A vacant eyesore and a policy failure in Yorktown

Dear Editor,

For years, I've driven past Yorktown’s “Roma Building” (or eyed it while waiting at a traffic light) and felt the frustration that I suspect many of my neighbors share. It's hard to miss; a prominent property, right in the heart of our community (and at what is really the primary gateway to town), sitting vacant, unsightly, and deteriorating while we can only wonder when someone will finally do something about it.

I came across Yorktown Supervisor candidate Jann Mirchandani’s article, “A vision for what Yorktown can become" (April 23, Page 25). One of her points hit close to home. She wrote about the 485-b commercial real estate tax exemption, a state tool originally designed to spur investment during urban renewal. Jann pointed out that Yorktown's local version of that law is too broad. It rewards development generally rather than directing those tax benefits where they're needed: toward owners who will improve or repurpose existing buildings. A targeted 485-b exemption could be exactly the lever we need to make redeveloping a property like the Roma Building financially attractive to an investor willing to do it right.

She also noted something that should concern all of us: under current policy, tax write-offs can make it financially comfortable for a property owner to simply leave a building empty. That's not a quirk of the market, it is a policy failure, and apparently it is one that the current administration in Yorktown seemingly has not addressed.

The Roma building isn't just an eyesore, it’s a missed opportunity sitting at the center of our town, year after year. It represents lost tax revenue, diminished economic activity, and a drag on the character of the very community we're trying to protect and grow.

What impressed me most about Jann's thinking is that she doesn't approach these problems in isolation. She sees how blighted properties, smart use of tax incentives, regional partnerships and Yorktown's natural assets all connect to a coherent vision for what this town can become. That kind of integrative thinking is exactly what's been missing from our town leadership. Jann had clearly done her homework, talking with restaurateurs, developers and regional stakeholders before putting pen to paper for her article.

What we see in Yorktown is continued development, which is only making traffic worse in town (anyone tired of waiting at the lights on Commerce Street, 202/35/118 and Underhill? I know that I am). Yorktown deserves a "change supervisor" who arrives with a plan and the knowledge to execute it. Based on what I've read — and the conversations I've had — Jann Mirchandani is that candidate.

-Chuck Newman, Yorktown Heights