The Chappaqua Board of Education has asserted that the Town cannot control whether future developments in the Chappaqua hamlet will be subsidized through PILOT agreements. Is this accurate?

No.

Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements are used to incentivize economic development in areas where it otherwise might not occur. Generally, under a PILOT agreement, a property owner makes fixed payments over a defined period of time rather than pay property taxes. PILOT payments are typically lower than what the property owner would pay if taxed normally.

In a letter to the Town Board dated March 16, 2021, the Board of Education claimed that PILOT agreements are negotiated and controlled by Westchester County and Westchester Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs), and neither the Town nor CCSD would have much say in the matter. This is not true.

As a matter of policy, when it comes to negotiating a PILOT agreement, Westchester County does not play a role. Instead, the County allows the municipality where the project will be located to negotiate the terms of any PILOT agreements. Bridget Gibbons, the County’s Director Economic Development, has explained the County’s policy as follows:

“It is the policy of the County IDA to defer the negotiation of PILOT benefits to the municipality (City/Town/Village) where the Project is to be located. We leave it to their discretion to determine whether they wish to include the school district in their negotiations. Some communities do, others do not.”

The Town of New Castle does not have an IDA and, as previously discussed in public meetings, has no plans to offer PILOTs to developers to incentivize construction in the Chappaqua hamlet.

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1. NEW - Will completing the SEQRA review for the FBC on the entire study area undermine the Town Board’s ability to limit the FBC to only a small area (the North Greeley corridor)...
2. NEW - Why is the Town Board considering revisions to the FBC legislation before receiving draft responses to the comments from the public and interested agencies on the Town's DGEIS? ...
3. What is a form-based code?
4. What is the purpose of Chappaqua’s comprehensive plan?
5. What is the goal of rezoning the Chappaqua Hamlet?
6. Will the rezoning change the history of Chappaqua?
7. Is the Chappaqua form-based code a construction project?
8. What is GEIS?
9. Didn’t the members of the Downtown Working Group who own commercial properties in the Chappaqua hamlet have conflicts of interest that precluded their participation?
10. Does the Form Based Code allow the entire Chappaqua Hamlet to be 5 stories in height?
11. Why does the DGEIS study a "full build out" or "buildout scenario" of the Chappaqua Hamlet under the Form Based Code?
12. Does the FBC mean development on Town-owned land?
13. If the Town Board determines in the future to sell or lease Town-owned land for a development project, will I have and opportunity to vote on whether that should occur? Will there be a referendum?
14. Has the Town been in contact with other public entities on this proposal (e.g. the school board)?
15. Once the Form Based Code is in place, what are the next steps for the Town to attract interest in potential opportunities for development?
16. Does the Town plan to use eminent domain to buy and consolidate privately owned, small contiguous parcels?
17. How does the public notification of a proposed development project change with the Form Based Code?
18. Why is this the appropriate time to adopt a Form Based Code for Chappaqua?
19. Does Chappaqua have the water and sewer infrastructure to handle future development?
20. What assumptions were the foundation of the Form Based Code?
21. Can the public vote on the Form Based Code?
22. Can the Town conduct a "public opinion poll" or an advisory (non-binding) referendum of the electorate with respect to the proposed Form-Based Code?
23. Do any members of the Town Board have a conflict of interest with respect to the Form Based Code because they own property in the Chappaqua business hamlet?
24. Did the members of the Town’s “Downtown Working Group” write the Form Based Code?
25. What is the “New Direction” announced by the Town Board for the Form Based Code? What does that mean and what happens next?
26. If the Town Board is limiting the Form Based district to North Greeley, why will the FGEIS and SEQRA Findings Statement be completed for the entire study area?
27. Can the Town lawfully regulate the number of bedrooms that would be permitted within new apartment units?
28. The Chappaqua Board of Education has asserted that the Town cannot control whether future developments in the Chappaqua hamlet will be subsidized through PILOT agreements. Is this accurate?