A letter was submitted to the Planning Board of the Village of Tarrytown on behalf of the Welcome Home Westchester campaign to state our support for the proposed development of 29 South Depot Plaza, which we believe will be a great addition to the community as well as a great way to utilize under-used property.
August 23, 2021
Lizabeth A. Meszaros, Planning Board Secretary Tarrytown Village Hall
One Depot Plaza
Tarrytown, New York 10591
Subject: Zoning and Site Plan Approval for 29 South Depot Plaza
Dear Ms. Meszaros,
I write this letter in support of the project being proposed at 29 South Depot Plaza in Tarrytown
NY on behalf of the Welcome Home Westchester campaign. The Welcome Home Westchester campaign is an issue campaign represented by a diverse group of stakeholders with the goal of creating a united front to address specific issues in affordable housing and housing development in Westchester County.
The Welcome Home Westchester campaign is made up of academic, business, nonprofit, faith and social service leaders interested in highlighting the importance of developing more housing options locally. Welcome Home Westchester feels that a united message delivered by such a wide range of stakeholders can effectuate lasting change in the culture that has led to such a lack of affordable housing options.
The projects being proposed at 29 South Depot Plaza is exactly the development that embodies the
Welcome Home Westchester mindset. This transit-oriented project will revitalize underused property, provide much needed housing for people in the area, and provide access to public transportation. We believe it is far better to have mixed-use housing that fills the needs of the community than leaving unused property to waste away. This development will be a net gain for residents compared to what is currently there, and it will bring in more tax revenue for the community.
Future residents will actively contribute to the local economy in the taxes they pay, the money
they spend on local businesses, and in how they increase property values and revenue in a
neighborhood. Increasing density provides a real economic boost to the community and helps pay for the infrastructure and public services needed by all current and future members of the
community.
Diversifying housing options and adding amenities like shops and offices close by will improve
the quality of life and attract businesses and people that will strengthen the community’s
economic stability.
Multi-family developments pay their “fair share” in local property taxes. Multi-family housing
actually produces less burden on the local tax system in terms of new services generated than
single-family homes. In village after village in the Greater Metro New York region, we’ve also
seen that multifamily development brings a new surplus of funding to school districts that
desperately need it.
Our studies have documented that more housing developments have no impact on nearby
property values, and in some cases contribute to increased property values.
We need to support transit-oriented development because it is good for the climate and
communities. Transit has a positive environmental impact through reduced greenhouse gas
emissions, more compact land use, and a reduction of cars on the road.
High-density housing drives foot traffic to local business and retail. Mixing housing with
commercial development is ever more crucial for traffic control, since non-work trips constitute
the largest number of trips. Compact, mixed-use development with access to transit, or TOD,
has the potential to reduce energy usage and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by
decreasing vehicle miles traveled and facilitating more walking and biking, leading to healthier,
happier communities. One study found that compact multi-family developments use 20 percent
less energy than single-family detached homes. Transit-friendly development in existing areas
can result in even greater energy savings as rehabilitating existing buildings generally consumes
less energy than new construction.
In conclusion, according to the 2020 US Census Westchester County added 55K people and only
18k units of new housing. Realistically most of those won’t be built in Tarrytown. But a project
like this, which would yield benefits for our property taxes, our schools, our local retailers, and
our climate, is clearly the type of project we need more of.
Thank you for your consideration,
Alex Roithmayr
Strategic Research Associate
Welcome Home Westchester