Trammell Crow, which bills itself as the largest commercial real estate developer in the U.S. with $15 billion in active projects and an additional $6.8 billion in projects in the pipeline, wants to construct a 12-story, 185-unit rental apartment building in Port Chester.
The company proposes to demolish two existing multifamily structures and put up the new building at 208-216 King St.
A spokesperson for Trammell Crow Company told the Business Journal that the project is being developed by High Street Residential, the residential subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company.
Attorney Anthony B. Gioffre III of the White Plains-based law firm Cuddy & Feder, speaking on behalf of applicant TC NE Metro Development inc./Trammell Crow Company, told the Port Chester Planning Commission that the new building would be on a 0.56-acre site at the southwest corner of King Street and Summerfield Place.
It would have 33 studio apartments along with 55 one-bedroom, 83 two-bedroom and 14 three-bedroom units. He said that the existing multifamily structure at 208 King St. has two units while the one at 216 King St. has six apartments. The new building would have parking for 152 vehicles in a two-level internal garage.
Gioffre said that an analysis indicated the proposal would generate 52 school-age children.
“Certainly, any impacts that are proposed to be generated by this project are expected to be offset by the increases in the tax revenues generated by the premises as well as any fair-share mitigation contributions that this project will generate as well,” Gioffre said.
Architect Stuart Johnson of Minno & Wasko Architects and Planners, which is based in New Jersey, described the site as being about 391 feet from the Port Chester Metro-North train station.
“It”™s the ideal site for a new multifamily development; steps to the train station, steps to downtown dining, shops and retail,” Johnson said. “These new tenants and new members of the community or existing members of the community who will live here really will support and complement the existing retail found within the downtown.”
Johnson described the building”™s lobby as being comparable to what would be found in a boutique hotel and said that the first level of residential space also would include a courtyard for passive and active recreation. He said there also would be a rooftop amenity deck, a fitness center, a club room for coworking and gathering space and racks to hold 65 bicycles.
He said that Energy Star appliances and lighting fixtures would be used in addition to energy-efficient windows. Johnson said there would be charging stations for electric vehicles in the garage and transformers and other electrical equipment would be designed to be able to handle additional charging stations in the future.
Anup Misra, a senior vice president of Trammell Crow, said, “Trammell Crow was founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1948. We”™re one of the nation”™s oldest and most prolific real estate developers and we currently employ about 550 professionals and we are in the U.S. and U.K. We have a multifamily subsidiary within Trammell Crow called High Street Residential and our expertise is developing projects in high growth locations such as this one.”
Misra said that he has been a resident of Westchester County for 35 years.
“I live in Mount Vernon so I”™ve been coming to Port Chester for those 35 years and we love to design contextually-fitting projects. This is our answer to the site. It”™s a steep site and the architect”™s done a fantastic job.”
Misra said that the project should create from 200 to 240 construction jobs and, when opened, there would be seven full-time people on staff managing the property. He said they were looking to begin construction in the first quarter of next year “if all goes well.”
Three Port Chester residents spoke against the project, suggesting that it is too large for the site and neighborhood.
The project is expected to be taken up again when the village Planning Commission meets on July 26.
I am very interested in the Trammel Crow project.Are some of the apartments going to be set aside for affordable rents?
Yes, Margaret. There will be 19 apartments allocated for affordable housing!