Protect the Woods at Edgemont's Track

Dear Edgemont Community,

There is currently a proposal for a property owner to cut down 88 trees next to the Edgemont High School track. These woods are 1.11 acres, nearly the size of the football field next to them (the red area above).

With enough support, we can help turn these woods into parkland and preserve the woodland edge that has been protecting our school and community for decades. The owner can be paid a fair price; New York State has grant programs for exactly this.

The Planning Board could decide as soon as October 21, so please don’t wait.

Three ways to help today

Make a difference and please sign the petition. Sign the petition here
Come to the Greenburgh Town Board meeting. Showing up matters!

Wednesday, October 14 · 7 p.m.

Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue

Meeting details
Add to calendar
Email the Planning Board by October 16. Ask the Board to reopen public comment and study the safety risks before it decides. The letter is written for you; just add your name and address. Send the letter

Why this matters right now

Our kids’ safety.

These trees hide our high school track and fields from the thousands of cars on Central Avenue every day. The school dealt with several security threats last year. When a fire closed the high school on October 1, students waited on that field for about two hours. Cutting the woods would put them in full view of the road.

Blasting next to our community’s history.

The plans allow blasting the rock on this hill, and the project’s engineer told the Planning Board he leans toward blasting “because it happens quicker.”

Next door to this lot are two of Edgemont’s historic sites (see photos and comments below):

The Greenville Cemetery, established in 1842.
Former Gilbert Underhill Inn & Tavern at 350 Old Army Road, built in 1700s, with original stone walls.

Historic Greenville Cemetery with old headstones and two obelisks on a sunny lawn.

The Greenville Cemetery

At the September 2, 2026 hearing, Rev. Sam Clover said: “Many of the headstones in the cemetery are more than 150 years old. They are very fragile.”
Rev. Clover then explained that about 15 years ago the church and community partners restored the cemetery, which took a lot of time, effort and money to reconstruct some of the headstones. Rev. Clover said “the thought of a blast perhaps toppling them over, again, is of concern.”

Vintage photo of the former Gilbert Underhill Inn and Tavern, a two-story shingled house with a porch, on Old Army Road.

The former Gilbert Underhill Inn & Tavern

The former Gilbert Underhill Inn & Tavern still stands on Old Army Road, and dates to 1800 according to “The History of Greenville … [a]s a stagecoach and drover’s stop and as the first meeting place for the Greenville Reformed Church.”

Since Old Army Road was one of the main north-south routes to NYC this location was probably a regular stop for mail and passengers. It was a route that was used by George Washington’s Army during the Revolutionary War as they advanced to fight the Battle of White Plains.

Source: the Historic & Landmarks Preservation Board

A blind curve and traffic safety risks.

Drivers who are traveling along Old Army Road from the high school towards Central Avenue will find it difficult to see a car pulling out of this sloping driveway.

This is a main thoroughfare with thousands of cars per day. Residents have witnessed both emergency vehicles and cars headed towards the pipeline moving at speeds over 50 miles per hour at this location.

Rendering: street view of Old Army Road curving past the wooded slope, with an illustrated car on a drawn-in driveway line showing where the proposed driveway would exit onto the road. — For students and residents driving from the high school towards Central Ave,
the proposed driveway is on a blind curve of Old Army Road where cars are often speeding.

View from the proposed driveway location on the blind curve of Old Army Road: an overgrown slope, an old leaning picket fence and shrubs at the road edge, with cars passing close by on the curve. — View from the location of the proposed driveway on the blind curve.
Taken October 8, 2026, during school drop-off.

The woods we all enjoy.

The track is one of Edgemont’s most peaceful places, used every day by walkers, runners, families and athletes. These trees quiet the traffic, hold the steep hillside in place, and are part of what makes it special.

Illustrated version of a Homecoming 2026 group photo of Edgemont students on the turf field, with the wooded hillside in the background. The photo was redrawn to protect student privacy. — Homecoming 2026 with this wooded lot in the background.
Original photo modified to protect student privacy.

Panorama of the wooded ridge along the Edgemont High School track and Blanford Field, from the scoreboard end to the construction area, with fence banners reading Feel the Roar, Welcome to Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Blanford Field and Home of the Panthers. Two red lines mark the stretch of trees affected, from the trees just past the goalpost to the trees above the Welcome to Edgemont banner. — The woodland edge along the track, from the scoreboard end (left) to the construction area (right). The red lines mark the trees affected.

The solution

Make it Parkland

We respect the owner’s rights, and he deserves to be paid fairly. The good news is the land is not expensive:

$106,900 The Town values the land at $106,900.

~$10,000 The owner’s own tax filings in NY State Supreme Court claim it is only worth about $10,000. (see the reference to Lot 24 on page 8)

New York State offers grants that can pay for land like this when the owner is willing to sell, and land trusts can help buy it quickly. It takes the Town, the school district and the community working together, and it starts with showing that people care.

It’s a win for everyone: the owner is paid fairly, the Town gains natural parkland, and our kids keep their woods.

Please sign and share

Make a difference and please sign the petition. Sign the petition here
Come to the Greenburgh Town Board meeting. Showing up matters!

Wednesday, October 14 · 7 p.m.

Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Avenue

Meeting details
Add to calendar
Forward this page to your Edgemont neighbors and parents’ groups.
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Take 1 minute to send an email
- Email the Planning Board before October 16 at [email protected], with a copy to [email protected], and ask the Board to reopen the public comment period on case PB 23-17 (0 Old Army Road) to evaluate the unaddressed safety concerns. You can use the letter below.
Here’s a letter you can send. Copy it or open it ready to send, then add your name and street address at the bottom (it shows the Board you live nearby).

To [email protected]

Cc [email protected]

Subject URGENT REQUEST TO REOPEN RECORD: PB 23-17, 0 Old Army Road – Unaddressed Public Safety Concerns

Message

Or open a new email to the Planning Board, then paste the letter in (we copy it for you):

Gmail Outlook.com My email app

Dear Chairperson and Members of the Planning Board, I am writing about case PB 23-17, 0 Old Army Road: the application for a Steep Slope Permit and a Tree Removal Permit to cut down 88 trees on the 1.11-acre wooded hillside next to the Edgemont High School track. I respectfully request that the Chairperson make a motion at the October 21 meeting to reopen the public comment period, and that the Board not approve this application until the new information and safety issues below are formally evaluated. Under Town Code § 245-7B(8)(b), the Board "must deny a permit" if the activity "is likely to threaten public health, safety or welfare." Under § 245-7B(6), the applicant has the burden of proof. NEW INFORMATION SINCE THE WRITTEN RECORD CLOSED ON SEPTEMBER 23 1. The October 1 evacuation of Edgemont High School. When a fire closed the high school on October 1, students waited for about two hours on the field next to these woods. That field is where students gather in an emergency. The Board has not considered how clearing the woods, a driveway on a blind curve, and months of truck traffic and rock removal next to that field would affect student safety. These woods also screen the track and fields from Central Avenue, and the school dealt with several security threats last year. Removing the woods would expose the school to Central Avenue. There is no record that the Edgemont School District was consulted. I ask that the Board consult the District before deciding. 2. Photographs taken October 8 during school drop-off. Photographs taken from the location of the proposed driveway during school drop-off show how close traffic passes on the blind curve and how little of the road can be seen from that spot. They are posted at https://saveedgemontwoods.com/#driveway-view ISSUES THE RECORD DOES NOT RESOLVE 3. Sight distance far below engineering standards. On September 2, the applicant's engineer told the Board the available sight line is "about 120 feet." Section 245-7A(2) requires driveways to be consistent with "current engineering practices." Old Army Road is posted at 25 mph. At that speed, the national standard, the AASHTO Green Book, calls for 155 feet of stopping sight distance, and 280 feet for a car pulling out of a driveway and turning left. 120 feet falls short of both, even when every driver obeys the speed limit, and residents have reported cars and emergency vehicles traveling over 50 mph at this curve. Staff confirmed that no traffic engineer has reviewed this driveway, and the site plan shows only a generic "Triangle of Visibility" detail that is not to scale. A neighboring owner also stated on August 5 that the sight line would cut into their property and that they never agreed to it. I ask for a speed study and sight-distance analysis by a licensed traffic engineer, reviewed by the Town Engineer, with crash data from the Greenburgh Police Department and NYSDOT. 4. No NYSDOT permit. The driveway crosses land owned by NYSDOT, but the plans list no NYSDOT permit, and the engineer said permits had not yet been filed. Section 245-6A(14) requires all applicable state permits to be listed. 88 trees should not be cut for a driveway the State has not approved. I ask that the NYSDOT permit, or a written NYSDOT sight-distance determination, be required before any approval. AT A MINIMUM, NO TREES SHOULD BE CUT AND NO EXCAVATION SHOULD BEGIN UNTIL NYSDOT HAS ISSUED ITS PERMIT. 5. Blasting chosen for speed, which the code does not allow. Section 245-7A(9) permits explosives "only if labor and machines are not effective." The engineer said he leans toward blasting "because it happens quicker," and could not say how much rock there is. The seismic refraction survey has not been done. The project would disturb 1,381 square feet of slopes steeper than 35 percent and clear or regrade nearly 60 percent of the lot. Without the survey, the Board cannot make the finding required by § 245-7B(7)(c) that the project "will not result in creep, sudden slope failure, rock failure or additional erosion." I ask that the survey and a geotechnical report be submitted before any decision. 6. Historic sites left unprotected. The lot is next to the Greenville Cemetery, established in 1842, whose headstones are more than 150 years old, and the former Gilbert Underhill Inn and Tavern, built in the 1700s with its original stone walls. The pre-blast surveys in Chapter 140 cover "structures" and never mention cemeteries or headstones. The Building Inspector may waive them (§ 140-11), and for rock chipping they reach only 50 feet (§ 140-12E). I ask that the headstones, the house and its stone walls be named as protected, with surveys, vibration limits and monitoring. 7. Hundreds of truck trips near the high school. The Town's hearing notice describes about 3,018 cubic yards of excavation, and the applicant's grading plan shows 2,339 cubic yards of material to be hauled off site. That is roughly 200 to 300 dump-truck loads, each entering and leaving through a driveway on a blind curve, on the main route to the high school. Rock chipping is permitted from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, during the school day. When the Chair asked on September 2 whether construction vehicles would be staged outside the property, the question was not answered. I ask for a construction safety and truck-routing plan reviewed by the Traffic Safety Officer under § 245-7A(25), with no hauling during school arrival and dismissal. Each of these issues bears directly on public health, safety and welfare under § 245-7B(8)(b). I ask that the Board reopen the record, require the studies above, and not approve this application until they are complete. Please include this letter in the record for PB 23-17. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, [Your name] [Your street address, including zip code] [Your email or phone]

Sincerely,

Sandra Nam Cioffi, PLA

Edgemont graduate and parent of two Edgemont students

Licensed Landscape Architect in New York State

[email protected]

(917) 685-7170

Additional info

Grant Funding

A grant can help cover the cost of the land.

Yes, it is possible to purchase the land with the help of grant funds if the owner is willing. Fortunately, the land is not too expensive. Greenburgh’s official property assessment values the land at only $106,900. Surprisingly, the property owner’s attorney has filed paperwork in the NY State Supreme Court in White Plains each year from 2017–2026 stating that the value of the land is far less – only $10,000 (see “Claimed Valuation” for lot 24 on page 8 of this recent court document).

Brainstorming Options for Grant Funding and NY State Financial Aid

Several public programs could help turn these woods into protected land, but each depends on the owner being willing to sell at a fair price to the town, school, or a land trust.

New York State Parks’ Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grants reimburse up to 50% of the purchase cost, capped at $675,000. The land must then remain public parkland permanently, the application must document the owner’s intent to sell, a parcel worth $300,000 or more needs two appraisals, and the Town must endorse the project; the 2026 round closed July 31, so the next is likely summer 2027.
Department of Environmental Conservation’s Open Space Conservation Grant Program, which awards $50,000 to $3.5 million with no match required to municipalities and nonprofits. Its first round closed in spring 2026. A second round has not yet been announced.
A land trust such as the Westchester Land Trust could act faster as buyer or easement holder.
The NY State Conservation Partnership Program can help with appraisal, survey and legal costs, but not the purchase price itself.
If the Edgemont school district bought the land for school purposes as part of a voter-approved, state-approved capital project, state building aid could reimburse about 45% of eligible costs over time, based on the district’s 2024 aid ratio of 45.1%.