Westchester County New York Real Estate Blog

West Nile Virus - Some Things You Can Do

I am writing this post because I recently showed a house in upper Westchester County to a buyer.  We walked the back property and discovered a reservoir runoff where there was stagnant water. So if you own a property and it is on the market here is what the Health Department in Westchester County says you should do:

Mosquitoes capable of carrying West Nile Virus lay their eggs in stagnant water. The eggs can develop in any pool or puddle of water that stands undisturbed for more than four days. Mosquitoes will breed in any untreated water, so the Health Department recommends you:

• Remove unneeded tires, cans, buckets, drums, wheelbarrows and bottles
• Cover trash containers to keep rain out.
• Turn over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.
• Clean roof gutters and remove standing water from flat roofs.
• Remove standing water from basements.
• Place a couple of capfuls of household bleach in a basement sump-pump pit if it has standing water.
• Keep drains, culverts and streams clean of weeds and trash so that water can drain properly.
• Make sure stored boat covers are completely drained. Store small boats upside down.
• Drain water in birdbaths, plant pots and drip trays twice a week.
• Trim shrubs to eliminate hiding places for adult mosquitoes.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor spas and hot tubs. Be sure rainwater does not collect on their covers and disinfect them with bleach to kill mosquito larvae and eggs.
• Fill in hollow tree stumps and rot holes that hold water with sand or concrete.
• Drill holes in the bottoms of recycling containers that are kept outdoors.

From the Westchester County Department of Health, here.

Wastechester.org - Coming Soon

The gloves are on. We pay taxes in Westchester County, lots of taxes.  Now with the economic downturn and house prices falling homeowners are looking at the taxes we pay.  Some individuals are looking at the top heavy County goverment and duplication of services that we are receiving from the Federal, State and local governments. 

They did vigorously and harmoniously call for the abolition of county government. One man in the crowd even shouted like Peter Finch in “Network”: “We can’t take it anymore!” Others denounced the county government as extravagant, duplicative and riddled with patronage and boondoggles.

The insurgents’ case has been bolstered by recent disclosures that some members of the 17-member County Board of Legislators have spent taxpayer dollars on flights and hotels for conferences in getaways like Hawaii, on whopping cellphone bills and even on software for Hollywood scriptwriting and drawing Japanese cartoons. Mr. Feiner recalled that when he was a legislator two decades ago, the Legislature did not have a single aide; now it has 40, and one earns $150,000.

 

Greenburgh vs. Westchester County Government

The Trailways in Hastings on Hudson, New York

Last year I sold a house in Hastings on Hudson which is located in Southern Westchester County and is one of the Hudson River Communities.  Not to be confused with Hudson, New York which is upstate. One of the attractions in this community are the parks and trailways that run through Hastings on-Hudson at the river.

"Some of the trails are in bad shape and they need to be maintained," said Hubbard, who has overseen the program with the village for about three years. "The village doesn't have the manpower and so we are relying - as much as possible - on volunteers who adopt a trail."

Hubbard said residents and members of the Adopt-A-Trail Program have helped put up signs, pick up trash, lay wood chips and place erosion control devices on the trails.

 Village of Hastings on Hudson website, here.

Trailway Improvements, here.

Farmer's Markets Around Westchester County

Starting this weekend and next Farmer’s Markets will open in communities all over Westchester County.

FARMERS MARKET AT STONE BARNS CENTER FOR FOOD & AGRICULTURE: 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. Fridays and Sundays through Nov. 26. Selling fruit, vegetables, meat, breads, cheese and cider. 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills. 914-366-6200.

HARTSDALE FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, June 28-Nov. 22. Vendors selling fruit, vegetables, bread and plants. Train station, DiSanti Plaza, Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale. 914-993-1507.

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON FARMERS MARKET: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, June 7-Nov. 22. Vendors selling wine, pastry, chutney, bread, fruit, vegetables, meat and pickles. 44 Main St., James Harmon Community Center lot, Hastings-on-Hudson. 914-923-4837.

Farmer’s Markets, Communities Throughout Westchester County, here.

If you prefer to have produce, meats, etc delivered to your home, please visit, My Personal Farmers Market, here.

Dunkin Donuts, Jacob Burns Film Center and Pleasantville, New York

Pleasantville is a charming Village with great schools, affordable housing and a train station with art throughout.  There is the downtown diner, proximity to the Saw Mill Parkway and moments to Chappaqua and Briarcliff Manor.  Pleasantville is also the home to Archie, those of us who were brought up in the 1950's remember Archie (he is a comic book character). 

About 8 years ago the Jacob Burns Film Center was opened. Pleasantville is now the go to place for first run movies and people from all over Westchester County came to the Jacob Burns Theatre for the movies, dance and theatre you can not find elsewhere in Westchester.  Buyer's would buy in Pleasantville because of it's low key environement.  Unlike some of its' neighbors to the south the downtown is not filled with boutiques.  Not like the upper East Side, but more like the Village or the upper West SIde.

Pleasantville’s reputation as a cultural center was enhanced in 2001 with the opening of the nonprofit Jacob Burns Film Center in the landmark Rome Theater, a Spanish mission-style building and one of the first movie theaters in Westchester County. The Burns Center is dedicated to presenting independent, documentary, and world cinema. Guest speakers at the Burns Center have included Jerry Lewis, Woody Allen, Jonathan Demme, Robert Klein, Oliver Stone, Stephen King, and numerous other notable filmmakers and actors.

In 1948, in an unincorporated area of Pleasantville off Bear Ridge Road, acolytes of Frank Lloyd Wright began putting their lessons to work by building homes in their mentor’s modernist, open-plan style. The neighborhood, called Usonia, comprises 50 houses spread among 100 acres of wooded hillside; the development includes two houses designed by Wright himself. Students of residential architecture and fans of Wright’s designs will find the area of interest.

Now a Donkin Donuts is going to open across from Jacob Burns, more below.

So, Pleasantville, New York

Official Pleasantville Website

Beyonce and Jay-Z Move to Scarsdale!

Blogs are abuzz, yakity yak. Seems that Beyonce and Jay-Z have bought 15 Heathcote Road in Scarsdale. The house according to reports is 15,000 square feet, new construction and on about 2 acres of property.  At the beginning of April they were married in Scarsdale.  A comment from an anonymous reader says that it is actually #4 not #15.  As I said this post is based on blogger buzz.  We shall see.

Fairway is Coming to Westchester County

Just announced is that the Fairway Supermarket chain will be opening a 75,000 square foot market in Pelham Manor in 2009.   Fairway is great.  Sort of like Stew Leonards but much larger, more selections, and more diverse choices.  There is one on the upper West Side, one on Long Island, one in Brooklyn, a hugh one in Harlem and now there will be one in Westchester.  It's a great place.

Fairway Supermarket

The Low Down on Bedford, New York

Bedford, Katonah, Pound Ridge are all located in the north eastern quadrent of Westchester County. Large horse farms with over 4 acres and costing upwards of $18 million can be found.  The Bedford Village green is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Find out all you need to know using the following links:

History, Famous Residents, Census on Bedford, New York, click here.
Pound Ridge
Katonah
Bedford Hills

Roadways, Highways, and a Map, here.

Schools, Katonah-Lewisboro School District, Bedford School District

Official Town of Bedford website, here
Pound Ridge Business Association

New York Times profile of the area, Horses and Acreage in Bedford, New York

Demographic Snapshot, Pound Ridge, Bedford

It's Been a Year Since the Flooding...

Last year at this time we torrential rains over a three day period which created flooding in areas in the Long Island Sound communities of Mamaroneck, Larchmont and in Hartsdale Village, and parts of  Yonkers. Since then loads of relief and help has been forthcoming and in the Journal News this morning you can see the the amount of aid that was necessary.  But what if the storms come again, can it happen again?

In the weeks after the storm, the American Red Cross helped thousands of people, served more than 10,000 meals and managed a shelter in Mamaroneck for two weeks, said Abigail Adams, director of communications. Their "massive" relief efforts are "still very much in progress," she said.

Westchester's Habitat for Humanity chapter spent more than $500,000 helping Long Island Sound residents - including Albert and Salvatore - rebuild with the help of more than 2,700 volunteers, said Jim Killoran, the chapter's president.

The federal government disbursed $64 million in low-interest loans and Federal Emergency Management Assistance funds, said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison.

Close to 7,000 households received some form of federal aid, including $10 million through FEMA's housing program. An additional $8 million was for the Army Corps of Engineers to develop a flood-mitigation strategy and $2 million was designated for infrastructure and land improvements for hard-hit areas.

To read the full article from The Journal News, here.

An Italian Bakery In Hartsdale, Challah Anyone?

In the Village of Hartsdale (actually a Hamlet) there is a bakery, Enrico's.  Sound Italian right? Well yes and no.

"THE fact that Enrico’s Pastry Shop and Caffe, an Italian bakery here, turns out 80 challahs a week that Jewish customers say are as good as their grandmothers used to make is more than just a minor bulletin from the food front. It’s an anthropological signpost of American life.

Joseph Floriano, the 50-year-old owner of the original Enrico’s in the Morris Park section of the Bronx, opened a Hartsdale spinoff in October as a distinctly Italian pastry shop, selling classics like cannoli, sfogliatelle and pignoli cookies. But as he tells it, within an hour and a half, a Jewish customer warned him he would have to sell challah. There were too many customers who relied on his predecessor’s bakery, the Hartsdale Bake Shop, for their Friday evening bread"

To read the rest of this article from the New York Times,  Enrico's Bakery, Hartsdale, New York.

Spring is Coming in Hartsdale, New York 10530

Spring is coming, here are some pictures of the beginnings of spring in my neighborhood.  Finally. See the buds?

The Rivieria Bakehouse in Ardsley, NY

In the Westchester Section of the New York Times today is a wonderful article about a wonderful place in Ardsley.  I am there at least two – three days a week and consider it to be  the best bakery that I am aware of in Westchester County.

All of their baked goods, cookies, cakes are just wonderful and not too sweet which is why I like it.  The fun thing they do is make speciality cakes shaped like buildings, or like above a tennis court.  The staff is always courteous and at the ready.  Check out the website and if you are in the area check it out. Oh, and you just might run into Meredith Viera who stops in regularly.

The Rivieria Bakehouse

Having Your Cake

Where Can I Walk?

If you like to walk places you will love this new website.  You can enter an address and it will tell you where you can walk and how far it is.  if you see "walk all" on a listing sheet you can put the address in and see what they mean.

Check out your Walk Score

Art In Hartsdale, New York

in Hartsdale, DeSantis Square, across from the Hartsdale Train Station is this really whimsical piece of art.  It is named "Nova".  I would love to give the artist credit, but find the name anywhere. If anyone knows please comment below, thank you.

Hastings on Hudson and Hastings, New York

Often when the public is looking for information for Hastings on Hudson they Google "Hastings".  Guess what?  There is a Hastings but it is up in Oswego County and is an entirely different community from Hastings on Hudson which is located in Westchester County, New York. Our Hastings on Hudson has a zip code of 10706.

View Larger Map

Hastings on Hudson School District

The Village of Hastings on Hudson

Town of Greenburgh

Restaurants in Hastings on Hudson, New York