Bronxville Manor: "No New Subdivisions!"

Many Eastchester residents, specifically those who live in Bronxville Manor got to see for the first time how a Town Council meeting operates Tuesday evening as dozens of residents came out in protest of further development in their neighborhood of subdivisions and asked the Council for a moratorium on all building until further analysis can be done by the Town.

Citing things such as issues with public safety, decrease in property value, quality of life and perhaps most disturbing, the environmental impact further development would cause, leading to what many residents claim is a major flooding issue due to poor storm drainage.

Leading the charge was Sandra Tocco, a Bronxville Manor resident who implored the Council to analyze the zoning laws and create a seperate zoning code for the Manor in response to further development.

"Developers tend to not share the same vision for Bronxville Manor as the residents who live there and something needs to be done," Tocco said.

To date, the residents have put out an online petition to further development, which has about 75 signatures as well as starting their own facebook page, with over 130 members in just one week's time.

Supervisor Anthony Colavita however had the entire Town in mind when addressing the remarks of the Bronxville Manor residents, saying that a moratorium on further development would have to encompass the whole town and not just the Manor.

Anita Rosner was one of many residents who live along Deerfield Ave. and she feels many residents moved to Bronxville Manor because of the uniqueness of the neighborhood.

"All of the houses are different, but at the same time, there is a cohesiveness to them and a commonality," Rosner explained, "the new subdivisions have already begun to change the landscape of the neighborhood," she continued.

A comprehensive plan is already in place that manages all aspects of the Manor, however residents feel that the plan needs revising and that most areas are not even being followed.

The issue of over-crowding was discussed, to which Supervisor Colavita expressed that, "I do not think there is an over-crowding issue in Eastchester," going on to say that the last moratorium was put in place back in 2004 when over-crowding was an issue in the eyes of the Town Council.

The century old neighborhood of Bronxville Manor is a small 118 acre area and for Deerfield Ave. resident Jerry Regano, who moved to the neighborhood back in 1993, he feels that while it is a far cry from his native Queens, that over-crowding is certainly an issue.

"We moved here to get out of over-crowding and things have certainly changed in the last twenty years," Regano shared.

"I urge all members of the Council to not let Eastchester and Bronxville Manor become the sixth borough," he added, much to the delight of the audience.

So what do you think?  Should the Town of Eastchester hault all development projects so that further analysis can be done to ensure these projects are within the Zoning laws already in place?  Tell us in the comments section below.