The Greenburgh Town Board will be voting on the following resolution at our meeting Wednesday night -asking the county to donate additional campus property near the WESTHELP property for parking. In recent months the Town Board has been working with MRH to turn the abandoned WESTHELP homeless shelter into affordable housing-targeting senior citizens.

After the Town Board announced our decision to lease the property to MRH for affordable housing, the Fairview Fire department reviewed the proposal. They are pushing for expensive changes that will improve emergency fire access.

The problem: If we implement the Fairview Fire departments recommendations - the affordable housing will be less desirable--since the beautiful green grass will be replaced with asphalt. The WESTHELP campus is beautiful -a stunning environment.

We believe that the tenants who move into affordable housing should enjoy a great quality of life. Would you prefer to live in a campus environment-with beautiful gardens and lawns? Or, would you want to live in an apartment complex that is paved over? We want the parking placed a short distance from the current WESTHELP campus.

I have written to the County Executive and to Legislators Mary Jane Shimsky, Alfreda Williams, Michael Smith (the Greenburgh representatives) asking them to support our request. What do you think?

PAUL FEINER

PS: If the county rejects this request the Town Board is still committed to convert the WESTHELP campus into affordable housing. MRH has entered into an agreement with the Housing Action Council of Westchester --Westchester's top affordable housing advocacy group to help oversee the affordable housing.

RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER WORK WITH TOWN ELECTED OFFICIALS BY DONATING ADDITIONAL CAMPUS PROPERTY FOR PARKING, AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE WESTHELP SITE AT ONE WESTHELP DRIVE, SO THAT THE INTERIOR OF THE PROPERTY WILL REMAIN GREEN AND SENIOR CITIZENS AND OTHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESIDENTS WILL ENJOY BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS WHICH WILL NOT BE PAVED OVER WITH ASPHALT.

WHEREAS, the Town is considering a proposed sublease with Group MRH, LLC for the use of the former WestHELP property as affordable housing; and

WHEREAS, the Fairview Fire District is recommending expensive fire safety changes to the property to provide for better fire emergency access; and

WHEREAS, if Group MRH, LLC implements the parking and pavement recommendations of the Fairview Fire District at the WESTHELP site, the beautiful campus like setting will be negatively impacted and the proposed affordable housing will not be as attractive or as desirable as it currently is; and

WHEREAS, if the County will work with the Town in creating additional WestTHELP campus parking, the Town and the County will enhance its chances of making affordable housing at WestHELP great place and senior citizens will enjoy the beautiful grounds which will not be paved over with asphalt;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Greenburgh hereby requests that the County of Westchester work with Town elected officials by donating additional property for parking, around the perimeter of the former WestHELP site at One WestHELP Drive so that the interior of the property will remain green and senior citizens and other affordable housing residents will enjoy beautiful grounds which will not be paved over with asphalt.