New Owner, Reconfigured Site Plan for 440 Hamilton Ave.
Rose Associates, the new owners of 440 Hamilton Ave., formerly the AT&T building, and the associated parking lot on Barker Ave., were before the White Plains Common Council at a public hearing, Aug. 4, in relation to a reconfigured site plan application.
The White Plains Council had previously approved a site plan in March 2017 for construction on the location, but the property has since changed hands and the new owners have made modifications to the proposal.
Calling the plan an adaptive reuse, representatives for Rose Assoc. explained that the former AT&T structure would be gutted and redeveloped from office space to living space and the outer shell of the building given a new facade. The former AT&T parking lot would also be developed with an additional residential building fronting Barker Ave. Retail (about 3,4000 sq. ft.) and parking (for residents and shoppers) are also part of the site plan design.
The new plan calls for 468 rental apartments, 255 to be located at 440 Hamilton Ave. and 213 in the Barker building. Some of the rental units would be “wrapped” around the parking structure. A penthouse and private terraces would be provided for residents.
The new site plan application requests 255 units at 440 Hamilton Ave. versus the 245 previously approved with additional building height and building coverage.
Ten percent of the units would be affordable at 80% of AMI (Area Median Income).
The architect for the site is Perkins Eastman. The designers, sensitive to the growing building density in the area, emphasized that the two buildings were not exact, but complementary featuring different heights and different but similar designs.
Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona noted her concern about the lack of open space in the project and asked what was being done to make the project sustainable. Lecuona specifically referenced the use of solar panels and construction of green roofs. Solar technology is not part of the plan at this point.
Lecuona also asked if anything was being done to collect rainwater to irrigate the landscaping and trees along the sidewalks. She suggested the developer talk with the owners of 60 S. Broadway, who are including irrigation technology in their project.
Both Lecuona and Mayor Tom Roach said they would like to see the same rain water capture technology used all over the city in development projects.
Councilman John Martin asked about the construction timeline. With the public hearing closed on Aug. 6, Rose Assoc. is expected back before the Council in September when the Council would vote on the Site Plan application. If the plan passes, construction would begin in early 2019 with an expected two-year schedule to completion of the project.
