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A rendering of the new Esplanade presented Monday evening at the Common Council Special Meeting. Esplanade Properties plans a complete interior and exterior “makeover” to create apartments. The construction will require the 150 assisted living residents currently living there to find other apartments or living arrangements. Rendering, Esplanade properties. Photo by Ayana Meade

WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. Special to WPCNR by Correspondent Ayana Meade. December 2, 2015:

A plan to completely re-develop and re-purpose the Esplanade Properties—two buildings located opposite the Pavilion Shopping Center in downtown White Plains—was presented to the White Plains Common Council Monday night, during a special meeting at the Mayor’s Office.

The plan involves converting the two existing buildings at the intersection of South Broadway and Lyon Place into a mixed-use space offering 212 residential units, 9000 sq. ft. of medical office space, 6,750 sq. ft. of restaurants, and about 2,100 sq. ft. of retail.

One of the buildings slated for re-development (95 South Broadway) is currently being operated as a senior assisted living facility and is home to 150 senior residents who will need to be relocated during construction.  The other building (4 Lyon Place), currently operates as the Esplanade Hotel.  The two buildings are connected by an overhead, enclosed walkway that crosses Lyon Place.

The reimagining of The Esplanade Properties comes at a time when similar revitalization projects are slated for the East Post Road-South Broadway corridor on the hill above The Westchester mall—including the demolition and replacement of the nearly vacant Pavilion Mall with two residential towers as well as street level restaurants, and retail shops. That (The Pavilion) $275 million plan is currently under review by the White Plains Common Council.

Current Residents to Relocate

However, equally important and significant in the Esplanade re-development conversion is the careful transition and relocation of the 150 senior citizens currently residing at the Esplanade Senior Residences.

Esplanade Partners says they have yet to finalize the precise logistics regarding how the relocation will be handled but say,

“Management recognizes its responsibility to see that the transition is handled with a minimum of stress.”

Esplanade Partners estimates that the approval process will provide the time necessary for the residents and their families to explore suitable alternatives—stating that it is not expected for construction to begin in the main building requiring residents to move out, for at least six months.

NOTICE

A communication has gone out to residents—residents have received notice so they can begin planning for alternative living arrangements if necessary between now and commencement of construction. Esplanade Management and staff say they will also work closely with the residents and their families to find housing either at other Esplanade properties or non-Esplanade properties.

To house residents who require more time to find new residences Esplanade Partners is considering using the Annex (4 Lyon Place), saying they could have folks move over from the Esplanade to the Annex and still provide all the services necessary and begin renovation of the tower—however, the implementation of this plan has yet to be decided.

When asked by the Common Council whether Esplanade residents had the option of transitioning into the re-developed property, Esplanade responded that those truly independent residents may choose to stay after construction is complete, with the understanding that the new residence will not be a service provider.  

Kensington and The Bristol Suggested

Esplanade noted that the average age for independent living is 82; assisted living 87—saying that the folks that are currently residents at the Esplanade “Would probably seek a different location. This is not a senior assisted living facility—we can transition them to other nearby facilities such as the Kensington and the Bristol.”

The Project

The Esplanade plan entails extensive renovations, including replacement of the exterior of the 15-story main building (95 South Broadway) and the installation of energy efficient heating and air conditioning systems, windows and doors to bring the building’s outmoded mechanical infrastructure up to modern day standards.  However, nothing will be demolished.  The buildings are not proposed to come down in their entirety—there is no expansion of the footprint.

Other plans include improving the pedestrian streetscape and the skyline. On the back corner of the main building, three floors will be removed which will give the building an “L” shape.  “Maisonettes”—6 brownstone-like duplex units with sidewalk entrances will be built on Lyon Place providing a residential streetscape. An indoor pool, yoga studio, fitness center and other amenities will be available to residents.

The Mix

The following is the proposed rental unit mix, which is still subject to change:  62 studios, 107 one bedrooms, and 43 two bedrooms. The smallest studio is 400 sq. ft.—that’s 50 sq. ft. larger than the existing hotel rooms there today. The largest unit is 1,155 sq. ft. (2 bedroom apartments at the top corner units).  Esplanade properties has not established unit costs, but estimates they will be somewhere in the range of $35 per square foot.

The Market

When asked by the Council who their target demographic is, Esplanade responded that they weren’t at the point of marketing, but that the concept was to attract both ends of the spectrum—younger folks working in White Plains and empty nesters looking to downsize. Esplanade believes that these rental niches are underserved throughout Westchester.

Next

Esplanade Partners has already secured permission from the zoning board of appeals for a new roofline architectural feature, and during Monday’s meeting requested a zoning text amendment that will allow for the repurposing of the buildings and the elimination of a restriction that requires 500 sq. ft. per dwelling unit based upon lot area—elimination of this provision will allow Esplanade Properties to yield the desired 212 units.

Esplanade Partners requested to be placed on the Council’s next agenda to begin formal commencement of review, and to work cooperatively with the Council on the requested text amendment. It is expected that the Council will refer the plan for review by various City agencies.

Janet DiFiore, Westchester County District Attorney. Nominated for Chief Justice of the NY Court of Appeals today. Photo, The District Attorney’s Office

WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. From the Governor’s Office. December 1, 2015:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today nominated Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore to serve as the next Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals – New York State’s highest court – and head of the judiciary branch. In addition to her nearly 10-year tenure as District Attorney, DiFiore has years of experience as both a prosecutor and judge, with an extensive background in judicial and legal reform. As District Attorney she also manages an office of more than 230 people.

“Janet DiFiore is tremendously qualified to serve as Chief Judge of the State Court of Appeals,” said Governor Cuomo. “She has served as both judge and prosecutor, and has spent her career working to ensure justice and fairness for New Yorkers. She has led crucial reform efforts to make our judicial system both more effective and more efficient, and I am confident that she would continue this leadership on the Court of Appeals. I am proud to nominate Janet for this position, because she has the strong, balanced experience that New York needs.”

Governor Cuomo continued: “I also wish to thank Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman for his years of dedicated service on the Court of Appeals, as well as former Chief Judge Judith Kaye and the members of the Commission on Judicial Nomination for their work in recommending a number of qualified and experienced potential nominees. This was a truly exceptional list of candidates.”

District Attorney DiFiore said: “I am humbled by the incredible honor of being nominated to serve as Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals. My professional life has been devoted to the fair administration of justice, and I would gladly continue my service to the people of New York on our state’s highest court. I am grateful to Governor Cuomo for this nomination.”

Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino commented: “I congratulate my friend Janet DiFiore on this prestigious appointment.  I have known Janet for many years and have worked closely with her on many issues and I know she’ll be an excellent judge and administrator for the New York court system.  I applaud the governor for choosing such a highly qualified individual as Janet DiFiore. New Yorkers will be well served.”

If confirmed by the State Senate, DiFiore would be only the second female chief judge in New York State history. The first – Chief Judge Judith Kaye – was nominated by Governor Mario Cuomo.

DiFiore has held her current position as District Attorney of Westchester County since January 2006, and is now serving her third term as the county’s chief law enforcement officer. Over the course of her tenure as District Attorney, she has targeted a broad array of crimes involving everything from gang-related violence to identity theft and environmental pollution. She also has considerable experience with domestic violence issues, and has spearheaded efforts to improve the investigation and handling of child abuse cases. Early in her first term, DiFiore also designed and launched the Westchester Intelligence Center, which helps coordinate resources and information sharing among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Prior to beginning her first term in 2006, DiFiore spent more than six years on the bench of state and local courts. She first served as a Westchester County Court Judge from January 1999 to December 2002, and was later elected to serve as a Supreme Court Justice for the New York State Criminal Courts, 9^th Judicial District from January 2003 to May 2005. In her time on the bench, DiFiore presided over hundreds of civil and criminal cases on a broad array of issues. As a Supervising Judge on the state’s criminal court, she oversaw a restructuring of the case assignment system in order to increase efficiency and achieve the first elimination of all backlogged cases in any of the state’s judicial districts. Furthermore, during her time on the bench DiFiore was directly involved in the creation of Mental Health and Sex Offenders Courts, as well as the implementation of the newly established Domestic Violence and Drug Treatment Courts.

In addition to her responsibilities as District Attorney, DiFiore has co-chaired the New York State Justice Task Force since 2009, leading investigations of cases involving wrongful convictions and identifying reforms that will prevent such cases from occurring in the future. She was appointed to this position by the current Chief Judge, Jonathan Lippman. Additionally, during her first term as District Attorney, she personally led an investigation into the case of Jeffrey Deskovic, who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced as a teenager in 1990 for rape and murder. In addition to proving Deskovic’s innocence and securing his release from prison, DiFiore’s investigation resulted in the confession and sentencing of the actual killer.

DiFiore is a past president of the New York State District Attorneys Association, and has served on the New York State Commission on Youth, Safety and Justice, which recommended both statutory and administrative reforms pertaining to the prosecution and imprisonment of youthful offenders, as well as the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics as its Chair. She received her B.A. from C.W. Post College, Long Island University and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.

This is Governor Cuomo’s fifth nomination to the New York State Court of Appeals. Governor Cuomo previously appointed Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam and Judge Jenny Rivera, who were confirmed in 2013, and Judge Leslie Stein and Judge Eugene Fahey, who were confirmed in 2015.

DiFiore has been nominated to replace Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, who will be retiring at the end of the year.