An August 18 ribbon-cutting marked the completion of the two-year, $36 million rehabilitation of Kingsley House, an affordable housing development for seniors at 41 Barker Ave. in White Plains.
Kingsley House was built in 1968 as part of the New York State Mitchell-Lama Program, which was established to provide housing for low- and moderate-income residents. The program was named for two members of the state legislature who were instrumental in  creating it, Sen. MacNeil Mitchell and Assemblyman Alfred Lama.
The renovations and upgraded apartment amenities were designed to improve the building’s safety, promote energy efficiency, and enhance the quality of life for the residents who are age 62 and older.
All of the apartments in Kingsley House are affordable to people earning at or below 50% of the Area Median Income. The 12-story building has 33 studios, 115 one-bedrooms, 15 two-bedrooms, and one superintendent unit. There is also one commercial space that currently is vacant. The building has 96,500 square feet of residential space.
Work on the apartments included installing new cabinets, sinks, flooring, updated bathrooms, new windows and balcony doors, along with Energy-Star appliances. Improvements to the building’s common areas included new finishes in the library and community room, elevator modernization, balcony and façade repairs, a new roof, security cameras, LED lighting, and a wheelchair-accessible entryway.
State financing for the project included $13.9 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds, Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that generated $10.5 million in equity, and $2.4 million in subsidy along with Section 8 Housing Vouchers from New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). MDG Design + Construction is the owner and developer, with the firm Smith & Henzy working on the rehabilitation project.
Speaking at the ribbon-cutting, HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Originally built under the Mitchell-Lama program, Kingsley House has always provided secure and affordable housing for middle-income New Yorkers. And today, following a nearly $36 million renovation, we celebrate the continuation of this mission – a fresh start for this building and renewed peace of mind for the 163 households who can trust that their homes will continue to be affordable thanks to a promise kept by the state of New York.”
Visnauskas noted that the average rent in White Plains of about $1,700 a month is similar to New York City rents.
Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins underscored the importance of providing housing that allows fixed-income senior citizens who spent so much of their lives in Westchester to remain in the county in their retirement years.
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach pointed out the popularity of White Plains and growth that has taken place.
“Everyone wants to live here. It”™s safe, it”™s clean, we have a lot of activities, we have a lot going on, on Mamaroneck Avenue,” Roach said. “You can get on a train and be in New York City in 40 minutes, so there is a lot to draw people in here.”
Roach said that one of the core beliefs that he and members of the city”™s Common Council hold is that it must remain a city that”™s accessible to everyone.
“We have worked hard to create legislation to add more affordable housing. We require 12% in new projects. We”™re doing the best we can and we appreciate the support we”™ve had from the state and the county in our mission,” Roach said. “Many communities in this county do everything they can to keep affordable housing out. That”™s a fact. And, sometimes what you need to do to do that is do nothing, just sit at your desk and not raise your hands. When people ask me what is the biggest issue I see my answer has always been affordable housing.”
