On May 29, 2025, WMPF held the 51st Annual Planning Awards Program and Dinner, an event that recognizes Outstanding Achievements in Planning in Westchester County, at The Hudson Loft in Irvington.
Congratulations to the 2025 Winners
Planning Achievement Awards
Comprehensive Master Plan | Town of Lewisboro
The Town of Lewisboro adopted a new Comprehensive Master Plan on August 12, 2024. This critical work was completed with the assistance of a Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee comprised of local residents and a professional consulting firm. Their mission was to review and update the Town’s 1985 Comprehensive Master Plan in accordance with the vision determined by the Town Board after an inclusive, thorough and transparent engagement process with Town residents. The Plan communicates the Town’s vision for development, capital improvements, land preservation and government structure and services, and will guide local decision makers for the next generation.
Redevelopment of Memorial Field | Westchester County & City of Mount Vernon
The City of Mount Vernon began a significant revitalization of its historic Memorial Field Stadium property in 2008. A park since the 1930s, the property had long been in disrepair. The City partnered with Westchester County for the redevelopment through the Westchester County Legacy Program which allocates funds in partnership with municipalities to improve and rehabilitate parks and recreational infrastructure. The newly redesigned stadium includes seating for 3,900 spectators; a state-of-the-art multipurpose synthetic turf field for football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse; an 8-lane running track; concession stands, locker rooms and restrooms. In June, 2024, the City announced a partnership with the Westchester Soccer Club, a professional soccer team affiliated with the United Soccer League. The complex represents a sense of hope and accomplishment for the City and County.
Climate Action Plan | Village of Sleepy Hollow
The Sleepy Hollow Climate Action Plan is a timely blueprint to address the unique challenges posed by climate change while leveraging opportunities to enhance the community’s current and future sustainability and resilience for both residents and businesses. It advances clean energy, resilient infrastructure, and sustainable growth while protecting vulnerable populations and natural resources. This Plan, which was funded through NYSDEC’s “Climate Smart Communities” Grant Program, has allowed the Village to be a trailblazer in climate innovation through numerous implementation projects including the Rivertowns Food Scraps and Organics Study, Clean Mobility Master Plan and NYSERDA Clean Energy and Resilient Codes Assessment.
62 Main Affordable Housing | Village of Tarrytown
This $53 million investment in the Village of Tarrytown includes the adaptive reuse of the historic YMCA facility originally built in 1911 and preserves its historic Main Street facade. The project provides 109 units of affordable housing for age 55-plus households (offered to those earning between 30 and 70 percent of AMI) and in addition to resident parking, includes 69 municipal parking spaces. The development is walkable to the Village’s downtown shops and restaurants, the Metro North Train Station and Bee Line and LHTL route bus stops. The project was designed to LEED Gold standards and includes geothermal heating and cooling.
One White Plains Comprehensive Plan | City of White Plains
The One White Plains Comprehensive Plan (OneWP) sets a new standard in urban planning through its innovative strategies, extensive community engagement, and comprehensive approach to future growth. More than a land use guide, OneWP shapes policy across various social priorities, ensuring inclusive and sustainable development. By prioritizing social equity, sustainability, transit-oriented development, affordable housing and pedestrian-friendly downtown spaces, OneWP aims to attract investment, support local business and enhance quality of life.
La Mora Senior Housing | City of Yonkers
La Mora Senior Apartments was completed in 2024 by the Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers (MHACY). It is located on the site of the former Longfellow Junior High School, which was abandoned in 1976 and demolished in 2015. La Mora Senior Housing, which includes 60 units for low-income seniors, is a notable planning achievement in the City and the County as the first Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) Certified multi-family affordable housing development completed in Westchester County.
Envision New Castle Community Vision Plan & Outreach | Town of New Castle
In the Spring of 2024, the Town of New Castle, with the assistance of its consultants, Nexus Creative Design and Pace Law School’s Land Use Law Center, created “Envision New Castle”, a community visioning outreach program, designed to gather feedback from the New Castle community regarding future uses for the 23 acres of Town-owned land surrounding the Chappaqua Train Station. The targeted initiative empowered New Castle residents, through inclusive engagement to foster vibrancy, and to implement collective resident-driven priorities.
Planning Commendations
C1/C2 Overlay Zoning | Village of Buchanan
The Village of Buchanan adopted C1/C2 Overlay District Zoning along with a companion Design Guidelines planning document to promote and encourage business and residential development while beautifying the existing commercial corridor, improve pedestrian linkages along the Albany Post Road corridor, and to connect development to the Village Circle commercial district.
Gould Park | Village of Dobbs Ferry
This renovation, funded in part by NYSDEC’s “Climate Smart Communities” Grant Program, transformed Gould Park after flooding caused by storm damage undermined the Park’s infrastructure. In addition to the creation of ADA accessibility to the park, ensuring universal community access at each entry point, the renovations have improved and expanded the Village’s recreation offerings.
Accessory Dwelling Unit Legislation | Village of Croton-on-Hudson
Four years in the making, Croton’s new Accessory Dwelling Unit legislation was adopted in January 2024. The legislation updates regulations governing accessory apartments and permits accessory cottages in residential districts for the first time.
Andersen Plaza | City of New Rochelle
Once home to a cut-through street and an uninviting landscaped berm, the redesigned Anderson Plaza now provides a flexible open space that serves a variety of purposes throughout the year including New Year’s Eve celebration, Jazz Under the Stars and a celebration of neighborhood restaurants called “Taste of Anderson Plaza.” To facilitate the transformation of this “living street,” the City partnered with developers of a nearby site.
Distinguished Citizen Planners
Christine Wagner | Village of Croton-on-Hudson
Ms. Wagner has been a member of the Croton Zoning Board since January 2014 and Chair since December 2018. Her leadership has provided needed stability while the Board has navigated through changes in the zoning code to accommodate solar panels and battery storage, as well as the protection of steep slopes. Though members on the Board have regularly changed, Ms. Wagner has continued to find consensus even in the most complex matters, which often include neighbor concerns where she routinely encourages collaboration to create better projects.
Cynthia Curtis | Town of North Salem
Ms. Curtis proudly served on the Town Board of the Town of North Salem from 1995-2005, and has served as the Chair of the Planning Board since 2008. Her meticulous review of Planning Board applications ensures that projects align with both regulatory requirements and the Town’s character. She applies a thorough, balanced, and strategic approach to every application, and leads with integrity and fairness.
Janet Andersen | Town of Lewisboro
After serving for more than a decade on the Town’s Conservation Advisory Council, Ms. Andersen joined the Town Planning Board in 2018 and has served as its Chair since 2019. She has played an integral role in the recently adopted update of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Andersen is also a member of Lewisboro’s Stormwater Committee and Three Lakes Council, the NYS Federation of Lake Associations and is a certified NYS Water Systems Operator for the Twin Lakes Water Works, Inc. Her dedication and depth of knowledge have been invaluable to the Town of Lewisboro.
Katherine McGinn | Town of Lewisboro
In 2021, Katie McGinn was selected by the Lewisboro Town Board to chair the Town’s Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. Under Ms. McGinn’s leadership, and after a 3.5 year effort, the Committee successfully delivered the Town’s new Comprehensive Plan which was adopted by the Town Board in August, 2024. Ms. McGinn’s efforts included managing a complex process within budget, working collaboratively with the Town’s consultants and multiple Town stakeholders, and ensuring the process was inclusive and accessible to all.
Nancy Gerbino | Town of Somers
A Town of Somers resident for 61 years, Ms. Gerbino sadly passed away in August, 2024. She served as a member of the Somers Planning Board for eighteen years and was a member of the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee for the plan adopted by the Town Board in 2016. One of Nancy’s greatest passions was local history. As a lifetime member of the Somers Historical Society, Nancy was often called upon during her tenure on the Planning Board to provide important historical perspective regarding the sites which were the subject of applications under review. Her contributions to the community she loved will long be remembered.
Patricia Lynn Oliva | City of White Plains
Prior to her role as a member of the White Plains Planning Board for nearly 15 years, Ms. Oliva served as the Westchester County Commissioner of Planning. Her professional experience gave her valuable insight into the Planning process; as a board member, she understood that the role of the Planning Board is not only to implement the Comprehensive Plan and to follow zoning regulations, but also to consider the context of a project and its impact on the community today and in the future.
President’s Award
Andrew V. Tung
Andrew Tung has over 35 years of experience in environmental planning, regulatory processing and project management for institutional, corporate and developer clients. He is a registered landscape architect, a lawyer, and a LEED-accredited professional. He believes that careful planning of both a project site and its approval process are critical to achieving the successful and sustainable use of land.
At his firm DTS Provident Design Engineering, Andrew has recently been the principal-in-charge of the firm’s services provided for the consolidation and master plan improvements at Pace University’s campus in Pleasantville; the integration of multi-family residential use into the former Reader’s Digest corporate campus in Chappaqua, for Summit/Greenfield; and the proposed redevelopment of the former General Motors assembly plant site in Sleepy Hollow.
Prior to joining the firm in 1985, Andrew was an associate and project landscape architect for Peter G. Rolland & Associates, for whom he managed the firm’s Australian office during the first 18 months of its commission as landscape architect for the new Parliament House. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Yale University, a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia, and a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law. He is a licensed landscape architect in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey and was admitted to the bar in New York and Connecticut. Andrew also served as president of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation, is a former chairman of his village planning board, and was a visiting lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Scholarship Winners
Nicole Blanco, from Yonkers, NY, is working on her Urban Planning Master’s Degree at Hunter College. She completed her undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from Barnard College. She is passionate about driving land use changes and implementing the investments necessary to address the socio-economic and environmental inequalities in Westchester County. She would like to work as an environmental planner, exploring whether to work in the public, semi-public or private sector. Nicole is looking forward to a job that will allow her to contribute to proposals, projects or reports that will address local needs/goals across intersecting issues such as climate resilience and affordable housing. Her career dream is to see and experience the tangible impacts of her work in the neighborhood or city she works in.
Antonio Osso, from Yonkers, NY, is working on his Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Studies with a certificate in Public Policy from Hunter College. Antonio has worked for the Yonkers City Planning Department and is passionate about county government working with the state to provide funding for older and smaller suburban towns to invest in infrastructure. Public transportation is the focus of his professional interest and with that he plans to obtain a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning with a focus on transportation leading to a career in the public sector.