$55 Million PLUS Senior Housing Project Approved at Grand Avenue Post Office Lot

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From The Westchester County Board of Legislators. (EDITED)  September 12, 2006: The building of  200 units of state-of-the-art affordable housing for senior citizens at a projected cost of $55 Million in the White Plains downtown was approved by the County Board of Legislators last night.





The Grand Avenue Board of Elections (former Post Office) Parking Lot — Site of new affordable Senior Housing Project approved Monday night. The Michaelian Building is in the background. Photo, WPCNR News Archive.


By a vote of 12-5, the Westchester Board of Legislators, authorized the leasing of County property on the corner of Quarropas and Court Streets for a fee of $1.6 Million for at least 65 years to the HANAC-Bluestone Company, which will build and manage the housing.


(More)


 


“Finally!”  County Chair of the Board of Legislators Bill Ryan exclaimed after the vote.  “It’s taken far longer than it should have, but at last this critical housing will be a reality. I want to thank my colleagues who looked beyond partisan politics and stood up for Senior Citizens by addressing a critical need in White Plains.”


 


The project, which will be constructed utilizing environmentally-friendly “green technology,” has been praised by a majority of the White Plains Common Council, the Business Council of Westchester and advocates for Senior Citizens and for Affordable Housing.  It’s designed to be a model for other municipalities.


 


“White Plains has seven Senior Citizen housing complexes, each of which has lower income eligibility limits and a long waiting list,” Ryan said.  “The needs of moderate income Senior Citizens have been neglected, not only in White Plains but throughout the County. This new housing will begin to change all that and will allow more Senior Citizens to continue to live in communities where they’ve put down their roots.”


Barring any delays in the local approval process, the housing will be ready for occupancy sometime in 2008.


 


Costs: $55 Million —  $275,000 per unit.


 


WPCNR notes that the project “primary financing,” of $55 Million (as of last spring according to the Westchester County Department of Communications), and according to a February 22, 2006 letter describing the project from County Executive Andy Spano, “will be provided through a mixture of New York State tax exempt bonds, tax credits and low interest loans. Enterprise Social Investment Corporation, a well-regarded tax credit syndicator, will participate in the financing, along with Citigroup.” 


 


As originally reported by WPCNR, when the selection of the county partners in the project in the Spring of 2005,  said the county would be selling the land to the group for $1 Million, (though it is valued at $10 Million). When you add the discount on the land price, the cost of the development goes to $64 Million or $320,000 per unit, approaching the selling price of condominium apartments now available to buy in White Plains, and approaching the costs to build commercial apartment and condominium projects recently completed in White Plains.


The project will make 120 of the 200 units available to senior households earning no more than 50 or 60% of the county’s median income. The remaining 80 units will be for households earning up to 80% of the median income. The Department of Housing and Urban Development reports, a single person can earn up to $32,700 at 50% of median income; $39,250 at 60% and $52,300 at 80% (of median income).


 


“This is a true victory for moderate-income senior citizens of White Plains,” Ryan said.  “It was worth waiting for and worth fighting for. This is the most significant housing project to be proposed in White Plains in recent history. Getting this accomplished is one of our most important achievements as a County Legislature.”

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Second Shooting in 5 months on Ferris Ave.

WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE.  September 12, 2006: A fight broke out  in the vicinity of Richard Street between an undetermined number of young men early Monday afternoon, resulting in one youth being pursued down Ferris Avenue and shot in the stomach, according to White Plains police.  He was brought to White Plains Hospital Center by persons he had been with. It was the second shooting in the Ferris Avenue neighborhood as a result of a dispute between youths in five months. Police are investigating.


Kevin Chambliss was shot and killed over a jewelry dispute May 22 in front of his apartment on Ferris Avenue. Two young men have been charged in the Chambliss murder.

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Gismondi — White Plains Building Czar — To Consult on Renovation of St. Regis

WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. By John F. Bailey. September 11, 2006: Michael Gismondi, outgoing Commissioner of Building for the City of White Plains is leaving the city October 2 to take a position as the owner’s representative with Bruce Brickman Associates, representing and liaisoning with builders, consultants and community stakeholders in the Brickman firm renovation of the famous St. Regis Hotel in the Nation’s Capitol.


Gismondi, 55,  in an interview with WPCNR today said, “My future looks very bright and rosey.”


Gismondi said he had not been actively seeking a new position, and had been approached in the last month by persons who were familiar with Brickman’s need for a construction expert to supervise the famous hotel the firm purchased last year within blocks of the White House. Gismondi, with the city for ten years, said he made known his acceptance of the position, resigning September 2. He said he has a daughter who lives in the District of Columbia vicinity, and he was looking forward to being closer to her, as well as the challenge of the opportunity to work with the premier architects, RTKL Development in the renovation.


Gismondi said he had long been interested in renovation as one of his primary interests. Mr. G said the scope of his position would cover design, construction technique, security, furnishings, the gamet of supervising from a position of expertise.


He said he had enjoyed his ten year career with the city, and “would miss those late night Common Council meetings.”

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Rogowsky Sets City Straight on The Coachman Issue

WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger. September 11, 2006: Chairman of the County Board of Legislators, Bill Ryan, with his previous letter  has shared exclusively with WPCNR this letter to the Common Council of the City of White Plains and Mayor Joseph Delfino, reportedly setting the record straight on the closing of The Coachman Hotel as a homeless shelter. Mayor Joseph Delfino had announced in another media, The White Plains Times, that the county was required to sell the shelter back to the city after fifteen years.


County Legislator Martin Rogowsky rejects Mayor Delfino’s understanding:


 









WESTCHESTER COUNTY BOARD OF LEGISLATORS


 


800 MICHAELIAN OFFICE BUILDING


148 MARTINE AVENUE


WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK 10601


(914) 995-2834


FAX (914) 995-3884


[email protected]


 








MARTIN L. ROGOWSKY


Legislator, 6th District


Majority Leader

 



n


 


 


 


 


September 11, 2006


 


Hon. Joseph M. Delfino


City of White Plains


255 Main Street


White Plains, New York 10601


 


Hon. Glen Hockley


City of White Plains


255 Main Street


White Plains, New York 10601


 


Hon. Arnold Bernstein


City of White Plains


255 Main Street


White Plains, New York 10601


 


Re:  The Coachman Family Center in White Plains


 


Dear Mayor Delfino and Councilmen Hockley and Bernstein:


 


Thank you for your letter of August 29th regarding the County Facility located on the site of the former Coachman Hotel (Coachman).


 


You seem to believe that Westchester County is under some obligation to sell the Coachman property to the City of White Plains next year.  Frankly I am surprised that you harbor such an erroneous belief given the key role Mr. Delfino played in the County’s acquisition of the Coachman in 1993 when he and I served together on the Board of Legislators. 


 


Your letter is wrong on several important facts.  First, the 1993 legislation as my former colleague, Mr. Delfino, who was its prime sponsor should recall, enabled the County to acquire the Coachman for “general municipal purposes”.  It contained absolutely no provision that the County sell the Coachman to the City of White Plains after 15 years or at any time for that matter.  Nor did the legislation contain any provision limiting how long the County could operate the Coachman as a homeless shelter.


 


With respect to any 15-year limit on operation, the legislation only authorized the County Executive to enter into an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) with the City of White Plains where the County would agree not to operate the Coachman as homeless housing for more than 15 years.


 


Although the County Executive was authorized to enter into such an agreement, none was ever approved by the White Plains Common Council and Board of Legislators nor signed by the County Executive and the Mayor of White Plains.  It does not exist.  There is also absolutely no record of Mr. Delfino taking any action as County Legislator representing White Plains to insure that such an agreement was consummated.  In short, he dropped the ball.


 


Moreover, you are (or should be) well aware that the County is under no obligation to sell the Coachman to the City of White Plains.  As a matter of fact, on April 21, 1993, County Legislator Joe Delfino issued a joint press release with County Executive O’Rourke containing the elements of the proposed Coachman legislative package which stated clearly that the County “will retain ownership” of the Coachman.


 


As you know (or should know), the legislation enabling the County to acquire the Coachman was approved by the Board of Legislators at the meeting held on June 7, 1993.  Both Mr. Delfino and I voted for this legislation.  I mention this only because the copy of Mayor DelVecchio’s communication to the Common Council which you attached to your letter is part of the September 7, 1993 Minutes of the Common Council (it is also not a complete copy as the last page is missing).  Since this is well after the County Board approved your legislation, it is obvious that the Mayor’s communication was more concerned with the composition of the Community Advisory Board than the already-enacted legislative package for the Coachman.


 


I am also mystified by your inclusion of the July 1989 Memorandum of Understanding among the County of Westchester, City of White Plains and WestH.E.L.P. Inc.  Mr. Delfino, as a County Legislator and a former Councilman knows that the Common Council refused to grant WestH.E.L.P.’s application for a special permit and denied its site plan approval at the September 4, 1991 meeting.  As such, the July 1989 Memorandum of Understanding was rendered inoperative.  I certainly remember this clearly.


 


In fact, I am sure that Mr. Delfino as County Legislator received a copy of County Executive O’Rourke’s letter dated October 28, 1991 to Mayor DelVecchio and the Common Council stating categorically that the Common Council’s action on September 4, 1991, released the County from any obligation under the July 1989 Memorandum of Understanding.  As a legislator at that time, I was certainly aware of this as were all the other legislators including Mr. Delfino.


 


Moreover, the legislative package that Mr. Delfino sponsored and got approved referred to the nonprofit agency Westhab, not WestH.E.L.P.  These are two different entities involved in two different proposals separated by nearly four years.   So, please pardon me if I am unable to determine why you would include an inoperative Memorandum of Understanding as authority for your position when you sponsored legislation which so clearly contradicted it.  


Your assertion that the “turnover of the Coachman is now at hand” is clearly wrong.  Your assumptions regarding it are contradicted by Mr. Delfino’s past actions as a County Legislator.  Your letter of August 29, 2006, like the July 1989 Memorandum of Understanding that you use to support it, is totally inoperative. 


 


Finally, relative to the legislation now before the County Board to build affordable senior housing, if you would like assurances that this building will not be used to house the families from the Coachman, I suggest you read that Legislation, as I have.  The assurance is also contained in the lease agreement.


 


As Majority Leader, I look forward to working co-operatively with the members of the Common Council and Mayor Delfino to bring this County-sponsored senior citizen affordable housing proposal to fruition.


 


Very truly yours,


 


 


 


Martin Rogowsky


Majority Leader


 


cc:  Members of the White Plains Common Council           

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