Neighbors Now in Accord on Plans for 2 Larchmont Pocket Parks

by Judy Silberstein

(May 3, 2005) This spring, what’s blooming in Larchmont are park plans. Jan Feinman, chair of the Parks and Trees Committee was at the Village Board on Monday, May 2 to present plans for renovating the Addison Street pocket park next door to CVS on Chatsworth Avenue. She and neighbors of another pocket park on Palmer near Parkway presented a proposal for upgrading that sliver of land. And two parents of young skateboarders appeared to discuss their plans to develop a skateboard park in Flint Park (See separate article: Skateboard Park Proposed for Flint Park.) Not to be “outparked,” Mayor Ken Bialo solicited feedback for what he called “his pet park project,” updating the ball fields and creating a new nature walkway at the back of Flint Park. (See: Designs Jell for Flint Park Ball Fields & Environmental Area)

What was remarkable about the presentation for the two pocket parks was an absence of controversy and opposition that has overshadowed each project in the past. Ms. Feinman described a collaboration between her committee and the surrounding neighbors in developing the latest plans for the Addison park.

Mayor Ken Bialo praised Ms. Feinman for persevering, in the face of “past acrimony.” In deference to the neighbors’ concerns and in keeping with the committee’s interests, Ms. Feinman presented a plan that will “beautify the park, while keeping the peaceful, reflective nature and passive use the space now enjoys,” she told the board. Plants will be selected to provide screening for homes bordering the park, define the borders of the park and, eventually, create a “woodland effect.” Importantly, there will be handicap access, with maintenance of the asphalt paths, including a connection to the neighboring property on Chatsworth Avenue.

Ms. Feinman outlined an ambitious plan for the spring, including installation of a perennial garden at the front of the park (which she hopes local Girl Scouts will help maintain), purchase and planting of trees and shrubs, putting in a sprinkler system for the perimeter plants, and repaving the paths. Later, in the summer, she hopes to work on creating a circular, decorative pathway to surround the existing pear tree at the center of the park. Most of the spring project can be accomplished within the sum provided by CVS as part of their lease for a portion of the adjoining parking lot. Ms. Feinman hopes to raise private funds to add benches and other amenities.

Provisional Plans for Renovating Addison Street Park

These plans have gone a long way toward mollifying the neighbors who in 2003 expressed outrage when existing trees and shrubberies that had grown up over the years were cleared away at the park and adjoining parking lot at CVS. They complained that they had not been properly consulted and that the clearing removed plants that provided privacy, security or beauty. Joe Powers, who lives behind the park, was the only neighbor attending the meeting and he did not speak.

At Palmer and Parkway, a scaled-down version of an earlier plan has also garnered support from neighbors and the Parks and Trees Committee. Key elements involve removing picnic benches; grading the lot (which slopes towards the back) so there are two areas of interest; and adding perimeter plantings and front gate posts to provide better definition of the space and separation from the adjoining properties. At the board meeting to explain the proposal was Michael Heming, a Parkway resident and one of the organizers of S.T.E.P. (Save the Existing Park), and Tim Mount, a relative newcomer to the area who supplied his professional expertise to help draw up the plans.

Proposed Plan for Park at Palmer and Parkway

The latest plans reflect a resolution of the controversy that arose in 2003 over a proposed trade of the parkland, which lies between two single-family homes, for a slightly smaller, privately owned site two doors away abutting a commercial building. (See: Land Swap Proposed; Neighbors Opposed) The owner of the private lot, Maureen Morris, resides next to the park; her son, Brian Morris, had plans to build a house next to hers. Neighbors opposed to moving the park began raising funds and developing proposals to improve the existing site, and after a number of contentious public hearings, the Larchmont Board voted against the swap.

Now the neighbors, including the Morris family, are in support of the latest park plan and have begun developing their own property. Trees were razed two weeks ago and construction will start momentarily. “I like the design,” said Brian Morris, when reached for comment after the meeting. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to have the park looking good.” However, he did point out that the current plan is much less ambitious than the previous design, and the funds pledged so far appear to be far more limited than the $50K he had pledged as part of the swap proposal. (See: Two Visions for One Small Park.) “I want Mayor Bialo to get behind this to help get the funds – either publicly or through fundraising,“ he stated.

Fundraising is ongoing, said Michael Heming. Some donations have already been collected, others have been pledged, and Mr. Heming expects the pace to pick up once implementation becomes definite. In the meantime, the board is supporting the park development. At the board meeting, Mayor Bialo asked Mr. Heming and Mr. Mount for more detailed sketches, so bid documents can be prepared. The Addison Park plan also will be going through the usual bidding process, which will take a number of weeks.

“I sense the board is delighted that you’ve reached this point,” commented the mayor to Ms. Feinman about the Addison plan. “We’ve gone beyond rancor – people feel really right about it,” commented Trustee Liz Feld on the Parkway project.