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On The Record: Building Block
Six-month pause proposed on certain city developments.
Good morning. ☕ This is your Thursday, May 14, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.
Today’s Weather Channel local forecast is 61 degrees with rain showers. 🌧️ Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.
Last night, a draft of a proposed law was posted on the City of Rye website that would place a six-month moratorium on certain development applications within targeted areas of the city. A public hearing is set for the next city council meeting on May 27.
The proposed moratorium would temporarily prohibit the review, processing, or approval of any application in:
The Central Business District
B-1 and B-2 districts adjoining the Central Business District
Redevelopment/development of the Rye Country Day School campus
Demolition and reconstruction of single- and two-family homes
Multi-family buildings involving six or more units
A statement from the City of Rye said the goal is to provide sufficient time to continue several major planning and policy initiatives currently underway, including improving flood mitigation and shaping the future of development and land use in Rye.
“The city is currently engaged in several significant planning initiatives critical to flood mitigation and advancing Rye’s commitment to preservation and progress,” said Mayor Josh Nathan. “This temporary moratorium will provide the city with the time necessary to properly work through these immediate initiatives, provide development applicants with forward-looking guidance, and ensure that future development aligns with the community’s vision for protecting neighborhood character and furthering essential resiliency goals.”
Preserving the character of Rye has been a recurring talking point as the city works to update its comprehensive plan for the first time since 1985. Based on the initial 18-month timeline given by AKRF Planning, the plan would be completed in Fall 2027.
“The City is embarking on a comprehensive plan review process,” the draft of the proposed law states, “but the City Council acknowledges that there are some community concerns that merit more immediate attention and potential action and which the City is in the process of reviewing.”
Click here to read the full report.
Councilmember Jamie Jensen and Mayor Josh Nathan at last week's city council meeting.
-Today’s newsletter is curated by Chris Marshall
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RYE RECORD STUDIOS 🎙
IN OTHER NEWS
GAG(LIARDO) ORDERS. A Rye Recreation Commission meeting is set for 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss long-overdue updates to Gagliardo Park. Attendees will review proposed park improvements, share input with the commission, and help shape final plans. — Chris Marshall
SOFTBALL QUESTION. Can the Rye softball team make another May playoff push? After a 2-9 start, the Garnets have won back-to-back games and three of their past five. — Ariana Ottrando
‘SCHOLAR AND A GENTLEMAN.’ Following the passing of former Superintendent Ed Shine, the school board presidents who worked alongside him, including Mayor Josh Nathan, reflect on his legacy. — Camille Botello
THE RYE FINDER. Test your RyeQ with this Rye-centric word search puzzle. This week’s challenge is to find the names of seven neighborhoods. Answers run vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Complete the puzzle by midnight tonight for a chance at prizes.
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COMMUNITY
The Rye Town Park tower building is currently under construction. Photo/Alison Rodilosso
The historic tower above the bathhouse at Oakland Beach in Rye Town Park, long a symbol of the park’s dilapidation, is being rapidly restored.
The re-stuccoing of the exterior of the tower building, which dates to 1910, is one of a series of new projects underwritten by the Friends of Rye Town Park, which raised $450,000 last spring, enabling it to cover the $500,000 cost.
In addition to the tower project, the Friends have used that money to restore eight quatrefoil rosette tower windows and the upper-level column windows. The group plans to rebuild the wall from the tower building to Dearborn Avenue.
— Howard Husock
SPORTS
Jamie Morris (21) scored one of Rye’s three first-inning runs. Photo/KMB Media
Rye’s baseball team beat Harrison 8-0 on Tuesday to complete a sweep of the Huskies and finish the regular season on a six-game winning streak. The Garnets (15-5) also secured the No. 1 seed in next week’s Section 1 Class AA playoffs.
The Garnets struck early with three first-inning runs against last-place Harrison (4-16). The first five batters got on base, then junior Luke Ontaneda hit a triple to right field, driving in seniors Jamie Morris and Lucas London, and junior Charlie Rodilosso.
That was all the scoring the Garnets needed, thanks to a combined shutout from junior starting pitcher Clayton McCarthy and senior Michael Bubeck. McCarthy didn’t allow a hit in four-plus innings, striking out seven Huskies. Bubeck got the final seven outs of the game for the save.
— Ariana Ottrando
SCHOOLS
A quartet of Rye High School juniors and seniors spoke at the Rye Free Reading Room.
When Rye High School junior Fiona Marino learned about The New York Teen Tech Council, she and three friends — Sadie Fu, Kate Chelsey, and Alexandra Dimeo — used the organization’s guidance to create a presentation about their experiences with smartphones, which they shared with fourth- and fifth-grade students at The Rye Free Reading Room.
The evening was an opportunity for parents and students to hear the things Marino and her friends wished they had known before getting smartphones, and why they believe students might want to delay getting one altogether.
In their presentation, the group discussed their takeaways from having phones at a young age. They said they wished they had known about the impact phones can have on mental health, how they steal one’s free time, and even how they can disrupt sleep. They also discussed alternatives to smartphones.
— Cassandra Spiss