County, Mt. Pleasant Seek Med Research Development Complex
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Mount Pleasant Supervisor Joan Maybury are backing a plan to develop a 60-acre parcel on the Grassland Reservation into a high-tech, research and development complex.
Astorino, who resides in Mount Pleasant, and Maybury addressed the issue on March 1 in White Plains.
Following the press conference, Maybury said the project would have a long-lasting impact on the area. “(It will) probably have a very beneficial effect for the next two or three centuries for the community,” she said.
The county, including the board of legislators, and town officials are on board with the concept, Astorino said. The county would probably enter into a long-term lease for the land, which is known as Park 60. The parcel is adjacent to the Westchester Medical Center and next to New York Medical College, which Astorino described as “home of the region’s biotech incubator.”
The first step in the process is the county’s issuing of a request for qualifications to interested developers. “It does allow us, in a very transparent and open way, to invite the investors to come forward with their ideas,” Astorino said. “We could then select an idea and negotiate with a developer.” The proposals, which are due back to the county by April 24, will be put online at westchestergov.com/rfq, he said. “The county will then evaluate all these proposals and negotiate with the preferred company,” he said.
The zoning and environmental review process will be performed by the Town of Mount Pleasant, Astorino said. “This will not proceed unless the Town of Mount Pleasant and its residents want this to proceed.”
Maybury supports the initiative. “The Town of Mount Pleasant is very excited about this opportunity to work with the county,” she said, adding that past proposals to develop the land had fallen through. “It’s a very important piece of property within the Town of Mount Pleasant and indeed, within the entire county. The proposals that are being suggested sound very, very beneficial to the town, especially in regards to the biotech medical facilities.”
Maybury said the county and town would protect the neighborhoods in the areas surrounding the 60 acres. Astorino said he lives very close to the Park 60 parcel.
“We are well aware that the municipal taxes generated would be very helpful to both the school district and to the town,” Maybury said.
Following the press conference, Maybury said the town board and planning board’s role would be “very central and very important to the process.” For any development on the county-owned land to go forward, the current zoning, R-40 (which allows one home per acre) would need to be changed by the town.
“I think this is an exciting opportunity for Westchester County, for economic development and to bring jobs and taxes to this county,” Astorino said. “This is a major economic initiative on behalf of the people of Westchester which will benefit not just Westchester County, but will also benefit the Town of Mount Pleasant.”
“I believe it will enhance the county’s growing reputation as a place, and maybe the place, to promote and to attract biomedical, as well as medical technology industries,” Astorino said.
Astorino said the county is looking for ideas from developers, entrepreneurs and investors. “Government does not create jobs. But this is the perfect example of how government can be the catalyst that sparks potential jobs,” he said. “We have an opportunity to shape the economic landscape of Westchester for literally generations to come.”
The project is also supported by county Legislator Michael Smith, who represents Mount Pleasant. “The North 60 initiative shows that Westchester County is open for business,” Smith said. “County Executive Astorino is to be applauded for taking action to create jobs and increasing the commercial tax base. I look forward to working with him in moving this initiative.”
“This is a historic moment for Westchester County,”Mount Pleasant resident Larry Gottlieb, the county director of economic development, said. “This is the moment in time when we set the stage to aggressively go after, and compete against, Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, those areas that are aggressively going after the same business. All the elements are here. This is going to propel us to the next level in the life sciences, biotech and medical device industry.”
