Units, Building Height Reduced in Chappaqua Affordable Housing Plan
The developer of the proposed Chappaqua Station affordable housing complex presented a redesigned plan last week with fewer apartments in hopes of convincing New Castle officials that the project would be suitable for the area.
Representatives of Conifer Realty told the town board on April 16 that it has reduced the number of units in the structure that would be built on Hunts Place from 36 to 28 and lowered the height of the building by about 10 feet at its highest point.
Stephen Schoch, the managing principal at Kitchen & Associates, an architectural and engineering firm that helped rework the project, said new features have been incorporated into the redesign after concerns from the town and the community over aesthetic qualities, including the size of the building, raised fears that it wouldn’t blend in with downtown Chappaqua.
“What it does is fundamentally change the massing of the building rather than just a smaller box that gets decorated various ways,” Schoch said. “What this really does is it takes the spaces and volume that’s afforded by the loss of the eight units and creates some of the meaningful ins and outs, substantial changes to the massing.”
The building would have 14 traditional one-bedroom apartments on the second floor and 14 two-bedroom townhouses on the upper two levels, Schoch said. There would be 32 outdoor parking spaces for the 28 residences and three spots for visitors.
In the center of the structure the height would reach a maximum of 45 to 46 feet, about 10 feet shorter than the five-story apartment building that had originally been proposed, he said.
Conifer Vice President Andrew Bodewes said the company has been able to convince officials at the state Office of Homes and Community Renewal, which approves federal tax credits that provides incentives for developers to build affordable housing, that the project is worthwhile to pursue despite a nearly 25 percent reduction in the number of units. While Conifer does not have a minimum number of units it must build, that amount likely won’t be reduced any more, he said.
“We’re using scarce resources and we want to promote the best quality affordable housing without using too much of these scarce resources for one development project,” Bodewes said.
The light-framed wood structure on just over one-third of a acre would include an open air deck, Schoch added. He said the building would no longer resemble a hotel but would appear much more residential.
“How can a building like this, how can affordable housing with some density on this site with some constraints, how can it feel very, very different? And we feel this is something that feels substantially different,” Schoch said.
Despite a number of issues that would need to be addressed during the town’s review, such as parking and traffic, town board members said they were encouraged that Conifer Realty took a positive step.
Supervisor Susan Carpenter said she was still worried by the lack of recreational space on the property but was encouraged by the progress shown in the redesign.
“I’m willing to say we are going in the right direction,” Carpenter said.
Schoch responded that while there is no on-site recreation, the complex would be within walking distance of downtown, which includes recreational areas.
In the revised drawings, Bodewes said that there is no plan to ask the town to use municipal lots for overflow parking. With the previous 36-unit plan, there were 40 spaces for residents but the developer had requested use of a nearby lot for overnight use.
Bodewes said he was encouraged with the reception of the town board toward the new plan.
“I think it was overwhelmingly positive and we’re pleased to hear that it’s a direction that the town wants to go, and we hope we can come to an agreement with the town to move forward with this concept,” he said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/