Letter: Business Council Caveat On Westchester Airport

To the Editor:

On Wednesday, Westchester County announced that the Department of Planning had issued a request for proposals (RFP) to supplement the Westchester County Airport Master Plan and associated environmental impact study.

County Executive George Latimer is following through on his commitment to supplement the airport Master Plan, and so this news does not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the issue. However, a great deal of work has already been done in terms of addressing many of the issues that the County Executive wants to see studied, particularly with regard to environmental concerns and community transparency.

Extensive data gathered for previous proposals submitted to the County has already been thoroughly reviewed and vetted in a bipartisan manner by members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators and should be utilized in any additional reviews. Gathering supplemental information can be useful, but it is our hope that this does not cause further delays than necessary.

As the county’s only business membership organization focusing on economic development and advocacy, the Business Council of Westchester has been committed to working on enhancing – not expanding – services at the airport for the business, traveling and neighboring communities.

The Coalition for Westchester Airport was formed in August 2018 so that it could provide a reasoned voice to the public debate, separating myths from facts about enhancing the delivery of services at the airport. The Coalition is comprised of businesses large and small, as well as labor organizations, educators and nonprofits. The Coalition will continue to actively work with the County in this collaborative effort, while at the same time monitoring the actions and steps being taken to assure the successful future of this essential transportation, workforce and economic development hub for our County.

Learn more at the Coalition for Westchester Airport.

John Ravitz
The Business Council of Westchester, Executive Vice President
BCW Coalition for Westchester Airport, Founder