Kohl's Burned Down In Cortlandt

Did you notice?

[hat tip to the Daily Voice]

Mohegan Lake Fire Department

The Mohegan Lake Fire Department maintains an informative and engaging facebook page.  You should like them, as they selflessly serve our community.  I got this news alert this morning about a large fire they were called in to assist in Mahopac.

That is all. 

Yorktown's Planning Woes Continue

The Yorktown News served us up a preview of a new proposal that will affect all of us here in Mohegan Lake.  While the owner and their attorney--who else but the ubiquitous Al Capellini--have not made any formal presentation, we can glean a few details and see a familiar story arc start to take shape.  We citizens will have no meaningful input into the Town Board's inevitable rezone of the application to whatever zone the developer wishes, but it's fun to follow along at home and see how the game is played which--ultimately--ends up in poor planning decisions that devalue the very essence of Yorktown's character which--according to the Town's website--"is a beautiful community in Northern Westchester County, New York, 35 miles from New York City, with forty square miles of rolling hills, farmland, residential areas and light industry."

It's unclear how 120 the short-term rental one and two bedroom market rate and subsidized low income rental apartments packed into a few acres along one of the busiest stretches of road in town fits in with the character of Yorktown (note: this number will likely increase after the rezone is approved; their attorney will scream and shout that his poor client can't make enough money with only 120 units and that another 30 would make it financially feasible and if anyone objects to the added density they are tree-hugging socialists who hate America).  The existing use of the land in a single family residential zone--a single farm house on about 10 acres--is more in keeping with farming and pastoral landscape of Yorktown.  It would seem an absurd proposition to argue that 120 rental apartments (probably more) would justify a rezone.  It's not that they can't make money developing nice, new single-family homes. It's that they can't make enough money and that--my friends--is not justification for a rezone.  If you loathe traffic on route 6 now, wait until 120 new units come online and generate hundreds of additional trips a day on a road that operates beyond its capacity most of the time.

Yet, here we have both the supervisor and Yorktown Chamber of Commerce president extolling the virtues of a plan they've not seen any details of--because they don't exist.  It's this type of knee-jerk response that has painted the town in such an unflattering light relative to preserving residents' qualities of life against the developers' unquenchable thirst to milk every last cent out of our land; especially up here in the northwest part of town.

Yorktown Code table 300a showing minimum lot areas and maximum Floor Area Ratios.  Looks like the site must be about 10 acres if they plan on packing 120 units into that site. 

Have Mr. Grace and Mr. Visconti looked at the current zone and schedule of regulations?  I went ahead and did a little research (code section above).  It's interesting to note that the up-zone to allow more density skips from R-1 to R-3; why no discussion of 2 family zoning that would increase density (and profitability) of the parcel?  Probably because the developer the family wants to flip it to would not be able to make boatloads of money--perhaps only a few wheelbarrows full--to make it worth his time.  The site really doesn't lend itself to a residential development being hemmed in by route 6/Jefferson Valley Mall, high-tension power lines, and Club Fit; the 4th side is a tiny residential road with single family homes across the street.  Why no discussion of a rezone to commercial?  I thought the plan was to develop as much commercial properties as possible so that our taxes would perpetually get lower and lower, no?

Perhaps the senior living facilities caddy-corner to the site welcome the unrestricted units.  While I'm not fully convinced on Mr. Bianco's objection solely based on the additional children the units will inevitably produce--it warrants a serious discussion.  It looks like they will all end up at Thomas Jefferson elementary; is there classroom space there to accommodate the influx?  

Detail of Yorktown's zoning map highlighting the proposed rezoning area.  120, unrestricted (e.g. not age restricted) short term market and low-income apartments would be the first of its kind in the area.  It's overwhelmingly single-family residential with a bit of commercial along 6.  Why no discussion of a commercial rezone? 

In summary, this is something we should all pay attention to and comment on when it's opened for public hearing--even though though said comments will be swept under the town board's rug. 

Lakeland High School Field Hockey Wins 6th Straight State Title

[photo from LCSD fb page]

Amazing.  One of the more impressive things about this run is that over 6 years, they've had a complete turnover of talent, yet still keep playing at such a high level (I hope they move up in national rankings from #2 to #1 with this win).

So in summary, perhaps it's the water up here in Lakeland, perhaps it's the indefatigable coach Sarsen, perhaps it's karma; likely a combination of some or all of these factors. 

Congratulations to this year's Lakeland Field hockey team.  We here on Mohegan Lake are very proud of you.  Hold your heads extra high today.  Well deserved.

Here's some additional photos from LoHud.

And...We're Back

It's been a while Mohegan Lake.  We took an extended vacation this summer, rolling into the fall, but promise to keep bringing you all the Mohegan Lake news you can handle.



To get you up to speed, please be advised of the following:

• Lakeland athletics continues to be a powerhouse.  Both girls and boys soccer had respectable finishes.  You should make sure you cast your vote for our boys in this LoHud poll.  The girls field hockey team remains amazeballs.  Ranked number 2 in the nation.  Playing for their 6th straight state title, having won 50+ games in a row going back many years.  Stay up to date on the athletics schedule here. 
• The Mohegan Highlands Property Owners Association (MHPOA) is having their first annual Christmas Caroling Classic on Saturday, December 6th, 2014.  We'll have pre-Caroling refreshments at 5pm, with walking around the neighborhood and singing starting at 6pm.  If you're on our mailing list, you'll receive an email with details.  If not, email me at YorktownCode@gmail.com, and I'll hook you up.
• Word on the street is Evan's lawsuit against the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) will be successful.  The court has been reviewing it an inordinate amount of time, likely meaning their having a hard time wording it so as not to hurt the ZBA's feelings.  Also, Silverberg Zalantis got run over by an ambulance they went chasing--but that's a long story for another day.
• The Planning Board approved Faith Bible Church's new building.  If Evan's ZBA petition is successful, it will be challenged in court.  So litigious, so exciting.
• The Mohegan Lake Improvement District (MLID) continues to be a force in actively bettering the health of the lake.  Most of the algae is washed away and the lake looks great, as of Tuesday at MHOPA.  This month's last Thursday meeting will likely be postponed to early December.  Stay tuned.

Marinate on those five issues, and we'll talk soon.

Mohegan Lake Day Was a Total Success

Unsurprisingly.

Hey, look, it's Joe and Buddy looking handsome!

Photo via YourYorktown.com

MLID Meeting 6/12/2014 @7:30

From Ken:

At the Calvary Chapel of Westchester, 99 Baron de Hirsch Road, Crompond at 7:30 PM on Thurs June 12.  Hope to see you there as we address the challenges that nature brings, the priorities for lake staff (those lake weeds are growing everywhere), planning for lake day, and whether we can do anything this season to impact the algae.    

It's on: Chee-chaw, chee-chaw!

Yorktown is looking to pass a law allowing owners of almost 1 acre (40,000sf; an acre is 43,560sf) to have chickens--no rooster--on their property.  It seems like a reasonable proposal and I would like to have a small chicken coop on my property with a couple (literally) egg laying hens.  I have four daughters and they would love it.  It would be a lot of work, keeping it clean and the pets healthy--and safe from the coyote in our backyard.

There will be a public hearing at the Town Board meeting at the Teatown Reservation on July 1st.  If you have an opinion, you should write the Town Board or attend the hearing to express your view.  I'm all for it, but feel it's prejudicial for those of us that don't have houses on acre+ lots.

The standard should be reasonable and prudent, not a square footage and # of animals.  Reasonable and prudent.  Also, please leave it out out of the Zoning Board of Appeals; they only meet 11 times a year and hem and haw until the cows come home.  The Town Board is more responsible and accountable.

NYS Assembly Member Katz (R-Mohegan Lake) Has Seen The Light

Man, he's got a good reputation scrubber if this is how the paper of record describes our very own assemblyman getting ticketed for speeding while driving to the assembly and having a bag of weed which was either (i) really potent and stinky and out in the open or (ii) had recently been smoked--because the trooper found the scent conspicuous.  Anyhoo, he gets quoted in the closing paragraph of the Times today.

Assemblyman Stephen M. Katz, a Mohegan Lake Republican who was arrested last year with a small bag of marijuana (the charges were dropped), said a medical marijuana law could encourage the sale of various things, from soil to edible marijuana products. “Each of these different industries have the ability to create hundreds if not thousands of jobs here in our state,” he said.

MLID Meeting Thursday, 5/22/2014

I'm having surgery to strip out a Burmese python-sized varicose vein out of my leg and it's daughter # 2's birthday Thursday, so I won't be in attendance, but please do show up to discuss plan B (we're not getting an alum permit this year) and Lake Day planning.  It's very important.  Don't forget, the Brays own the title of fastest canoe on the lake, per last years regatta results, and we don't plan to relinquish the belt!

The Brays, owning it. 

Ultimately the blue-green algae is only a mild skin irritant, at best. If it's your primary drinking source, your pets or kids drink it--you may have some brain issues with the neuro-toxins the algae produces.  I swim late into the season and I'm normal...nevermind.

Official meeting notice:

The endless winter finally passed, and it's definitely spring.  We're faced with some tough questions this year in the Mohegan Lake Improvement District.  In the last two seasons, the County Health Department has closed beaches due to blue green algae.  So far, our record is 0 and 2 in combating excessive blue green algae growth in the lake.  Can we save the 2014 beach season, or will our losing record increase to 0 and 3?  Please join us this Thursday May 22nd at 7:30 P.M. for our MLID meeting to discuss the summer 2014 season.  The harvester is in the water, our lake manager, Wayne Poland, is hard at work, and our summer kids will be starting over the next two weeks.  We will update everyone on the status of our permit application to NYS DEC to apply alum to the lake, discuss a "plan B" if we don't get the permit, review plans for Lake Day (Sunday July 13th), and share ideas for work this season to improve the lake.  We will be meeting at the Calvary Chapel at Mohegan Colony (former Mohegan Colony schoolhouse), 99 Baron de Hirsch Road, Crompond.  Hope to see you there!    Ken

Coyotes On The Prowl

Hi Mohegan Lake Neighbor,

I saw a coyote run through my backyard yesterday evening.  This was after it ate several kittens the cat that lives by us recently had off in the town property south of me.  Mama cat ran to our house and tried to jump on the deck with "Lucky," as we've called the 6 [?] week old baby kitten, in her jaws. 

Lucky.

At about 3 am the wife heard a goose dying a long--full minute at least--death, presumably by coyote too.  She was compelled to yell out the back door because it sounded like a human screaming. I'm actually cool with the goose control, but those poor goslings are so cute.  Remember that time I made that video of them walking to the yakkety-sax?   Or that one of geese and goslings swimming to "Walk Like an Egyptian"? Me too.

I'm just fine thinning the herd with a coyote. It's nature.  It's been pretty goose free up here at the top of the lake today.  Quite.  [queue the eery music and menacing coyote photo].

Question:  If I had a licensed gun and hunter safety card, could I shoot it on my property?  I thought I couldn't discharge a firearm in Westchester, but a little googling makes me think I might be able to if I'm not within 500 feet of a structure. 

Terrible New From Mohegan Lake

via Lohud: