Honoring Veterans in Our Community

Joe Tanzi and area veterans groups from Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow and Mount Pleasant gathered for a ceremony at Patriots Park today to honor the men and women, past and present, who have served our nation in the military. They were joined by Mayor Karen Brown, Mayor Ken Wray, fellow Trustees from Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, Mary Jane Shimsky, newly elected to the State Assembly, Jewell Williams Johnson, Greenburgh Council Member Ellen Hendrickx, Scout Troops 5022 and 22, the Fire Departments from Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow.

Special tribute was made to Beverly Jansen who passed away on November 3 at the age of 85. She had reliably and devotedly tended to the memorials in Patriots Park to World War II Veterans and Gold Star Mothers, and arranged for the ceremonial wreath every year on Veterans Day. She was missed. Armando "Chick" Galella was also honored by soon-to-be Eagle Scout Dylan Smith, who spoke of the inspiration he took from such a dedicated and spirited public servant who survived Pearl Harbor. Many thanks to those including Mr. Joe Tanzi, who organized today's tribute, and to the veterans of our community for their service.

Memorial Dedication to Armando "Chick" Galella

The Veterans Day ceremony was followed by a dedication for a new pair of memorial benches, flanked by two trees and centered with a lovely bronze plaque depicting a smiling Chick Galella. Located in front of Sleepy Hollow Middle School, the installation was spearheaded by Dylan Smith for his Eagle Scout project. Inspired by the public service of Chick Galella, Dylan's project will make him one of the youngest Eagle Scouts in the country, and on track to continue in the footsteps of his hero. Congratulations, Dylan, and thanks to all who contributed to this beautiful tribute.

Turkey Trot

Calling all runners! On Sunday, November 20th the Village will host our annual Trudy Dunbar Memorial 5K Turkey Trot. There will be a Gobble Trot (1 mile) for kids, and fresh turkey prizes for the winners. Win your Thanksgiving feast while working it off with a gorgeous view of the Hudson.

To register for the race, please follow this link: https://www.athlinks.com/event/trudy-dunbar-memorial-5k-pilgrim-run-299727

New Police Officer Appointed: Christine Williams

The Board of Trustees was pleased to appoint Police Officer Christine Williams. Officer Williams comes to Tarrytown having graduated from the Westchester County Police Academy in 2021 and with experience serving in the Mount Vernon Police Department.The Village welcomes Officer Williams to the team and appreciates her willingness to serve.

Con Ed Updates

Next week:

• Gas main restoration will take place on Ann Street.
• Tuesday through Friday gas main restoration will take place on Cottage Pl.
• Trench restoration will continue on Central.
• Con Ed will repair storm drains at Mechanics and Central.
• Service connections will continue on South Washington Street.
• There will be no weekend paving work because of the weather.

Paving planned for:

• Wood Court
• Hanford Place
• Wildey Street from N. Washington to Cortlandt
• N.Washington from Dixon to Central

E. Sunnyside Updates:

The gas main replacement continues between the Tarrytown House Estate Conference Center and Hudson View Park. Any entrances west of Tarrytown House Estate are accessible via Broadway. The Hudson View Park neighborhood will be accessible via Taxter Road and Rt 119 only between November 11 and November 18.

Work will continue Friday and Saturday despite the weather.

Reminder: Leaf Collection Season

The Tarrytown Department of Public Works annual service of collecting leaves from village streets runs from November 7 to December 7, 2022.

The hours of leaf collection occur during a normal DPW work day - 7:00am to 3:00 pm, according to the schedule beginning the second week of November. On the day of your scheduled collection, please refrain from parking on the street to allow DPW crews to safely and efficiently collect the leaf piles. Due to conditions beyond our control, your scheduled day may be delayed.

The following rules apply to leaf collection and will be strictly enforced by Code Enforcement or Tarrytown PD:

1. Leaves must not be placed at the curb prior to the weekend before your scheduled collection date.

2. Leaves must be piled at the edge of the curb and NOT in the travel lane of the road.

3. Leaf piles mixed with any other materials – brush, twigs, pumpkins, etc. – will not be collected. Westchester County only accepts leaves.

4. All leaves placed curbside prior to the beginning and after the conclusion of the leaf collection season must be placed in biodegradable paper bags to be collected during normal organic collection (Thursdays).

5. In addition to our leaf collection schedule, organics placed in bio-degradable bags and small neatly piled brush will continue to be picked up on Thursday’s Organic collection.

6. The schedule is subject to change depending on unforeseen conditions and weather. If your collection is missed, you will be picked up a day or two later.

7. The collection schedule can be found in the “DPW Information Packet” on the DPW webpage or here.

We appreciate your cooperation with our leaf collection service. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Village of Tarrytown Department of Public Works at:

Office Phone: (914) 631-0356

eMail: DPW@tarrytowngov.com

Louis Martirano, Superintendent of Public Works

Village of Tarrytown, NY

Cannabis Zoning and Accessory Dwelling Units Open for Public Comment

The Board of Trustees is taking public comment on two possible changes to the Zoning Code. The public hearings will continue at the next meeting on Monday, November 21. If you have comments to submit in writing, please direct them to the Village Clerk by 12pm the day of the 11/21 public hearing: kgilligan@tarrytownny.gov.

Zoning for Cannabis Dispensaries

The Board of Trustees is currently considering amendments to Chapter 305 of the Tarrytown Code, entitled “Zoning” to add new provisions regarding Cannabis Retail Dispensaries. Local Law 10-2022 would make cannabis retail dispensaries subject to site plan review and off-street parking requirements. The law would also limit signage on dispensaries to letters and numbers. As it currently stands cannabis dispensaries would only be permitted in the Restricted Retail (RR), General Business (GB) and Neighborhood Shopping (NS) districts. Under New York State law, cannabis dispensaries are not permitted within 500 feet of a school and within 200 feet of a place of worship. The map below indicates in green the districts in which dispensaries are permitted, and the red hashing indicates where dispensaries are not allowed within those zones due to the restricted areas around schools and places of worship.

This is the draft local law currently under review by the Board.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Law Open for Public Comment 

The Village's Housing Affordability Task Force has put forward a draft local law for consideration to permit the installation of Accessory Dwelling Units as another "tool in the toolbox" in the effort to increase the availability of more affordable housing in the Village. The public hearing for Local Law 10 was opened on October 17, continued at the November 7th meeting, and will continue again at the next Board meeting on November 21st. 

For more information about Accessory Dwelling Units including the draft legislation and a presentation recorded by Peter Feroe of the Housing Affordability Task Force for the public hearing, please check out the HATF page on the Village website, and see a summary explainer of the legislation below.

Report From Board of Trustees Meeting 11.7.22

ICYMI, you can watch Village Board meetings online.

• Annual Audit: Nawrocki and Smith presented the results of the annual audit of Village finances. The Financial Statements for 2022 can be found here.
• Cannabis Zoning and Accessory Dwelling Unit Public Hearings Continued: The Board of Trustees continued the public hearings to consider amending the Village Zoning Code to address cannabis dispensaries and allow for Accessory Dwelling Units. See above for more information. The public hearings will continue at the next meeting on November 21 and more information can be found about the cannabis legislation here and the Accessory Dwelling Unit legislation here.
• Senior Tax Exemption Increased: Following the legislation passed by New York State, and adopted by the Town of Greenburgh, the Board of Trustees increased the income level for seniors eligible for tax exemption from $29,000 to $50,000. The level had not increased since 2011. Local Law 9-2022 can be found on page 10 of the agenda from the Nov. 7 meeting.
• Phase VIII of Water Main Replacements Plan to be Amended: Over the last 10 years, the Village has undertaken a systematic approach to upgrading water mains across the Village to address issues of age and size. The next phase of the project will focus on the Rosehill/Grove Street/Altamont area of the Village. Due to recent water main breaks Woodland Avenue will be added to the project. PCI Engineering will be amending the design and the project is expected to go out to bid by the end of the year.

County Tax for Home Heating Suspended for Three Months

From the Examiner: "Westchester County officials announced last week that the county portion of the sales tax on home heating sources will be suspended for three months in hopes of giving beleaguered homeowners a break on energy prices amidst skyrocketing costs.

County Executive George Latimer said the 4 percent exemption will be in effect for three months, from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28, through the heart of the upcoming winter season. If a homeowner needs to fill a 250-gallon tank with heating oil at about $6 a gallon, for example, there would be a savings of about $60 with each delivery, he said."

New York State Small Business Seed Funding Grant Program

The successful recovery and growth of small businesses is key to New York State's future. The $200 million Small Business Seed Funding Grant Program provides grant funding to early stage small and micro businesses and for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations impacted by the pandemic.

The grants will be flexible and can be used for a number of different business operating expenses, including payroll, rent or mortgage payments, taxes, utilities, PPE or other business expenses incurred between September 1, 2018 and January 1, 2022.

The application portal opens on September 14.

County Landlord Tenant Assistance Program

The Landlord Tenant Assistance Program (LTAP) will allow small landlords who own eight units or less, who maintain rent levels that are affordable to residents, to apply for up to $25,000 per unit for repairs to their rental properties. To be eligible, landlords/owners must charge rents that are affordable to households earning between no more than 60% and 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI), and home improvements may include, but are not limited to, roof replacement, or upgrades to electrical, windows, accessibility ramps, plumbing and heating systems. With $10M available in funds, 400 units can be rehabilitated.

Rent levels, with utilities included, must adhere to the following 2022 HUD Guidelines:

A Westchester County Rehabilitation Specialist will inspect the property after an application has been submitted to the Department of Planning. If the property qualifies, a three-party contract will be signed between the County, the landlord/owner and the contractor, for work to be completed by contractors that are licensed and insured to work in Westchester County. Funds will be disbursed directly to the contractor from the County after a progress inspection has been completed.  

Interested landlords/owners should call at (914) 995-2429 or email Gaitre Rambharose in the Westchester County Department of Planning.