated a survey in connection with the rezoning of Riverside Avenue and environs.

We received numerous pleas to complete the survey and over 1,400 replies were submitted, an astounding number. And 68% of respondents clearly stated that they did not want any additional housing in the area.

A series of three public hearings was held on the issue, and I estimate that 85-90% those commenting were also opposed to new housing developments. So what did the board do? With almost no further discussion with the community, it approved the 33 new affordable units on Maple Street.

Do we need such housing in Croton? Of course we do. But in light of the strong and widespread opposition to such housing, it became incumbent on the board to make the case for it and convince village residents that it was the right way to proceed. The board did no such thing. It was easier and more efficient just to approve it.

We were told that it was necessary for Croton village employees, firefighters, young people, and seniors who could not otherwise afford housing in the village. That is true. But has any of those people been awarded a unit in the new complex? Apparently not. 

Did the board make it clear at the outset that all units would be subject to a lottery and that it was highly unlikely that any Croton residents would be selected? It did not. 

Did the board inform its constituents that, because the large disparity between the PILOT and the taxes due from a market-rate development, village taxpayers would effectively be subsidizing these units for folks from Buffalo or New York or Rochester or wherever? It did not.

The real problem is that we do not know if all of this massive development will alter the nature of our community.

Many do not believe the studies commissioned by the developers (or even the village) that village services, parking, traffic, parks, recreation, school population, etc. will be essentially unaffected by this mass influx.

As the proposed expansion consists of five major projects, plus a number of smaller ones, is it not logical 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 life in Croton before authorizing the next one or two or three or . . .?

We Crotonites are rightfully concerned over these developments and their impact on our village.

PLEASE LISTEN TO US! SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS! If the village can truly absorb all of these developments without significant negative impacts, we will discover that over time as each of them comes online with enough time to determine the impact before the next one arrives. Once a project is approved, it is too late to do anything about it, even if prior projects prove harmful.

The 1HMB Project is a case in point. The developers want to change the zoning that the village has carefully and thoughtfully constructed, and to completely trash the village’s concept of Transit Oriented Development, adopted only a few months ago. As the Village Manager so cogently pointed out, the village has no legal obligation to agree to these changes. So, as Nancy Reagan advised many years ago, JUST SAY NO!! NOW!!

If, in the longer term, we can agree that such a development is desirable, we can take it up again in a year or two or three or . . .

Despite the elegant presentation made by the developers, there is really only one principal reason they wish to construct 280 units of housing rather than try to re-rent the warehouse. THEY WILL MAKE A LOT MORE MONEY THAT WAY. While I believe that each of us should be able to maximize his/her profits, the village has no obligation to change all of the existing rules just so these folks can prosper.

I would also suggest that, should you decide to push this project ahead, like all such developments, the final design will likely contain fewer units, perhaps the sixth floor will vanish, etc., but the impact on our quality of life, while perhaps a bit smaller, will remain. We do not want or need this project NOW.

Ladies and gentlemen, listen to your constituents! These are not idle complaints, but heart-felt pleas to maintain the character of the village in which we have all chosen to live and in which we have invested a great deal of time and effort and money. Despite your lofty perches on the podium, 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.

I apologize for the length of this letter, but this is a very complex issue.

JOEL GINGOLD