The power couple who are among the leaders of the nonprofit Sustainable Playland’s effort to reinvent Westchester’s historic seaside amusement park today resigned from the group, following revelations that they owed close to $300,000 in taxes dating back to 2009 on their $9-milllion home in Rye.
The home, on a cul-de-sac called Martin Butler Court, is just a mile south of the Playland on Milton Point.
My colleague, Leah Rae reported today on the developing story.
Dhruv Narain, a managing director at Goldman,Sachs, and his wife, Sandhya Subbarao, who is active in arts and civic affairs, are late on$281,692 for city, county and school taxes on adjacent parcels at 4 and 6 Martin Butler Court, according to city of Rye records. And that’s not counting the 2012 tax bill for Rye City schools, of almost $88,000. The past-due taxes are from the years 2009, 2011, and 2012.
The tax-bill includes $68,163 to Westchester County, for the years 2009 and 2012. Earlier this month, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino chose Sustainable Playland to redevelop the park, and Narain appeared with Astorino to tout their plan, which would privatize the park’s operation and bring the investment of $34 million from the private operators.
Last week, my Tax Watch column explored the brewing controversy over the park’s tax-exempt status, once it gets turned over to private businesses that will operate within the public park. Sustainable Playland consultant Dan Biederman maintains it should remain exempt from property taxes. But Rye City Assessor Noreen Whitty said she’ll take a close look at the arrangement to determine if the city, county and Rye schools would reap a property-tax bonanza from Astorino’s privatization drive.
In 2011, she put Playland’s Pier Restaurant and Tiki Bar on the tax rolls. The bar’s appeal of her action is currently pending in state Supreme Court.
Photo: County Executive Rob Astorino shakes hands with Dhruv Narain at press conference announcing county selection of Sustainable Playland.
