Tuckahoe Village Departments

TUCKAHOE TALK
With Mayor John Fitzpatrick

Our Industrial Zone

February, 2007

As far as manufacturing in Tuckahoe goes, it should be obvious that the industrial revolution is over. So what is the future plan for our industrial zone? It is evident that manufacturing is not coming back, and even if it did would we really want it? Often these sites and buildings require environmental remediation to become useful. So how are we benefiting from this zone? Our future objective must be twofold: financial benefit and enhancement without adverse impact. The new Master Plan for Tuckahoe’s future has been completed and has entered into the public hearings phase before we vote to ratify. It contains a recommendation to create a combination commercial/ industrial zone on Marbledale Road. The hope is to encourage more commercial use of this area. While I commend this thought and have even advocated for it, here I want to speak on how to implement this recommendation and encourage a revitalized commercial use of the area. I believe two specific changes will greatly increase our ability to benefit tax-wise and lessen some long-term environmental effects this area may present to our community. In my opinion, the time has come to halt all new manufacturing, and allow that which exists to be "grandfathered."

Currently, and I might add justifiably, code restrictions placed on the industrial zone require a 100 foot buffer to any residential zone. This was to keep the manufacturing away from our homes. Without manufacturing, however, we should relax this buffer zone and encourage commercial entities to build on this property. I want to be clear though, Marbledale Road should never be zoned to allow residency. Such a move would impact the schools too greatly, and wind up costing us all in the long run.

The largest increase to our taxes has undoubtedly been the school tax. Knowing this, we need to always be cognizant of how future development impacts our schools. An increase to our revenues from a Marbledale Road at full potential will help offset school and village taxes. Let’s take the two storage facilities as an example. They create little if any garbage, the police don’t receive calls from one storage room complaining about another, and there isn’t a single child in the schools coming from these facilities. I don’t want to give the impression I am advocating for more storage facilities, because I am not. I believe we have our fill. However, an expanded use of Marbledale Road will enable us to not only increase our village tax revenue, but the Eastchester and Tuckahoe schools tax revenue as well, with no new students or residents.

Previous Master Plans recommended maintaining Marbledale Road businesses for tax purposes. Certainly this area should benefit us all financially, but too much of it isn’t. Many lots lie vacant and empty. Other land that is taxed as vacant and open has for too long seen businessmen storing vehicles, dumpsters and equipment without any compensation to the village or schools. I have brought several of these site owners to court to clear out their properties and return them to vacant open land. I have made it clear that while I’m Mayor Marbledale Road will be held to the same standards that apply to homeowners. Unfortunately, I still have much work to do. While my effort has made the street at least visibly more appealing, it has no added tax benefit to our community.

Our past saw some that felt dumping on Marbledale road was an acceptable idea. Those people have now been proven shortsighted and wrong. We must not make that same mistake. We need to have a vision that will serve us financially, as well as honorably, for generations to come The only way for us to profit from these properties as a community is to allow for their proper improvement. I believe this can be accomplished by relaxing the 100-foot buffer and banning new manufacturing. Commercial buildings will increase our tax base and mitigate overbearing school taxes. Opposition will undoubtedly come from some, but I call upon everyone to be realistic and reasonable. One resident recently inquired about the village buying a nearly 3 acre empty site on Marbledale Road to make a park. This sounds like a great idea, except how would we pay for it? And once we did, we certainly couldn’t have our children riding their bikes past tractor-trailers to get there. Some may even call for the street to remain unchanged, the “gasoline alley” of sorts that it has become. On the other hand, I imagine those who are feeling the burden of taxes will support the tailoring of this street into a use that complements our community, rather than detracting from it. There will be those who throw their hands in the air, or even worse stick their heads in the sand as our taxes rise. I am suggesting that collectively we should have a discussion, and ideas should not be stifled due to politics or fear. Any future building on Marbledale Road should benefit the taxpayers of Tuckahoe, and I believe commercial business has that benefit. I am skeptical of politicians or anyone else who paints all development with the same brush, and is unwilling or unable to outline a clear plan to ease the school tax problem.

My intention is not to take responsibility for school tax increases. In fact, as a resident I expect our School Boards to sharpen their pencils. But our fates are inescapably intertwined, and village government officials, as well as those who might consider running for office along with any interested residents, ought to have a plan to help with our tax burden when entering this debate. I encourage all thoughts on exactly what type of commercial uses you feel we can coexist with. Please fax, email or call them in to my office.