White Plains · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in White Plains public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Two-family conversions on Lafayette Street
Two companion applications would turn single-family houses into two-family homes, each needing variances for lot area, frontage, and setbacks. This touches on neighborhood density and housing supply.
Leffell School campus expansion
The private school wants to add onto Building 1 and alter campus facilities. No enrollment increase is proposed, so traffic impacts shouldn't change — but neighbors may still weigh in.
Youth Bureau grants and library funding
A slate of youth programs is up for funding and agreements: summer jobs, college credit courses, alcohol-prevention services, and more — mostly grant-funded.
Verizon Cable Franchise Renewal
The city's cable franchise agreement with Verizon is up for renewal, with a public hearing set. This deal governs cable service terms and related support for community programming.
Fire Apparatus Repair Funding
The fire department needs extra money from the general fund reserve to cover repair costs for its fire apparatus — keeping emergency equipment running.
1 Water Street site plan amendments
The developer of the 380-unit transit-oriented project at Ferris and Water wants minor amendments: a bit more retail space, reconfigured below-grade parking, a larger public and dog park, plus rooftop solar and battery storage. Newer council members asked for the detailed August submission in writing before any decision.
1 Water Street site plan amendment
The developer of the 380-unit transit-oriented project at Ferris and Water near the train station wants minor tweaks: a bit more retail, reconfigured underground parking, an enclosed garage, an expanded public park and rooftop solar. Groundbreaking is hoped for 2027.
78 Woodcrest Avenue four-lot subdivision and rock removal
A plan to split a three-quarter-acre lot into four building lots requires removing a large rock outcropping and an aging stone wall along Springdale. Board members pushed for alternatives that would preserve the rock and slopes, questioning blasting impacts on neighbors.
12-unit apartment building at 510 North Broadway
Comstock got a height variance to build a three-story, 12-unit apartment building — a small addition to the city's housing stock.
Adora Row mixed-use project extension
Two downtown-adjacent projects got more time: 'The Loft' at Court and Quarropas Streets received a one-year site plan extension, and the Adora Row mixed-use project at 80 Westchester Avenue has an extension application under review.
New 12-unit apartment building at 510 North Broadway
A vacant office building would be replaced by a 12-unit for-sale condo building near the North White Plains train station. The plan includes a stormwater system that would also fix existing flooding behind neighboring Brookdale and Holland Avenue homes.
Parking lot at 322 Central Avenue
Alliance Automotive got the special permit it needed to install a surface parking lot in the B-3 business zone.
Pedestrian and child passenger safety grants
Police picked up $35,000 in state grants: $6,000 for child car seat education and $29,000, mostly overtime, for seatbelt and dangerous-driving enforcement.
Downtown and commercial signage approvals
A batch of sign decisions hit downtown businesses: approvals for Yale New Haven Health, The Altos, and Greystar's master retail sign plan, plus a do-over for Doner Haus's wall sign at 186 Martine Ave.
Taxicab ordinance overhaul
For the first time in ten years, White Plains updated its taxi rules: new metered fares that reflect higher fuel and insurance costs, cheaper medallion transfers and accessible-cab medallions, and new leasing rules for medallion owners.
Rodent activity on Martine Avenue
A resident says rodent concerns are spreading through the city, with rats drawn to soft dirt and possibly worsened by upcoming construction. He wants to know if the city has a mitigation plan before the problem escalates.
Bus stop sidewalk accessibility
A Park View Court resident says the sidewalk in front of his house is narrow, uneven and in disrepair, forcing a disabled neighbor to cross the street to find a usable path; his ADA funding records request was denied.
290 Ferris Avenue tree removal and site buffering
A resident says a county-sold forest at 290 Ferris Avenue was clear-cut, possibly in violation of the tree ordinance, and the light-industrial truck parking site ended up with minimal buffering despite council requirements.
E-Bike Enforcement (May Luv Initiative)
The city's crackdown on e-bike delivery riders is showing results — 77 tickets and 34 warnings since May — but officials say many riders are transient and local ordinances won't stick. Education through restaurants and the BID is the main tool going forward.
Honda dealership outdoor storage and fence access
White Plains Honda needs a zoning approval for outdoor vehicle storage and a new wrought-iron fence on its property line. The board supported it after the dealer agreed to shift the fence about two feet so emergency and garbage trucks can reach the neighbor's rear.
Citywide rodent problem
A Battle Hill resident says rats remain a citywide public health issue, fueled by garbage left out overnight. He's asking for targeted sanitation enforcement, better department coordination, and a public update on the city's rodent control strategy.
Waller/Maple Parking Lot Rehabilitation
The beat-up lot behind the Mamaroneck Avenue restaurants is getting a $2.1 million facelift: repaving, new sidewalks and crosswalks, ADA spaces, hidden dumpsters and color-changing payment kiosks. Roughly 18 spots disappear, but the garage across the street will pick up the slack. Construction takes about six months, with a full lot closure during paving.
Package deliveries blocking apartment lobbies
A resident says piles of delivered packages are blocking lobbies, trapping elderly and disabled residents. He wants an ordinance regulating how deliveries are left in apartment buildings.
Sale of city-owned properties — 90 Lake Street and 49-51 Robertson Avenue
The city owns a useless, wedge-shaped 0.05-acre sliver across from Kensico Place that it picked up in a 2018 foreclosure. No department wants it, so it's set to be sold to the neighboring auto body shop for $15,000.
Affordable housing buy-out fee calculation
A resident found that the Harlem and Holland Avenues development's affordable housing buy-out fee was calculated using 2021 income data, coming in at $3.03 million instead of roughly $3.9 million under current figures. He's asking why planning staff didn't flag the outdated formula citywide.
Smoking in White Plains parks
The city wants to update its smoke-free rules to explicitly cover marijuana and vaping, and to extend the ban to school district fields and playgrounds the city shares. The pitch is education first — ask people to move along, not write tickets. The council votes September 8.
Battery energy storage facility on Oakley Avenue
New Leaf Energy wants to build a standalone battery energy storage facility. The design review board approved the design as revised, moving the clean-energy project forward.
White Plains Hospital parking garage financing amendment
The variances allowing a 9-level parking garage next to White Plains Hospital got a two-year extension, keeping the hospital expansion project moving forward.
20 Haarlem Avenue project construction extension
A 296-unit, two-building apartment project by the North White Plains train station is finally under construction after financing delays, and the developer wants its 2021 approvals extended. Nineteen affordable units were bought out for roughly $3 million going into the city's housing fund, with five affordable units built on site.
Holland Avenue redevelopment site plan extension
NW Plains Venture asked for another year on its site plan approval for redeveloping 27 and 7-11 Holland Ave. The board reviewed it and had no comment.
Taxi industry fare relief
The taxi industry says operators are barely scraping by, and the administration has advanced relief items on agenda lines 24 and 25. Speakers want a permanent fuel surcharge and medallion leasing rules.
Trinity Financial housing project extension
The affordable housing project at 161 South Lexington Avenue got a one-year extension of its approvals, with Council Member Simmons recusing herself because she works there.
My Brother's Keeper Initiative
The Council formally committed to partner with the school district on the Youth Bureau's My Brother's Keeper program supporting young men and women of color.
Feral cat population control
The city renewed its partnership with volunteer trappers who catch feral cats for vaccination and spay/neuter. Last year about 55 cats were fixed and 67 sent for adoption — at a cost of no more than $8,000 a year.
Flock license-plate surveillance cameras
A resident asked whether the city contracts with Flock surveillance cameras, which capture license plates and vehicle details searchable nationwide without a warrant, and urged cancellation if so.
Taxi fare increase and emergency gas surcharge
The first taxi fare update in over a decade was adopted to help local taxi drivers cope with high gas prices — though Council Member Frei-Pearson acknowledged riders are feeling squeezed too.
Hall Avenue parking lot meters
A permit-only lot on Hall Avenue sits mostly empty while seniors and dispensary customers circle for street parking. The speaker wants meters installed so anyone can use it.
EV charging station expansion
The city added $200,000 for engineering on its EV charging station project, bringing it to about $1.49 million — roughly 75 new public charging stations are planned.
Smart Composting Initiative grant
The city is seeking $367,983 in state funds to build a network of food scrap drop-off 'Smart Bins' plus a dedicated collection vehicle, diverting up to 312 tons of food waste a year from the regular trash stream. The match is in-kind services, not new city cash.
Energy affordability campaign for residents
Sustainable Westchester will run a free six-month program helping residents cut energy bills through home energy assessments, heat pumps, insulation, community solar, and demand-response programs — with a focus on low- and moderate-income households, renters, and landlords.
Soccer Fest 2027: Women's World Cup fan zone
Following the success of Soccer Fest 2026, the city wants up to $300,000 in state tourism money to transform downtown White Plains into a Women's World Cup fan zone with big screens and live entertainment. The city would match up to $150,000.
FBI joint terrorism task force agreement
The city formalized cooperation with the FBI's joint terrorism task force through a memorandum of agreement.
Thompson Avenue bus parking and pedestrian visibility
An ordinance creating a No Parking zone from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both sides of Thompson Avenue was adopted on first reading.
Severe winter snow removal costs
The harshest winter in roughly a decade — 18 storms, 60.75 inches of snow, the coldest in 65 years — blew out DPW's snow budget, requiring a $643,529 transfer mostly for overtime and contractors.
Houses on environmentally sensitive lots on Hall Avenue
Two remaining lots from an approved four-lot subdivision — 1020 and 1024 Hall Avenue — are proposed for single-family homes on land with steep slopes and rock outcroppings. Public hearings are set for July 21, where neighbors can weigh in on how the builders handle drainage and slope disturbance.
Public Safety Building prisoner elevator rehabilitation funding increase
$606,000 in serial bonds will pay for interior wall, skylight and painting repairs at the Public Safety Building.
Fisher Hill apartment project extension
The planned 6-story, 154-unit apartment building with retail on Westmoreland Avenue got more time on its variances, keeping the project alive.
Senior services funding
A funding mix-up was corrected and the city accepted an extra $20,297.78 from the county, restoring roughly $20,000 to the senior lunch program that serves about 125 meals a week.
Dish Wireless litigation authorization
The city is suing DISH Wireless, which stopped paying monthly fees for space on a city-owned cell tower since December 2025.
Downtown BID assessments
Downtown business district assessments are fixed for 2026-27, capped at $1.5 million, with a tax warrant to collect them.