The “Lombardi,” a five-story building with ground-floor commercial space would feature 48 apartments at the corner of North Avenue and Park Place. The second, proposed for Burling Lane, would add an additional 36 apartments in a four-story structure.
According to New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, 10 percent of the apartments would be at “an affordable, work force rent level,” with 90 percent of the units renting at the market rate. Residents will pay full property taxes.
With the support of the City Council, developers must work with the city Planning Board and the Westchester County Planning Department to gain final approvals for the proposal, as a change to zoning codes needs to be accepted.
There will be a final public hearing Tuesday, March 10.
Bramson noted the projects “came before the City Council because they require minor zoning changes, but, otherwise, the government’s role will be limited” in the projects.
“That’s good news, because the goal of our various public planning and development initiatives is to eventually create a self-sustaining, positive investment climate that is less dependent on government inducements,” he added.
While these two projects are small in scale when compared to the city’s grand downtown redevelopment, Bramson said it’s important to continue to build additional affordable housing in the city.
“Housing is sometimes controversial, but I believe strongly that residential density is at the core of a healthy, vibrant, livable downtown,” he said. “While we certainly must – and are – pursuing a balanced mix of uses that also includes retail, office and commercial activities, transit-oriented housing is something to be embraced, especially when it generates tax revenue exceeding service costs.”
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