The Voice of Mount Vernon is a coalition, a coalition of concerned neighbors. Much of the material presented is generated from our neighbors who wish to be anonymous. In this edition, with permission, we share this open letter from our neighbor Axel Ebermann. We appreciate him and the many others who volunteer their time to speak out against the issues around the city.___________________________
Dear Fellow Mount Vernonites,
With the two Comprehensive Plan hearings approaching soon (Oct. 8 & 14), I’m increasingly concerned that there’s been almost no public discussion about this issue. My suspicion is that this is because:- It’s a somewhat abstract and technical topic, and
- The draft is a 475-page wall of consultant jargon that few residents have time (or patience) to read.
I served as a volunteer on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee from the start until I resigned in protest earlier this year. I never had any illusion that this process would truly prioritize the well-being of Mount Vernon residents. In my view, it has been a concerted effort by the current political establishment to reward their major campaign donors, most of whom are real estate developers.Here are my priorities:
- Stop the property tax spiral for single-family homeowners
- Be honest about the cost and long-term consequences of large-scale low-income housing projects
- Preserve Mount Vernon’s historic single-family neighborhoods
With those priorities in mind, I (together with ChatGPT and Gemini) reviewed and distilled key aspects of the current draft Comprehensive Plan.
Here are my key findings (please note - I am a concerned resident, not an expert):The Mount Vernon Comprehensive Plan, while presented as a roadmap for “inclusive growth,” poses serious risks to taxpayers and single-family neighborhoods. Its central thrust is broad housing expansion, including citywide upzoning, affordability mandates, and public financing mechanisms, that could erode the city’s fiscal stability and neighborhood character.
My key concerns include:- Upzoning single-family areas: Allowing duplexes and triplexes “by right,” legalizing existing conversions, and reducing lot sizes.
- Citywide affordability mandates: Requiring below-market units in all new developments of ten or more units, supported by tax exemptions and subsidies.
- Public cost exposure: Using municipal revenue, tax abatements (421-p, 421-pp), and city-owned land to finance affordable housing.
- Transit and parking policies: Encouraging higher densities near train stations while reducing parking minimums, worsening congestion on nearby residential blocks.
- Weakened zoning protections: New land-use maps and “neighborhood recommendations” that soften single-family designations and open the door to future rezonings.
In short, the plan prioritizes density and affordability mandates over Mount Vernon’s fiscal health, property values, and the preservation of single-family neighborhoods.More details are in the attached analysis.
If you want to read the entire 475 pages - her they are: https://cmvny.com/DocumentCenter/View/11502/EnvisionMtVernon9_22_25?bidId=
Best regards,
Axel EbermannMount Vernon ResidentOvertaxed and Underserved since 2015
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