ROBERT ARMANINI LETTER TO THE GAZETTE, HARMON REZONING, 2/23/12

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The following letter appears in the 2/22/12-2/29/12 edition of THE GAZETTE from Rob Armanini, printed with permission:

To the Editor,

I’m writing in response to certain points made by citizen Virpi DeMarchis with regards to Harmon rezoning. I am a Croton resident and a Harmon business owner. I have also been, and remain, a vocal opponent of Harmon rezoning.

I’m actually pleased that Ms. DeMarchis has noticed the lot with the wrecked cars. The parcel in question is part of the original Harmon/S. Riverside Gateway Area dating back to 2004. The Village has used that particular property as a storage lot for vehicles that have either been involved in accidents or have been impounded. I find this inappropriate and disrespectful—to residents, the local businesses, and to outside visitors. Ironically, the Gateway Law prohibits automobile storage lots, yet the Village sets a poor example by using a Harmon Gateway lot for this unattractive purpose.

Also, while no buildings in Harmon are ‘abandoned’, some properties could use some ‘tidying up’. This has nothing to do with rezoning and quite a lot to do with code enforcement. Croton has an Advisory Board for the Visual Environment, which is empowered to bring these exact issues to the attention of the Village Board. Yet the only code enforcement going on in Harmon is the ticketing of cars parked for more than a half hour on the west side of S. Riverside or those who park at all on the north side of Croton Point Avenue.

I am 100% in favor of improving the Harmon Gateway area. I’ve chosen to make my livelihood in Harmon—with great pride and absolutely no regrets. Many of us have invested significant amounts of sweat and financial equity to make the area more viable and inviting. Umami Café is now a staple on S. Riverside. Anton Restaurant was well-received until their unfortunate fire.  I brought a retail use back to a building which hadn’t housed retail in a generation. Several other long-standing successful businesses also call Harmon home, among them are automotive-related ones which provide vital services to the entire village.

None of us are clamoring for rezoning, and I totally oppose it. What we really want is a Village that works with its businesses, not against them. The Harmon we want would be the Harmon you want when that starts happening.

Robert Armanini, Owner

Feed the Birds! Croton-on-Hudson, NY