Harrison to Develop Multi-Family Housing on Platinum Mile
Two vacant and struggling 1970s office buildings owned by Normandy Real Estate on Westchester’s Platinum Mile will be redeveloped as a 421 rental apartment housing complex.
The Harrison Town Board approved a Special Exception Use Permit, allowing creation of the rental apartments, including 42 affordable units.
This will be the first multi-family housing in the so-called “teardrop” area of the I-287 corridor (between I-287, I-684, the connector road from I-287 to I-684, and the Hutchinson River Parkway), what has long been known as an epicenter of corporate offices.
The vote at a Thursday night Town Board meeting follows two years of review by the Town that included a full review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) by the Planning Board, and multiple public meetings and hearings.
The 10.35-acre site is currently occupied by 103 and 105 Corporate Park Drive, two 87,700-square-foot, three-story, multi-tenant, office buildings that are essentially vacant, with 103 having been unoccupied for 14 years and 105 less than half occupied for much of that time.
The new use is consistent with the Town’s 2013 Comprehensive Plan, and a zoning amendment approved by the Town Board in April 2016.
The office buildings will be demolished to make way for the five-story, apartment building featuring studio, one- and two-bedroom units and 752 indoor and outdoor parking spaces.
The new building almost matches the footprint of the existing buildings and the existing green buffers will be closely maintained.
The property is owned by Normandy Real Estate Partners, a commercial property owner whose portfolio includes nearly 1.6 million square feet of office space in 15 buildings along I-287 in both Harrison and the City of White Plains.
The housing will be built by Toll Brothers. Construction is expected to begin in early 2017.
Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont said the Town had taken a methodical approach to the inclusion of residential housing. “This is a significant change and we did not take it lightly,” he said. “We conducted a thorough review, drew on the expertise of our Planning Board and our professional staff and consultants and we listened carefully to the residents of our community. In the end, we concluded that this is a viable use for an already developed location that clearly has been underperforming for a long time. The site has excellent access and infrastructure and does not impact existing residential neighborhoods. All the ingredients are there and it gives us the opportunity to offer new housing choices to our residents and employers. We’re looking forward to seeing a top quality finished product.”
