Dear Neighbors,

I want to update residents on the current status of the Municipal Place Gateway following the rezoning earlier this year. At its meeting last Monday, April 27, the Village Board has entered into a $5,000 contract with Kevin Dwarka (KDLLC) for the development of a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the Village-owned property referred to as the “Katz” property. 

Mr. Dwarka, an independent consultant, also works for the Pace University Land Use Law Center. In that capacity he conducted the Village-sponsored Housing Charette in Spring 2018.

As part of his contract, Mr. Dwarka will provide the Village with 1) a market analysis focused on mixed-use and residential real estate trends; 2) a draft RFP including site descriptions, applicable zoning, a range of development themes contemplated by the Village, the business case for private investment in this area, and the rules and requirements for submission; and 3) the rules and requirements for submission.

Mayor Pugh recently appointed a 6-member advisory committee, along with 2 Board liaisons, to advise the Board of Trustees in the RFP process. The advisory committee includes members of the Planning Board (one of whom helped write the 2017 Comprehensive Plan), residents from Wells Avenue and Van Cortlandt Place and an experienced affordable housing developer. This committee will work to help ensure that the RFP meets the needs and goals of the community.

The Advisory committee and the Board of Trustees will review and discuss the draft over a period of several weeks in order to refine it into its final form.  It is anticipated that this review might be able to begin by the end of May.  Following this, the RFP will be provided in its final form to the Village Board.

We will keep the community updated as the RFP development work proceeds.

Ann Gallelli, Deputy Mayor