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- On The Record: Sharp criticism tables building ban
On The Record: Sharp criticism tables building ban
Council to revisit moratorium in February
Rye Record
January 22, 2025
Good morning subscribers. ☕This is your Wednesday, Jan. 22, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.
Today’s Weather Channel local forecast calls for sunshine and frigid temps with a high of just 21 degrees. ☀️ Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.
Do over. After hearing a chorus of criticism against a six-month moratorium on business- and multifamily development, the Rye City Council tabled the proposal on Tuesday night.
The council heard about an hour of arguments from developers, business leaders, and several land use attorneys — who raised questions that suggested grounds they might have for legally challenging the proposal.
In total, nine speakers addressed the council during the public hearing. Not one person spoke in support of the moratorium.
They viewed it as too vague and also unfair because the proposal could block projects already approved by the city’s land use boards. The council also faced critical comments for not seeking the boards’ input when drafting the building ban.
After the public comments were concluded, Mayor Josh Cohn suggested discussing shrinking the proposal to only include the Central Business District and excluding some projects already in the pipeline.
But the council instead voted to go into executive session to speak with Kristen Wilson, the city’s corporation counsel.
Following a 30-minute closed-door session, the council returned to close the public hearing. They are expected to revisit the matter on Feb. 12.
To read the full article click here
During the public hearing, city Planning Commission Chairman Nick Everett called the proposed legislation flawed.
-Today’s newsletter is curated by Christian Falcone
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INSTAGRAM POST OF THE WEEK 📸
-RIP to retired Rye firefighter Mike Cucchiara.
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IN OTHER NEWS
End of the road. PINK owner Judy Graham decided this month to close shop and retire — ending a run at retail that saw her open a shop on Purchase Street and one in Larchmont. -Erin McAward
Hot streak. The Rye boys basketball team held a raffle during its Jan. 10 game against Byram Hills and raised $1,000 for Rayuela, a bilingual preschool program in Altadena, Calif., whose building was lost during the deadly wildfires. -Chris Marshall
Swan song. Members of the Audubon Society identified more than 50 species of birds in just two hours during a December visit to the Edith Read Sanctuary. -Jacqui Wilmot
AROUND TOWN
-Rye Recreation is hosting Sip & Script: A Night of Calligraphy Fun on Friday. The workshop is considered perfect for beginners, where they can learn the basics of modern calligraphy with a pointed dip pen and ink.
-Peter Frampton will celebrate 60 years of touring with an upcoming concert at the Capitol Theatre in April. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
Off the record: Rye Democrats will meet on Feb. 4 to officially endorse a candidate in the upcoming Westchester County District 7 race. Lawmaker Catherine Parker is vacating the seat at year-end. Three Democrats are vying for the nomination.
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BUSINESS & ORGS
Robert Weiner bought the former residence of the late Rosaleen O’Neill at 25 Milton Road for $1.6 million and gave it to the Rye Arts Center.
Officials at The Rye Arts Center have unveiled preliminary plans to create a dramatic two-building campus on Milton Road that will allow them to significantly upgrade and expand the center’s many programs and exhibits.
A new contemporary structure being designed by Spring Architecture + Design in Westport, Conn., is a work in progress, but may include expanded gallery space, a “Teen Zone,” workshops for modern arts — including podcasting, digital production, and virtual reality — and room for more traditional pursuits, like jewelry making and sculpture.
-by David Hessekiel
City Manager Greg Usry confirmed that he has heard from “several residents,” and he had referred them to the city’s water provider, Veolia Water Technologies.
NEWS
Valve issues and water main breaks in the water provider’s infrastructure have caused discolored tap water intermittently for months in homes across Rye and Rye Brook, according to local officials.
Gregg Smith turned on the tap in his Roosevelt Avenue home, on Christmas Eve, to find the water had turned brown. For the Rye resident, it marked the third instance of discolored water in his home in a month — the first appearance coming on Thanksgiving.
“Every tap has brown water, and the toilet [water is] brown, the shower water is brown, the bath water is brown,” Smith told The Record.
-by Mayra Kalaora
COMMUNITY
The new program places anyone under age 18 in a restrictive teen account, and those under 18 already on the platform were migrated to a teen account.
Instagram has launched new “teen accounts” for those under 18, aiming to safeguard teens from unwanted contact and inappropriate content.
But the new initiative has received some mixed reviews, and falls short of its intended goal, local groups and teens say.
Instagram made the move as it faced dozens of lawsuits and accusations that the platform is harming the mental health of young people.
-by Cassandra Spiss
Previous complaints about off-leash dogs led the city to ramp up enforcement a few months ago — particularly in Disbrow Park, where a dozen signs were installed in late October.
POLICE & FIRE
City officials are mulling how to respond to several recent dog attacks after two owners detailed harrowing encounters with canines on the loose that left them shaken.
The incidents were brought to the attention of the Rye City Council this month as part of a plea for stricter enforcement of off-leash dog rules and restrictions across the city.
Both attacks were said to be instigated by off-leash dogs, with one encounter leaving a woman with injuries to her arm.
-by Rosie Newmark