Face masks were the order of the day for participants in a groundbreaking event for The Flats at Westchester in White Plains.
The apartment project will be built on an underutilized parking lot of the office complex at 1133 Westchester Ave. Completion is expected in early 2022.
Developer Robert P. Weisz’s RPW Group and Cleveland-based NPR Group created a plan for three five-story buildings that would have a total of 303 apartments. The construction site is on approximately 20 acres of the 70-acre campus, which is next to the Maple Moor Golf Course near the intersection of Interstate 287 and the Hutchinson River Parkway.
The cost of The Flats project has been estimated at $95 million, with construction expected to take approximately two years.
Lengthy speeches, often a feature of groundbreaking events, were skipped at the Aug. 18 event in another acknowledgement that Covid-19 has changed the way many things are being done nowadays.
Jonathan Gertman, vice president of development for The NRP Group, did comment, “This project gives us an incredible opportunity to bring to life White Plains”™ vision of creating communities that are flexible, transit-oriented and in demand. We feel lucky to have been chosen by RPW to partner on a project of such significance. To be able to start construction on a project like this, in the midst of the pandemic, is a testament to the partnership of RPW, the commitment of our financial partners, and the creativity and hard work from the public officials at the city of White Plains and Westchester County.”
Andrew S. Weisz, executive vice president of the RPW Group, pointed out that the buildings will offer a less dense environment than is found in New York City while still offering the benefits of an urban environment.
“We”™ve wanted to diversify the mix of uses at this site to include multifamily for many years, but we wanted to do it with the right partner,” Weisz said.
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach said, “As we continue to slowly reopen, we are thrilled to see economic activity, such as the construction of this live-work community materializing before our eyes.”
The buildings will offer a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, some of which will have balconies. During the government approval process, the developers said that the apartments would be from 621 to 1,567 square feet in size. They said monthly rents would range from $1,890 for a one-bedroom unit to $3,690 for three bedrooms.
Amenities at The Flats include a fitness center, swimming pool, business lounge, walking trails, and a pet spa. The project will have 12,000 square feet of public outdoor recreation.
