White Plains Common Council Must Respond to French American School's Petition: Judge

WHITE PLAINS, NY - The conflict between the White Plains Common Council and the French American School of New York reached another level Thursday when a Supreme Court judge told the city it must respond to the school’s petition challenging the rejection of a building plan.

FASNY wants to build a new school at the site of the former Ridgway Country Club and had gone through environment studies which the city has approved.

State Supreme Court Judge Joan Lefkowitz rejected the city’s motion to dismiss FASNY’s case.

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Lefkowitz said the school had repeatedly made concessions and accommodations on its original proposal and that the Common Council had “illegally placed the 2014 application in administrative limbo.”

She said the city “is now waging a war of attrition in an effort to disuade FASNY from pursuing what appears to be a legal use of its land.”

The court gave the city 20 days to respond to the school’s petition challenging the council’s rejection of FASNY’s plan to build the new school.

In January, the judge ordered the council to vote on FASNY’s special permit and site plan applications, adding that they were complete.

In February, the council voted to table any action on the applications while the city appealed the court’s ruling.

Through a spokesman, Andrea Colombel, chairwoman of FASNY’s board of trustees, said they were pleased with the court’s ruling.

“FASNY has acted in good faith from the beginning of this process,” she said. “As the court recognized, the Common Council acted unfairly, at best.”

Colombel added that the school is committed to the property and to its rights as property owners and urged the council and mayor to end the court proceedings and work with FASNY toward a positive resolution.

Photo credit: FASNY website.