NY Supreme Court Rejects Gedney Association’s Challenge to City of White Plains Review of FASNY Project

WHITE PLAINS, NY (June 17, 2014) – In a major victory for the French-American School of New York (FASNY) and the City of White Plains, the New York State Supreme Court dismissed a litany of legal claims filed by the Gedney Association aimed at blocking FASNY’s proposed school project.  The FASNY project includes an elementary and secondary school on the site of the former Ridgeway Country Club, and would also create one of the largest publicly accessible natural open spaces in White Plains (approximately 78 acres). 

In her June 16, 2014 New York State Supreme Court decision, the Hon. Joan B. Lefkowitz dismissed a number of claims challenging the City of White Plains Common Council’s environmental findings on the grounds that they were “nonjusticiable” and not appropriate for adjudication. There was one surviving claim that the court labeled as “sparse and weak.”

“This is a very important victory for the French-American School and the City of White Plains,” said Mischa Zabotin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FASNY. “We have made significant improvements to our plan including a number of measures that will reduce the impact on traffic in the neighborhood by 50%, a reduction in total enrollment and increased buffers and landscaping around the campus. These improvements were the result of many months of technical study and are consistent with the SEQRA Findings that were supported by a 6-1 vote of the Common Council in December 2013.  We are pleased with the State Supreme Court’s decision and are ready to move forward.”

The lawsuit, filed earlier this year by members of the Gedney Association, claims the White Plains Common Council did not properly review the environmental impacts of the school’s plan and that its positive findings in favor of the project violated the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA.

“We are pleased the court ruled in our favor as there was never any legal grounds for these baseless claims,” said FASNY Attorney Michael Zarin. “The suit filed by the Gedney Association was baseless and a waste of everyone’s time, money and valuable resources, especially the taxpayers of White Plains.”

About FASNY

The French-American School of New York is an independent, coeducational day school serving over 850 students in Nursery through Grade 12. Accredited by the French Ministry of National Education, New York State Department of Education, and by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), FASNY offers a rigorous bilingual, bicultural academic program in French and English. FASNY’s academic program is challenging, adhering to both traditional American and official French curricula. This dual curriculum highlights the best of both the French and American education systems.