Council Insulted by Site Plan Extension Request for 60 South Broadway

The “hole in the ground” at 60 South Broadway in White Plains drew negative feedback last week from a fretful Common Council, and even a comparison to the state of Berlin in 1945 after World War II.

The Common Council discussed the lack of progress — over nearly a decade — at the site of an approved development during a special meeting Oct. 28 and took its frustrations out publicly on the attorney of the developer, Quarterra, formerly Lennar.

That attorney, Neil Alexander, explained to officials how the company would not be taking on the construction there. Instead, the property has been listed for sale and now the firm wants an extension on the land use approvals for any potential buyer.

The developer had received approval back in 2016 for 707 units, and then later in an amendment in 2019, for hundred more units on top of what originally was green-lighted, Alexander said.

“We are getting a step closer by them selling it (and finding) somebody who will hopefully buy it and build it, and then it will not look like Berlin in ’45 any longer,” he said.

Councilwoman Jenn Puja and Council President Victoria Presser described how they were “appalled” and “insulted” by the pit still being there after all these years later, noting they had heard complaints from constituents.

But they were only a couple on the council who did not hold back.

“We’re not frustrated. We’re extremely frustrated. You guys should figure out something you can do for us or for the city,” Councilmember Justin Brasch remarked.

Councilman John Martin was absent from the discussion. Councilman Richard Payne did not comment publicly, but noted in a text message how he agreed with the other councilmembers in wishing more progress had been made. A Quarterra representative was not there, and that was amongst the council’s gripes.

Details about the proposed extension, like the length of time, were not stated publicly, nor in the readily available public documents available ahead of the meeting. The lengths of recently approved extensions have been one year. The council could have acted on the request as soon as Nov. 4, but it was not on the meeting agenda.

Brasch and Mayor Thomas Roach advocated for a park or some other amenity there in the interim to improve the appearance. Alexander acknowledged the present fencing and paint to be “in a pretty good state.”

The mayor pointed out how the development around the site must be considered in granting any extensions.

“I do think there has been a change in circumstance,” he said.

Councilman Jeremiah Frei-Pearson referenced “Berlin in 1945” in describing the current state of the site. The lack of movement was “not acceptable” in his opinion, and he asked if there were any incentives that could have guaranteed ground being broken on the project.

Alexander didn’t give an answer, but recognized how he understood the council’s frustrations and would relay the message to his client.

He offered some defense for his client, who built The Mitchell apartment building at 131 Mamaroneck Ave.

“I think it’s important to remember that this is the same company that actually built and delivered the first project in eight years in the city of scale and of multi-family, which is the Mitchell, which is now fully stabilized,” said Alexander.

“They pioneered on Mamaroneck Avenue in this renaissance that the city is experiencing,” he added, to which Roach offered a jab:

“I wouldn’t call it pioneering in this city.”

Andy Milone

Andy Milone has been a freelance reporter covering local government for various New Jersey and New York news outlets since May 2024. The Chatham, New Jersey native and Gettysburg College graduate previously worked as a full-time reporter for The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Iowa, Pine Barrens Tribune in New Jersey and The Shippensburg News-Chronicle in Pennsylvania. He began working as a professional journalist in 2018. You can reach him at 201-406-7222 (call/text) or by emailing andymilone@protonmail.com.