Preliminary Plans for Mixed-Use Proposal Unveiled in Chappaqua

The owner of Chappaqua’s former Rite Aid property unveiled conceptual plans last week to redevelop the parcel with a four-story mixed-use development emphasizing green construction that would have a net-zero carbon footprint.

In a June 22 presentation to the New Castle Town Board, Don Feinberg and representatives of his development team outlined publicly for the first time a preliminary proposal for 50 N. Greeley Ave. that would include 45 housing units with about 6,600 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, including a diner and a few smaller shops.

The project would rely on wood timber cladding and brick, have its mass broken up with courtyards and potentially a green roof with plantings that would drastically reduce impervious surfaces to 20 percent, less than one-quarter of what is currently there. That would make it a building with a net-zero carbon footprint.

It is proposed to include 12 percent affordable units, as opposed to the required 10 percent under the town’s affordable housing ordinance. There would be 49 on-site parking spaces toward the back of the property that would be concealed from view from the avenue.

Feinberg, whose family has owned the property for about 50 years and has rented to outfits such as Gristedes and CVS before Rite Aid through the generations, said his father always stressed that the land should provide the community with its highest and best use. Today, there’s a growing desire to be less car-centric and within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and transportation, and present housing options to people locally other than a single-family house, he said.

“I feel very strongly it’s something that can be a model not only for Chappaqua and be something to be proud of, but it will be actually one of the first of its kind not only in the tristate area but actually in the country, something that I think people would walk down the street to see and something that people are going to actually want to experience when they get down that street, and a place that people are going to want to live in as well,” Feinberg said. “That’s a key.”

Architect Alan Organschi said protecting Chappaqua’s character while adding vibrancy to the downtown with meaningful public space and more housing choices are among the project’s goals.

There would be 21 one- and two-bedroom units and three studio apartments.

“But (it’s) also to build a streetscape that (people would) want to inhabit and use and which generates a real power for the town as a source of community and that’s what the architecture is really about,” Organschi said.

The building would be set back an additional eight feet from the road to provide for a wider sidewalk that would be able to accommodate covered outdoor seating for the restaurant.

The average height of the structure would be 50 feet, with a pitched roof that would reach 55 feet at its highest point, Organschi said. There would also be areas where the height slopes down to less than 50 feet.
Developer Jeffrey Davis, a member of Feinberg’s team, said the apartments would not have windows facing the Metro-North train tracks but have exposures on the north and south ends of the building and North Greeley Avenue.

He said most developers don’t propose this type of green construction because it can be a significant economic hit. But Davis called it “a game-changer” for the town and the area.

“Being a town that does this, that has the first building that does this, the continued net-zero footprint is incredible,” Davis said.
The proposal would likely be of high interest to members of the public who spoke against the Form-Based Code, some of whom objected to buildings greater than three stories. The Form-Based Code discussion was discontinued last fall after nearly two years of debate.

Supervisor Lisa Katz said there will be extensive feedback from the community in the months ahead.

“I do want to make sure that the public realizes that this is coming in, we are going to consider it as a Town Board, but we certainly want to make sure that there is significant public input on this, so we will make time available to ensure that the public hears about this process and to give us their thoughts and opinions,” Katz said.

Councilman Jeremy Saland indicated that he was supportive of the concept but that during the Form-Based Code debate the most common recurring issues raised by the public were building height, parking and affordability.

“There will be pushback on that height, so it’s something to think about, not on the green aspect,” Saland said. “I think everyone would support that…but (height) that’s going to be a big issue and no one wants to set you up for failure.”

He also questioned whether 49 spaces for 45 units and a project that will include a diner would be enough parking.
Davis responded that they could build a two-level parking structure in the lot across the street with landscaping on the roof to provide additional cars.

Katz said that objections were raised to the town after the board approved the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) related to the Form-Based Code, which included most of the downtown hamlet.

“So while people had issues with the density on 72 acres, it was never specifically limited to just North Greeley and certainly not to a property,” she said. “So while, of course, there are going to be questions about parking and everything else that I’m sure you’re going to address, that is definitely not comparing apples to apples here.”

Town Attorney Edward Phillips said under the current zoning Feinberg would have to obtain a zoning amendment to allow a fourth story. Site plan approval from the Planning Board would also be needed.

Currently, there is a six-month moratorium on North Greeley Avenue that expires in early fall.