White Plains Westchester’S Thriving Commercial, Cultural, and Civic Hub Is Poised for New Heights in 2012
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION Focus On White Plains Westchester’s thriving commercial, cultural, and civic hub is poised for new heights in 2012. By Liz Connolly WP 49 SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION As the city that houses the second busiest train station in the Metro-North system after Grand Central Terminal, White Plains is a booming metropolis with new businesses, retailers, and restaurants popping up all over. With nearly 57,000 residents and 250,000 visitors each day, “People get here by a number of means, because we are the junction point of most of the roads in the area,” says Mayor Thomas M. Roach. In fact, later this year, the city is doing something new to improve the life of local commuters by opening dedicated bike lanes, which will lead to and from the train station. Another new project at 250-270 Main Street, the Cambria Suites Hotel, is set to open in 2013. Sure to capture the attention of visitors and residents with its close proximity to City Hall and the center of downtown, this 130-room hotel will feature an underground parking garage, 30,000 square feet of new retail space, and 17,000 square feet of office and retail space in an adjacent building. “I don’t think you will see another downtown that has as much growth as White Plains” - New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin The following is a Q&A with White But what we want to do in the future is make use of this Plains Mayor Roach, who also reverse-911 system, both for emergencies and for people who served for nine years on the Com- opt in for notification on different events and things like that. For mon Council. the targeted groups that want to be advised of those things, we’re going to accommodate them. Q: How will technology evolve and improve during your admin- Q: In addition to new real estate development projects and istration? businesses moving in White Plains, does your administra- tion have any unique plans to generate additional funds for A: One of the biggest complaints the City? you sometimes hear in White Plains is that someone received a parking A: We have an agreement with Clear Channel Communications to ticket. We are trying to prevent this put new electronic signs at our parking garages, and we are going with a rollout of multi-space meters to share in the revenue from the advertising. Clear Channel Com- in all city garages to allow people to munications will provide us with the opportunity to post city and add time remotely— either through non-profit announcements on the electronic signs. a remote pay station, which we have installed in our library, the courthouse and the Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center, or by Q: What green changes has your administration made for use of a cell phone. If you’re running late, you could add time the City of White Plains? through your cell phone and your time would be extended. There is also an application for iPhone and Droid phones that A: When I was a council member, I was a proponent of clean I think people will really use. air legislation similar to what was authorized at Ground Zero for construction projects over a certain size. Since becoming mayor, Q: Speaking of technology advancements, how did the we were able to enact these same guidelines for site plans in the City of White Plains handle the emergency response to Hur- City of White Plains. These guidelines dictate that ultra-low sulfur ricane Irene? diesel must be used instead of off-road diesel. As a result of the unsafe emissions generally released by off-road diesel and linked A: During the recent hurricane, for the first time, the city made to asthma, low-sulfur diesel is a better and healthier option for use of an emergency alert system, and quickly recorded and the city’s long-term future. released an emergency call. Several residents raved about the Another area where the city is trying to go green is by creat- response, and appreciated the information provided. We also ing legislation that offers a benefit to taxi cabs that use hybrid made free parking available in the garages, so people could take technology and to vehicles that have a certain level of mileage. If their cars off the street. All of this worked very well to effect a you’re walking along Main Street, you might just hail a cab, and a very quick recovery effort from the storm. Toyota Prius or Camry Hybrid could pick you up. Cover Photo: Renaissance Plaza – Fountain at Main St and Mamaroneck Ave. © Photo By Stephen E. Morton WP 3 Focus On SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION White Plains Plains and our enhanced assisted-living license, offers Q: What green and eco-friendly initiatives is your adminis- tration proposing for the future? Westchester County a unique senior care option,” says Celina Watson, executive director of The Kensington. “We are excited that our doors are now open and residents are settling in. We’d A: We’re also working with some groups and organizations to love to have you stop by for a visit.” allow White Plains to serve as a site for a rollout of electric vehi- As an enhanced assisted-living facility, The Kensington offers cles. The city already has a number of hybrid and alternate fuel seniors a pleasant living environment in luxurious suites from vehicles, but as we move into the era of private vehicles being which they will not need to move if their level of care changes. powered by electricity, it is important to start exploring the option This is also known as “aging in place.” Designed exclusively with of making electric charging available to residents and visitors. As the needs of seniors in mind, The Kensington features licensed a transit hub, we are the perfect location to create a public charg- nurses on-site around the clock; medication/diabetes manage- ing station. ment that includes injections; a physical therapy center on-site; a In addition, we recently met with a few solar energy compa- geriatric physician on-site; and much more. nies to learn more about different ways to install solar panels The Kensington also has two floors devoted exclusively to onwith our city buildings. seniors who need memory care. One floor supports seniors in the Lastly, we are always looking to incorporate environmental early to middle stages of memory loss, while the other secures requirements into construction projects, whether it’s storm-water and caters to seniors in the middle to late stages of memory loss. management, clean air, or noise reduction. With two full-time Activities Directors on hand, seniors have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities including cooking, book and gardening clubs, exercise classes, computer Healthcare Sector Thriving in lessons, and regular shopping trips. “The Kensington is a great asset to the City because it is White Plains keeping our local residents in the community, in close contact Downtown Living Opens Its Doors to Senior Citizens with their families and friends,” says Mayor Roach. “It provides help to seniors who need assistance with day-to-day activities, n early September 2011, Maple Avenue received a new neigh- but don’t need a nursing home.” Ibor with the opening of The Kensington, a high-end assisted The Kensington also takes every possible measure to keep living facility in White Plains. seniors secure, with safety features that surpass New York State “The Kensington, with our location in the heart of White building requirements. In addition to a building structure that uses non-combustible materials, the building has an enhanced fire safety early-warning smoke detection system, off-site moni- toring that immediately notifies fire and medical departments in emergencies, and a sophisticated smoke purge system. With the opening of The Kensington, Mayor Roach stressed the new prospects for healthcare employment, offering “upward mobility” in White Plains. White Plains Hospital Offering Quality Healthcare < < The Kensington Facility and Staff Members White Plains Hospital Cancer Treatment Center 4 WP Focus On SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION White Plains art of the appeal of opening an assisted living facility in Pdowntown White Plains is the quality healthcare services available down the street at White Plains Hospital. Located on a 500,000 square foot campus, the hospital leads the region in advanced medical technology, and has a reputation for both clini- cal excellence and outstanding personalized care. Its Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center is the only cancer pro- gram in Westchester County to receive an outstanding achieve- ment award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. The Center has the most advanced radiation therapy and comprehensive services. The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal and Maternity Cen- ter has received the highest recognition available for a community hospital when it comes to caring for premature newborns—a Level III NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). The hospital deliv- ers 2,000 babies a year. The Westchester Orthopedic Institute boasts an award-winning staff of orthopedic physicians, who are specialists in joint replacement, sports medicine, and hand and micro-vascular sur- gery. For the past five years, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association also recognized the hospital’s Regional Stroke Center as an award-winning center since receiv- ing the Get With the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement award. < Since opening an expanded emergency department in 2010 Office building and space available at 445 Hamilton Avenue with state-of-the-art computer and information systems, the hos- pital has also received acknowledgment for its outstanding imple- mentation of Electronic Medical Record technology.