Below is an article published on January 15th in the New York Times’ real estate section featuring a “Guide to Living in Yonkers“.
The article states that “Yonkers has been revitalizing beautifully in a fun, hip way, which is not always easy to do,” said Ari Susswein, an agent with Douglas Ellison who grew up in Yonkers. Lawrence Park West is described as a neighborhood with “the grandeur of homes in nearby Bronxville, but with lower taxes.”
Download the full article for your reading pleasure by clicking here. (PDF, 9.6MB)
David Nathans, LPWA President, reported that a local developer purchased two homes in Sunnyside/Brookside Circle (on Bronxville Rd and Bronxville Lane). The developer has rented these out to 8 students in each. Mike Breen and the City Council president have proposed legislation on the definition of a “family” to stop this type of rental properties.
LPWA has been working in conjunction with our next-door neighborhood association, Brookside-Sunnyside Association on the “boarding issue”. A local developer purchased two homes in Sunnyside/Brookside Circle (on Bronxville Rd and Bronxville Lane). The developer has rented these out to 8 students in each home. The Brookside-Sunnyside Association has been leading the charge through the various Yonkers Planning Board and Real Estate Committees on introducing legislation to end the issue.
We urge you to join LPWA Board members and your neighbors in attending the Yonkers Planning Board and Council meeting on Tuesday, January 28th at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers on the 4th floor of City Hall to make our collective voices heard on this key legislative step to close the two boarding houses operating in our neighborhood. At this public hearing, we can show our support for two pieces of legislation to be presented to City Council.
The first, proposed by Councilman Mike Breen, refines the definition of “family” in the zoning code. It presumes that 4+ unrelated individuals are not considered to be family This means that the owner must prove that eight unrelated students in each of his boarding houses ARE family rather than for Housing Commissioner Gibbons to prove they are NOT.
The second, proposed by Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy, prohibits Single Room Occupancy units (SROs) in one and two family neighborhoods.
Together, these proposed revisions to zoning code should enable Commission Gibbons and Corporation Counsel Gallagher to enforce a zoning code enforcement actions against the investor in these nonconforming boarding houses.
You are urged to attend this Public Hearing to visibly show your support as a voter in the City of Yonkers. Please take the time to protect your property by attending the Tuesday, January 28th, public hearing at 6:30 pm at Yonkers City Hall.
Please email us at info@lawrenceparkwest.org if you are attending so we know who to expect next Tuesday evening.
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