WPCNR SOUTHENDER. By John F. Bailey. August 15, 2007—Joseph Apicella, Executive Vice President of Cappelli Enterprises, accompanied by Brian Cappelli, weathered a skeptical and hostile gathering of the Council of Neighborhood Associations Tuesday evening at Education House, presenting a Cappelli Enterprises that was seeking ideas for the development of the White Plains train station area. He also announced a makeover for the City Center Mamaroneck Avenue marquee and entrance to make access to the second and third floors easier. S. L Green/Reckson also disclosed to this reporter they were coming in with a competing proposal after Labor Day.
Joseph Apicella of Cappelli Enterprises, adroitly handled many questions on the office market that the firm feels is the prime market for the four building and train station complex it proposed last spring. Apicella told Council President Rita Malmud that Cappelli was willing to discuss lowering the density of the project, but felt that decreasing the density by half, from 1.5 Million square feet to half that, as Ms. Malmud suggested, would not work economically.
The genial and adroit Apicella stood his ground in a very smooth manner when faced with tough questions, and invited persons to submit their ideas to Cappelli Enterprises on what should be done at the railroad station site to an interactive website, www.cappelli-info.com.
Enter S.L. Green/Reckson
Dan Richmond, an attorney for S.L.Green/Reckson, observed the meeting. S.L. Green/Reckson is the firm that submitted a letter criticizing the city considering granting an Exclusivity Agreement to Cappelli Enterprises last May, which some observers felt was instrumental in convincing the Common Council to reject an Exclusivity Agreement with Cappelli Enterprises to develop the site.
Richmond told WPCNR that S.L.Green would present a competing proposal for the White Plains train station property Cappelli Enterprises is eyeing after Labor Day to the Common Council. Richmond told WPCNR it would be predominantly office space with some retail, but would not provide any further details.
Overview
Apicella in beginning his presentation said “an exchange of ideas is healthy and the residents needed to be involved more in the day to day planning as to what is built and where,” and proceeded to review what Cappelli enterprises has done in the city, fielding sniper questions along the way, criticizing how those projects have developed.
City Center Mamaroneck Avenue Interior Lobby Makeover.
Apicella, in describing the City Center development said that Cappelli Enterprises “realizes some mistakes were made” in designing the City Center Mamaroneck Avenue entrance.
To rectify generate more walk-in pedestrian traffic at the Mamaroneck Avenue entrance, he said his firm was going to install escalators to the second floor of City Center (where Filene’s Basement is located), and to the third floor (site of the National Amusements Cinema de Lux and the White Plains Performing Arts Center). Presently the second and third floors are accessible only be elevator.
Apicella said that with Silverman Realty opening up new attractions across from the City Center and the Ritz Carlton opening in October, Mr. Cappelli wanted to assure the City Center would attract more pedestrians in from the Ritz and the Silverman properties. Brian Cappelli told WPCNR he expected the new grand entrance would be completed by the end of the year.
CVS and The Melting Pot Across Street.
In a related development, new tenants of the Silverman property across from City Center were made known this week. CVS announced it was taking the space in the Silverman Building and a Silverman executive announced the national fondue chain, The Melting Pot would be taking space across from the Center.
Deflecting Hand Grenades: The news of the evening centered on Mr. Apicella reintroducing the Station Square project that Mr.Cappelli had withdrawn last spring (June 5) in the face of Council opposition to the Exclusivity Agreement.
Apicella handled the crowd with a deferent attitude, saying that with “the kind of passion we have for our projects, we make a lot of mistakes.” Asked how Cappelli Enterprise tax breaks (which Mr. Apicella said he was unable to site specifically, the tax credit had not been received yet, he estimated it to be about $20 Million net) on the 221 Main project would benefit White Plains, Apicella promised that 221 Main, site of the Ritz-Carlton would provide tax pluses and sales tax increases “on the rim” of the project in a five to 10 year period, and that “the (city) tax base will stabilize.”
Questioned on how Cappelli projects seem to have a history of morphing and through rezoining, grow into bigger and different projects after they are approved, Apicella said “we always look for elasticity in a development module, we suggest zoning changes that make sense.”
Carrie Kyzivat, President of CCOS, witheringly chided the lack of greenery in the Renaissance Square Fountain, calling the Starbucks “an atrocity.” She challenged Apicella about how the open space in front of the Ritz was going to be designed. Apicella invited Kyzivat to participate in helping to finalize the design of the Ritz open space area that would occupy the present site of the Ritz-Carlton sales office. Apicella politely pointed out that Cappelli Enterprises did not design the Starbucks.
Tax Break Free
Apicella described the Station Square project as not requiring any tax breaks to be built, that it would be fully taxable. He said the project needed to deliver within 24 to 30 months to take advantage of the office market opportunity Cappelli Enterprises sees available now with prime office space in Manhattan at $100 a square foot. Apicella, when confronted with an article citing the vacancies in office space in the county, said that did not apply to the White Plains market because the most vacancies are occurring in Northern Westchester, which is not as attractive as White Plains.
Questioned on infrastructure costs that the city would face with new development at the Station area, Apicella said that infrastructure issues are driven by the nature of the projects, and that the infrastructure envisioned in the days of urban renewal in the 1960s cannot be relied on in the same urban renewal area today to handle the projects of today.
Apicella listened and invited the public’s input on what Station Square should be, “we need to do better in the process, we need to involve you in the process.” He said Cappelli Enterprises wanted residents to send ideas and thoughts on the project and what should be done to www.capelli-info.com That he was going to travel to all neighborhood associations to sample their opinions. He emphasized, “We don’t make the judgements. We don’t grant ourselves approvals.”
Asked if he would share Cappelli Enterprise financial projections on the project, Apicella said he would if he were the “designated developer,” otherwise he would not, saying Cappelli Enterprises projections were proprietary information.
MTA Metro North Attitude Dictates Local Action.
Apicella said he had gone to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Metro North Railroad about redoing the station, and said that they do not feel the station is inadequate. He characterized their response to the Cappelli proposal for the station as being “What’s the problem?”
Rita Malmud, Common Council President expressed the opinion that she’d like to see the 1.5 Million square feet proposed for the Station Square project cut in half, and the density reduced. Apicella said he’d be willing to discuss that once a proposal is again before the council.
Apicella showed how the Station Square Project would turn the Bronx River into a Riverwalk, and also create a Veterans Park (base of rendering) across Tarrytown Road
Apicella returned to his main theme towards the close of the meeting, saying of Louis Cappelli and the market for the project: “He’s not looking to dictate anything. There’s no other way to be at this point. We don’t have all the answers. We use our projections.”
Apicella said the parking garage would be built first on the site of the firehouse that Cappelli Enterprises hopes to acquire from the city, to accommodate commuters, before the balance of the project commences, should the city find the project acceptable, of course.
He called the station area a “blank palette,” which invited the community’s ideas. At one point he said, he wanted to “bring down the wall” that he saw was between his firm and the community.
