Mayor’s Column: February 28, 2022.
You may have noticed a buzz of activity at the intersection of Tanglewylde Avenue and Route 22 as Iona College is busy retrofitting the entire interior of the former Concordia College library to accommodate the needed equipment and square footage required for the new NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences. This initial commitment of between $15 and $20 million for remodeling will transform and reconfigure the entire interior space. As a consequence, the gallery space will be retrofitted for academic programming.
It will be a relatively quiet summer on campus. You will see academic faculty in some of the other buildings by September and a limited number of graduate classes will begin at that juncture with the primary enrollment coming in January 2023.
When in full operation, the healthcare campus will consist primarily of graduate students and there will be no residential living on the campus for the foreseeable future. Some of the Iona deans or senior faculty will take up residence on Concordia Place. Iona has decided the street name will remain to honor the heritage and storied history of Concordia College. Sommers Center will remain available for multiple community uses including that of the Concordia Conservatory and continue as a voting site for our state and national elections.
As to other facilities, Iona is in discussions as to the usage of other campus buildings and is open to talking to neighboring school districts about athletic field space and gymnasium rentals. The college is currently before the Tuckahoe Planning Board with an application to resurface and improve drainage at the existing soccer field across Route 22 from the front entrance to the campus.
Iona has also employed the services of two landscaping companies to maintain the property in pristine condition and they have also kept on Concordia’s former head of security who is known and respected by the Village police department.
The vision for this campus is to be a center, an intellectual hub and cutting-edge facility to help not only educate healthcare workers at the highest level thanks to a $20 million commitment from NewYork-Presbyterian to partner with Iona, but also to be a catalyst to craft new models in the way we deliver, practice and finance medicine. New models are clearly needed as currently 20% of our GDP goes to healthcare and by just 2032, it is estimated the number will be at 32%, clearly unsustainable. Iona aspires to be the home of innovative critical thinking on this subject.
The above news was conveyed to the Trustees from Iona President Seamus Carey as we have forged a very open, realistic and seamless partnership.
President Carey has offered to hold a town hall meeting open to all to share plans as they evolve and answer questions.
The vision for this campus is to be a fully integrated partner with the Village and our residents and a hub of intellectual activity that will serve not only to enhance the college, but Bronxville residents as well.
Village Government Updates
The Trustees, Solar Legislation in concert with the Zoning and Planning Boards and the Village Building Department, have been re-vamping our local law relating to solar energy to be mindful of its importance in the energy paradigm as well as the vast improvements in efficiency and design. At the March 14th Board of Trustees’ meeting, the new draft local law will be presented. I invite all of you to review it online and reach out if you have any comments during this open period.
Farmers Market
In partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, the Village Board of Trustees approved the relocation of some parking spaces in the Maltby Lot to facilitate expansion of the number of vendors at our Saturday market.
Westside Circle
After professional study, the Trustees will soon be proposing improvements to the circle configuration to enhance pedestrian safety and more efficiently direct vehicular traffic. Proposed improvements include extending the island at the end of Parkway Road, thus giving pedestrians less exposure in the crosswalk as well as eliminating the left turn out of Leonard Morange Square.
You will also see work out near the island unrelated to the traffic study, rather the result of a truck destroying our small shed which contained our irrigation system and electricity and water meter installations for the oval.
Pondfield Road/Midland Avenue and Pondfield Road/Gramatan Avenue Signal Upgrade
Final designs are complete and bid documents will be available on Monday, February 28 with a bid opening on March 25. Upgrading these intersections to maximize walkability and pedestrian safety is of the highest priority for the Trustees and improvements will begin soon after the contract is awarded.
Online Parking Permits
Our online program went active last week and is currently being utilized for all 24 hour resident reserved renewals. If you need any assistance, feel free to call Village Hall as this system will replace the former mail/paper application system in practice for decades. We are here to help you navigate as it will be a vast improvement for all.
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