Age-Restricted Housing Projects in Yorktown Draw Attention

Two age-restricted housing projects totaling 368 units were the subject of much discussion during last week’s Yorktown Town Board meeting.

A public hearing will be held Aug. 8 on a development from Yorktown Dev AMS at 800 East Main Street after the board voted July 16 that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was complete.

“I think they’ve done a fabulous job listening to what our comments were,” said Yorktown Planning Director John Tegeder. “There’s a lot of information for you to grapple with. It’s complete enough for you to move on to the next step.”

Proposed on the 35-acre site that once was the home of Contractors Register are 250 luxury, multi-family rental apartments and for sale townhomes that will be restricted to individuals 55 and over. The “market rate” units will be sorted out as 200 rental and 50 for sale.

The property is currently zoned OB-1 Research Laboratory and Office District and needs to be rezoned to RSP-2 Senior Citizens District for the project to move forward.

“There is a serious need for this type of housing,” said Mark Weingarten, attorney for Yorktown Dev AMS. “We are in a critical housing shortage in New York State and Westchester County. It (the property) needs to be repurposed. This kind of repurposing is happening throughout our county.”

A few residents expressed concerns about the development, maintaining the units won’t be priced low enough to serve Yorktown’s senior population.

“You’re not looking out for the people of Yorktown,” said longtime resident Dan Strauss.

Board members responded that the project was in its early stages, with Councilwoman Luciana Haughwout saying, “Not everything will make it to the finish line.”

“I don’t think the way forward is nothing,” Councilman Sergio Esposito said. “We have to try to keep pace with what is going on.”

Meanwhile, at 2300 Catherine Street, Toll Brothers is also seeking a rezoning to RSP-2 Senior Citizens District to construct 118 age-restricted, three-bedroom townhomes in a clustered subdivision on 50 acres near the former Field Home.

Toll Brothers attorney David Cooper of Zarin & Steinmetz said the 2,400 to 3,000-square-foot townhouses would generate more than $1 million annually in property taxes, along with a one-time $622,000 recreational fee to the town.

The project would include amenities such as a pool, fitness center and pickleball courts. Approximately 1,500 trees would be removed and 14 acres would be protected to prohibit further development.

In addition, the Field Home and its two-and-a-half acres, with an estimated value of $1.35 million, would be donated to the town.

Residents of the next-door Glassbury Court community expressed concerns about the project, including increased traffic in an area already experiencing around-the-clock congestion.

“People avoid Route 202 and use Catherine Street day and night. It’s a little bit of a racetrack on Catherine Street,” said Karen Bobay, president of the Board of Managers at the 64-home Glassbury Court.

Lynn Briggs, chairperson of the Yorktown Heritage Preservation Commission, and former Supervisor Susan Siegel said the town board should not vote to rezone the property until it’s determined how the Field Home will be used.

“There is going to be a process to find what the right solution is there,” Supervisor Ed Lachterman said.

Currently, the property is zoned for the construction of a maximum of 52 single-family homes.

The town board adjourned the public hearing until Sept. 3.