Park Hill

A concerned Park Hillian (how, exactly do we refer to ourselves? Park Hill Residents seems so cumbersome…) sent me the following, lifted mostly from a Westchester Board letter to Amicone:

The new Yonkers Budget proposes an increase in the Real Estate Transfer Tax from 1% to 3%. If approved by the City Council it would probably go into effect on July 1, 2005.

If this tax increase is approved, when you sell your home you will pay 3% of the sale price to the City of Yonkers at the closing. Not only is this an expensive burden to homesellers but it will inevitably make Yonkers homes less desirable (and less valuable) to buyers who will recognize this as a “hostage tax”; one that they in turn will pay when they sell.

According to the Westchester Board of Realtors: The median asking price of a house in Yonkers is $529,000. At that price sellers would pay $15,870. plus a state transfer tax of $2116. This places the Yonkers property at a $15,870 disadvantage when compared to other communities (most of them) that do not have a transfer tax. Furthermore, Yonkers buyers are burdened by the City’s local mortgage recording tax of $5 per $1,000 of filed mortgage. These combined taxes are capable of doing real damage to local home values and present a substantial disincentive to purchase a home in Yonkers.

If you are concerned about this unfair tax you may e-mail council members at the addresses below.
Richard.Martinelli@CityofYonkers.com
Patricia.McDow@CityofYonkers.com.
Sandy.Annabi@CityofYonkers.com
Dennis.Robertson@CityofYonkers.com
Liam.McLaughlin@CityofYonkers.com
John.Murtagh@CityofYonkers.com
Dee.Barbato@CityofYonkers.com

Public Hearings on the proposed budget are currently scheduled:
Tuesday, May 10 at 7:00 PM - Council Chambers, City Hall
Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00 PM - Crestwood Branch of the Yonkers Public Library, 70 Thompson St

This is a bad idea folks. Let’s let them know just how bad an idea it is.

Story from the NYTimes here (requires soul-sucking registration, which one bypasses by using this very fine website or their Firefox extension. You are using Firefox, aren’t you?)

Although the Cross County Mall would be, strictly speaking, outside the self-imposed purview of this blog, since I’m the editor and sole contributor, I’ve decided to plug the story. Mainly because I need content.

Anyway, the point is that our closest mall is getting a makeover, and let’s face it: it sure as heck needs it. From the article -

The physical problems besieging Cross County are readily apparent to any visitor: The entire place sags. The parking lot, which was built on a marsh, now has the rolling contours of a golf course fairway. Fissures snake through the walkways. Many of the stores’ facades are remnants of the mid-20th century. And where newer shopping centers have integrated enhancements from the natural world, like landscaping and foliage, much of Cross County remains a giant slab of unadulterated concrete. It is aggressively un-hip.

However, help may be on the way. Read on -

The Cross County renovation plans call for adding 200,000 square feet of retail space to the existing 900,000 square feet and for refurbishing existing buildings. The owners also intend to rebuild intersections to make access easier and unsnarl traffic, construct a parking tower and redesign and beautify the streetscapes.

If the governmental review process goes smoothly, Mr. Sanzari said, the investors hope to break ground in the spring of 2006 and complete construction by the end of 2008

Until then, the Stop and Shop there has the best selection of organic produce within a 10 minute driving radius.