The Mount Pleasant Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has selected a developer to build a new mixed-use property on a vacant lot across from the Hawthorne Metro-North station.
The 0.4-acre lot is located at 408 Elwood Ave., which has been vacant since the restaurant that formerly occupied the space, Bel Paese, closed more than a decade ago. It was later acquired by the IDA from the town.
The developer is Trinity Associates, which has completed several other multifamily and mixed-use developments around the county, including The Washington in nearby Pleasantville.
“The IDA board chose Trinity Associates because its plan respects the Hawthorne business corridor”™s scale and low density,” said Mount Pleasant IDA chairman Carl Fulgenzi. “This proposal will not overwhelm the area with new residents or traffic, while delivering a reinvestment spark that we hope will trigger more building upgrades in the area.”
Trinity is proposing a three-story building with 12 residential units ranging from one to two bedrooms and 17 on-site parking spaces. Expected monthly rents could range from $2,550 for a one-bedroom to $3,600 for a two-bedroom apartment. The ground floor will have 850 square feet of retail space.
“Our units will be designed with the empty-nester in mind,” said Trinity Associates President John Saraceno. “We believe our market at this property will be similar to our project in Pleasantville, which would include a mix of young business professionals; current and former town residents who recently sold their homes but wish to maintain a residence in the community; divorcees; and part-time residents who have primary residences out of state.”
Fulgenzi also said that revitalizing the business corridor, which runs along Elwood Avenue and Commerce Street from Hawthorne to Thornwood, is a priority for the town. Another redevelopment project at 500 Commerce Street, the former location of Victor’s Bar & Grill, is currently being constructed.
The IDA is also currently developing a new municipal parking lot on land adjacent to the 408 Elwood Ave. property.
